Page 9 of Irish Getaway
“Good. I’m glad. Hey, I was thinking of coming out to visit you. Maybe sometime in July?”
“You should.” Evelyn felt her lips sliding into a smile as her eyes landed on Claire who was taking her time, walking maybe fifteen or twenty yards ahead of her.
“You’ll have been there for three months by then. You might even want to come back with me.”
Evelyn’s acting skills came to life as she smiled back at Arianna while internally, all she felt was panic gripping at her throat, her heart beating faster. The thought of returning to the chaos of her failing career sent a shudder of dread through her. She knew she couldn’t stay here forever, but after a month, she was only settling into her new, slower life here.
“Let me know when you’ve booked your flights,” Evelyn said with a smile, hiding the knot of apprehension tightening in her stomach.
“I will. I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. Talk soon.”
As she ended the call, Evelyn took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh scent of the grass and the wildflowers. She wasn’t in complete denial. She knew she’d have to go back. Just not anytime soon.
With a gentle kick of her heels, she urged her horse on, catching up to Claire. As she approached, Claire reached up to remove the elastic band from her ponytail, shaking her hair loose. Evelyn swallowed as she watched Claire run her hands through her black hair, gathering it up to retie her ponytail. Evelyn knew she was staring, but she couldn’t stop herself.
“Everything okay?” Claire asked as she pulled her hair through the band and turned to look at her.
Evelyn blinked. “Yes.” She forced herself to smile. “Yeah. Everything’s fine.” She looked down at her horse, lifting her gaze to the mountains in the distance, anywhere but in Claire’s direction.
“You sure?” Claire asked as they started heading back towards the stables.
Evelyn exhaled. “Yeah. She’s thinking of visiting in July,” she said as their horses fell into a comfortable pace beside each other. “And she threw the idea out there that I could go back with her.” She paused, not sure if she wanted to bother Claire with her problems or if she’d even care. “Just before Arianna called, I was thinking about how glad I was that I’d come here. And the idea of going back…” Her voice trailed off. “I mean, I know that I have to at some point, but I can’t think about it yet.”
Claire didn’t say anything for a few moments, and the sounds of birds chirping and the horses’ hooves filled the silence.
Evelyn could feel Claire’s gaze on her, but she kept her eyes focused straight ahead.
“Don’t you have to go back at some point in July? I thought three months was the longest Americans could stay.”
“I would if I didn’t have an Irish passport,” Evelyn said softly, daring herself to look at Claire again, reminding herself that it was okay to admit to herself that she found this woman attractive. No one was here to notice, and Claire would never suspect.
Claire’s warm laugh made Evelyn smile. “You’re full of surprises.”
Evelyn ran a hand through her hair. “This is my first time using it though,” she confessed. “I applied for one when I was eighteen. I wasn’t making much progress in Los Angeles, and I was thinking about exploring Europe for a while. I knew my grandfather was Irish, and that I could get a passport that way.”
“That’s amazing. I had no idea.”
They rode in silence for a while with just the sounds of nature all around them. Evelyn stole a glance at Claire, taking in the way the sunlight danced over her features, the way her body swayed with the rhythm of her horse, and she wondered what Claire would think if she knew the effect she had on her. This was the first time in her life that she’d ever allowed herself to openly check out another woman, and now that she’d done it once, she wasn’t sure how she was going to stop.
As if sensing her gaze, Claire turned to look at her and met her eyes. Evelyn swallowed hard, feeling her face flush. “Thanks for doing this,” Evelyn said in a rush. “You have no idea. I haven’t had a day like today in so long.”
Claire’s lips slid into an easy smile. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. And we can go whenever you want. I’ll always make time to go for a ride.”
With a smile playing on her lips as they rode back, Evelyn felt lighter than she had in a very long time.
8
Claire arrived at Evelyn’s back door with the usual grocery delivery the following Tuesday, and when Evelyn Coleman asked her if she’d like to join her for a drink, who was she to say no?
It had been raining on and off all day, and it was too cold to even think about sitting outside, so they brought their glasses of wine into the living room, and if Claire had to guess, she’d say this was Evelyn’s third or fourth glass.
“I can’t believe I had to light a fire in June,” Evelyn said with a smile as she added another log.
“Well, it’s not entirely unheard of.” Claire took a seat on the couch while Evelyn stoked the fire. “Although, I imagine, coming from California weather, this is taking some getting used to.”
“It’s the inconsistency that’s the problem.” Evelyn’s smile made Claire forget what she was going to say.
She was playing a dangerous game coming here every Tuesday evening, sharing a glass of wine with someone she’d been attracted to for years, albeit from a distance. Now though? When she had Evelyn Coleman sitting right beside her with just inches between them? Claire didn’t know how she was going to keep her feelings in check, because of all the bad ideas she’d ever had when it came to falling for unavailable older women, this one was easily the most hopeless.