A/N: I know it's been a while since I've updated this story and for those who've been waiting I'm sorry. Please read and review.
Isabella stood on the dock facing the deck of the Northwestern. Edgar was already standing on the deck looking up at her expectantly. Isabella was trying to figure out how she was suppose to jump down without breaking her leg.
"Just jump, it's not as far as it looks" said Edgar impatiently.
"Right. You are use to doing this, I'm just a little nervous" said Isabella.
"Matt, push her" said Edgar. Isabella spun around quickly and saw that Matt was walking along the dock.
"Hi Isabella, how's it going?" he asked when he reached her.
"Fine, just came by to see Jake. But apparently that requires actually stepping onto the boat" said Isabella.
"I'll help you" said Matt. He stepped onto the railing then stepped down to the deck. Isabella placed a very shaky foot on the railing then reached for Matt's hand. He pulled her to him and gently set her on the deck.
"Well, now that all the heroics are over, lets go find Jake" said Edgar.
"Thanks Matt" said Isabella as she trailed after Edgar.
Jake was up in the wheelhouse with Norman going over the schedule for the summer. The moment Isabella mounted the stairs Jake could tell that something was wrong.
"Hi Isabella" said Jake.
"Hi Jake, hi Norman" said Isabella.
"Edgar is this bring your babysitter to work day?" quipped Norman.
"Obviously not or yours would be here" retorted Edgar.
"Besides, I'm not his nanny anymore" said Isabella.
"What? Why?" asked Jake.
"That's what I'm here to tell you" said Isabella.
"Wow" said Norman as he grabbed Edgar by the arm and dragged him into the captain's quarters leaving Jake and Isabella alone.
"What happened?" asked Jake.
"Nothing happened. Louise's mom is staying with them permanently so I'm out of a job" said Isabella.
"Yeah, but those kids love you. You do so much for them. How did they take the news?" asked Jake.
"They will get use to it. I'll admit they've been very loyal to me. Anyway I'm starting to do interviews and stuff for a new position. I wanted to tell you in person" said Isabella.
"Where are you going to live?" asked Jake.
"I don't know. I'll probably just rent a place month to month, since most jobs I'm applying for are live in positions" said Isabella.
"Move in with me" said Jake. "I'll be gone most of the summer so it will really be like you have your own place."
"Thanks, but I don't want to be there without you" said Isabella.
"What are you talking about, if you miss me you can smell my clothes. And as an added bonus I won't be paying rent on an empty apartment" explained Jake.
"Ok. When can I move in?" asked Isabella.
"How about today?" suggested Jake.
"Well I think I'll need a little more time than that to get all my stuff together. Although all I really have is clothes" said Isabella.
"How about tomorrow after work" said Jake.
"That sounds good. I'm sure that Louise will be relieved that I'm out of the house. You know out of sight out of mind for the kids" said Isabella.
"Those kids won't forget you that easily" said Jake. Isabella just shrugged in response.
The rest of the morning was spent getting the grand tour of the boat from Edgar. The highlight was sitting on the bow of the boat as it went on a quick circle tour of the harbor.
"It's the greatest office in the world" said Edgar from his seat next to Isabella.
"It's very pretty out here, kind of peaceful" replied Isabella.
"This is nothing, you should see the bearing sea. Nothing in the world can make me feel smaller" said Edgar.
"I'm going to move into Jake's place" said Isabella.
"I figured as much. When are you going to start moving?" asked Edgar.
"Tomorrow" said Isabella.
"It's going to be a really tough goodbye for the kids" said Edgar.
"I know. I've talked to each of them individually, but it will probably take a little time for them to adjust" said Isabella.
"What about you? Are you adjusting?" asked Edgar.
"I will. I'll be honest, this was a surprise. I thought I had a few more years before I became unnecessary. But I'm looking for the next job and once I find it then a new adventure will begin" said Isabella.
"Good Luck" said Edgar.
"Thanks" replied Isabella.
Later that night Isabella was packing up a few more boxes when Louise walked into the room. Isabella cleared a space for her on the bed and sat down.
"Isabella, I didn't realize that you would be leaving so soon" said Louise.
"I have to, the longer I stay here the more confusing it will be for the kids. Besides I need to get started on job hunting and it seems weird to do that while still here" explained Isabella.
"I'm really going to miss you" said Louise. "I wanted to thank you for all the years of work you did here. Especially for all your did for Edgar and the kids when my dad died."
Isabella smiled praying she wasn't blushing. She was still uncomfortable with the thought that Louise knew she'd slept with Edgar.
"You've been wonderful to work for and I will always treasure the memories I've made here" said Isabella.
She and Louise hugged tightly for a few minutes then separated both wiping tears from their eyes. That night Daniel came in to sleep with Isabella, he said he'd had a nightmare. Isabella woke up in the morning with Daniel cuddled into her side. It took all her strength not to start bawling.
Jake came to the house around 5 and was surprised when everything Isabella owned fit into the back of his truck. The goodbyes were long and teary. Jake didn't know what to say as they pulled away from the house, he reached over and took Isabella's hand in his and held it until they pulled up at his house. Jake carried the majority of the boxes into his bedroom. Isabella carried up her suitcases and toiletries then sat rather zombie-like on the couch. When the last box was in Jake sat down next to her.
"Hey, lets order some pizza" he said.
"Ok" replied Isabella her voice slightly shaky.
