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“Okay, Mom, stop talking right now!” Keira snapped. Making babies was so far from her radar it was a laughable suggestion.
“Darling,” her mom soothed. “It’s very honorable that you work so hard. But love is important too. Just as important. If not more so. Does writing this article really mean more to you than Zachary?”
Keira realized she was gripping her phone tightly. She relaxed her grasp a little. “I have to go, Mom.”
“Think about what I said.”
“I will.”
She hung up, her heart heavy. The elation she’d felt earlier today had entirely evaporated. There was only one person who could cheer her up now, and that was Bryn. She quickly found her big sister’s contact details and called her.
“Hi, lil sis,” Bryn said when she answered. “You missed brunch.”
“I was working,” Keira replied. “Joshua dragged us all into the office, I think just to show off in front of Elliot about this Ireland cover piece he was going to write. Only he slipped and… well, he broke his leg.”
“Are you kidding?” Bryn exclaimed, bursting into hysterics. “How does that even happen?”
Already, Keira felt her unhappiness begin to melt away, such was the power of Bryn.
“It was insane,” she said. “I saw his bone. And then he screamed about how he’d ruined his expensive pants!”
The two sisters laughed together.
“Then what happened?” Bryn asked, being the captive audience Keira had sought in Zachary and her mother.
“He was getting carried off on the gurney by the paramedics and I realized the meeting was about to start – Elliot hates it when people are late – so I went and sat down. And I guess I caught his eye because of that and he gave me the Ireland piece.”
“No way!” Bryn exclaimed. “Are you kidding me? My baby sister is writing the cover story?”
Keira smiled. She knew Bryn didn’t fully understand the extent to which this was a big deal for her, and was at least feigning twenty percent of her enthusiasm, but she appreciated it. It was the kind of reaction she’d hoped for from Zach.
“Yeah. It’s great. But I have to go to Ireland tomorrow so I’m going to miss Ruth’s wedding.”
“Oh pft. So what?” Bryn said. “This is way more important. I didn’t think you liked Ruth anyway.”
“I don’t. But I like Zach,” Keira said, prompting Bryn to consider why jetting off to Ireland at the drop of a hat might not be the easiest thing to do in the world. “I’ve really upset him this time.”
Bryn exhaled. “Look. Sis. I know this is hard. And I like the guy, believe me, I do. But you have got to go! You have to do this. I hate to be the one to say it but you really shouldn’t be with a guy who holds you back. You’ll only resent him if you give in to his demands.”
“And he’ll only resent me if I don’t.”
“Yup. It’s a sad truth, but sometimes life just gets in the way of love. Two people can be right for each other but the timing can be all wrong.”
Keira felt her chest ache at the thought of dumping Zachary in favor of her career. But maybe Bryn was right. Maybe it just wasn’t the right time for them.
“So, what are you going to do?” Bryn asked, breaking Keira from her reverie.
Keira took a deep breath. “You know what, I’ve gone through too much crap climbing the corporate ladder to give up at the last hurdle. I can’t turn this down.”
Keira felt her drive return back to her. She was sad about the prospect of leaving Zachary behind, but she really didn’t see any other option. Turning down this opportunity would be the end of her career. There were no two ways about it.
She had to go.
CHAPTER THREE
Keira’s alarm clock woke her up at a stupidly early time the next morning, blaring like a foghorn. She rolled over and turned it off, then realized that the other side of the bed was empty. Zach hadn’t slept there last night.
She got up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and peered into the living room. No Zach. So just as she’d predicted, he hadn’t returned last night. He must have stayed at Ruth’s.
Pushing her disappointment and sadness away, Keira took a quick shower, fighting hard to stop the warm water from lulling her back to sleep, and dressed in comfortable clothes for the long journey.
Grabbing her bag, she checked to make sure she had the tickets and itinerary that Heather had given her. Satisfied that her paperwork and passport were in her possession, she headed out of the house and hopped into the back of a waiting cab.
As she sped through the early morning streets of New York City, Keira took a moment to collect her frantic thoughts. This was really happening. She was really about to head abroad for work, something she’d always dreamed of doing. She just wished Zachary had chosen to share in this moment with her, rather than keep his distance.
The Newark airport was as busy as if it were rush hour on the subway. A 5 a.m. start was par for the course for so many busy career types, and Keira felt a sudden surge of pride to consider herself among them. She checked her luggage onto the flight, feeling like a superstar at LAX, her head held just as high. Then she found a coffee shop to get her morning fix and kill the time before her flight was ready to board.
As she sat in the bustling coffee shop, she checked her phone over and over. Even though she knew Zachary would still be sleeping, she desperately wanted some kind of communication from him. She knew she’d done the right thing by taking up the assignment and she hoped Zach would see it that way eventually. Or perhaps their relationship really was doomed like Bryn seemed to think it was. Perhaps their differing priorities really were a blockade they could no longer pass.
She fired off a light-hearted text to Zachary, leaving out any mention of their dispute, hoping that if he awoke to a sweet message he may feel more warmly toward her.
Her phone pinged and she leapt with excitement, thinking Zach had replied. But it was Heather checking everything had gone according to plan and she was on time for her flight. Disappointed, Keira texted back, telling Heather everything was fine.
Just then, she heard the boarding call for her flight. Quickly downing the last of her coffee, Keira headed to the check-in gate, vowing to call Zachary as soon as she landed. There was a five-hour time difference between New York and Ireland that she’d have to keep in mind throughout the duration of her stay.
On board the aircraft, Keira settled into her seat, checking one last time for any communication from Zach. But there was none, and the flight attendant flashed her a disapproving look to see her using her phone after they’d asked that all electronic devices be switched off. Sighing, Keira turned her phone off and stashed it in her pocket.
Just then, a crowd of stag party-goers crowded onto the flight, chatting loudly. Keira groaned. It was going to be a long flight. Seven hours, in fact, to Shannon in County Clare. It would be dark when she landed, but her body would think it was midday. She’d been hoping to get a bit of rest on the flight but the group of loud men was going to something of an impediment.
The plane began taxiing to the runway. In an attempt to block out the rowdy stag party, Keira put in earbuds and closed her eyes. But it wasn’t anywhere near close enough to blocking out their loud banter.
The plane took to the air and Keira resigned herself to plan B: caffeine. She called over the air steward and ordered a coffee, knowing it would be the first of many. She drank it, huffily, to the background sound of the stag party.
As she cruised through the skies, Keira took some time to look through Heather’s itinerary and reminders.
There