“No, Kirsty. This is it. We’re done. And now I’m asking you one final time to leave.”
“And if I don’t?”
“I’ll call the police.” Hannah said, not even flinching when Kirsty’s eyes flashed cold. “Don’t make me. Walk away.”
Kirsty scoffed, rushing out of the kitchen and slamming the front door shut. But Hannah? She simply lowered herself into a chair and exhaled a long, slow breath. This had been a wild evening, and it was only just beginning.
* * *
Caroline flinchedas the front door closed with an almighty thud. She peeked out of the side of the blinds in Hannah’s bedroom, watching Kirsty run away down the street. Caroline didn’t know how the conversation had exactly gone, but judging by her first meeting with Kirsty, she needed help.
Aware that their night together had been ruined, Caroline untucked her blouse from her high-waisted skirt and kicked off her heels. She would change into something comfortable and hope Hannah was in the mood to at least spend some time together tonight.
Caroline turned away from the window and unbuttoned her blouse. As she looked up, Hannah was standing in the doorway.
“Hi.”
Caroline managed a very slight smile, shedding her blouse. “Hi. Everything okay?”
“For now, yes. I think so. Ihopeso.” Hannah pushed off the doorframe and stalked towards Caroline. “You look really good tonight.”
“Yeah, I was trying to be more myself. Old me, at least. But I’ll change and…I don’t know. Maybe we could still have dinner together and play it by ear.”
“Please don’t change.”
“Hannah…as much as I’d love to just carry on like nothing has happened, it has. Your ex has just been standing in your kitchen making you dinner. I’ve had a really long day at work, and while I’d like to say this isn’t an issue, it is.”
Hannah swallowed, tears sitting on her eyelids. “Are you going to leave?”
“No.” Caroline took Hannah’s hand, encouraging her to move a little closer. Caroline felt the hesitation, the fear, but Hannah shouldn’t worry. It was going to take more than an ex-girlfriend to get rid of her. Six months ago, that may not have been the case, but Caroline was well on her way to discovering who she truly was. And it was all down to this very woman standing before her. “I’m not going to leave. I’m not going to get angry. I do, however, think you need to deal with this.”
“I’m a little bit worried about her,” Hannah admitted as she guided Caroline to the bed. They sat down, Caroline offering a nod for Hannah to continue. “She seemed completely different from the Kirsty I know. She said her mum has a terminal brain tumour.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Me, too. But I can’t let that be a reason to keep her in my life. She’s not right. Something isn’t right. But I don’t know what I’m supposed to do about it.”
“Could you reach out to her family or friends?”
Hannah laughed. “No. I was never a part of that side of her life.”
“You were together for three years, but you don’t know her family and friends?” Caroline lifted a brow, quite surprised by that. “Did that not strike you as odd?”
“Not really. We had friends together, people we met over the years, but Kirsty rarely went home to visit her parents. When she did, it seemed to be when I wasn’t available to go with her. Either I had to work, or Edie was home with me. I didn’t really think anything of it until she left, and I had no way of knowing where she was.”
“So you have nobody you can contact?”
“Nope. Afraid not. But she seemed to take the hint as she was leaving. At first, I was trying to humour her just to get her out of the house, but I don’t know. I think she realised that we wouldn’t be getting back together.”
“And are you okay? It had to be a shock when she arrived.”
Hannah cleared her throat, squeezing Caroline’s hand. “She was already here when I got home from work. Making dinner. I didn’t let her in.”
“S-she has a key?”
“Had. She had a key. She’s left it in the kitchen, don’t worry.”
While Caroline wanted to figure this out with Hannah, she couldn’t get her head around the fact that Kirsty had let herself into someone else’s house. Hannah was right. Kirsty needed help and support. “Okay, so what’s next?”