She taps her chin with her index finger in faux-thought, even as she watches him carefully. Ava, a woman who’d filed assault charges with bodily evidence, the same year Abbie had been born. Charges were dropped after she’d been wired a large sum from his parent’s bank account, but it certainly wouldn’t look good for him. Neither would Sandy – a six month long affair, who had actually met Abbie. Not that Abbie was aware of what she’d walked in on, but Sandy had quite the memory.

“Just fucking try it, Michael. If you threaten Hannah ever again, if you badmouth her to Abbie – sexuality or relationship status, included – if you even attempt to breathe a word to contest custody… you don’t even want to know what I will do to you.” She goes toe-to-toe with him, her voice low and sharp, as her eyes narrow to a glare. “Try me. Because we both know who’ll win.”

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.