I chuckled with her. "Yeah, too much suspension of disbelief required. It would be like a fantasy or paranormal novel, which my overly logical mind always pops me out of in the first few pages."

Then, shrugging, I added, "But to dinner. First, the wine." I picked up my glass, swirled it and brought it to my nose. "Still young at twenty-one. It should have been decanted a few hours ago, but it was a spontaneous selection - so unlike me. What do you see in the bouquet, Karina?"

"Ummm. I took a wine appreciation course ages ago. Let me see if I still remember the process and the jargon."

I watched as she swirled her glass and nosed it, then I delighted in her sublime expression as she swirled and nosed again, looked up at me and said, "Oh, my, my. So huge and complex."

"What do you see?"

"So much. Dark fruit jam, dried herbs, smoke, blueberries, strawberries, black tea, coffee."

"Ummm, I see those. You have a discerning palate."

"Thank you."

"And beneath the highlights, what do you see?" 

She swirled and nosed her glass again. "Ummm, another layer. Hints of tar, toasty wood, fresh leather and dark chocolate."

"Superb, Karina." 

"Thank you. Seems I didn't kill my olfactory senses with all the bag-in-a-box plonk."

"Once trained, those senses usually stay strong until our mid-sixties, when they begin to fade."

We carried on our wine discussion through dinner, Karina increasingly intriguing me. As we cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher, she said, "Such a shame to let the rest of the wine spoil."

"But it won't spoil. Stoppered and kept in the fridge, it'll remain sound and nearly undiminished for days. Actually, with huge wines such as this, they improve. It's like a slow version of being decanted and left to breathe at room temperature."

"Oh! So you can enjoy wines like this without fear of spoiling."

"Yes, we can."

"We. Yeah ... I need to get used to that."

"Are you comfortable with it?"

"The suddenness still feels strange. But I think part of that is losing Autumn Rose." She winced. "And all but a few of my belongings."

"The insurance company may want to salvage her. They'll weigh the cost against the likely recovery value. I didn't see much of her on the approach, with her lying so low in the water, but she struck me as a fairly beefy trawler. What make is she? And what is she insured for?"

"She's a Grand Banks 36, insured for a hundred and ninety."

"Then she'll be well worth salvaging. And they'll do it quickly to prevent further damage. You'll be able to recover what hasn't been ruined by seawater."

"That's a relief." After staring at me for a long while, she asked, "Would you allow me to hug you?"

Oh, my. She's sensitive enough not to assume. "Thank you for asking." I spread my arms and stepped toward her. "I would like that."

She sighed as I wrapped her in my arms, and I felt her relax. After a long, quiet interlude, she said, "I think the shock is finally catching up with me. Could we go to bed?"

"You go, and I'll join you after I've written the incident report for your insurer."

"The report can wait until tomorrow - they won't see it until then, anyway. I need comforting now to get through this."

"Yes, of course. How daft of me not to realise." I gave her a gentle squeeze, released the hug and nodded aft. "Come."

As we entered the cabin, I pointed at the head door. "Towels and washcloths are in the drawers beside the vanity. Take what you need. Unfortunately, they're all the same colour, so we'll need a system. Move mine to the right and hang yours on the left."

I looked at her and winced. "But I'm over-organising. Do whatever helps us remember."

She chuckled. "You remind me so much of Kyle. Such fond memories growing up with him."

"Where is he now?"

"Still in Toronto. He's a Certified Management Accountant with Deloitte."

"Oh! That's the route I took, but with KPMG in Vancouver."

"How did you get from there to wine?"

"Dad was a wine importer, and as he moved toward retirement, he mentored me so I could take over the company."

She nodded aft. "So, you grew up with great wines like that."

"I did."

As she opened the head door, she grinned at me and said, "I'll hang my towel and cloth on the left."

What a delightful woman. Quick-minded and playful. And fully accepting - of my autism, anyway. But my asexuality? Has she accepted that?

Whatever, what's my next step? She mentioned needing comforting. Is that only hugging? Maybe cuddle in bed. Or did she mean more than that? With her intriguing lips, it would be easy enough to get aroused. But from there? Am I thinking too much?

Yeah, likely. Let her take the lead. She may want only a reassuring hug. The sound of the water pump and macerator interrupted my thoughts. Nearly finished. Should I undress out here as usual? Or do it in there? Or wait until after? So much more complex with company. But she's more than just company.

Whoah! Where did that come from?

Because she's so easy to be with. So accepting. Is this affinity? Might she be the one? So far, she seems to be. How do I ...

Her voice interrupted my thoughts, "Your turn, Logan."

"Hunh? Oh!" I shrugged. "I always undress out here before. Do you mind?"

She grinned. "And it'll give me more than that quick look I had when my mind was still a bit fuddled."

"Oh! You enjoy looking at men's bodies?"

"I do. But these days, only online." She grinned and lifted a hand, wiggling her fingers. "It helps these work."

"Yes, like I do with women's bodies." I grinned back. "Different technique, though."

"Oh, you do that? What about your asexuality?"

"I've no problem with it solo - the problem is sharing it with a woman."

"Have you considered sharing with men?"

I nodded, thinking back to my early confusion. "Yeah, I visited the clothing-optional area of Wreck Beach many times during my early years at UBC. I admired both, but always focused on the women, never the men."

While we were talking, she'd removed her top, so I followed her lead. I kicked off my slippers, lowered my bottoms, and stepped out of them.

She nodded. "That's what I thought I saw. My mind wasn't playing tricks."

"Yeah, it drew a lot of attention at the beach - a lot of it from men. That's why I finally stopped going there." I turned and pointed to the door. "I should go get ready for bed. I'll be right back."