Earn My Trust

Chapter 3 - Hatching a plan

Lisa had ended up staying the night at Hannah's after the pizza. By the time Bea had gone to bed and the women had caught up on their gossip, they realised they'd gone through two bottles of wine between them, meaning she couldn't drive home that evening.
Thankfully, they hadn't consumed enough to warrant a hangover the next day, so they decided to head to nanna and grandads together.
Lisa was always welcome at Hannahs parents' house, and they treated her like their own daughter.
It was only ten in the morning and the weather was destined to be bright and sunny for the day, so Hannah's dad decided he would dust off the barbecue and Bea could play on the small swing set they had from when Hannah and her late sister were kids.
"So, Lisa." Mum smiled at her brightly as she started gathering the ingredients to make her signature potato salad. "What's new? We haven't seen you in a while."
Lisa sat on one of the bar stools at the counter with Hannah, watching Bea help Grandad pull off the dusty barbecue cover before squealing and running towards the swing set in delight. The friends shared a large bowl of Tangy Cheese Doritos between them and sipped on elderflower and raspberry sparkling water.
"Nothing much really," Lisa replied, making Hannah playfully slap her arm.
"Liar liar pants on fire!" Hannah laughed. "You're as bad as Bea when i ask her how was school. Mum, Lees has a new man!"
"Oh my god, you tattle tail!" Lisa pretended to be affronted but quickly burst into giggles. "Yeah, ok. I met a possible love interest on Thursday and... I don't know... we just clicked."
Hannah couldn't help but envy the dreamy daze in her friends eyes, but still couldn't shake the heavy distrust towards men in general.
She wasn't a religious woman, but she had prayed to God that the man Lisa had met would treat her right and be someone she could rely on and trust wholeheartedly.
It had only been two days, and Lisa was practically smitten, gushing over a man she'd only met once.
"Oh my gosh!" Mum cried. "What's he like? Is he handsome?"
Hannah fell silent as she listened to her friend gush over the man she met called Martin.
He was a personal assistant to a wealthy billionaire, apparently, but he was nowhere near as rich as his boss. He owned his own flat in Croydon, drove a Ford Fiesta, and, according to Lisa, when you first saw him, you'd swear he was gay. He was humble and very funny.
"... I just couldn't believe how well we got along. You know when you meet someone and the conversation just flows?" Lisa sighed happily.
She held back the urge to roll her eyes and took a deep sip of her drink.
"I'm so pleased for you. I really hope he stays as appealing as he is now." Mum smiled warmly before turning to her daughter, checking whether the potatoes were cooked through in the pot. "Have you thought about getting yourself out there again?"
Hannah sighed and kept her eyes on her glass as she lowered it to put it back on the counter, moving deliberately slowly to allow herself time to answer.
"Actually, Lisa and I spoke about this last night." She said carefully. "She's helped me sign up to the same dating app she used to find Martin."
She didn't want to come across as ungrateful to her friend, but she felt it was going to be a fruitless attempt at love. She was only going to end up hurt and thoroughly disappointed all over again.
Lisa blushed guiltily and rushed to defend her actions. "I think it's about time she finds her forever penis-"
"LISA!" Hannah blanched.
Lisa clamped her hand around her mouth in horror at her Freudian slip before bursting out laughing and picking up her glass, inspecting it closely.
"Are you sure there's no alcohol in this?" She asked mum between her giggles.
"Forever penis, huh?" Mum smirked slyly, lifting the pot of potatoes and straining them in sink. "Is that what they're calling the one nowadays?"
"Mum!" Hannah cringed. "She means she wants me to find someone who's my equal and will help carry the burdens of parenthood."
"That's what I meant to say..." Lisa agreed cheekily. "But she's been on her own for seven years, mum. Don't you think she should try and find happiness? Possibly someone who will sweep her off her feet and be her knight in shining armour?"
"Yeah, we really need to stop Bea having control of the movies we watch, don't we?"
Mum laughed, putting the potatoes to the side before picking up the chives and moving to the chopping board in front of the two women.
"Sweetie, just give it a go and see what happens. You know the red flags, you know what to avoid. Previous experience has taught you what you want to achieve in a new relationship, but you won't know if you don't try."
Hannah groaned just as Lisa's phone pinged. Her friend dug through her bag to fish out her phone while she spoke.
"I know, mum. I'm just not sure if I can ever trust someone not to just use me and throw me away. The last thing I want is to end up going on a load of dates to find that one man I want. What impression will that give Bea?!" She defended herself.
"Well, how about we just try the one?" Lisa grinned after looking at her phone. She held up the phone to show the pink love heart notification on her screen. "We have a match!"
"Oh, let me see!" Mum quickly took the phone and opened the app. "Ohh, his name's Robin. That's a nice name! Oh... well, that's disappointing. No picture."
Hannahs heart flipped. "Not disappointing, that's fucking dodgy!" She exclaimed, not bothering to hide her disdain.
"Might I remind you, we haven't put your picture up either?" Lisa counter argued. "He's sent a message."