Caroline wants to say that Hannah won’t reciprocate. That Jared shouldn’t even ask because Hannah is barely out of her marriage. But she doesn’t have the right to do that and it’s unfair to both Hannah and Jared how much she wishes she had that right.

She flees and has never been so glad to have been called into work on a weekend.

***

It’s painful. It really stings.

She has no right to be upset, which is what she continues to tell herself through the meeting. Hannah is single and straight, she reminds herself, and will have men vying to date her as soon as she’s ready for it.

And she can’t begrudge Jared for having fallen for Hannah, of course. For doing the same thing she’s done.

She can maybe, secretly, begrudge the fact that he has a chance with her in a way Caroline never will. But she’s only fucking human.

She’s wanted Jared to find someone for a long time because she knows her brother really wants to have that complete family. And he deserves to find someone good. He’d gone from an irresponsible partier who could barely hold down a job to a responsible adult the second his ex-girlfriend had shown up with a surprise bundle of Norah and left her unexpectedly on Jared’s lap without looking back.

And Hannah is… well, she thinks about how amazing Hannah is and how much she deserves all of the time. Every time she sees her.

Her brother wants that complete family, she thinks again, but… does it have to be this family?

Her family, her heart seems to say as it aches in her chest. Which just makes everything worse with how untrue it is.

***

Caroline finally manages to ask Hannah about it a week and a half later, just before a Fourth of July party at her condo.

She’s the only one in her family with access to an underground pool. With two of them in the courtyard at her condominium complex, she can pay to reserve the private pool for special occasions. It costs a pretty penny to do so on a holiday, but all of the kids love it.

Her eyes, as usual, are glued to Hannah, who arrived an hour early to help her bring out the food and drinks.

Abbie had a sleepover with Norah so that Jared could bring them both with him to the party today. Which means Hannah had seen Jared last night, and that is all that’s been circling her mind since Hannah arrived.

She hasn’t been able to bring it up in the last twelve days, even though she’s seen Hannah multiple times. Nothing has been off about her at all. She doesn’t look like she has a flush of new romance about her and, most of all, she hasn’t said anything about going out with Jared to Caroline.