Well, she doesn’t quite make it in, because when she reaches for the door, it opens and someone comes barreling into her.

She knows as soon as the warm bundle of human is against her that it’s Hannah, without even seeing her face. Caroline’s instincts are proven correct moments later, when she gets a firm grip on Hannah’s upper arms, to help stabilize her.

It’s snowing again, coming down fairly hard – and the flakes are already sticking to the ground and to Hannah’s hair and eyelashes as she looks up at Caroline, blinking in surprise. “Caroline? Are you… we weren’t meeting today, were we?”

She watches Caroline closely, even as her hands – mitten covered. Cute – are clutching Caroline’s arms back.

“No. I was, well, I have something to give you.” She bites her lip, uncertainty slipping through her, because she knows that what she’s about to suggest isn’t always taken well by her clients. And she doesn’t always suggest it, either. Before she pulls it out, she gestures to her car. “Can I give you a ride home? We can talk on the way?”

Hannah is giving her that wary look still. As if she trusts Caroline sort of. Caroline quirks her lips in a small smile, even though she is freezing her ass off.

The smile becomes a bit more legitimate when Hannah agrees, still looking nervous as she buckles herself in. “I expected you to drive a Lexus or a Mercedes Benz,” Hannah comments softly as Caroline blasts the heat in her RAV4.

Caroline lifts her eyebrow at her in amusement. “Why?”

Hannah clears her throat, shrugging as she gives Caroline the look back. “Like I said – I know how much Michael makes. So I know what you make.”

There’s a clear assumption in Hannah’s voice about Caroline – she expects her to be a different sort of person. Someone more like her husband – that rankles and a frown pulls on Caroline’s lips for a moment before she forces herself to let it go.

It’s not part of her job to argue with a client’s perception of her, unless it genuinely affects the case.

“She’s my baby,” Caroline offers instead, reaching out to pet the dashboard. “Don’t worry, I’ll never replace you with a pretentious luxury car,” she whispers and won’t pretend she doesn’t enjoy the small smile on Hannah’s lips.

She follows the directions to Hannah’s apartment – rather, Hannah’s babysitter’s apartment – before Hannah sits heavily back against her seat, anxiety written all over her face. “Please tell me you aren’t dropping me as a client.” Her hands clutch tightly at her bag in her lap. “Michael told me he could get to anyone I would hire, and he’s been calling with threats ever since we started this, but I thought you –”