“Son, can I say something without you getting too upset?”
“If you’re going to tell me I should speak up to my boss, then no,” I tease.
Luckily, he doesn’t take offense.
“No, I was going to say that…I’m not a whimsical person. I never have been. I know I’m more of a left-brained kind of guy. I’m more logical and analytical. You take after me. But this whole situation feels like…like there’s something bigger at work here.”
“I’m not sure I follow.”
“You meet this woman on a plane, you connect with her, you unknowingly help her write the eulogy for one of your best friends, you both show up for the same funeral, and end up on vacation together? Sebastian, things like that just don’t happen every day. That is like…” He sighs loudly. “I almost can’t believe I’m saying this, but it’s like fate or karma. Like there’s a greater force out there who clearly wants the two of you together.”
I relax a bit. “Dad, we feel that way too, and we’re not mad about it. It’s one of the first things we commented on when I showed up at the beach house. But I’m not sure where you’re going with this.”
“I’ve often said how you travel too much. Maybe this is also the universe’s sign for you to slow down. Maybe this is the nudge you need to talk to your boss.”
“Not until Olivia has a plan in place. For all I know, once she gets back to Seattle, she’ll change her mind or…or…things won’t fall into place as easily as she thought they would. I don’t want to make waves to change up my schedule and…”
End up alone.
Shit.
“Sebastian? Are you still there?”
I let out a long breath. “I’m here. Sorry. I just…I had a moment there.”
“What kind of moment?”
“A moment where I don’t believe in myself,” I gruffly admit, and hate how I instantly reverted to that shy kid with no self-esteem.
Matt would smack me in the head and tell me to get over myself, but there’s no one here to do that right now.
“Damn,” Dad says quietly. “I hate that you feel that way.”
“Me too.”
“How do you feel about Olivia?”
“Honestly? I’m in love with her. I swear I think I fell a little in love with her that day on the plane when that crazy old lady started filming her and she got up and posed for her. I remember looking at her and just marveling at her confidence and the way she stood up for herself. Then every conversation after that—every time I watched her overcome something like the eulogy and the change of vacation plans—I was in awe of her. There was this magnetic pull that I couldn’t have denied, even if I wanted to.”
“Can I give you a little advice?”
“Yes. Please.”
“Does she feel the same way?”
“I think she does. She’s a little gun-shy about her feelings, but we talked enough that I’d like to believe she feels it too.”
“Then believe that she’s going to make this move. Believe enough in it that you fly home next week and tell your boss that you’re not taking these trips. But most importantly, believe enough that you found your person and that you’re going to overcome all the obstacles. People don’t come into your life that many times, in that many situations, in that short of an amount of time for no reason, Sebastian.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
He yawns loudly before apologizing. “Sorry about that. Keep me posted on how things are going and maybe you can come for dinner one night next week while you’re in town. Just you. I won’t invite your grandparents or anyone and we can just have a night to catch up—just the three of us. Is that okay?”
“That sounds perfect, Dad.”
We wish each other a goodnight and I put the phone down and suddenly feel restless.
Telling my boss that I want to cut back on travel? I’m not sure how that’s going to go.
