Page 72 of One Golden Summer
Kirsty strode out wondering how she coped before Helena. Anna had never been fully invested in the business, so it was good to have someone who was.
She needed air this morning to clear her head. Within ten minutes, she was on the start of Fisherman’s Way, a disused railway line that was now a trail all the way to Winterbury, their nearest big city. At eight miles, she wasn’t planning to walk it all. But walking the local coastline, she ran the risk of bumping into someone she knew. When she walked this trail, she was pretty much guaranteed solitude.
The fields around her were straw-coloured from so much sunshine, the mud underfoot dry and cracked. Kirsty put on one of her favourite podcasts and fixed her headphones.
“Welcome to this week’s Lesbian Life podcast with Jade & Candy! This week, we’ve got all the latest happenings in the sapphic world, including an interview with Saffron Oliver and her co-star, Echo Black! Who doesn’t love those two?”
Kirsty picked up her pace, a frown settling on her face.
Candy made a noise in her ear like she’d just eaten something delicious. “Oh yeah, I can’t wait! Having listened already, it’s a fabulous interview. The two of them just look so fantastic together both on-screen and off.”
“They sure do, Candy,”Jade agreed.“The latest Girl Racer has got all our pulses racing. They were both very coy about whether or not they were together in real life. What did you glean from the interview?”
“I think there’s still something going on. There was just something in their voices, you know?”
Kirsty’s stomach gurgled. Her blood twisted. Acid rose up her windpipe. She rolled her shoulders and took in the countryside view.
“Or perhaps that’s just wishful thinking on my part and the whole of the lesbian world,”Jade added.“Let’s face it, the pair of them have got incredible chemistry on-screen. If it’s the same off it, it would make my lesbian heart skip a beat.”
Kirsty pulled her phone out of her back pocket and snapped off the podcast.
She wasn’t going to listen to the interview.
If she did that, Echo Black would start to walk around her head, and that was the last thing she needed. She was already a striking movie star, just like Saffron. Perfect for her, just like Jade and Candy had said. Kirsty’s mind didn’t need any coaxing.
She stared hard at her phone, then clicked off the podcast app altogether.
She was not going to listen.
Even though she really wanted to.
Kirsty carried on walking, the path ahead clear. She could work out her excess energy here and nobody would know.
Saffron had made sure she had energy to burn. Heat and anger slammed through Kirsty’s system at the thought of Saffron.Damn her.
Kirsty saw a nearby tree stump and kicked it.
The pain whizzed from her toe right up through her body and to her brain.
Fuck. Thatreallyhurt. Saffron was already causing her pain. The last thing she needed was to add a dollop of her own on top.
Kirsty liked to think she knew Saffron. Saffron had told her she and Echo were over. She’d also told her not to believe whatever she read in the press. Kirsty guessed podcasts went under that umbrella, too.
But it was hard.So very hard.
The path took a steep incline. To her right, large cows lazed on the earth. To her left, hay bales were rolled up in neat rows.
Kirsty climbed the dry path, enjoying the effort. Doing something this physical took her away from where her mind wanted to go. She breathed in the fresh air. Stopped, closed her eyes and bathed in the silence. For a few brief moments, Saffron was put on mute. Now, all Kirsty could see was sunshine, daisies and blue sky. She remembered why she loved it here. The ability to be in the middle of nowhere in no time at all. Away from people.
It was what Saffron had told her she wanted, too.
But did she really? Her flat was in London. Half her life was in LA.
Kirsty shook her head, filled her lungs again and let out a piercing scream. The blood that had previously been tangled in her veins began to pump.
She screamed again.
A grin split her face.
