Tyler's Blind Date Experiment

by Alicia Street

  “So? Who is making the rules?”

  She could not think of a good answer to that, and the longer she wrestled in silence, the more his smile grew.

  “Besides,” he said, you’ve never spent a night on a boat, and that is something you need to do.”

  “Where will we go?”

  “We’ll stay here in the marina.”

  “Is that allowed?”

  “Of course. Yachts traveling up and down the coast overnight here a lot. There’s even wifi and TV. Plus my freezer of excellent food. Although, we could stroll back into town to a restaurant if you want.”

  She tilted her head. “How do you manage to make everything sound like fun?”

  “Because it is.”

  She pursed her lips, giving him a skeptical look.

  “Okay, I know I’m lucky to have come from comfortable circumstances. Believe me, I am not blind to the troubles in the world. But, as long as I don’t hurt anyone, I don’t see any reason I shouldn’t enjoy life.”

  “So, how about that frozen pizza I saw in your fridge the other day?”

  He grabbed her again, pulling her in for a hug and kiss. Yeah, he was a cuddler—and the best sex partner she’d ever had.

  “I think we should have some broccoli with our pizza,” he said when they were up in the galley kitchen.

  “Eew. You can’t be serious.”

  “We need our greens.”

  “I had a salad at lunch. And so did you.”

  Tyler seemed to weigh this. “Okay,” he said, and pulled a bottle of beer out of the refrigerator. “Want one?”

  “No, thanks, but I would love some spring water if you have it.”

  He tossed her a bottle. “Do you ever drink liquor of any kind?”

  “No.” She’d known this discussion was coming…she just was still not sure how much to tell.

  “Is there a reason?”

  “Yes.” She took a sip of water, and gazed at the table, mulling over her words. “Three years ago I had a problem with it. A serious problem. I had to sign myself into a rehab facility to dry out.”

  “But you seem like such a—”

  “Level, boring Plain Jane?”

  “You are not anywhere near boring.” He studied her in a way she kind of expected after a revelation like that. Time to tell all.

  Caroline heaved as sigh. “When I was a senior in college, a big art dealer saw my work and took me on. He had major influence in the art world, and before I knew it, I had a career I did not know how to handle. I was raised in a working class suburb by a single mom who knew nothing about the New York art scene. So I had no one to advise me.”

  “What kind of work was it?”

  Instead of a reply, she asked, “How did you acquire Luna’s piece? Did you ever go to one of her openings?”

  “No. A friend of mine bought one for his garden area and when I saw it I knew it was the kind of piece I wanted in my double-ceiling living room. I contacted the dealer and he sent me photos of available pieces to choose from.”

  “And a guy named Andy came out with a couple others to install it for you?”

  “Yeah. That was his name. Did you know him? Did you know Luna?”

  Caroline went to the seating area in the middle of the boat where she had left her pocketbook. She took out her phone and scrolled through some photos. Pulling up an article that had been in a glossy magazine about the artist—with a large picture of her—Caroline handed the phone to Tyler.

  He looked down at it, then looked up, brows knit, then scanned the article. “You are Luna.”

  She bit her lip and nodded.

  “That’s why you have that moon on your hip bone surrounded by stars.”

  “I have always loved the moon, and when the art thing started happening, I let myself go with that idea.” She touched her earring. “These earrings you picked out for me today are exactly what Luna would choose.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me it was you? Especially after you saw how much I love your work.”

  “I didn’t want to tell you I’d had a problem with alcohol.”

  “Like you’re the first person whoever got in trouble with it? Gimme a break.”

  Now she felt foolish. “Maybe that is the Plain Jane part of me that liked to hide and be the one no one would talk about.”

  “Whether it is good or bad. Don’t tell me that was why you quit. So you could be ‘normal.’ I mean, you had to be making tons of money. And you were already famous in the art field. What happened?”

  “My dealer was a crook. He was stealing from me. That piece you bought probably went into his bank account, not mine.”

  “That bastard.”

  “It was also my fault for trusting him to handle everything. But my friend, Trinity—my third cafe partner—had a similar experience as a fashion model. She got into drugs and we ended up in the same rehab place and bonded when we met.”

  “Couldn’t you just get a lawyer when you found out?”

  “I did eventually, but at the time, I was also married to a guy who wanted me to further his art career, and when that didn’t happen, he treated me like dirt.”

  “Did he beat you?” Tyler stood as if he was ready to go find him now.

  “He shoved me around a couple times, but I got away. Mostly it was emotional abuse. He would bring his other lovers home and have sex while I was there. He’d criticize every move I made. Said nasty things about my work to others in the art world. Stole money from me and hocked some things of mine when he needed cash. Of course I was already paying all the bills with what came in from my art sales.”

  “Why would you marry someone like that?”

  “Stupidity. Being a girl who’d been plain and invisible and a total loser in high school and flattered by a cool good-looking guy chasing after me.”

  “Why didn’t you just shack up with him instead of getting married?”

  “I did at first, but he kept begging me and made me feel like I was being mean to him by refusing.”

  “What a manipulator.”

