I frowned, waiting for her to continue. When she didn't, I asked, "That simple?"
"Yes. People always think feelings are complicated, but they are not. Just saying them out loud is enough most of the time, and it's the most important thing."
I knew she was right, but gathering the courage to make the call was another thing.
“When is he landing in Seattle?” I asked.
“Umm, not sure, but I’ll message you the flight details.”
“Thanks.”
Isabelle messaged me almost immediately after finishing the call. He was landing about now. My heart somersaulted. I was not ready for this. I decided to wait until I was in my apartment. By then, he’d probably also be settled at his hotel.
On the way home, I worked up the courage. Not wanting to risk losing it, I called Dylan’s number as soon as I was out on my balcony. My hands were a little shaky. I had to tell him how I felt, that was all. And I was hoping he wouldn't shut me down. He couldn't. He'd asked Isabelle to be here for me today, for God's sake. That had to mean something.
Biting my lip, I brought the phone to my ear. The call connected after two rings.
“Hey, I hope everything's working out in Seattle. Listen, I've been talking to Isabelle, and she said some smart things. I love you, Dylan. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I want to make this right, but I don't know how. Isabelle said that telling you how I feel is enough, but I don't know.” I bit my lip again, then decided to add some humor because I didn't know what else to do. “So I'm thinking of buying this nightgown that—”
“Hold it,” Ian said.
Oh my God, I'd been talking to Ian. I was so mortified. I didn't know what to say.
“Why didn't you tell me before it was you?” I sputtered after a few seconds.
“You didn't even pause to breathe, woman, but my brother will not forgive me if I hear more about your nightgown.” He emphasized the last word, so I was sure Dylan was next to him. “He's already giving me the evil eye. I thought you should know.”
“How is it my fault?” I asked.
“It's not, but I wanted to share it.”
“Give me the phone,” Dylan said from the background. Even though he sounded a bit far away, his voice was still commanding.
I put a hand on my stomach. It twisted with nerves, but I was also feeling some butterflies.
Chapter Twenty-eight
Dylan
A vein popped in my temple. Ian was flashing me a stupid grin, wiggling his eyebrows as he handed me the phone.
"You and I will talk later," I told him through gritted teeth.
"I can't wait," he said before leaving my hotel room. We’d scheduled a meeting with the committee tomorrow morning, and we wanted to go through our plan tonight. I brought the phone to my ear as soon as I was alone. "Hey, it's me."
"Hi." It was more of a squeak. She sounded nervous.
"Sorry about Ian. He was in my room, and he was just being Ian."
"I'm mortified," she whispered.
“Why? What did you tell him?"
"How I feel about you." She groaned. "Took me so much courage to call, and now I lost it all."
I laughed at how adorable she sounded. I was on edge, but I didn't want that to come through. She was nervous enough as it was.
"I heard something about Isabelle and a nightgown." I paced the room, listening.
She laughed nervously. "Well, basically I told him—I mean you—that I love you and.... Yesterday morning I got a bit into panic mode, and I don't know where all that stuff came from. But you're the best thing that's happened to me, Dylan. I love you, and I don't want to push you away. I don't want to be away from you. I want to make things right, but I'm not sure how. Isabelle said that getting my feelings out there by talking is the best thing to do, but I..." Her words faded.
I felt like I could breathe again. I wasn't sure why she'd called at the start. Part of me feared that she wanted to say more of the same. I was not too proud to admit when I was afraid.
“I’m not Elliot, Mel. You’re the most important person in my life. And I want us to go through everything together.”
“So do I,” she whispered.
"Where does the nightgown come in?" I asked playfully.
"Oh. Well, I was trying to lighten up the mood.”
"I want to see you, Mel. I need to stay here for at least two days, maybe more, but I want you with me. I don't like that I left without seeing you. And I want you."
“Shucks, you ruined my surprise.”
“You were planning to fly to Seattle?” I asked.
“I literally just thought about it while we were talking.”
“When are you landing?”
"Like I'll tell you. I need to have one element of surprise at least."
I groaned. "You're spending too much time with my sister."
"Hey, she has great ideas. Oh, and by the way, I do have one request."
"I’m listening."
"Keep Ian out of your room."
“Done.”
***
The next day, Ian and I met with the committee's head in an office along Puget Sound. He didn’t have any good news for us.
“I spoke to the entire committee yesterday, and I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do. I’m sorry you wasted your time flying here,” Gary said. “And it’s a pity because your software would revolutionize the industry.”
Ian and I exchanged a glance—a silent understanding not to press this issue anymore. We knew when to push and when to conserve our energy and put our efforts elsewhere.
Standing up, I said, “Gary, thanks for meeting with us. We understand, of course. We’re going to move forward on our own and strike distribution contracts for the software. It would be faster with all the resources that the competition partners have, but we’re going to pursue it anyway.”
Ian and I talked until late into the night about this, and we concluded that there was no reason not to strike out on our own.
“That’s excellent news,” Gary said, shaking Ian’s hand and then mine. “I’m sure you’ll do well.”
We exchanged a few more pleasantries before leaving.
“That could’ve gone better,” Ian said once we were out of the building. “But I have a great feeling about doing this anyway.”
“So do I.”
The advantage of winning the competition would’ve been having access to all distribution partners right away, which would’ve meant a nationwide rollout from the get-go. Finding partners on our own just meant it would take longer, not that it wasn’t doable. I thought I was failing everyone, but my brother reminded me of the crucial fact that we’d already developed the product. We had the hardest part behind us. We’d find the right partners for the rollout eventually.
“Thanks for bringing that up last night. I didn’t even think about pursuing this independent of the competition,” I said honestly.
He clapped my shoulder. “That’s why I’m here. Our brains balance each other out. Yin and yang and all that shit. But I’ve got to be honest. It didn’t occur to me until last night either.”