He didn’t respond aloud, just picked up the cooler.
Still smiling, she led him out of her office and to her car. After she tucked her bag into the truck, she pulled out a blanket.
“What’s that for?” Rune asked.
“Our picnic.”
He smiled at her. “Oh, really? Where are we going? I thought we’d eat at the tables next to the office building.”
“Just follow me,” Astra said, curling a finger at him.
“Lead on.”
There was a little park down the street. He followed her to it, smiling when he saw the open green area with trees and benches scattered throughout. There was an area for children to play and it was full of kids of all ages. Astra led him to an area at the rear of the park, backed up to an undeveloped area.
“What’s that?” Rune asked, looking at the thick trees.
“It’s a walking trail. It extends through several of the suburbs here. It’s surrounded by trees and crosses several creeks and ponds.”
“I had no idea that there was a walking trail here and I’ve lived in this area for years.”
“Well, now you know.”
Astra shook out the blanket and spread it on the ground.
“Come on. We’ll have a real picnic.”
“As opposed to a fake picnic?” Rune asked.
“A real picnic is one where you sit on a blanket on the ground, and you eat with your fingers.”
“Oh, then I guess I shouldn’t have brought cutlery for the pasta salad and the cheesecake.”
Astra paused and blinked several times. “You made pasta salad and cheesecake?” she repeated.
“Uh, no. I went to my favorite deli and ordered a bunch of stuff that I liked and a few things that I didn’t. Just in case you wanted something other than my favorites.”
She smiled a little. “That was sweet.”
“Not really. I was hoping that would leave more of the chicken salad and broccoli salad for me.”
Astra laughed. “I see. It was purely selfish motivation.”
“Of course.”
They settled on the blanket, and he pulled out containers of food and wrapped sandwiches. Then came the plates, cups, and silverware. Finally, he took out the wine and the water.
“I wasn’t planning on a public park when I packed the wine, but I figure we’ll be safe as long as we’re discreet.”
Astra’s brows lifted. “This is more than a real picnic. This is aromanticpicnic.”
“Absolutely.”
She smiled at him again, her eyes turning to pure gold and shimmering with an emotion he couldn’t read. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me until you taste the food. It’s amazing.”
They filled their plates and he poured them each a half a glass of wine. As they ate, he could practically see her relaxing. Between the breeze, the sunshine, the delicious food, and the wine, Astra seemed to unwind, one tense muscle at a time.
