Chapter 15

15

T he reception hall buzzed with conversation and laughter as Piper weaved her way through the crowd, a glass of white wine in hand. She'd been looking forward to this moment all day—a chance to catch up with Evelyn Coleman, her close friend, and former co-star, without the pressures of the red carpet or the intensity of the panel discussion.

She spotted Evelyn near the far wall, chatting with another actress. As if sensing Piper's gaze, Evelyn looked up, her face breaking into a wide grin. She excused herself and made her way over to Piper.

"There you are!" Evelyn said, pulling Piper into a quick hug. "I thought we'd never get a moment to ourselves."

Piper laughed, returning the embrace. "I know."

"Come on, let's find a quiet corner where we can catch up."

They settled into a secluded alcove, the chatter of the reception fading into a pleasant background hum. Piper took a sip of her wine, savoring the crisp, refreshing taste.

"So, how's Claire?" Piper asked. She'd met Evelyn's partner in England just a few months ago. She was over visiting Evelyn for the weekend.

Evelyn's smile reached her eyes. "She's great. Actually, I have some news. I proposed last month, and she said yes."

Piper's eyes widened. "Evelyn, that's amazing! Congrats!"

Evelyn beamed, her happiness contagious. "Thank you. We're keeping it quiet for now, but I wanted you to know."

"I'm so happy for you both."

"Keep the end of May open next year," Evelyn said with a wink. "You'll be getting an invite."

Piper grinned. "I wouldn't miss it."

"What's new with you?"

Piper told her about the beach house and the renovations. But then she took a deep breath. "I wanted to ask you for some advice."

"Sure. What is it?"

"I think met someone."

Evelyn's face lit up with a smile. "You think?"

Piper laughed softly. "I like her. A lot. But she has reservations. We're actually neighbors. That's how we met. When I got to the beach house, she was working in the garden. She was taking care of my grandmother's garden since she passed."

Evelyn studied Piper. "What's her name?"

"Audrey." Piper sighed. "She's older than me, and it bothers her, even though it doesn't matter to me. And she's not in the industry, which means bringing her into this crazy world of ours..."

Evelyn grinned as she shook her head. "This is sounding an awful lot like myself and Claire." Evelyn was quiet for a moment, considering Piper's words. "Piper, if she makes you happy, that's what matters. The age thing? It's just a number. And as for the publicity side of things, it's all about being honest and setting boundaries. Talk to her. Work together to find a balance that works for both of you. Sometimes, Claire comes to events like this with me. Sometimes she doesn't. We both made sacrifices to make it work."

"You moved to another country for her."

"And I'd do it again," Evelyn said before she took a drink. "I would never have asked her to leave Ireland for me. Just talk to Audrey. It's still crazy to me to think how close I was to not being with Claire. I let a movie take me away from her, and it took a long time to get back to her. But when I did? It was so clear that we had to make it work. We were too good together."

Piper pulled her into a hug. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Hey, if you want to get away for a while, you're always welcome to stay with us. The scenery is so much more incredible in person."

"I've only ever been to Dublin, so I'd love to," Piper said. "And the same for you too. If you want to spend some time in California, the beach house is there. Natalie insisted on the best security cameras, but anyway, it's secure, and it's been so quiet there. I haven't had any issues with photographers or anything. I can just walk out onto the beach."

"I'll keep that in mind. That sounds amazing. Claire still hasn't been, if you can believe it. We've only ever been to New York together."

"Then you should."

"We should do a better job of keeping in touch," Evelyn said as she finished her drink.

"We really should."