Isabella sat on the couch staring at the wall, her mind was playing a sort of flashback montage in her mind. She was remembering all the events she'd witnessed over the past 5 years, the secrets that had been shared with her and the connections she'd made. Tears flowed down her cheeks completely unchecked. Jake moved back to the couch and gathered Isabella into his arms, he let her cry whispering soothing words to her and stroking her hair. The sobs eventually moved to sniffles and finally nothing. The doorbell startled both of them and when Jake returned to the living room with the pizza Isabella had cleaned herself up a bit and seemed to be in a better state of mind.
"So I made room for you in the closet, but I'm not really sure if there is enough space for all your clothes" said Jake as they were eating.
"I'll make do with whatever space you have given me" said Isabella.
"When are you leaving?" asked Isabella.
"Why are you trying to get rid of me already?" said Jake frowning.
"No, just wondering how many days I have to ravish you before you leave" said Isabella saucily.
"We'll probably leave sometime next week" said Jake.
"Ok. That gives us a little time to play then" said Isabella with a smile.
"We should probably live it up before I go back to work and you find a new job" said Jake.
"Yeah, I'll probably start interviewing soon" said Isabella.
"Not tomorrow though, so lets live it up tonight" said Jake. He got up and grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge.
"To work" said Jake clinking his beer with Isabella's.
"To fun" replied Isabella.
After they finished eating Jake helped Isabella move some of her clothes into the closet. He quickly realized that there was absolutely no way that there was enough room for all the clothes Isabella had, even if he'd emptied his closets completely there wouldn't be enough room.
"How come you haven't worn this outfit for me yet?" asked Jake holding up a frilly purple neglige.
"Um, I could wear it for you right now if you want me to" replied Isabella.
"Yes" said Jake.
"But to make it fair I think you should wear something special for me" said Isabella with a sly smile.
"Hmm, that does sound fair. But I don't really know if I have anything purple" said Jake.
"Well I suppose any color will do" said Isabella.
Jake began to dig through his underwear drawer for something suitably impressive. Frowning at his complete lack of selection he was suddenly struck by inspiration and hurried out of the room. Isabella smiled as she watched Jake walk out of the room. She took the opportunity to change into the purple neglige. Jake returned a moment later with a black ribbon tied around his cock.
"Is this my housewarming present?" asked Isabella.
"Yes. Is this mine?" asked Jake fingering the straps of the nighty. Isabella gently untied the bow with her teeth, making sure to run her tongue gently over Jake's exposed cock and balls. Looking up from her position on the floor she saw that Jake was watching her every move. Taking him into her mouth she swirled her tongue around the sensitive tip before pulling back slightly. Jake took the opportunity to pull Isabella to her feet and move her to the bed. Once she was horizontal he quickly pushed up the hem of the nighty exposing her. Isabella spread her legs invitingly and Jake wasted no time mounting her. The feel of their bodies coming together made them both moan in contentment. The rest of the night was spent in a variety of mutually satisfying positions. Jake was late to work the next day and Isabella slept in later than she had in the last 5 years.
The phone rang around 3 in the afternoon and Isabella answered it. The woman on the phone explained that she was desperately in need of a nanny and that she'd received Isabella's information from the agency. Isabella was thrilled, she needed a new job and this one seemed to just fall into her lap. Mrs. Gold spoke briefly about her children and their required care. Her oldest was an 8 year old girl, a 5 year old girl and a 14 month old boy. It would be a live in position and the children would need to be shuttled between their home here in Seattle and a NYC apartment. Travel was not something Isabella had considered however the pay being offered was huge. Agreeing to meet Mrs. Gold and her children the following morning Isabella hung up the phone. She told Jake the minute he walked in the door and they went out to dinner to celebrate.
The next day Jake was a little worse for wear on the Northwestern. He'd been trying to help Edgar in the engine room all morning with little success. Jake couldn't seem to get his pounding head to stop no matter how many pills he took. Finally Edgar gave up and they both headed up on deck.
"What's up with you today Junior? Rough night?" asked Edgar.
"I celebrated a little too much with Isabella last night" explained Jake.
"What were you celebrating?" asked Edgar.
"She got a new job offer. It seems pretty sweet" said Jake.
Edgar was shocked, he knew that Isabella would find a new job, but this was so soon. He was still trying to convince Louise to change her mind and hire Isabella back.
"That's great. Give her my congratulations" said Edgar after a moment.
"I will" said Jake.
Edgar walked off towards the wheelhouse, he needed to talk to Sig. Jake started to follow Edgar but was quickly given another job to do.
Sig looked up from his maps when he heard someone walking up the stairs to the wheelhouse. He was surprised to see Edgar walk in.
"Hey Sig, I need to take off a little early today. But I need you to do me a favor and keep Junior here late" said Edgar.
"What's up?" asked Sig suspiciously.
"It's just something I have to take care of" said Edgar cagily.
"You either tell me what's going on or I send Junior to tail you" said Sig firmly.
"Fine. Isabella is getting a new job. I just want to talk to her before she makes any decisions" explained Edgar.
"Edgar. Why can't you just let her go? Louise wants her mom to take care of the kids. You need to accept it" said Sig.
"Sig, you don't understand" said Edgar.
"I suppose I don't. But I do know that you aren't going to just be talking to her" said Sig knowingly.
"I'm not" said Edgar defensively.
"Just go. I'll keep Junior here as long as I can. Maybe I will even take him to dinner" said Sig.
"Thanks" said Edgar.
"You owe me" said Sig to Edgar's retreating back.