“You…talk about me to your friend?”
“What? No. She just likes to fool around, you know?”
“That’s, um…yeah. I know.” Caroline offered a single nod, seemingly disappointed. “Anyway, my colleagues caught you kissing me earlier, and now they want to meet you.”
She couldn’t lie to Caroline. Hannah could lie to herself all day long but not to Caroline.
“I-I mean, Iwasalways talking about you, but I’m trying to stop.” Why did Hannah suddenly feel flustered? She was usually confident around women. Perhaps it was the hot and cold Caroline kept blowing. Hannah couldn’t keep up. “Look, what am I to be when I walk over there with you?”
“I, uh…yourself?”
“No, I mean, do they think we’re together? Is that what you need me to do? Because I will…for you.”
“I can’t ask you to do that. I haven’t even booked you tonight.”
It seemed Hannah’s plan to deter Naomi was beginning to backfire on her. Hannah hadn’t thought about the implications of Caroline’s friends seeing her little show, and now Hannah was guessing Caroline wanted her to fake some kind of relationship for the rest of the evening. While Hannah would lovenothingmorethan to be on Caroline’s arm tonight, she knew it didn’t mean anything. Honestly…this was becoming a struggle.
A woman she’d met only two weeks ago…had her world up in the air.
“Caz?”
Caroline sighed, scanning every inch of Hannah’s face. “You want more, and I can’t give that to you. Expecting you to pretend for me is something I’d never want you to do. I don’t want you to walk away from here tonight feeling hurt that I’d done that to you.”
Hannah took Caroline’s hand at her side, stroking her thumb across her knuckles. “I’donlydo it for you.”
Caroline smiled weakly. “How much, and can I pay you via bank transfer? I don’t have that kind of cash on me.”
“I don’t want you to pay me.” Hannah frowned, dropping Caroline’s hand. She never wanted Caroline to pay her a penny ever again. “But if that’s all I am to you…your escort…then tonight is the first and last time I do this. And then we’ll go our separate ways because you’re right, it’d be for the best.”
“Oh, God no. That’s not all you are to me, Hannah. Never.”
“Kinda hard for me to see it any other way, Caz. You’ve just asked me how much I want you to pay me. Have I ever given you the impression that Ionlywant to be your escort? When I kissed you tonight, was that how it felt to you?”
“N-no.”
“Then how do you want to do this? They’re your friends, your colleagues. You’re the one who has to deal with them at work, not me.”
Caroline held up her hands as she took a step back. “I’m sorry. Just friends. They can make their own assumptions.”
“Fine.” Hannah took her bag from the table, puffing out her cheeks. “Just friends.”
* * *
Caroline steppedout of the bathroom, eyeing Hannah as she stood so confidently talking to Brenda and Sharon. Caroline would give anything to feel an ounce of it, but she had no idea where to begin. Could she ever return to the old Caz? The woman who used to live her life however she pleased, wore what she wanted, and stumbled home all hours of the night without a care in the world? Honestly, the thought of it filled her with dread. Whenever the idea floated through her mind, she felt humiliation building. Humiliation was her default setting, after all.
“Caz?” Brenda waved a hand in front of her. “You with us?”
“Sorry, yes.” Caroline laughed, shaking her head.
“We’re dancing. And you’re coming with us.” Brenda dragged Caroline towards the dance floor, spinning her around as her heels hit the large illuminated square to the side of the bar. “Your friend is nice.” Brenda shifted closer. “But you and I both know that she’s not just your friend, Caz.”
“She is.”
“Oh, so you kiss all of your friends in bars?” Brenda quirked an eyebrow, stopping as she placed her hands on her hips. “I don’t know how my Phil will feel about that.”
“Don’t worry, Brenda. I’m not going to have my wicked way with you.”
“Ha! Imagine!”