“There are a lot of whales and sea lions who live around here. I'm sure that you’d like to see them.”
“Of course.”
I quiet down for a moment. Is this what he means? Is he really planning on staying here forever?
I don't know exactly how to approach the subject without making him feel bad, but it's getting close enough to my departure that I need to have some answers.
“So, how do you think this is going to work?” I ask. “Between us?”
“I thought that you don't want to talk about that.”
I shrug, pick at one of my nails, and whisper, “I don't really, but we have to. I want to see that we were on the same page.”
“Of course we are. I almost asked you to marry me and you clearly said yes.”
I look up at him and he smiles at the corner of his lips.
“What then? I mean we never really talked about it before and now you're here and you own this big business. Would you like me to move here to be with you?”
He sits up in bed and looks straight at me. Then, quickly, he averts his eyes.
“I made the decision to buy this place when you weren’t in the picture. You were gone and I never expected to see you again. I did this for me.”
“Yes. I know,” I say quietly.
I want to add that I know that I messed up, but I don't.
“I don't want to ask you to do something that you don't want to do,” Tyler says. “I know that you have a home in Pittsburgh, a mortgage, the new business you’re starting, and clients that depend on you.”
“Yes, I do have those things, but you have this hotel, this marina, and those two restaurants that you can't leave.”
“What are you getting at, Isabelle? Do you want to come here?”
I take a deep breath.
“I want to be with you,” I say. “I like what I saw of Seattle so far, but I do know that the weather will get to me. I'm not my best self in the midst of the Pennsylvania winter and though it is green here, it's a lot more gloomy.”
“The thing is that I don't know if we have to make a decision right away. I have this whole situation with the court and I don’t know what’s going to happen to this place. Who knows, perhaps the Elliott brothers will win and I'll have to give it back.”
“Don't say that,” I shake my head. “You bought it fairly and at a good price for both of you.”
“Yeah, I know that, but that doesn't mean that I'll be able to prove that and I have to prepare myself for that fact.”
I nod, putting my hand on his shoulder, being as supportive as I can.
“The truth is that it might not be such a bad outcome. I wanted to run this place and I was all alone and was getting tired of just staring into a computer screen day in and day out. I wanted to do this so that I could bury myself in a different kind of work and to stop thinking about you. Now that you are back in my life? I don't know, somehow, working 60, 70, 80 hours a week, if not more, is no longer that appealing.”
“Are you serious?” I ask, not exactly believing him. “Please don't say that because you think that this is what I want to hear. I'm really proud of you for getting this place. I know that you can make it work if you are just allowed to make all the changes you wanted to.”
“It would be a lie to say that this has nothing to do with you, but things change. Priorities shift.”
“It doesn't have to be that way.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You could just ask me to move here? It seems to be the most obvious solution.”
“What about your house, your business, and the fact that you're not really on board with all of this rainy weather?”
“I know, that's true, but you know me. I'm not a huge fan of Pittsburgh either. I just went back there because my mom was with me and that's where my job and my work are. That doesn't have to be the case. Not if we try to build something together.”
“I like that,” he says, reaching over and giving me a kiss. “I like the idea of thinking about us starting something together as a couple.”
He kisses me again and I kiss him back. I feel the bed calling to us again, but there's something else that I want to do.
“Take me out on your boat,” I say.
“I thought you would never ask.”
Half an hour later, we stand on the deck with Tyler at the wheel and pull away from the dock. The engine putters along and Tyler expertly maneuvers out of the marina and into the bay.
The wind is strong, slashing against my face, perfect weather for sailing.
I have never been on a sailboat before and I’m not exactly relaxed or warm, but I sit with my arms wrapped firmly around my knees, wishing that I had put on another layer.
Tyler unfurls the mainsail and it quickly fills with wind. Suddenly, we are flying through the water. He turns off the engine and everything becomes silent.
I hear the squawking of the birds overhead, but there's no annoying sound of machinery grinding and working to give us momentum.
When we turn, or what he refers to as tacking, he shows me how he does it and then helps me run the lines myself. I love watching the mainsail and the jib fill up with wind and glide us over the dark water.
Tyler takes us closer to shore so we can see the magnificent contemporary mansions lining the bay. He doesn't know who owns them, but each one costs multiple millions and I suspect that they belong to the heads of companies.
Most of them are blocked with thick vegetation from one another, have enormous docks and boats up front. From the water, you can see straight through all of the glass and deep into each one.
We are one of the few boats out here and it feels serene and peaceful. Tyler steps away from the wheel and I pull out the picnic basket that I packed downstairs.
Unfortunately, it's too windy to enjoy it, even once we put down the sail. We end up just having the drinks and sitting and looking out at the horizon.
We talk about everything and nothing at all and point out that we have similar tastes in music, art, and movies. He's even seen the more obscure indie flicks that I tend to like.
After a little while, the clouds come in and the slow drizzle turns into thick drops of water. There isn't much shelter and we decide to head back.
“Why don't you go downstairs after I put the sail up so you don't get soaked,” Tyler says.
I nod and help him with what I can, even though he clearly doesn't need my help.
“Wait. One more thing,” Tyler says just as I put my foot on the first step.
“What's up?” I ask.
When I turn back to see him, he gets down on one knee and opens a black ring box, revealing a brilliant diamond ring.
My mouth drops open and for a moment I don't believe my eyes.
“Isabelle, I have loved you since we were children. You're my best friend and my first love. I've never stopped feeling that way for you. I thought I did, but now I know that I was a fool. For the last year, I tried to forget you. Forgive, and forget you, but I couldn't.”
He stopped talking for a moment and clears his throat. I realize that he's getting choked up.
“I love you. Always have. Always will. Will you marry me?”