  “Grade A manipulator. And I was so innocent and so needy. But I started gaining confidence as my work gained ground. But then it all fell apart. Jackson realized no one was going to carry his art and resented me and made me pay in any way he could.”

  “I’d love to pummel that little worm.”

  Caroline shrugged. “Don’t worry, he got nothing from our divorce. In fact, my lawyer threatened to bring charges if he asked for anything.”

  “So you did finally get an attorney.”

  “Yes. A patron who bought my work—an older woman named Esther who was so intelligent and kind and became a friend to me—told me she suspected Lyle, my dealer, was not an honest person. I went to an attorney she recommended and he discovered I was being robbed. The dealer did not want the publicity of legal action, so he offered to settle. I probably could have gotten more in court, but my lawyer was also costing a mint. And I was still drinking heavily. Esther said the dealer’s team and the media would run me through the mill making me look like a lowlife drunk, when in fact it was the people hurting me who were scum. She is the one who suggested I go to the rehab facility to recover. So I took the settlement and got out. It was enough to pay for my rehab facility, and to invest in the house and coffee business with Trinity.”

  Caroline stopped talking and looked up at Tyler, waiting to see a change in his eyes that told her they would soon be history.

  Instead, he lurched toward her and enveloped her in his arms, kissing the side of her face and the top of her head. “I’m so sorry you went through that. So sorry.”

  Caroline hugged him back, feeling safe in his arms.

  And loved.

  Chapter 11

  Tyler knew back in early June, when he and Caroline had spent their first night together, something had happened to him. His heart had somehow latched onto Caroline’s. That beautiful night when they had walked on his deck and looked up at the stars, when they had put on a
movie in the lounge but never actually watched it because they could not stop kissing. Which of course had led to more. And when they had finally gone back to bed, he’d held her in his arms, his cheek against her forehead until the sun rose.

  After that night they talked or texted daily, and he usually stopped into the cafe a few times a week. And went to her apartment above the cafe in the evening when she was free. Each week they picked one new restaurant to try and one of their favorites to go back to. Caroline finally agreed to learn how to water ski. He used an older, smaller boat that would make less wake. They also took Adriana to Block Island, Montauk Light, and a few trips back to Greenport.

  They started acting like a couple, although neither would admit it. But they did acknowledge their one month mark on Fourth of July by going out to dinner, then watching the fireworks from his boat. That night Tyler gave her the necklace that matched the moon earrings. As it turned out, Caroline had hired Jinx to make a silver money clip that was a replica of Adriana.

  By August, Caroline was spending a few nights a week at his place, and while he would never say it out loud, he always hated it when she had to leave the next day. He had even taken her to the hydrotherapy center and everyone there loved her. Who wouldn’t? He’d introduced her to a few friends at dinners he’d been invited to, and she had taken him to a party one of her crowd had. They no longer bothered pretending they weren’t a couple.

  So when his mother’s big event rolled around, it almost took Tyler by surprise.

  He was alone at home one afternoon when Caleb called. “Hey, bro, Mom’s invitations for her big bash went out last week. You know what that means. D-day with the folks meeting the good girl so you can get your job back.”

  Tyler had to shake himself, as if waking from a dream. He’d forgotten all about the reason he had begun dating Caroline. “Uh, yeah, my funds are getting kind of low.”

  “Well, I think Dad is chomping at the bit to get you back. Reggie is a good attorney, but he drives Dad crazy making him answer details you would just automatically know.”

  “That’s too bad, because I like being an indolent slob who doesn’t work and can do whatever I want whenever I want.”

  Caleb laughed. “Mom and Dad are expecting just the opposite. You have always been so hyper and such a go-getter in the company. And Mom started worrying you were going into a depression. She said you didn’t return her calls and when you did you hardly said anything. I calmed her down telling her you had found a nice girl.”

  “Oh, uh, thanks.”

  “Tyler? What’s wrong? Did the girl dump you? You do have a woman to bring to the party, don’t you?”

  Tyler’s stomach clenched. He couldn’t do this to Caroline. “Caleb, I need to talk about something.”

  “You are scaring me, man.”

  “I need some help.”

  “Is it medical?”

  “No. I need advice. Even though you’re my younger brother you’ve always somehow been older and wiser than me.”

  “Don’t tell me you got the woman pregnant.”

  Tyler thought about a baby Caroline and his heart swelled. “No. The problem is…I can’t do it. I can’t use her like this.”

  “You’ve been going out with this same girl, right? The one you mentioned. Caroline?”

  “Yeah. All the time. We do all kinds of shit together. She’s great.”

  Caleb went quiet. “Tell me about her. What is she like?”

  Tyler could not help himself. He launched into recounting the things he and Caroline did together and what great times he had with her, the clever and sweet things she said, her funny ways, what made her so beautiful, so unique, how she challenged him one minute and made him laugh the next. “She’s taught me things about myself, Caleb. Made me look at the world a little differently. And, holy crap, you should see the color of her eyes. Don’t ask me how I’m going to end this thing we’ve got. I guess that’s the problem. I don’t want it to end. I’d like to just skip the party, tell Dad he can keep his job, and get some other gig so I can live my life and keep seeing Caroline on my own terms.”

