‘I have a date!!!!!’

  ‘What? When? Who? Is it hot chick from last night?’

  ‘Good for you, hon. Also, Lauren, don’t hassle her.’

  ‘It is hot chick from last night. Her name is Jo. She’s the boss of Sports Supply. She’s the one I threw myself down in front of at work a while back. Don’t ask, Andrea. Lauren can fill you in.’

  ‘YES! I knew I was right about introducing you two. I’m good at these things.’

  ‘Tell me you are not taking credit for this, L. So, when? What?’

  ‘Dinner. Next Saturday night. Thai. I’m being picked up. I’m nervous. What if she discovers I’m not really worth the trouble?’

  ‘Babe, you are so worth it. You’re awesome. Christ, I wanna wring Jen’s neck for the number she did on you. You. Are. Totally. Fantastic. Anyone is lucky to have you. You are the kindest and bestest person in the world.’

  ‘Exactly, L. That. All of that.’

  'Thanks guys. I love you two. Catch up soon.’

  Chapter 12

  “She’s talking this week,” said Annie from her desk, as soon as she spotted Jo. Jo stopped by as she always did, and leaned on the counter. She signed in and grinned.

  “Excellent. Is there anything else I should know?”

  Annie smiled back at one of her favourite visitors. She believed strongly in her radar for Good People and regarded Jo as a very lovely soul. “She’s had some ups and downs, but I’d say Chris is having an even day today. You’ll see.” Jo certainly did see when she went into Chris’s room. Her sister was sitting at the desk writing in her journal and looked up when Jo opened the door, her face relaxing into a smile.

  “Hey Jo!” she announced enthusiastically, and got up to hug her taller sibling. Jo held her shoulders and looked at her younger sister. Her eyes were definitely clearer and she had brushed out her hair so that it hung to her shoulders. Jo sat on the bed and gestured to Chris to sit on the chair again. Not having two chairs was probably the only annoying aspect of the room.

  “How have you been?”

  Chris began shaking her head and Jo instantly panicked. “No. I don’t want to talk about me. I know I was not really here last time you visited, but I do remember that you were going to a ball and I know I told you to go to it.” She peered closely at Jo. “Did you?”

  Jo couldn’t help the blush that tinged her cheeks. “Yes. Yes, I did.”

  “Did you meet someone?” Jo wasn’t sure if she was enjoying this interrogation at all. Chris was full of clarity and focus.

  “Well…yes, I met someone. Her name is Hanna and she’s a teacher.” Jo couldn’t help the smile that crept onto her face when she said Hanna’s name. Christine leaned back and clasped her hands together in joy.

  “Oh Jo. She got under your skin! This is wonderful. You opened your heart and someone found the entrance.”

  Jo smiled. She was used to Chris’s funny old-fashioned speech pattern. “We have a date tomorrow night. Dinner.”

  Chris hugged her arms around her very thin frame and rocked backwards and forwards. “Oh, I am so happy for this. This is real life, not the utter rubbish that happens in my head.” Jo folded her hands together and crossed her right ankle over her left knee. She fired back a ‘Harry Potter’ quote to Chris. It was always the best method to make a point with her sister.

  “Of course those things happen in your head, Chris, but why on earth should that mean they’re not real?” Chris’s body instantly stilled and Jo was fascinated by the calm that overtook her.

  “‘Deathly Hallows’. Clever. Okay. So tell me, what’s Hanna like?”

  Jo described the physical aspects of Hanna as best she could, as Chris always needed those details first. But then she described Hanna’s integrity, her sense of humour, and hilarious adorable dorky nature with such genuine affection that Chris put up her hand to stop Jo talking.

  “What?”

  “You describe her with such beauty and reverence and admiration. Already.”

  Jo sighed. “I know. That’s…that’s the very, very scary thing, Chris. I think I’ve let this woman get close enough to leave me vulnerable.” Chris stood up and came to sit next to her wonderfully brave big sister, who protected her from the world and tried so hard to make money to pay for a place to help keep the demons inside her head from hurting her.

