Eve stared after the car momentarily before turning around and giving Riona a reprimanding look.

"That's not funny," she said sternly and felt Liam tug on her arm. "Can I go upstairs?" he asked, and Eve would have liked to ask if he was suddenly no longer tired. 'Cheeky rascal,' she thought, without hinting of real bitterness.

She gently placed her hand on his mop of hair and stroked it before nodding. »Of course. Go ahead. But dress warmly and take the blanket with you.«

Liam took it all incredibly well. He had been through so much and was still braver than some adults might have been. There was a lot he didn't understand, but he had come here with her without crying and had resigned himself to leaving Oregon.

"Are you all right?" This time, Riona's voice sounded softer and less joking. Liam's footsteps faded upstairs as Eve sank onto the couch beside her cousin.

"I ... I don't know. Life here is suitable for both of us. But ..." she searched desperately for the right words. It was new for her to confide in someone like this. For a long time, she had to cope with all her heavy thoughts and feelings alone.

"I keep feeling like a shipwrecked woman in a storm, clinging desperately to a piece of driftwood," she said quietly, and Eve could feel her voice becoming rougher through the stones of emotion hiding beneath the surface of the water.

"Honestly, I don't know if I'm ... ready for this kind of new beginning," she confessed to Riona, looking up at the dark wood ceiling.

Ri turned to the side next to her and drew her legs up slightly. Her blonde hair formed tousled strands around her fingers as she rested her arm on the back of the sofa and propped her head in her hand.

"You're more than ready, Eve. You're just scared," she said softly, placing her fingers over Eve's to hold her hand. This small gesture of silent support meant so much to Eve that she had to swallow harder and close her eyes.

"Of course I'm scared," she whispered softly. Maybe because she didn't want Ray or Liam to hear upstairs. Or maybe just because it was hard for her to admit it to herself. "I always had to be strong. For Liam and... Because otherwise, it would have broken me. But it was always just the two of us. There was no one else in my life. Dylan would never have let..." she faltered, then opened her eyes and moaned over the bridge of her nose. "I can't do that. I never could. If Dylan hadn't asked me to the prom back then ..."

"Then you would have met another wonderful man. But that doesn't matter. There's no point in living in the past," Ri said now. "Listen to me. Dr Taylor or Jonathan," she smiled visibly, "... is not like the men in my bar. He's certainly not out for one night."
Only now did her lips, glossy with lip gloss, curve upwards again.
"I think he just honestly likes your sweet cinnamon rolls," she teased, poking Eve in the side to make it clear what she meant.

"Ri!"

"Let me finish," she begged, her face becoming a little more serious again. "You've been living like a widow all these years, even though you have a ring on your finger. Soon you'll be divorced. Then you can finally do something good for you. You can have butterflies in your stomach again and find other men attractive." As she spoke, Riona's voice became increasingly insistent. Quiet anger colored the tones darker and darker. "Stop feeling indebted to a man who didn't care about you all this time! Come to think of it ...! Shit!"

Ri clenched her hands into fists because she would have liked to curse even worse. When Eve had told her what had happened, she had almost exploded. You might have thought, smiling, that it would be better for Dylan not to be here on the doorstep. But all that anger didn't stand a chance against a Seal and a man of Dylan's stature ... Eve knew that only too well.

"I... know," Eve muttered, sighing and running her fingers over the scars on her face. She regretted so many things. Still, sometimes, she didn't know whether she wanted to scream or break down crying. "I'm just saying ... We haven't been here that long. I don't even know if he's signed the divorce papers. Knowing him, he's not going to make it easy for me."

"So what if he is," Ri snorted, wrinkling her nose. "Just go have a coffee with the doc. Have some fun, and don't think about Liam or your stupid ex for a change."

"You say that so easily." Eve sighed, and her healthy-eye gaze slid towards the stairs as if drawn. "Did you just see how Liam reacted..."

"You worry too much, Eve. Don't let this chance pass you by. You're not supposed to marry Dr Taylor right away." The young woman rolled her eyes and crossed her legs before wiggling her eyebrows. "Just a little lick, maybe. A little sugar is good for everyone now and then."

Eve couldn't help but laugh softly. "Well, I've had enough of sugar," she said, pursing her lips. "I'm sure he's just trying to be nice. What's the name of the mental disorder that makes doctors fall in love with their patients?(*)"

"Why are you asking me that?" Ri chuckled and waved it off. "But that's rubbish. After all, almost all the patients here are Dr Taylor's patients. And some of them don't even call him by his first name."

Eve still wasn't particularly convinced. "I just... just don't understand why he would do that."

"What?" Riona brushed the strands of blonde hair behind her ear and reached for the pot of fragrant tea to pour herself some into the cup that had once belonged to Liam or Ray.

"Well... Going for coffee. With me."