  “Whoa. You are really messed up.”

  “Is that all you have to say? I know I’m a mess. That’s why I just spilled my guts to you. Can’t you help? Wisdom, bro, I need your problem-solving skills.”

  “Okay, dude, I hate to tell you, but here it is. You are in love.”

  “In love? Me?”

  “Yeah. You are totally in love with her.”

  Tyler looked out at the bay, hoping it would clear his muddled head, settle him down. But the only time he felt clear and settled was when he was with Caroline. “Oh, shit.”

  “What?”

  “I just realized you’re right. I am in love with Caroline. What am I going to do?”

  “Idiot. Don’t you see? This was exactly what you were supposed to do. Find a woman and fall in love and get married.”

  “But the idea of marriage makes me want to hide somewhere.”

  “You sure you wouldn’t like it if it was Caroline you were marrying? You just gave a ten-minute dissertation about how great it is to be with this woman. You sounded like a damn husband, Ty.”

  “Ya know, when you asked me if I got her pregnant, I couldn’t help seeing a baby Caroline. And I liked it.”

  “I rest my case. Okay, this is what you do. You take Caroline to the party and you introduce her as your girlfriend, a woman you are serious about and probably want to marry. Because it is all true.”

  They ended the call, and Tyler walked around the rest of the day getting used to the idea of being in love with Caroline.

  And being with her forever.

  And he liked it.

  Chapter 12

  Carolyn was not sure how to answer when Tyler had asked her to go with him to his parents’ Labor Day party. Or what it meant.

  Then he said it. “I want them to meet you.”

  Was this the big “time to meet the parents because this is getting serious” date? Was Tyler having thoughts of something permanent with her? Did he feel the same way she did?

  Sure, she was falling in love with him, but it had only been three months, and Caroline had already learned a painful lesson about marrying someone too quickly.

  So, while she had agreed to go, she also forced herself not to think of it as any kind of milestone in her relationship with Tyler.

  But she did prepare. A little Google search told her Tyler’s parents were well connected and active in both the North Fork and South Fork business communities. He had already mentioned that their Yacht World had been servicing and selling vessels for both fishing and recreation for three generations.

  This time Caroline decided she had better consult Brina. She asked her to come upstairs to her apartment after they closed the cafe on Friday.

  “So, they live in a pretty upscale neighborhood,” Brina said. “And judging from that newspaper photo you showed me of his mother, I would think a slightly sedate outfit would be best.”

  “Yeah. Maybe even…plain?” Caroline said.

  Brina laughed and nodded.

  “And even though it is outside,” Caroline went on, “I doubt it is going to be your average backyard family barbecue.”

  “Right. More like tents and catering and fine wine. Did you check with Tyler on how people usually dress for it?”

  “I did, but he just looked at me and shrugged, like he had no idea what I was even talking about.”

  “Men.” Brina shook her head and started rifling through Caroline’s closet. She pulled out a red-and-black patterned calf-length midi dress, with a pleated bodice. “How about this one? It’s modest yet has some color to it.”

  “Plus it has three quarter sleeves to hide my tattoo, and the length can smooth out my curves a bit.”

  “I thought you said Tyler told you he liked curvy women.”

  Caroline smiled. “He did, but I want to look good for his brother and parents.”

  “The guy who can�
��t stay away from the shop more than a day without looking for you is not someone who is going to reject you if his brother notices an imperfection.”

  The next afternoon Caroline hoped that was true as she walked with Tyler across a broad manicured lawn, yes, dotted with a few white canopied tents, but mostly people milled about outside of them, a waitstaff in black vests and pants circulating with trays. The enormous house just beyond looked lavish with several wings, arched windows and what looked like turrets. Oddly, it was pink. Off in the distance she could glimpse Long Island Sound.

  Tyler had his hand on the small of her back. She assumed it was because he knew she was acting jittery, but then she sensed he was nervous too. Maybe his parents were critical types? Maybe she wasn’t the kind of woman they expected him to have?

  Caroline was glad she had worn the midi dress—along with her moon necklace and earrings for good luck—since Tyler had dumped his usual jeans and was wearing pale summer trousers and a blue and white seersucker shirt. Some of the men even had on suit jackets.

  As soon as they got close to the party, people surrounded Tyler, including a few beautiful women who gave her a sneering once-over. Caroline’s old insecurities kicked in and a part of her wished she were still pierced and blue-haired. Yeah, that had been her way of saying “I know I’m not as perfect as you and I don’t want to be like you.”

  Geez, do we ever get past high school?

  Just as Caroline was wrestling with her inner demons, she heard Tyler introducing her. “This is Caroline, my girlfriend.”

  His girlfriend?

  Not only did that make the woman back off, it made Caroline want to do cartwheels. She had been so afraid to admit she wanted this.

  They did have the “exclusivity” talk one night when her ex came up in a discussion. She had made it clear how she felt about that issue and came out and asked Tyler if he was seeing anyone else. He had stated he was not and that he would not and then gave her a big hug, which she took to mean he was on the same page. So, considering they had been seeing each other nonstop for the last three months, she supposed they had made it to boyfriend-girlfriend status.