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Hope frowned as she deciphered what Ava had said, then a smile began to spread across her face. “Yes,” she said gently. “Yes, I think I’d quite like that.”

Ava watched as Hope danced off down the corridor after the children. She didn’t trust her legs to carry her that far they were shaking so badly.

She’d done it.

She was going to trust Hope Perkins.

And perhaps do a little more than just trusting...

Chapter Twenty Four

Hope bounded down the stairs, practically bouncing into the kitchen. Her mother raised her eyebrows.

“So you’re all primped and perfumed, are you?” Caz asked knowingly.

“What of it?” asked Hope, helping herself to an animal cracker off the plate Caz was preparing for Alice.

“Nothing of it,” Caz said, moving the plate out of Hope’s reach. “Just be careful, that’s all.”

“I always am.” Hope leaned against the kitchen counter. “You don’t mind, do you mum? I mean, I don’t have to go, you don’t need to stay in and look after Alice if you’ve got other things to do.”

“Mind? I’m delighted,” said Caz, pouring juice into a cup. “It’s about time Alice and I had a little alone time.” She looked her daughter up and down. “As for where you’re going, well, I’ve got to say that I’m proud of you.”

Hope bit her lip. “Mum, can I ask you something?”

“You just did.”

“Yeah, something else.” It had been preying on her mind. “Why now? I mean, you just start dating again out of nowhere. So why now?”

Caz moved Alice’s plate and cup to the kitchen table and put her hand on her hip. “Maybe it occurs to me that I haven’t always set the best example.”

“In what way?”

Caz sighed. “In the way of making sure that you knew that I had my own life too, that the world didn’t just revolve around you.” She held up her hands as Hope opened her mouth. “I’m not saying you’re spoiled or anything of the sort, I’m just saying that it might have been helpful to you as a woman if you’d had a mother that modeled healthy relationships.”

“And you’ve decided to do that now?” asked Hope, raising an eyebrow.

“Better later than never,” Caz said defensively. “Anyway, it’s worked, hasn’t it? You’re off next door to see your fancy woman and I’m here babysitting.”

Hope laughed. “I’m not sure how Ava will feel about being called a fancy woman.”

“You need to do this,” Caz said more seriously. “It’s no life being alone. You and Noah have been done for a while now and it’s important that you have something for yourself. It’s important that Alice sees you have something for yourself. I’m proud of you for putting yourself out there, honestly, I am, Hope.”

“If I’d have known that the only thing I needed to do to make you proud of me was kiss girls I might have come out a little sooner.”

Caz snorted. “You’re doing more than kissing if the amount of time you’ve just spent primping is any sign. And you’d better go, else you’ll be too late to do anything.”

“I’ll be back—” Hope started.

“You’ll be back when you’re back,” interrupted Caz. “You’re only next door. Stay the night. Do whatever you need to do. We know where you are.”

Hope paused. “When you say we…?”

“I mean I know where you are,” Caz said firmly. “I haven’t said a word to Alice except that you’re going out.”

Hope breathed more easily. She didn’t want Alice getting all mixed up in this, not until she knew what was happening, what all this was. It had more than crossed her mind that this could just be a silly infatuation. One of those situations where sex happened and then the magic was gone. Not that she’d experienced that, but she’d heard that it happened.

Would that be a relief or just unimaginably painful? She wasn’t sure. But she knew that she needed to figure it out sooner rather than later. And maybe finding out could be fun.