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She was still stunned this woman in front of her had literally paddled out in the darkness to her boat, to her. Never in a million years did she expect to see Taylor standing on the water by the back of the boat—she thought she was seeing things.

Her heart had filled at Taylor’s apology. While they weren’t any closer to knowing what to do, she at least felt like they were on the same team again. Taylor had lowered her walls and was hopefully ready to let her in.

“So, you mentioned before about us not having answers?” Sam said.

Taylor nodded.

“Well, yesterday I was actually coming to you with one, but I don’t think you were ready to hear it.”

“You’re probably right. I was in a foul mood. Even Jess was pissed at me.”

“Good. No offence.”

“None taken. You have her to thank, partly, for me being here tonight.”

“Oh really?”

“Let’s just say she overheard a lot—if not all—of our, uh, one-sided conversation. If you could even call it that. And she talked some sense into me.”

“I’m just glad you listened—to both of us. Even if you weren’t ready to talk, sometimes it works out for the best. It gives you time to process, recalibrate and let those negative feelings settle so you can zoom out and look at the bigger picture.”

“True on all fronts there. I felt so much better today, even before I came here.”

Sam reached over to squeeze her hand. “I’m happy to hear it. So, back to my idea…”

“Oh, yes.” Taylor sat focused and present, a far cry from the day before.

“You’re great with tools and boats. Especially strippers and dikes,” Sam winked.

“Yeah.”

“You love paddleboarding.”

“Check.”

“Belle now loves the water.”

“Are you just listing random facts?”

“You can work from anywhere?”

“Okay, and questions. Yes, I can. Where is this go?—”

“Do you want to come with me? Well, specifically, you and Belle? It’s a crazy idea, I know. And it’s so, so early in our relationship, but also, it maybe makes sense? If the last few weeks have taught me anything, it’s that I know I love spending time with you. You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met, you drive me wild—in more ways than one—and now I’m rambling so bad and need to actually give you time to answer me. Not that you need to answer right at this very moment.” Sam realised just how fast she was breathing when she finally stopped talking, nervesmaking the ends of her fingers tingle as she clung to her mug in hope.

“Wow.” Taylor blinked.

“Wow—good or wow—bad?” Sam checked.

“Honestly, I’m just surprised I didn’t think of it as an option before. I kept running through long-distance plans, what it would look like, if I could hack it.” She scratched at her chin as Sam waited.

“Huh.” A slow grin spread across her face. “Fuck it.”

“Seriously?”

“You know I love an adventure. Some of my best memories are from my trip around Australia. Why not make more on the open seas?”

Taylor sat for a moment longer, mulling it over. “I honestly can’t think of a single reason not to, so yeah, fuck it.”