'What does one wear to a football match? I suppose if it's warm enough for Halifax it'll be warm enough for the stadium.' Caroline pulled a wool fisherman's sweater over her head. She tucked her necklace under, a gift from Kate, given on the day her divorce from John had been final. She walked back over to the closet. Jeans tucked into fur-lined boots. Perfect.

She paused and thought about how she'd ended up in this predicament in the first place, self-conscious over clothes, and whether someone would judge her shag-able in them. John was up for whatever, whenever. She'd stopped trying with clothes or romance a decade ago. Now, here she was, giving her boots a second glance.


"Football?" Caroline crinkled her nose. "Oh I don't think so Jane."

"Are you sure, Caroline? When have you last been to a match?"

"It's been ages. Thank God. I think Joh – I think I took Lawrence a few years back." Caroline rested her heels on her desk and twirled the phone cord in her fingers.

"Oh come. Harrogate AFC and Leeds United? Just an expo match, but it was a real smash up last time they met. All tied up at the end."

"Thrilling."

"Shall we just do tea, then? Gloves and all, like proper ladies?"

"As opposed to shouting nonsense until you're hoarse and pitching about with strangers' pints tossed all down your clothes?"

"Now you're beginning to see the fun in it."

'Listen to her, she's like a puppy - I can practically see her tail wiggling. Can't say no to that. Good thing we never got a puppy, then.'

"Oh all right. You said Saturday night? Well the boys had already chucked me out for their ridiculous lad's night. Though I can't say I'll be able to tell the difference between that and a football match."

"Fantastic. I'll come pick you up. Dress warm."


Then, of course Caroline had made the mistake of telling her mother. Well, perhaps she'd relished the mistake. Celia could keep paying for her homophobia.

"A football match?" Celia crinkled her nose. "Now I know she's gone and done something funny to you."

"Yes mum, a football match. I know. But that's how it is when you're dating. You do odd things. You make allowances."

"Eh not likely. Not if you're being true to yourself. I've never known you to like football, Caroline."

"You and Alan went to a match, that one time, to appease Gary."

"And look how that turned out. Two hours of my life I'll never get back." Celia paused and set her teacup down. "And dating? Caroline really…."

"What mum? Is it too soon after Kate's death, my wife whom you never really accepted, or is it that I'm continuing with this bull-headed notion that women make me terribly happy?" She'd needed to tell someone about her date with Jane as soon as she'd gotten home from work, but was quickly regretting making Celia that choice. Caroline's tea was rapidly cooling on the sitting table in the carriage house.

"Now Caroline."

"Yes, mum?"

"Let's drop it." Celia frowned, turned a bit and looked away. "A football match."

"Well it's a good reason to get out of the house, anyway. John's coming over to play x-box with Lawrence and Greg that night."

"God - Caroline it's no wonder you've taken up with women. That lot. I'll be sure to tell Alan we'll stay up in Halifax that weekend."

"I won't argue that point with you." Caroline looked down at her hands. "But Lawrence is all about it. For whatever reason, - well I guess I can see the reason," 'A lesbian mum he doesn't particularly care for right now,' "he's thick as thieves with John."

"What happened to him moving in with his dad?"

"Well that all got off track when John went and got Judith pregnant." 'My god that train wreck. Sometimes it's like I'm living inside Coronation Street.'

"Seems like maybe it might be time to get that plan back on track. The boy is seventeen next month, John can't do too much more damage."

"Oh why do I think we'll both rue those words?" Caroline paused for a glance and a prayer skyward. "But I could use the peace and quiet. Stop John from stepping in all the time, at least."

"Wouldn't that be a blessing." Celia sighed, inclined her cup forward at Caroline and took a sip.


Now, here she was. Date-ready.

She stood at the mirror; 'yep – pony tail's the thing here. God then I'll have to wear muffs. I suppose it's not a fashion show, it's a football match.' She tied her hair up and walked downstairs to the kitchen.

