And when I awoke
And felt you warm and near
I kissed your honey hair
With my grateful tears
Oh, I love you
Oh, I love you …
-Simon & Garfunkel, “For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her”
After a while longer at the pool, Isaac, Taryn and 
Melissa were sufficiently waterlogged. Everyone trudged upstairs to take warm showers and dry off.
Taryn was lying on her stomach across the bed in the hotel room, flipping TV channels. Isaac emerged from the bathroom in a hotel robe, and sat down next to her.
He softly rubbed her back.
“Have I told you how glad I am that you guys are here?” he asked quietly.
Taryn looked up at him and smiled. “Me too. I have to admit I thought you were nuts to suggest it, but I’m happy.”
Isaac leaned down to kiss Taryn, but didn’t make it before there was a knock on the door.
“I wonder who that is?” he wondered aloud as he made his way across the room to look through the peephole. Isaac grinned. “I should have guessed.”
He opened the door, and in popped Zac and Taylor.
“Hey, Taryn!” Zac said, brushing past Isaac and plopping down on the bed next to her.
“Hey, Zac! How’s it going?”
“It’s going,” Zac said. “Where’s Iris?”
“Next door with a friend of hers, who I suspect is going to be quite unprepared for this little visit. Although I think,” Taryn looked playfully at Taylor, “You’re the one who’s going to really throw her for a loop.”
Taylor blushed. “How come?” he asked, moving to the bed and sitting on the other side of Taryn.
“You’re her favorite,” Taryn teased, tickling Taylor’s ribs. “She thinks you’re soooo cute!”
Isaac smiled. “I guess I can go get dressed,” he said. “You guys seem to be doing okay without me.”
When Isaac disappeared into the bathroom, Taryn turned to Taylor and Zac.
“Okay, guys, the truth now,” she said seriously. “What kind of a lion’s den am I going to be walking into tomorrow night?”
Taylor smiled and shook his head. “It’s not like that, Taryn,” he said sincerely. “Mom and Dad just needed to get used to the idea is all. It’s kind of like the first time Zac and I went to see you at your office … we just didn’t know you and we didn’t know what you wanted from Ike or what to think of you.”
“But now we loooove you,” Zac said in an exaggerated drawl. “Mom’s a harder sell than Dad, but I think you’ll do okay. They’re not going to be mean to you like your friend was to Isaac at the party.”
Taylor’s blue eyes shot Zac an icy look.
Taryn nodded. “He told you about that, huh?”
Zac frowned at Taylor. “It’s okay to talk about,” he protested.
“I just don’t want you to think that Isaac, you know, tells all the details of your relationship,” Taylor said slowly.
Taryn grinned, suspecting that Taylor knew a lot more about her relationship with Isaac than Zac did.
“I would never think that,” Taryn lied.
Isaac came out of the bathroom, and Taryn was taken with his youthful good looks. He was wearing blue jeans and a navy blue hooded sweatshirt, and his still wet hair was drying into the curls she loved so much.
“So, what’s on the agenda for tonight?” he asked, sitting in a chair across from Taryn and pulling on clean socks.
“Let’s go get pizza,” Zac quickly suggested.
Isaac laughed. “I was talking to Taryn, and I also don’t recall inviting you along,” he teased.
“Pizza sounds good,” Taryn said, smiling warmly at Zac. “Why don’t you and Taylor go over and get Iris and Melissa? Just try to ignore it when Melissa screams at first. She’s very excitable.”
Taylor grinned. “Okay,” he said.
As Zac and Taylor left, Isaac jumped onto the bed and hugged Taryn tightly.
“You are the best,” he said. “I am so lucky.”
Taryn laid her head back on Isaac’s shoulder. “You sure are,” she joked. “Now all I have to do is make sure that you never forget it.”
Isaac kissed Taryn quickly. “I will never forget it. I promise.”
