Page 30 of Better Than Expected

She’d already pulled out one of the cleaning cloths from under the sink to start wiping down the counter when Caroline spoke. She turned to look at her, seeing Caroline’s amused lifted eyebrow.

Hannah just snorted softly and sprayed the cleaner along the marble countertop as she shook her head, feeling the hair from her ponytail brush against her neck. “Well, I don’t want to ruin my daughter’s enjoyment of her current favorite book by talking about how being with anyone forever just isn’t real.”

Caroline was silent for a few long moments – much longer than would be typical for her – before she said, “Well, I think on the bright side, Abbie knows the concept of Divinity is just fiction.”

Her voice was quiet, though, lacking its usual verve. Hannah looked across the kitchen at her to see her face, but Caroline wasn’t facing her.

The seed of unease? That, however, settled.

August 23 – This Year

“Howmany people here remember my Grandpa Frank? My mom’s dad, for anyone who doesn’t know. About this tall,” Caroline held her hand up to just above her own head, a charming, humorous smile on her lips as she stood in front of the crowd at her parents forty-fifth wedding anniversary party.

“He passed away about fifteen years ago. But he was a crotchety old man most of the time, and even though he was a very fun and loving grandfather, he always loved to talk about how he had been so sure that there was no way my parents’ marriage would last. Not because he didn’t like my dad, but because he was absolutely adamant that they were too different and that eventually, it would fizzle out. I mean, he said this to us – their children!”

The crowd laughed as Caroline made a face, exacerbating the oddness of the story, and Hannah did too. Caroline was a natural public speaker – she had a way of weaving together a narrative and drawing people in to listen to her. She was utterly enthralling.

“Well. I did love my Grandpa Frank, and I thought he was typically a very smart man. But in this instance, I think even he would be happy to eat his own words. Because when I look at you two, so happy together after so long? I can see that you have what everyone wants.” Caroline shared a look with her parents before she chuckled, “Thank god, too, because I’m not sure who I would represent in the divorce.”

Hannah chuckled along with everyone else and raised her glass of champagne towards Tricia and George.

Caroline had done the legwork in planning their anniversary – because, of course she had – and it had all come together beautifully, at a reception hall Caroline had scouted out for the event months ago.

And the work she’d put in had really paid off.

Caroline strode toward her, wearing a dress for once. It occurred to Hannah that she’d never really seen Caroline in a dress, always in suits. And her throat went dry in both, she’d realized earlier.

She smiled up at her in affection. “That was amazing.”

Caroline ducked down and pressed her lips against Hannah’s cheek. “I try. Especially because none of the Goon Squad was going to make a good speech and we all knew it.”

Hannah snorted at Caroline’s nickname that she’d revealed she’d called her brothers when she was younger. She’d told Hannah while they’d been laying in bed a few months ago, early in the morning, as Hannah had toyed with Caroline’s fingers and asked her about what growing up had been like with three siblings.

It was a curious topic for her, as someone who’d grown up an only child, married an only child, and was currently raising one.

Caroline slid into the seat she’d been occupying next to Hannah, giving her a small smile as the music queued up and started playing Can’t Help Falling in Love. Caroline turned her attention to her parents as they danced, her grin turning unbelievably soft and sweet.

Hannah, however, watched Caroline closely.

There was something else that came over her features as she watched her parents dance.

Something that Hannah couldn’t quite put her finger on, but it made her anxious, deep inside.

There had been moments like this, quiet moments, for the last couple of weeks. Maybe longer, if she was pressed to think about it.

But Caroline never said anything, so she’d pushed it out of her mind. Hannah’s modus operandi in her last relationship had been to not rock the boat as much as she could, generally.

That conscious thought, that she was comparing her current relationship with Caroline to her past with Michael, slammed into her like a freight train, and she jerked upright, heart pounding in her chest with the realization.

Caroline turned to look at her in alarm. “Are you okay? What is it?”

Hannah took in a deep breath to try and calm the pounding of her heart, before she shook her head. “Ah – I…” How did she bring this up? How did she talk about this? She closed her eyes and gathered as much strength as she could. “Uh. Everything’s fine.”

Before Caroline could push – in that way she had, that soft, inquiring way – Hannah shook her head. “Do you want to dance?”

Even if they were going to discuss… whatever they had to discuss, here and now was not the time and place. And quite honestly, she would be lying if she said that a big part of her was very worried about whatever conversation they would have when they finally addressed whatever was a bit off with Caroline.

She’d much rather try to forget about that for a while and just be close to her.

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