Honestly, it sneaks up on her entirely because work is insanely busy. The Laurens/Barclay divorce is careening forward now, her bosses are pleased, and she’s already gotten a few calls from other firms around the northeast, scouting her out. She’s been asked to do a presentation at the annual conference for Family Law in Manhattan in December, too.

This is it. It’s like her career has been on the precipice for the last few years and things have finally hit the tipping point.

It’s thrilling, even if it is the busiest she’s ever been.

Her birthday plans this year consist of being in the office until likely at least nine. She’s contemplating what to order for food – it’s only four forty-five, but she’d worked through lunch – when her office phone rings. “Parker.”

“Dalton.” Hannah’s voice says back, her tone mockingly serious.

Caroline feels a smile tug at her lips as she rolls her eyes. “Don’t mock my business voice. You’re the one who called my work phone.” It’s only as she says the words that she actually realizes it. She frowns, concern threading through her. “Why did you call my work phone? Everything okay?”

Hannah hums under her breath in fake-thought. “Is everything okay… is everything okay… Abbie, do you think everything is okay?”

“No!” Abbie’s voice comes in loud and clear, but it’s a chipper sound, much like Hannah’s voice is light.

Caroline leans back in her desk chair, a smile on her lips in spite of her confusion. “All right, I’ll bite. What’s going on?”

“It’s your birthday and you didn’t tell us!” Abbie shouts. “And you have to come over. Mom’s making you dinner.”

Caroline sighs. “Busted.”

“You heard the young lady,” Hannah informs her and Caroline can picture the soft smile on her face. “Come over soon. You aren’t allowed to work this late on your birthday.”

“I thought you were going to be busy getting ready for the bake sale tomorrow?” She hedges in, knowing that Hannah’s been baking up a storm for the last day and a half in preparation for Abbie’s school’s Veteran’s Day holiday themed bake sale.

“I think I can take a break for this.” Hannah’s voice is dry. “No arguments.”

She’s never left work early when she has this much to do. Her work schedule is her biggest contributor to failed relationships and that’s not much of a secret to anyone in her life.

But she can’t bear to even think about the disappointed look on either Hannah or Abbie’s faces if she says no. And she doesn’t want to.

***

Abbie’s arms are thrown around her waist as soon as she steps inside their apartment. “Happy birthday!”