“I’m sorry to interrupt, but are you Keira from Viatorum?” she asked.
Keira stared at her, shocked. Though she’d been recognized before in public, it had usually been while abroad. Something about it happening in her own neighborhood, while she was doing something as mundane as shopping, made it even more jarring.
“Yes, I am,” she said, feeling the blush rise in her cheeks.
“I’m a huge fan,” the woman gushed. “Would you mind if I took a picture?”
Keira looked at Bryn, who was grinning widely. Finally Keira shrugged. “I guess. Sure.”
“I’ll take it,” Bryn offered without missing a beat. “Then you can be in it too.”
The woman thanked her, then slung her arm around Keira’s shoulders and pressed her cheek against Keira’s for the shot. It was uncomfortably close and familiar and Keira felt very awkward.
“Can you sign my copy of Viatorum?” the woman added. “I have the old one before they changed the cover.”
Keira did her best to hide the grimace, but it always stung when she was confronted with the image of her and Cristiano, in movie-star black-and-white, kissing on the rooftops of Paris.
Quickly, she scrawled her name across the magazine, obscuring part of her features in the process.
“Amazing, thank you,” the woman said. “I only came here for some new bath towels. My friends are going to be so jealous!”
She scurried away, leaving Keira facing Bryn awkwardly.
“Oh. My. Goodness,” Bryn said. “You are literally a superstar now.”
Keira rolled her eyes. “Hardly. A few people recognize me, that’s all.” She thought about her scheduled TV appearance the next morning. After that, a whole load more people would recognize her. If she’d had as much recognition from just the black-and-white image on the cover, it was only going to get worse once she appeared in full color on people’s breakfast TV.
“You look worried,” Bryn said, taking her arm. They started strolling along the aisles.
“It’s just that a lot is changing with work,” Keira said. “My career isn’t going where I thought it would.”
“Because you get to be on TV?” Bryn asked incredulously.
“I never said it was bad,” Keira corrected. “Just different. I mean, I’m quiet and bookish. You’re the loud, confident one. If either of us should be on TV, it should be you.”
Bryn made a pfft noise. “You’re ridiculous. Just go with the flow, sis. Enjoy the journey.”
They turned into the living room section, where the aisles were filled with couches.
“I’m trying,” Keira told her. “You know how stressed I get. How tightly wound I can be. Relaxing doesn’t come easy to me.”
“You’d relax more easily if you bought this delightful two-seater,” Bryn said, gesturing to a bright red velvet couch.
Keira laughed. “Absolutely not!”
Bryn just sighed. “You don’t understand my vision,” she said theatrically.
She looped arms with Keira again and they strolled onward.
“Do you really believe that stuff you wrote?” Bryn asked Keira as they went. “Your theory about love and not having strings attached? Being independent?”
Keira wondered if she was asking in relation to her recent engagement. Just as Keira had worked out that love didn’t have to mean the entangling of two lives into a single entity, Bryn had flipped her own style on its head in order to settle down.
“You used to think it,” Keira reminded her.
Bryn shrugged. “I know. But it’s a lonely way to be. I always envied what you had with Zach.”
This was news to Keira.
“You did?” she asked. “But you teased me relentlessly. Said I was old before my time.”
“I thought I had all the answers,” Bryn explained. “But really I was just scared of commitment. As much as I hate to admit it, our mom is right, about how her divorce put me off marriage. I didn’t want to rely on anyone because I saw what happened to her. But now I can see how great it is having a guy around, having someone to come home to, to rely on. This whole Scandinavian trend you’ve started seems so lonely to me. Too casual. Like, where’s the security?”
Keira was surprised to hear so much musing coming from Bryn. Her sister was more of a doer than a thinker, and it shocked her to hear how deeply she’d thought this through.
They made it to the lighting section. Bryn held her hand up to a crystal chandelier, the light making her ring sparkle.
“I want you to have this feeling too,” Bryn said to Keira. “I’m so happy.”
Keira’s initial thought was, Who is this woman? Her sister had changed so much in such a short space of time, it was enough to give her a headache. But overall, she was just glad to see her content.
“I’m happy for you,” Keira told her. “We just have different journeys. If I’d settled with Zach, I would never have had what I did with Shane. Without Shane, there’d have been no Cristiano, no Milo. All those relationships were important to me. I’d hate to have missed out on any of them.”
Even as she said it, she couldn’t help thinking of the ring Cristiano had pulled out when he’d proposed. A wave of loneliness crashed over her. She could have so easily settled with him. She could have chosen him then and there. But then what? She would never have met Milo, never have written the article on Scandinavia that was about to change her life. Everything happened for a reason. She was a firm believer of that. If any of the men she’d been with so far was one she should be with, the universe would give her some kind of sign.
“Okay, sis, I’ve got it!” Bryn exclaimed, breaking her from her reverie.
Keira looked up to see her sister standing by a beautiful writing bureau and stool. There was a banker’s lamp on it, and a little shelf attached for books. It even had a shallow drawer for pens. For once, Bryn had chosen right.
“That’s perfect,” Keira gushed.
She ran over to her sister and touched her fingertips to the gorgeous table.
“See?” Bryn said. “I told you. I have a vision. You just have to trust me.”
Keira laughed. “Fine. I give myself over to the Bryn process fully. Do your worst!”
Chapter seven
Two hours later, and two thousand dollars poorer, Keira arrived back home. Unleashing Bryn in a furniture store had perhaps not been the most sensible idea, but she’d been too tired to fight it and in the end, there was some relief that came with giving up control. The real downside of the shopping trip was that Keira would have to wait for most of the larger items to be delivered, which meant she still had no couch, no bed, and no writing desk. All they’d been able to take home with them were some lamps, bedding sets, and a DIY tool kit complete with hammer and screwdrivers that Bryn insisted she own now that she was independent.
As Keira emptied the contents of her bags onto the counter, she realized that her DIY set could be put to immediate use. She still had the painting Milo had gifted her for Christmas in her case. She hurried to it now and pulled out on the clothes resting on top. As she did, she noticed the little black box, recalling the beautiful necklace Milo had bought her for the specific purpose of not forgetting about him. She hadn’t worn it since returning to New York City, and mused on the reason why. She couldn’t put her finger on it. For