Cathy laughed and shook her head as she walked away. Then she realized she’d forgotten to ask Cathy how to get the ghost of green off her face. That was just great. She pushed out her bottom lip.
Kate put back on her furry paws and waved at a couple. One of the women had long dark hair and was wearing a baby, and the other had short dark hair and was pushing a stroller with a toddler. The family was wearing knit caps that said, “Merry Everything.” In her head, Cathy’s voice said, What if that could be you and Hannah in a few years? Can you let yourself imagine that?
Chapter Thirty
Hannah went downstairs. She took the two pizzas from the delivery guy and gave him a cash tip. She had no idea what food to serve when your friends came over to discuss how to cope with stalking. Pizza was good in any circumstance, and besides, she had a craving for it. And that just reminded her that her period was about to show up at any moment. Given her luck lately, both would show up on the same day. Now she was extra glad she’d gone ahead and gotten two pizzas instead of one. She hoped she had ranch dressing in the refrigerator. She put the pizza on the counter and pulled out plates, glasses, and silverware. Once everything was set up buffet style, Hannah fluffed up the pillows on the couch.
Sitting on the couch did nothing but ratchet up her anxiety. She got up and paced the living room. The entire apartment was neat as a pin from the frantic energy she’d poured into trying to push Chad out of her mind. Of course, that hadn’t worked, and to make things worse, whenever she could get a thought in herhead that wasn’t about Chad popping up around every corner ready to drag her back to their hometown, it was Kate she was thinking about. She laughed out loud to her empty place, “The wrong one wants me, and the right one doesn’t.”
Her phone pinged with a message from another new account on Instagram. This one said: Stop blocking me. You know you can’t wait to see me. Hannah pushed her glasses up and rubbed her makeup-free eyes. She took a screenshot and willed her heartbeat to slow down. Did twenty-eight-year-olds have heart attacks? Hannah blocked this account just as she had the last one Chad used. Nervousness made her feel like every cell in her body was vibrating.Could Brandee and Zaina get here already?She sat down on the couch, pulled out her cards, and shuffled. She wasn’t in a good mental state for giving herself or anyone a reading, but the steady motion of handling the cards had become the best way to soothe herself.
The quiet snick of the cards sliding against each other began dropping her blood pressure, and soon she felt almost like herself. The intercom buzzed, and she jumped. She ran and checked the window to make sure it was Brandee or Zaina. She saw Brandee’s car. Relieved, she pressed the button to let her best friend up.
Hannah opened the door and watched the stairwell. Laughter floated up to her; even better, Brandee must have picked up Zaina. She didn’t have to carry this worry by herself anymore. At least that had changed since the first time she’d escaped Chad. This time, Hannah had friends, and she wasn’t going anywhere.
“Come on in. I may be more stressed out than I have been since I came to Marley Creek, but I’m still PMSing and I’m starving!” Hannah felt herself putting on a happy face, but she couldn’t help it. She didn’t want to look like a total wreck in front of her friends.
Brandee threw her arms around Hannah. “Han.” She said as she gave Hannah a big squeeze.
“Thanks for coming over at the last minute.”
“Girl, don’t even. This is some major shit. Of course I’m here.”
Zaina barreled past the two women hugging, toed off her shoes, and hung up her coat. “I’m starving. You would not believe how hungry breastfeeding makes me.”
Hannah looked at Brandee and rolled her eyes. Zaina could be so dramatic.
“Is it alright if I go ahead and make a plate?”
“Totally, help yourself.” Hannah said.
“You’ve got ranch, right?” Zaina asked as she piled pepperoni pizza on her paper plate.
“Yup, it’s in the door of the fridge.”
Hannah closed the door and locked it. Brandee took off her boots. She wasn’t wearing a coat, just a hoodie and a pair of leggings.
“I don’t know how you can go without a coat. It’s below freezing out there.”
Brandee gathered her long blonde hair at her neck and twisted it into a messy bun. “I guess I run hot. When I was pregnant with Chris, my winter coat stopped fitting, and I never replaced it. As long as I have a hoodie and maybe a vest over it, if it’s really cold, I’m good.”
“Too bad you work during the day. I could use you at the Mistletoe Market. I have been freezing my butt off.”
Zaina held up a finger. Brandee and Hannah waited as Zaina finished chewing her mouthful of pizza. “You should have told me! I’ll have Jasper drop off a heater tomorrow.”
“Oh my God, you don’t even know how happy that makes me.”
“Hannah, you are doing a fantastic job at the market. Our sales have been so good! There will be a nice Christmas bonus for you.”
“Really?” Hannah gave Zaina a side hug while Brandee put pieces of the veggie pizza on her plate.
“Of course! You are killing it out there.”
“It’s because I love Christmas.” Hannah said, “Well, that and the fact that I really need distraction right now.”
Brandee sat down on the couch. Hannah put pizza on her plate along with ranch dressing and sat down on the opposite end. Zaina sat at the kitchen table facing them.
“So, what’s going on? Brandee brought me up to speed on what happened on Thanksgiving on the way over here.”