  “Jo, you are protected, in short, by your ability to love,” she quoted, pulling the line from ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’, her favourite of the series. “Enjoy your date. Relax. If she is as you describe, you are in safe hands.”

  Chapter 13

  Hanna felt like a teenager. A very jittery, nervous teenager. All week she’d lost the ability to function and focus, so much so that one of the English team had asked if she was coming down with something. For an hour, Hanna had been trying on various outfits that announced “Here Is A Very Together Adult Who Can Do Adult Things Like Go On A Date”. She’d finally settled on dark blue jeans, heeled brown boots and a very soft dark brown blouse that she loved wearing. Her good old leather jacket completed the outfit. Jo hadn’t specified how she should dress, but the Thai restaurants in the city weren’t overly fancy so she figured she’d be ok. Hanna flung the rejected clothing back into her closet and shut the door. That’s another day. She went into the bathroom, smoothed the tiniest amount of men’s wax onto her fingers and ran her hands through her hair. Okay. I can do this.

  The doorbell rang and Hanna’s heart rate spiked. She went to the intercom and announced that she’d be right down. Grabbing her jacket, key and cards, she locked up and walked down the stairs.

  Standing on the driveway, leaning against a very shiny, very black, very sexy motorbike—of course she rides a motorbike!—was Jo, dressed in black jeans, crisp white shirt, black jacket and boots. Hanna walked over to her, acutely aware of how Jo’s gaze was skimming quickly but thoroughly over her frame.

  “Hi. You look great” Her voice caught, making her clear her throat. So classy, Hanna. Jo smiled lazily at her and Hanna’s body hummed.

  “So do you. I’m so sorry, Hanna. I forgot to mention that you’d be on a bike. Is that okay? I’m incredibly safe, I promise.” Jo’s lopsided smile made Hanna’s stomach tingle, and she nodded her assent. Jo gave her the spare helmet and helped her put it on, her fingers brushing under Hanna’s chin as she did up the strap. She straddled the bike, started the engine and nodded for Hanna to get on. Climbing onto the bike rather inelegantly—again, so smooth—and after a very brief hesitation, she wrapped her arms around Jo’s waist. They started off down the road and Hanna grinned inside her helmet. Oh, this is freaking awesome! She tucked herself into Jo and enjoyed the motion of the bike and the feel of Jo’s body in her arms. All too quickly they had arrived at one of the better-known Thai restaurants on the north side of the city.

  Their table was near a window and the lights of the waterways and freeway overpass created interesting patterns in the night sky. Jo looked over at Hanna and grinned. “I worked out your quote from the dance. Star Trek. I Googled it.”

  Hanna covered her face with her hands. “Jo, I am so sorry. Truly.”

  Jo leaned forward, gently pulling Hanna’s hands back to the table where she lightly held her fingertips. “It’s fine,” she said. “Come on. What do you like to drink?”

  Hanna slid her hands to the wine list, but thought about the small touches that the two of them had had ever since they’d met. It’s like I’ve known her forever. After ordering water for Jo, and wine for Hanna, Jo filled Hanna in on her role as owner of ‘Sports Supply', what the company meant to her and how hard she’d worked to get it to where it was today. Hanna listened intently, taking small sips of her wine. Here is a person passionate about her work. Passionate about life in general. During the main, Hanna talked about her students, her different topics that she taught, her favourite books, and about Andrea and Lauren. She described her ‘baby’, the girls baseball program, and what it meant to her and the students. As per normal, she talked with her hands, making various points and grinning at Jo. It felt to Hanna like they were in their own enclosed bubble shut off from the rest of the world.

  “I love how you talk about your job,” commented Jo, after they’d both declined dessert. “It’s your entire persona. I mean, you’re…” Jo cleared her throat adorably, “really hot and gorgeous.” Hanna blushed. “But you’re just so genuine. I love it.”

  Hanna stared at Jo. Do you have any idea how much that means to me? She couldn’t say the words aloud. “I’m just an English teacher,” she deflected.

  This time Jo looked directly at Hanna. She reached across the table to hold Hanna’s hands. “Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. So no, you’re not just an English teacher.”

