She can see him flex his hands, before he wheels away and kicks at the snow, shoveled up next to the walkway.

He takes a few steps away, toward the door to his house, before he spins around again. His face is brimming red as he seethes. “Stay the fuck away from my kid. I don’t want to see you with Abbie again.”

“Well, for that to happen you’d actually have to be around to parent her, wouldn’t you?” She jabs, because the entire reason she’s even here this morning is because of him.

He stalks inside and Caroline stays glaring at the front door, jaw clenching so tight. She takes a step back and leans against her RAV4, only feeling the brisk winter air in this moment.

Letting her head fall back, she groans into the early morning air and takes in a deep breath. She already regrets letting him get under her skin. Fucking Michael. And of course, on the first official day of winter.

She takes a deep breath; setting her jaw. The holidays haven’t turned on her yet. And she’s not going to give in to it. Not today.

***

When she stops into The Bean Dream that afternoon, the morning altercation has mostly slipped from her mind.

She’s had several hours of prepping cases with her assistant and two paralegals. She’s leaving tonight and she’ll barely have any time for herself at the conference for two days. Let alone time to work.

Amidst burying herself in nonstop work for over six hours then rushing home to grab her suitcase and carryon for her flight, she’d gotten a text from Hannah, asking if she could stop by The Bean Dream before she has to go to the airport.

Honestly, it would be Caroline’s pleasure. She’s only leaving for a few days, but it feels like it’s going to be forever without seeing Hannah or Abbie at all. Her dad is driving her to catch her flight and he parks on the street, giving Caroline a quick smile before he says, “Bring me back a coffee? And tell Hannah I said hi.”

Caroline salutes him.

She steps into the café and is immediately thrown back to almost exactly a year ago. The lights and garlands are all tacked up. There’s a menorah in the window, next to a little Christmas tree that’s decorated with coffee-themed ornaments. The cups on display have those little stupid cartoon lights, and the specials board has little intricate snowflakes drawn on it, but she now knows those were deftly drawn by Hannah.

Bruce Springsteen’s Santa Claus is Coming to Town is playing over the speaker and this year, she can’t feel muster up her typical ire.

She’s barely halfway to the register, though, when Hannah’s eyes land on her. And it’s most definitely the most angry look she’s ever received from her.

Immediately, her stomach drops to her feet and she shakes her head. Somehow, she feels like she walked into a trap, as Hannah turns to look at Jo. “I need to take my break.”