I cross my arms. “Yes. For the annulment.” He doesn’t seem put off at all as he makes sure the blanket is evenly spread out. “A picnic won’t change my mind.”
He straightens and offers me a hand. “It might not,” he says, “but it’s a start.”
FIVE
FORD
Shock flickers in Olivia’s eyes as I pull out our breakfast. “When did you have time to do all this?” she asks quietly, staring at the plate of pancakes I pull out.
I shrug. “I get up early every day. Managed to get a friend to take over for me, so I used the extra few hours to cook.”
“You cook?” she says in disbelief, brows rising.
I can’t help but chuckle. “Don’t sound so surprised.”
Red darkens her cheeks as she ducks her head. “Sorry.”
Shrugging, I pull out all the fixings: bacon, whipped cream, maple syrup, chocolate drizzle. All the things you can’t go wrong with. I set them out around the plate between us, creating a boundary for myself not to cross. Not because I don’t want to; everything within me screams to get closer, to make some sort of move that’ll help her decide.
But I saw the uncertainty warring in her eyes earlier, and I know every attempt I make will be met with resistance. The last thing I want is to push her away.
“We didn’t get to have those pancakes,” I murmur, setting a few on a plate for her.
Her gaze flickers to mine, something shifting within them, something I can’t read. “No, we didn’t.”
I can tell there’s something she isn’t telling me, a real reason why she can’t commit, why she doesn’t want this to be more difficult.
And I’m determined to figure out what.
With breakfast finishedand packed away, I lean back and observe her. Olivia watches the waterfall like it has the answers to all her questions, and I watch her like she’s the answer to my prayers.
Sunlight filters through the trees, hitting her like a halo and turning her hair from dark brown to mahogany. Her skin glows, full of colour and life.
I can’t get it out of my head that she’s the one from before and not just Vegas. It might be her smile or the way she laughs. It reminds me too much of the woman on the bull, the moment she stole my hat—my heart.
“You’re awfully quiet,” I say, keeping my voice low.
She hums under her breath but finally looks at me, gaze soft. “Just thinking.”
“Hopefully not about leaving,” I joke, sitting up. “I still have more planned.”
Olivia rolls her eyes, smiling. “Well, I promised you the day.”
She doesn’t sound all too disappointed about that. “You ever have dance lessons?”
A frown forms on her lips as she watches me stand. “Dance lessons?”
“Yeah.” I offer her my hand. “You know, line dancing. The fun kind.”
For a moment, she hesitates, but eventually slides her hand into mine. It’s soft compared to my calloused palm, so muchsmaller than my own. The need to protect her and make this work kicks in tenfold as I help her stand.
“No, I don’t know how to dance or anything like that. Well, I candance. But not…that.” A flush colours her cheeks and she ducks her head.
Chuckling, I grab the basket and the blanket. “Well, today is your lucky day. They’re holding lessons at the Shed, and I was able to get us two spots.”
“Let me guess,” she says as we start down the trail. “Because we didn’t get to have our first dance?”
“See, you catch on well,” I reply, grinning.