  Hanna’s breath hitched and she felt her underwear instantly become damp. Okay. I’m pretty sure JK Rowling didn’t write her books as erotic fiction, but, damn! “You realise you’re quoting Harry Potter to an English teacher?”

  It seemed as if Jo came to a decision at that moment, because she nodded to herself, and breathed in softly. “I have a sister who’s in care at Southshore, and one of the many things that she can do, accidentally and on purpose, is memorise the entire series of ‘Harry Potter’ and apply the quotes to reality.”

  Hanna noticed they were still holding hands so she squeezed lightly. “Thank you for sharing that with me. Thank you for trusting me to share that with me. And I think your sister sounds awesome.”

  The ride home was just as exhilarating, but Hanna was contemplative as she swung herself off the bike at her driveway. She placed her helmet on the bike lock at the rear of the motorcycle and looked at her date. They were standing in each other’s space again, just like at the dance. Hanna watched as Jo wet her lips, and she felt another blossoming of desire at her core. She leaned forward and whispered in Jo’s ear. “I solemnly swear I am up to no good.” She kissed slowly along Jo’s jawline, down to her lips, where she found Jo’s mouth slightly open. She pressed harder and felt Jo’s tongue dart out to touch her own. Hanna thought she might very well faint. Or dissolve into a liquefied mess right there in the shadow of the block of flats. She reached up and placed her hands on either side of Jo’s face, then reached further around to thread her fingers into the curls at the back. Hanna felt Jo pull her forward and they both leaned slightly on the stationary bike. Jo hands slid up under Hanna’s open jacket and spread over her torso, thumbs skimming over her breasts. Hanna groaned into Jo’s mouth, and pressed forward with her hips. She heard Jo’s gasp and felt the heat through her jeans. Jo was rubbing Hanna’s nipples through her shirt. Hanna couldn’t think. At all. Jo pulled back, raised an eyebrow, and using one hand, tugged Hanna towards her so that her thigh rested against the juncture of Hanna’s thighs. Hanna groaned a low growl that Jo took into her mouth with another searing kiss. Jo’s rock solid muscle was pushing into her swollen clit. Jesus!

  “Jo,” Hanna whispered into her left ear.

  Jo instantly stilled, and she pulled her face away from Hanna’s. Her concern in her eyes diluted the desire. “I’m sorry. I should stop. This—”

  “Ssh. No, I started this,” Hanna whispered, her hands on Jo’s face, thumbs smoothing over beautiful cheekbones. “I just need to stop because I think you’re special and deserve more than a quickie in a carpark. This…” she said, as Jo brought her own hands up to hold Hanna’s hips, “is a connection I’m not sure I can find words for yet. I mean, I can. Probably. Like, I’m scared, but it’s not quite scared. And I’m flying so high, but it’s so real and right. Do you understand? God, I’m making no sense. I’m sorry.” Hanna felt the turmoil of lust and anxiety and vulnerability, which was awful and wonderful in its complexity.

  Jo kissed her lightly and smiled. “Yes, actually. I do understand. Better than you know.” They stood together for a moment before Jo grinned and grabbed her helmet. She locked the spare helmet and looked at Hanna. “Thank you for coming on a date with me. I had a great time.”

  Hanna grinned back. “Me too.” There was a pause. “Okay. Go. Go home, hot woman on a motorbike. You’re ridiculously sexy and can’t be real.” Hanna flapped her hand at Jo as she bit her bottom lip.

  “Pot. Kettle. Black,” said Jo, and started the bike. She threw her leg over and balanced it between her thighs. “Goodnight Hanna,” she said, through the opening in the helmet.

  Hanna stood on the driveway as the tail light of the Yamaha disappeared.

  Chapter 14

  It had taken every ounce of self-control for Jo not to turn the bike around on Saturday night, knock on Hanna’s door and make love to her in her flat. But Jo had known in that moment when Hanna had said she’d made no sense, yet had made perfect sense, that this woman was who she’d been waiting for. Chris was right. For some reason, she just knew she was protected with Hanna. And it felt incredible.