Riona's face was visibly uncomprehending. So Eve pointed at herself. "Look at me," she said, and Eve didn't understand how Ri couldn't understand that. "What does a man want with a seal like me?"

"That's enough!" Ri put the cup back on the table with a loud clink, causing the tea to slosh dangerously into the cup. "Stop thinking and talking so badly of yourself!" she said more harshly, turning her full attention to Eve.

"Eve," her voice took on the sound of a worried relative. A special sound that was simultaneously characterized by loving sternness and affection. "What do you think a man is looking for and needs?"

"Ri-" Eve began, but her cousin interrupted her immediately.

"No, nothing 'Ri,'" she raised her hand, and her fingers gently squeezed Eve's upper arm. "I know what you'll say: they're looking for something like Sally. Blonde, slender, and a lot of wood in front of the hut," Ri said, her eyebrows forming a stern line.

"Oh, come on, Ri, nobody first falls in love with inner values. That's romanticized talk," Eve grumbled.

"Of course, it isn't. Anyone who says anything other than that charisma and the eye are the first deciding factors is lying to themselves. And you're right: some people are looking for goats like Sally." At the mention of her name, she pursed her lips as if she'd had a rotten lemon shoved in her mouth.

"But Grandma likes it sweet, and I like it savory. Everyone has their preferences; I won't deny that." Riona shrugged her shoulders. "That might help her to pick up superficial men. One-night stands or short flings. But when it comes down to it, something else is much more important than a pair of plump breasts and a tight arse."
Riona's gaze slipped away from Eve and lingered on a small side table with several photos in different frames. Photographs, some still in black and white or in shades of brown. Of her grandmother, her husband, and her parents; one even showed Ri and Eve when they were still children.

But Eve noticed that Riona's gaze lingered on one particular picture: a young man's arm around a younger Riona, who still had long hair and a broad, enamored smile. A fairy tale without "They lived happily ever after," like so many others.

"If you're looking for more than just a bit of fun, you need someone to stand by you, for better or worse. Not just empty words and a hot body," Riona whispered as if she were saying it more to herself.

Eve felt for Riona's hand this time as her eyes grew moist. When Riona decided to move in with her grandmother in Canada, Ri was with a man called Riley. He had sworn eternal love to her and promised her the stars from heaven. That he would accompany her to Canada and marry her. But when the day came, Riona stood alone in the departure lounge at Dublin Airport. He never came.

"Beauty and empty words alone are worth nothing. You need someone to hold you and guide you when you've lost your way. Someone to catch you when you fall and give you warmth, honesty, and respect. We don't live in a fairy tale. Life sucks often enough, and we all need someone to wade through that shit with us without leaving us behind just because it's easier."

Eve didn't know what to say to that. It was always so easy to say, but... Like Riona said. Life wasn't always easy. She knew all that. But it was so much easier said than lived. Faithfulness, loyalty, and love were things you wanted, but they weren't as self-evident as they should be in relationships. It was only when the going got tough that someone had to prove themselves... and too often, that left one person with a broken heart.

Suddenly, Ri's hands came to rest gently on her cheeks, and Eve almost flinched. Instead, two landscapes of souls full of feelings, disappointments, and rocky paths met in her eyes. Two souls somehow connected and understood the pain hidden behind the other woman's smile like an invisible, bleeding wound.

"You're a wonderful woman, Eve. You need to realize that for yourself. You're an incredible cook, kind-hearted, and wonderful mum. You may not be what some might see as perfect, but that doesn't matter. But you're still beautiful. And we don't need a man to tell us that to be happy. Just one who's lucky enough to recognize it." With that, Ri gently nudged her chin.

"Besides, YOU, of all people, should know not to go by superficialities, shouldn't you?" she added more gently. "Maybe Dr Taylor just isn't as blind as some other idiots. So come on. You'll get the go-ahead for the shop tomorrow, and then you can make a new home here. It's your life, and a good man will consider it an honor to share it with you! Besides, you can enjoy your freedom for now."

Only when Ri stroked her cheek with his thumb to wipe away the wet marks did Eve realize tears were running down her cheek. She hastily lifted her hands and wiped away the evidence of a silent pain that would not heal so quickly. But it was a start.

"Ri, you sound like a character from one of your cheesy novels," Eve said and laughed, even if it still sounded a little bumpy. Nevertheless, a little sunlight filtered through the cracks in her protective wall as she embraced Ri, and the two women hugged.

"Thank you ... sometimes you could almost think you were the older one," Eve whispered. "I love you, Ri."

"I love you too, silly," her cousin returned and hugged her again. "Don't worry about it. Sooner or later, you're bound to find the one man who knows what he has in you."

For the curious:(*)
A doctor's affection for a person/patient needing help is known as Florence Nightingale syndrome.
The Florence Nightingale effect is a trope in which a carer falls in love with their patient, even if there is little communication or contact outside basic care. The feelings can diminish when the patient no longer needs care.