Page 35 of Irish Getaway

Evelyn sighed, her voice barely above a whisper. “I wish I could stay like this forever.”

Claire’s heart ached at those words. “Me too,” she said softly. She wanted to tell Evelyn that she’d be here waiting for her, that she could come back when the movie was finished. But Evelyn had been clear. She couldn’t see herself coming out, and she didn’t want Claire to wait for her.

It would probably be a year or more before Evelyn’s schedule would allow her to return, and Claire knew she had to respect Evelyn’s wishes, no matter how much it hurt. Evelyn had been the sensible one, pointing out all the reasons why they wouldn’t work. But sitting here, with her arms around Evelyn, it felt like the most natural thing in the world, like they’d been together for years.

Claire tightened her embrace, pressing a gentle kiss to Evelyn’s temple. She wanted to memorize every detail of this moment, to hold onto it forever. The feel of Evelyn in her arms, the scent of her hair, the way the fading light danced across her face.

Claire held Evelyn close as the sun disappeared behind the horizon, the sky slowly darkening. She knew their time together was coming to an end, but she wanted to savor every last moment.

As they stood up to leave, Claire took Evelyn’s hand in hers, their fingers intertwining. They walked back to the car in silence, and Claire pressed her lips together as she started the car, willing herself to keep it together, reminding herself of the reason Evelyn was leaving. She had an amazing opportunity ahead of her, and Claire had to try and find some of Evelyn’s realism. Their lives were so different, and the truth of it was that they were never going to work. The sooner Claire could get that into her head, the better.

31

Evelyn stared out the window of her private jet, her vision blurred by the tears that streamed down her face. The script she had been trying to read lay discarded on the seat beside her, forgotten in the wake of the emotions that had finally overwhelmed her. She covered her face with her hands, silently letting the tears fall as she tried not to think about her last moments with Claire.

The memory of their last embrace outside the house, just before midnight, replayed in her thoughts. Claire’s eyes had been misty as she held Evelyn close, whispering that she had to go. Evelyn could only nod, her throat too tight to speak, as she let her hand slide out of Claire’s. She watched, her heart breaking, as Claire got into her car and drove out the front gates of the estate.

Now, somewhere over the Atlantic, Evelyn felt the full weight of her decision to leave. She knew she had made the right choice for her career, but the pain of leaving Claire behind was already worse than she’d imagined.

Evelyn unlocked her phone, her fingers trembling slightly as she navigated to her photo gallery. She flicked through the seven photos she had of her and Claire.

The first photo was from the pub, both of them holding their pints of Guinness as they leaned in, smiling. The rest of the photos were taken in July and August, after they had gotten together, most of them taken while they were out on a drive, but there was one intimate shot of them cuddled up on the couch, Claire’s head nestled in the crook of Evelyn’s neck, her eyes closed. She didn’t think Claire had even realized she’d taken that photo.

And then it struck her that Claire had never asked Evelyn to send her any of those photos, that Evelyn was the only one who had them. Claire had respected her privacy enough not to even ask, knowing that Evelyn might not want the photos to leak. More tears fell as Evelyn realized just how patient and understanding Claire had been with her.

Claire had been there for her when she’d been reluctant to go sightseeing, afraid of being recognized. She had held Evelyn’s hand and listened without judgment when Evelyn struggled to tell her that she was gay. Even the fact that Claire hadn’t slept with her that first night, despite the obvious attraction between them, spoke volumes about the kind of person she was.

She forced herself to focus on the task at hand, picking up the script again. Even though this was a role of a lifetime, one that could reinvigorate her career, she’d hardly looked at the script these last few weeks, her time with Claire more important than memorizing her lines.

Evelyn forced herself to focus on the script, pushing thoughts of Claire to the back of her mind. She knew she had to move on, to immerse herself in this new role and the challenges it presented. As much as she’d want to reach out to Claire in the coming days and weeks, to hear her voice and tell her how much she missed her, Evelyn knew it would only make things harder for both of them.

She had been the one to insist that they couldn’t stay in touch, that a clean break was best. Claire had looked at her with those beautiful blue eyes, a flicker of hurt passing over her face before she nodded in understanding. Evelyn knew it was for the best, but that didn’t make it any easier.

32

In the week since Evelyn had left, Claire found herself struggling to adjust to life without her. The estate felt emptier, the days longer, but at least she had the routine of managing the stables. The horses needed her attention, and the work kept her mind occupied for most of the day.

As she brushed Finn’s gray coat, Claire’s thoughts drifted to the moments she and Evelyn had shared in the stables, to the rides they’d gone on together. A lump formed in her throat, and she swallowed hard, focusing on the rhythmic strokes of the brush against the horse’s gleaming coat.

The physical labor of taking care of the horses left Claire exhausted by the end of each day, and she welcomed the fatigue. Most nights, she fell asleep within minutes, her mind too tired to think about the fact that Evelyn was thousands of miles away now and not up at the main house.

The worst part was that she’d been prepared for this. She knew it was going to be awful going back to her normal life now that Evelyn had gone back to hers, but it was still extremely difficult to go from spending so much time with someone, someone she really cared about, to being alone again.

Claire found herself constantly checking her phone, hoping for a message or a call, anything to bridge the distance between them. But Evelyn was busy with her new project, and Claire knew that Evelyn had wanted a clean break.

As she closed the stall door, Claire leaned back against the rough wood, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

She sighed, pushing herself off the stall door. She needed to focus on her work, on the life she had here at the estate. It was a good life, one she had built for herself, and she couldn’t let her feelings for Evelyn consume her.

As she organized the saddles and bridles, a familiar voice called out from the stable entrance. “Claire? You in here?” Trish walked over, her expression a mix of concern and understanding. “Just wanted to check in on you, see how you’re doing.”

Claire shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “I’m alright, just keeping busy.”

Trish raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. “Claire, it’s okay to admit that you miss her.”

Claire felt her throat tighten, and she looked away, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. “I do miss her. But I knew this was coming, and I have to find a way to move on.”

Trish placed a comforting hand on Claire’s shoulder. “Look, I know it’s not easy, and I’m afraid I don’t really have any advice for you, other than, maybe to keep doing what you’re doing. Staying busy.”

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