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He pulled her in for another hug. “You know you can always talk to me. No matter what it is.” He rubbed at her back, and she felt like she was six again. “I’m proud of you for following your dreams and your heart. You know Mum would be happy too.”

That set her off again. “Thanks Dad.” She sniffled into his shirt, then pulled away to collect herself.

“Oh, there’s one more thing. I think Taylor is going to come with me on my trip.”

“Wow, that’s a big step for you both.”

“It sure is. We have a lot to work out, but if there’s anyone I’d want on the boat with me, it’s Taylor.”

“Well I admit, it does make your old man glad you wouldn’t be alone. Especially with someone as handy as she is. Larry’s been raving about her too. Hey, maybe we can all meet up at one point along the journey, depending on when I leave and where I end up.”

“I’d love that.” She grinned at her dad, thankful to have their relationship back on track.

Chapter Thirty-One

Taylor had all her clothes out on the bed, trying to pare down what she truly needed to take and what needed to go. With limited room on the boat and the tiny size of her allotted storage, every piece had to count. Sam had got her into the shop earlier in the week to fit her out in some proper sailing clothes, including full offshore gear for when the weather no doubt turned sour at times. Which meant even less room to bring her other clothes. She sighed as she stared at the clothes on the bed.

There was a soft rap on the door. Jess stood leaning against it as Belle trotted past and into the room. She eyed the bed with a smirk. “How’s the packing?”

“Don’t ask. Belle, be careful of the clothes.” The dog proceeded to ignore her, jumping straight onto them then making herself comfortable on her pillow. She held up two tops to Jess. “How do I choose between these? You know I love them both.”

Jess nodded her chin towards the right shirt. “Go practical. You don’t need a button-down shirt on a boat. Nothing that needs ironing or is fancy. You’ll want to throw stuff on, and you can’t go wrong with layers.”

Taylor threw the button-down shirt onto the “donate” pile, folding up the other one neatly. “This is why you should be packing for me, you’d do a much better job.”

“I’ve got some packing to do of my own,” Jess threw out.

Taylor whirled on her, mouth gaping. “What?!”

“Well, as it turns out, my best friend is abandoning me for a life of yachting luxury.” She pretended to sniff. “Soooo… Adam and I are moving in together. Or, specifically, I’m helping him move in with me, here. He can’t match his socks, let alone pack them, so wish me luck making this work.”

“No way! I’m so happy for you.” She took the last few strides between them and wrapped Jess up in an extra squeezy hug.

“Thank you,” Jess barely managed to breath out under Taylor’s hold before Taylor finally released her. “I mean, it made sense. I didn’t want some random roommate, and we’ve been together over a year now. It’s the next logical step.”

She looked both excited and nervous at the idea.

“Hey, it’s gotta go better than when Liz and I were both living with you,” Taylor replied.

“Ugh, don’t remind me. Three’s definitely a crowd, but I am looking forward to seeing how we live together. That change of being around Adam even more, waking up next to him… I think I’m ready for that?” Jess gave a small nod, as if to reassure herself.

“You certainly don’t have to talk to me about jumping in the deep end.” Taylor raised her hand. “Exhibit A, diving right in.”

Jess shook her head, smiling. “I still can’t believe you’re doing it, and I’m going to miss you like crazy, but what an opportunity.”

“Yeah, plus, we kept in touch on my van trip. It won’t be much different from that. Although I’m sure our internet will be patchy in some areas. If only you could deliver some of your food to us, I’m going to miss that lasagne.”

“Well, from what I hear, you’re going to be well looked after with Nauti Sam’s cooking. That leftover pasta she made was insanely good.”

“Hey, I helped make that too.” Taylor stood with her hands on her hips.

“We both know you can’t cook.” Jess gave her a pointed look.

“Well, I’mlearning. I branched out and made poached eggs for breakfast this morning.”

“And how did that turn out?”

“They were harder than I would’ve liked, but still soft enough for my first go.”