Dear reader,

This is week 3 of the series of character interviews during social distancing 2020. After checking in on Valerie and Ryan, and Kathleen and Colin, this week I’m meeting—albeit only virtually—with Claire and David, in County Galway, the main characters in Finding Our Hearts. S ince their love nest isn’t ready for them to move into yet and they have to social distance, they’ve joined the chat each from their current households.

*** Please note: this is unedited, so please excuse any typos or mistakes.***

G: Good morning, David! I see you’ve dressed up for the chat. You’re making me feel underdressed.
D: *smiles and waves.* Um… I actually dressed up and shaved because Claire said I should. She doesn’t mind seeing me with shaggy hair or stubble but thought I should look my best for the chat. Otherwise, I would’ve been in my sweatpants and baggy hoodie.
G: Well, I feel honored. Thanks for going to the trouble.
*Claire joins the chat.*
C: Hi, sorry I’m late! Robbie didn’t want to be left alone, and Ciara is having an argument with Aidan on the phone, so I didn’t want to bother her. *lifts the tiny dog up to fill the screen and waves its paw.*
G: No problem, I was just telling David how handsome he looks today. Hi, Robbie! Nice to see you too.
C: He does look gorgeous, doesn’t he? I love that shirt on him. It matches the blue of his eyes. *turns dreamy-eyed.*
D: You don’t look bad yourself, baby. Though I love you even in your PJs. *winks.*
G: Have you been able to hang out, since you live only a few blocks away from each other?
C: Not really. We’ve decided to be responsible and we thought we could use this time apart as a sort of test for our relationship. And it will be even better when we finally meet again.
D: She decided to be responsible. I’d asked her to move in with my family, but she chose Ciara over me. *pouts.*
C: *rolls her eyes.* I didn’t choose her over you. Don’t be melodramatic. She’s my best friend and she’s welcomed me into her house. I didn’t want to leave her alone, especially what she’s been going through.
G: Is there something wrong?
C: *looks away.* I think she and Aidan are having problems, and the lockdown hasn’t made things easier. She needs a friend more than ever right now.
D: Fine, I get that. She needs you and I was being a little selfish. You can’t blame me, though. I miss having you in my arms, babe.
C: *smiles weakly.* I miss you, too.
G: I’m sure you’ll be able to hug each other again soon. We must think positive and try to see the light at the end of the tunnel, right? May 5th is the day Ireland is lifting lockdown and it’s only a couple of weeks away; we can do this.
D: Yeah, let’s hope the worst is behind us. We’ve got a wedding to plan and a house to finish renovating.
C: *beams.*
G: Kathy and Colin told me you bought a house. Will you be moving in only after the wedding or will you be run a test of living under the same roof before the big day?
C: We don’t know yet.
D: The house still needs a bit of work. I’d made a lot of progress before the lockdown, but now I can’t go there, so I guess we’ll see how much still needs to be done once this lockdown is over.
C: We could have moved in after we bought it, but we wanted to turn it into our home, and that required a few changes and updates.
D: I’d do anything to please her, as you know, even if it means doing all the hard work. *gives an exaggerated sigh.*
C: *chuckles.* You were the one who wanted to do everything yourself, to show me you were a real, tough man. We could have hired someone to take care of the renovations.
D: I’m a jack of all trades and I wanted to put these muscles to good use. *pats his biceps.*
C: *rolls her eyes.*
D: And you know my dad enjoyed helping out, so he wouldn’t get bored at home. We saved money and made my dad happy. Win-win.
G: What about the wedding preparations?
C: We had most of the stuff already taken care of and we managed to do some things online, so I think we only need to understand whether the lockdown will be lifted by then and weddings will be allowed again.
D: There won’t be many guests, anyway. We wanted something intimate, with only our closest friends and family members. As long as I can put a ring on her finger and get to kiss the bride, I don’t care who’s there.
G: *chuckles.* You’re so smitten.
D: *grins.* That I am. And I’m not afraid to admit it.
C: Except when Colin is around. *brings a hand to the side of her mouth.* He’s afraid to show him he has a soft side. Even though it’s the side I love the most about him.
D: Aww, babe. I love you. *puckers up his lips to blow a kiss.*
C: Love you too, sexy.
D: *blushes.*
G: Oh, dear. Are you blushing, David?
C: He doesn’t like it when I call him that in front of others. *giggles.*
D: *shrugs.* Well, I am sexy, after all.
G: And humble.
D: That too. *grins.*
G: So, guys, how do you keep yourselves busy these days? David, tell me the truth: how much have you and Maggie been bickering while in lockdown?
D: *chuckles.* Not that much… well, not much more than usual, anyway. Maggie has her good days and bad days, but I’ve learned to read the signs, so I stay away from her if it’s looking like a bad day. We’re getting better, though. We’ve even been working together on a five-thousand-pieces jigsaw puzzle and haven’t fought once.
G: Ooh, I love jigsaw puzzles! I was great at it when I was a kid.
D: Yeah, we loved them too, all of us siblings. We found this one buried in Declan’s wardrobe, it was a New York skyline he bought when he was a teenager. After he moved to New York, I got mad at him and took it off the wall. Then proceeded to take it apart and buried it into the wardrobe. But now we’ve decided to take it out and when it’s finished, I want to hang it on the wall of my man cave in my—our house.
G: Claire, what about you? With the university being closed, you obviously can’t work at the library. Have you been keeping yourself busy with your editing business?
C: *nods.* David has helped me build a website and I’m trying to get the word out and hopefully find some new contacts. Kathy will always be my number one client, but she hasn’t been working on anything as far as I know, so I have plenty of available time for new clients.
G: That’s lovely to hear! I hope your editing business thrives. I’ll spread the word among my author buddies and maybe I’ll send you my next manuscript too.
C: I’d love that!
*Robbie barks and wriggles in Claire’s lap.*
C: Uh-oh. I think he’s telling me it’s potty time. Sorry, I have to take him outside.
G: *chuckles.* Some things just can’t be delayed! Guys, thanks for hanging out with me. I hope we can all go back to normal soon, and I can’t wait to come to your wedding. Say hi to everyone in the O’Hagan clan. Oh, and Claire, say hello to Ciara too. Tell her I’ll give her a call one of these days. (spoiler: Claire’s housemate and best friend might end up in a new series I’m plotting…)
C: I will, thank you.
D: It was great to talk to you, Grace. See ya at the wedding. *winks.*
G: Can’t wait! Bye!

Did you like this interview? Let me know in the comments!

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