Page 30 of Saltwater Memories
She then mentioned to Rupert that she would be in the office on Tuesday and Wednesday, and he suggested that they do lunch together.
Perfect!
Amanda felt like she was back in London again, restarting her life, and falling in love.
Except this time, she got to play the role of tour guide, telling Rupert about the history of Seattle. She was used to him knowing everything about everything, but now she was in charge.
That Wednesday, she took him to lunch in Pioneer Square; she got to tell him all about the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 – how over twenty-five blocks of buildings burned down, and when they were rebuilding, the city decided to raise the level of the streets by over twelve feet to get above the high tide mark.
This left the remaining store fronts and buildingsunderthe new street level; there were stairs to get down there now, and a company even did tours on “The Seattle Underground.” Amanda showed Rupert some pictures and offered to take him on one of the tours so he could weave through the underground passageways himself.
Rupert found the history fascinating, and agreed that they should pick a date to go on the tour together. Amanda’s heart soared and she took a chance, asking him what he might like to see on San Juan Island.
He hesitated before responding. “You know that I want to see where you grew up, but it’s such a long trip, and I’ve got so much going on here right now.”
“Of course, I mean it’s no rush, it’s not going anywhere. I just think it’d be fun,” she said. “Maybe on a weekend when you’ve got some free time?”
“Sure, that would be nice.”
It was hard for her to not suggest that they hang out that following weekend, but she managed to keep quiet. She waited to see if he suggested any sort of plans, but by Saturday afternoon, it became clear that he had other things on his mind.
He’d signed up to do a bar crawl with some of his coworkers, and though he invited her along, it wasn’t enough time for her to get into the city – especially with traffic.
“I wish you would’ve told me sooner,” she texted him.
“I’m sorry – it was a spur-of-the-moment sort of thing. Maybe next time?”
“Yeah, definitely!”
She had kept her evening clear in case he wanted to hang out, even turning down a trip on her dad’s boat with Jade, Morgan, Matthew, and Margie.
Now she felt silly – why had she waited around for Rupert like that? She should’ve just taken the initiative and invited him! Surely he would’ve enjoyed a boating trip? Though he may not have wanted to spend time with her dad…
No, he wouldn’t have liked that at all. They’d met in London, but it didn’t go exceptionally well. It would be stressful for Rupert, and she knew how much he hated being smothered by her. He once told her, exasperated, that she could be “too much.”
It hurt to hear, but she knew he was right. It was a big reason that he pulled away from time to time; he’d tell her that she was being cloying and that he needed more space.
Amanda wasnotgoing to fall into that pattern again. She’d give him all the space he needed this time.
Another message popped up on her phone – her heart leapt until she saw who it was from.
Will.
“I saw that there’s a back-to-back screening ofTommy BoyandBlack Sheepat the theater in town – any interest in going with me? I’ll buy the popcorn.”
She smiled. She loved Chris Farley movies. Well, her parents had always loved his movies, and she and her brother Jacob got to watch them, too. Chris Farley was a pillar of her childhood.
While she knew that she really shouldn’t be spending every weekend with Will, what else did she have to do? Was she really going to text her dad and admit that she wanted to be picked up in the boat? What if Morgan said something about her waiting around for Rupert?
Amanda didn’t want to deal with that. She picked up her phone and typed out a response. “That sounds…kind of amazing. What time?”
He picked her up for the six o’clock screening, and afterward they went to a different seafood restaurant. This time, Amanda chose a place that was a bit more touristy – somewhere with more fried options for Will.
He was thrilled, telling her that he was happy to confirm that he no longer suspected he might have a shellfish allergy, and that he was even starting to like some of the stuff.
Amanda made mental notes about the menu – she knew what Rupert liked to eat, so maybe when he came to visit, she could take him there too. He was a big fan of fish and chips, though she didn’t know if he would like the “American version,” or if he’d complain too much.
The next week, Amanda decided against manufacturing a reason to work in the Seattle office, and instead waited for Rupert to suggest something on his own. It was hard, but she didn’t want to push him away by annoying him.