  She sat on the chrome bench seat at her granite kitchen island, phone in both hands, like a prayer book. Glancing at the clock, she realised it was eight o’clock on Monday morning. Is that a good time to text? Do I actually text? Is that a thing? Oh my God listen to you. You sound like a teenager. She closed her hands around the phone and tapped her forehead with it. She’ll be at work. Doing work things. Teaching. Being amazing. Filling kids’ minds with knowledge. After typing and deleting too many times, she finally told herself to just do it and hit send on a message that she wasn’t overly thrilled with.

  ‘Hi Hanna. I had a really great time on Saturday night. I’d love to go out again with you, if that’s okay? Hope your Sunday was great’

  She read over the text as the screen showed that it had been delivered. Jo sighed and shook her head. The world’s worst text message ever. Suddenly her phone pinged, and a smiley emoji appeared.

  ‘Good morning! I also had a great time the other night. Thank you Jo, for a particularly lovely date. Would you like to come watch my baseball girls play next Saturday?’

  Jo grinned. Not the world’s worst text message apparently. Yes! Jo fired off a quick affirmative and wiggled happily out of her chair. She shoved the phone in her pocket and went downstairs to her office. The phone call later that day from Gary at Hanna’s school initially made Jo’s lips curl up into a soft smile as she remembered Saturday. But soon Gary’s words had her sitting up straighter in her chair.

  “Yeah, so the Phys Ed department will go with the order for basketball and the assorted manipulatives for fine motor skills, but we’re not ordering any new gear for baseball this year. We only ordered some last year, and since they’re cancelling the girls’ baseball, we don’t need any more.” Gary’s deep voice sounded through the phone.

  “They’ve cancelled the girls’ baseball program?” Jo knew exactly what this meant.

  “Yeah. Across all six schools, not just ours. It sucks. I’m really sorry actually. Our teacher here, Hanna Forrest, runs it and it is totally her baby, you know. Like, every bit of spare time she has, she’s doing training sessions or getting people in to talk to the girls about being strong women or getting other female teachers on board at the other five schools. This is going to really upset her.” Oh Hanna sweetheart. I wonder if you know? Jo felt as if she’d been crash-tackled. “So I’m sorry we’re not increasing our order with Sports Supply, but I’ll email through our revised order now so you can get started.”

  Jo thanked him for the phone call and hung up. She sat back in her seat, staring at her computer screen. She didn’t care about the reduced order. She cared that right now a wonderful, caring, passionate woman who had taken up residence in her soul was about to have her heart broken.

  Crap.

  Chapter 15

  Hanna’s hands shook as she tried to remain entirely professional in Jeff’s office. “The whole program? Not just our school? The…whole thing?” She heard her words repeating, seemingly not hearing it the first time Jeff had mumbled it to her as soon as she’d sat down. “But the girls…they’ve got skills they want to develop, and there are younger girls looking to join next season!” Her voice wavered.

  Jeff lifted his hands in a conciliatory manner. “I’m sorry Hanna, it’s just how it is. The executive of the entire district decided that refinancing some areas was essential for all schools. The program has been cancelled, due to lack of funds.”

  Hanna took a quick breath at the harshness of the words, but held herself together to at least leave the office with a thank you. The school day had finished thirty minutes previously and the corridors were empty of students. She breathed shallowly as she walked on autopilot back to her desk in the English staffroom. Landing heavily in her chair, she leaned her elbows onto her desk and held her head. The whole thing? She knew that her own school might not run the program next season, but the entire district? It was unbelievable. All that hard work to get the program to be viewed as valuable as any of the boy’s programs now seemed pointless. She couldn’t believe that in this day and age this still happened. Oh come on Hanna. Get a grip. Of course sexism still happens, you idiot. She felt like swearing and screaming. Instead, she shut down her laptop, shoved it into the compartment inside her backpack, picked up her phone and sent a quick text to Lauren and Andrea.

  ‘Bringing emergency wine. My program got cancelled. FFS. Need L and A therapy. ETA at A in 45 minutes. Or longer if I don’t buy out whole liquor shop’

  By the time Hanna arrived at Andrea’s place, much of her incandescent rage had dissipated and she was on the verge of tears. Those tears did fall when Andrea opened the door of her apartment and she hugged Hanna to her.

 

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