"All right boys." She stood in the kitchen and gave a firm glance about, glancing at her wristwatch. 'Jane will be her any minute.' "I expect you to have a great time tonight." Not the lecture they'd been expecting. "But don't break anything. Or if you do patch it up. And at least pick up the food; I don't want to come home to a mess of Chinese takeaway stinking up the house." A bit more like it.

"No worries Caroline. We'll keep it on the level." Greg stood in the living room, Flora tucked into a carry pouch over the front of his shoulders. God she was big, though. Wouldn't be able to do that much longer. He leaned over and planted a kiss on top of her head, x-box controller in his hand and beer bottle in the other.

Caroline smiled. 'He is something with her. He'll be a really good thing in her life.' "Thank you Greg." A pointed look to John and Lawrence on the sofa, only halfway paying any attention. She crooked her finger at Greg. "A moment?"

He smiled and set down his beer bottle and joined her in the kitchen.

"Don't worry Caroline. Flora and I'll be upstairs sacked out by nine pm, that's for sure."

Caroline ran a hand over Flora's head and met her grasp with a pinky. She smiled down at her. 'She's just still so Kate, isn't she?' More every day. She felt a familiar twinge, pain at missing Kate and joy for little Flora. 'Kate gave me so much, in the end, didn't she? Oh but I do miss her.'

"I know Greg. And I wanted to thank you. For everything, really. I don't think I would have managed without you. I now I wouldn't have. I hope you know that. I hope you know I'm grateful?" Caroline gave an anxious look.

"Oh I know Caroline." Greg smiled in response right away. No unease at the compliment, no seizing of power over an exchange of favor, no attempt to balance the scales and take something in return. Just good nature and good will. "And it's been the best thing for me, too. Being able to be, you know, a father to Flora?" He met her eyes with the question.

"You're a good father Greg. She's lucky to have you. We're lucky to have you." Caroline moved her smile up from Flora to Greg.

"Thanks." Another earnest grin.

She leaned forward and kissed Flora on the head. "Goodnight my little love."

She shooe'd Greg away with her hand. "Now go on, go blow something up. I'll be back late - hopefully late enough those two pigeons will have passed out on the sofa already."

A perfectly timed ring of the doorbell - which did muster John's full attention.

'That'll be Jane.'

Caroline's head snapped to. "Oh no you don't, mister. You stay right there." She pointed sharply, her eyes practically pinned him to the couch and he gave a wounded pout. 'Oh that man.'

"Have fun!" Greg seriously looked like he meant it, then abruptly turned and headed back into the living room, already shouting about the sprays of bullets covering the television.

Caroline turned on her heel, stomach flipping. 'It's just a football match. My god woman – pull yourself together.' She wasn't sure what made her more nervous – thinking about 90+ freezing minutes bored to tears in a rowdy stadium, or her first real date with Jane. Her first real date in more than a year, really. If you didn't count Eleanor.

Caroline grabbed her coat off the hooks on the entry wall and opened the door.

Jane stood waiting with a goofy grin on her face, her breath a puff of steam. Flushed from the cold, black and yellow beanie squashed over her dark hair, brown eyes lit from within. Clearly excited for the evening. 'I can't tell if she's more excited for the football match or to see me. Both I suppose.'

"Are you ready, Caroline?" Jane stepped forward as Caroline came down off the step and draped a brightly striped Harrogate AFC scarf about her neck, over her turned-up collar. As she did so she pecked Caroline on the cheek. "Off we go!"

Jane took her by the hand and led her over to her Jeep, an older two-doored model with mud splattered at the wheel wells. She walked round to Caroline's side and opened the door. "After you."

"Thank you." Caroline climbed up in and glanced about, tying up her scarf against the cold. 'Off we go then.'


"Louder. I don't think I heard you properly."

"I had fun!" An abashed Caroline raised her head and yelled for all to hear.

"Now was that so hard to confess?"

Caroline smiled and laughed. "It wasn't, in fact. I had much more fun than I thought I would."

"I know you didn't want to come at all. So any fun exceeded your expectations."

