Caroline looked behind Edie. An older woman was standing behind her. It had to be Hannah’s mother; they all looked alike.
“Of course it’s okay. Come in.” Caroline opened the door wider, winking when Edie sloped past her. Hannah’s mum stopped at the doorway. “Hi, I’m Caz.”
“Oh, I know who you are. My granddaughter doesn’t stop talking about you. Ivy. Nice to meet you.” Ivy held out a hand which Caroline took. “Seems my girls are smitten with you, Caz.”
Caroline tried to fight back the blush, but it was useless. It was spreading faster than she would have liked. “Come in. Hannah is just finishing in the shower.”
“Oh, I don’t want to intrude.”
Caz lifted a hand. “Absolutely not. It would be lovely to finally get to know you. I thought Hannah was keeping me a secret for a moment or two.”
“Hannah? Oh, no chance.” Ivy stepped inside, shedding her coat. “My daughter is very open about who she is and who she is dating. When she told me about you, her eyes lit up. Edie’s too whenever she talks about you.”
“Well, that’s very good to hear. Can I get you some tea or coffee?”
“Hannah can take care of that. You should be resting.” Ivy gave Caroline a knowing look, and then her lips spread into a smile. “This is lovely.”
“It…is?” Caroline frowned. What exactly was lovely?
“Hannah is forever getting her heart broken. When she told me she’d met someone, I was waiting for it all to fall apart again. But I think she finally found someone worth the risk. A risk I’m happy she’s taking.”
Caroline wasn’t used to this kind of praise. It felt odd, but it also felt comforting. She may have been forty-seven, and she may have had many years on Hannah in terms of life, but knowing someone trusted Caroline with their heart meant a lot. With Edie’s heart too.
Ivy placed a gentle hand to Caroline’s wrist, to the hand still holding her cup of tea. “I think Edie would really like a few minutes with you.”
“Oh, right. Of course.” Caroline moved into the living room, smiling at Edie where she sat. “What’s all this? It’s not my birthday.”
Edie sat on the couch, her knee bouncing. “I needed to say sorry to you.”
“For what, Edie?” Caroline slowly sat down beside her student, taking the flowers as they were thrust towards her.
“Yesterday. If I hadn’t refused to go with Kirsty, she wouldn’t have hurt you.” Edie’s voice broke, her bottom lip trembling as she stared at the coffee table. “I should have just let her pick me up from school.”
“No, no. You did the right thing. Kirsty isn’t authorised to collect you from school.”
Edie lifted a shoulder. “But if I’d gone, you wouldn’t have been hurt.”
“She didn’t hurt me because of you, Edie. She hurt me because she wasn’t feeling very well and needed a little help. I just happened to be there and in the way. It could have been anyone.”
That may not have been quite the whole truth, but Caroline saw the torment in Edie’s eyes. She never wanted Hannah’s daughter to feel that way about anything concerning Caroline.
“The main thing is that everyone is okay.”
“D-do you still love Mum?” Edie asked, her brow furrowed. “Because she didn’t do anything wrong.”
Caroline grinned. “Of course I still love her. I love her more than I did before yesterday. What happened doesn’t change anything.”
“Kay.” Edie wrung her hands in her lap. “And you’re not angry that I came here?”
“No, sweetheart. Not at all.” Caroline lowered the flowers to the coffee table, opening her arms. “Maybe a hug will make it all better.”
“I…I’m allowed to hug you?”
Caroline almost burst out laughing at that but refrained from doing so. Edie was wary, but it only showed how thoughtful Hannah’s daughter was. “Come here.”
Edie wrapped her arms around Caroline, sniffling when Caroline held Edie against her. She felt that twinge in her back, the slight spasm that had been present since yesterday, but she pushed it away.
“Edie, I know you’re a little worried about everything that happened, but I’m fine. And I hope you are, too.”