Bryn’s expression was like thunder. She dangled Keira’s phone over her wine glass.

“Don’t make me dunk it,” she said.

In her peripheral vision, Keira could see Maxine and Shelby shaking their heads in disbelief at Bryn’s drama queen behavior.

She sighed loudly. “Okay, okay. I will not meet up with him. Is that what you want to hear?”

Bryn nodded, satisfied, and returned her phone to her sister.

“Now delete the message and take him out of your contacts.”

Keira exhaled loudly.

“This is ridiculous,” Shelby muttered under her breath.

Keira looked at her phone, at Zachary’s contact details. They’d been there for years. She couldn’t just delete him like he’d never existed.

But she had to accept that Bryn was right on this, again, despite her heavy-handed tactics. Because rekindling contact with Zach would be like taking a step backward. Keira’s life had changed so much in such a short amount of time, having him back in it in any capacity would be like a regression. She had to move on, step forward. Not just from Zach, but from Shane too. Now it was her time to shine, to stand on her own two feet and become independent.

Resolved, she deleted his details, watching as his name disappeared from her phone. It felt good, empowering. If she could just get the guts up to delete Shane too, then she’d really have made it. But no, not yet, the pain from their breakup was still too real.

Keira looked up at her sister.

“Happy now?”

Bryn grinned. “Of course. I’m always happy when I win.” Then she added, slyly, “And I always make sure I win.”

Shelby groaned. Maxine sunk her head into her hands, shaking it theatrically. Keira just laughed, happy and relieved that she’d taken the first small step toward moving forward with her life.

CHAPTER FIVE

Keira soon discovered that putting the past behind her was much easier said than done, and would involve a whole lot more than symbolically deleting contacts from her cell phone. Because the moment she made it to Newark airport the next morning, she was bombarded with memories of Shane, of Ireland.

Feelings of nostalgia whirled inside her as she walked through the concourse. As she handed over her boarding pass at the gate, she remembered with vivid clarity the emotions she’d had last time—the anxiety mixed with excitement and hope. It hadn’t been that long ago but already she felt like a different person entirely, a sadder, more bitter person.

She boarded the plane and took her seat. Luckily, she was by the window, which gave her an excuse not to interact with the passenger beside her. She wasn’t in the mood for chatting. Unfortunately for Keira, the man beside her seemed intent on it. As they took to the air, he leaned over and spoke.

“Name’s Garrett. Ever been to Naples before?” he asked her, grinning jovially.

He was a middle-aged man, balding slightly. He appeared to be traveling alone. Keira noticed he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring but that the skin was paler where a band had once been. A recent divorcee, she hypothesized, and groaned internally. It was going to be a long eight hours.