Caroline paused as they walked through the car park toward the Jeep and bowed toward Jane. "I will admit when I am wrong." She stood and took Jane's mitten-ed hand in her own as they continued on, but looked away. "Thank you for an unexpectedly good evening."

"I'll take that as a compliment, but I hope it's not all over yet. Care for a pint and some chips?"

"Sounds lovely."


'She does make it easy, doesn't she?' Caroline's inner monologue continued as Jane excitedly replayed her favorite moments from the match, complete with animated hand gestures. They sat in a high back booth, the bustling warm pub around them creating an air of intimacy. 'Easy as breathing, with Jane. Like an old friend.'

Jane stopped. "I'm going on, aren't I? You're staring. Sorry." She dipped her head, grabbed a chip and popped it in her mouth. Speaking through the mouthful, "this'll keep me quiet."

"No. No. You're good. Fine, actually. I was thinking how lovely you are. What a lovely time I'm having."

"Good." Jane gave a bright smile, paused, and the weight of Caroline's words dissipated in the easy quiet. "Wait until I tell you what I have planned for our next date."

"Oh our next date." Caroline's eyes widened. "Fair's fair, lady. I'm in charge of our next date."

"Not tea, I hope." Jane responded only with a signature open, endearing grin.

'God she's just a ray of sunshine.' "Cross my heart," Caroline mimed the gesture, "there will be no tea involved."

"Well then I'm game." Jane finished her pint, and swiveled on the bench. Feet up now, she leaned against the wall. "How's Flora? How's Lawrence?"

"Flora is perfection. Lawrence - is a sixteen year old boy who can't stand his Mum."

"Sounds about right. He goes to Sulgrave Heath?"

"Yep. He'd rather not, but it's the best place for him." Caroline couldn't quite bring herself to throw her boots on the furniture, but Jane's relaxed posture loosened her shoulders anyway.

"Good. You let me know, should he need a stern talking to. I'll wear the uniform and everything." Jane snapped to, posture straight.

"Nothing like that yet. He's got a mouth you wouldn't believe. But his grades are fine. Makes it home more often than I'd think from John's. I know he talks a big game - but I think too he perhaps still likes clean sheets and a hot meal. And I've got the corner in both those markets."

"Glad to hear it."

Caroline finished her own beer and wondered again at how easy, how calm, everything felt when Jane Hayden was within eye shot.


They pulled into the house past eleven pm. The lights in the living room were lit, all else was dark. Jane appeared on the other side of the car as Caroline stepped out.

"I'll walk you to the door?" Everything still as relaxed as a Sunday morning. "I can't believe I'm on early shift tomorrow. You kept me out late, Ms. McKenzie Dawson." Jane poked her finger into the down of Caroline's jacket.

They stopped at the landing, puffs of breath milling between them in the night air, stars sharp and clear above.

"Jane I had a really lovely time tonight. Thank you. Truly."

"Thank you for taking a chance on the football match. And on me." A shadow crossed the moon and crossed Jane's face. "We didn't meet under the most auspicious of circumstance." Acknowledgement in her eyes.

"I know. I know." Caroline looked up at the stars, at the house, back at Jane, and the night was bright and clear again. "But a friend told me that in life, sometimes all you can do is just keep going. I think she was right."

"I think I like this friend."

"Yep. I think you will like her. We'll have to have you two meet soon."

"That would be nice."

"Mmmm." Caroline paused, now with butterflies that had nothing to do with football, her own shining bright blue eyes locked with Jane's brown. 'Go on then,' whispered Kate's voice.

Caroline stepped in and took Jane's hand, met her for a kiss. They lingered, the moment soft and sweet. Caroline looked down and smiled, and Jane did too. They quit the exchange of shy stares and held hands for a second, before Caroline laughed, and unwound her Harrogate AFC scarf from her coat to hand it back. Jane insisted she keep it, wouldn't take it as she turned toward her car, and gave a wave. "Good night, then, Caroline."

"Goodnight, Jane."

She watched her start up the Jeep and drive off. She turned to the house, enjoying the goofy grin all over her face that would rival one of Greg's at his most insufferable.