Which meant she should make everything simpler and just stop thinking about him.
So why, exactly, had she suggested he join her for a picnic in the park?
She had no answer to that question, at least none that she wanted to acknowledge.
I just like being in Travis’s company,she thought to herself.He makes me feel…
She shut off the thought before it could develop any further and turned to her cousin with as broad a smile as she could muster.
“Anyway,” Courtney said. “You’re welcome to join us in the park for our picnic. As you can see, I’ve made enough sandwiches to feed a small army.”
“Thanks for the invite, but I’m about to leave for work. I’m on the noon until eight shift today.”
“I’ll pack some of these sandwiches for your break later, if you like?”
“Yeah, that’d be nice, thanks.”
While Courtney wrapped sandwiches, Rosie hurried around the house, getting ready to go. Ten minutes later, she was grabbing the packed lunch Courtney made for her and rushing to the door.
“Have a nice time at the park enjoying your picnic,” Rosie said as she left the house. “And thanks for sharing your sandwiches.”
“You’re welcome. Have a nice shift at work.”
With a wave, Rosie hurtled up the garden path and onto the street before dashing off in the direction of the retail park where she worked. At a brisk pace, it was a thirty-minute walk away, and Courtney watched her cousin leave, wondering how much longer it would be before she, too, could walk that fast again.
Every day, her bump seemed to get bigger, and Courtney’s previously slim body felt more cumbersome by the hour, every movement taking far more effort than it ought to. Her back ached, her ankles were swollen, and the fatigue she felt was like nothing she’d ever experienced before, and no amount of sleep or rest seemed to make a dent in it.
Walking over to the high street earlier to stock up on picnic provisions had left her sweaty and tired and wondering how she’d make it to the park later, too. As she cleared up the kitchencounters and checked the picnic items she’d packed into a cool bag and popped into the fridge, Courtney wondered if she ought to ask Travis if he’d mind eating lunch in Rosie’s back garden instead, where they could sit at the patio table and save her the walk over to Peartree Park.
She dismissed the idea instantly. Suggesting they eat here in the back garden might seem too intimate, especially hot on the heels of the quiet dinner they’d shared at Travis’s house. She didn’t want him to think she’d got the wrong idea about the two of them, which was a distinct possibility considering what Rosie had assumed when they’d been chatting earlier.
The park was busy and filled with activity, and it was somewhere they both visited. It was neutral ground. Better that she hauled herself there to eat the cheese sandwiches she’d prepared, than risk an awkward lunch in her cousin’s back garden with nothing going on to distract them should the conversation flag.
Which it hadn’t when they’d had dinner together, to be fair. Nor when Travis had made them both lunch before then.
Still, inviting Travis here to her cousin’s house seemed a different proposition somehow compared to Travis asking her to join him at his temporary home for a bite to eat.
She was overthinking all of this, clearly. Neither her body nor her brain felt like they were under her control these days, ruled instead by raging pregnancy hormones and anxious thoughts that mixed together to leave her head spinning.
At noon, her phone pinged with a message from Travis.Are we still on for a picnic at the park?
She tapped out a reply.All set, sandwiches made and picnic packed. What time suits you?
How about half an hour? I’ll drop by your house on my way to the park.
Sounds good. See you soon.
With the arrangements settled, Courtney climbed the stairs to brush her hair and get ready to go. Contemplating the walk to the park in the warm spring sunshine, she slapped on some sunscreen and dug out her sunglasses.
By the time she was pulling the picnic bag from the fridge, the doorbell was ringing. For one brief moment, she paused before answering, wondering why she’d suggested this mad idea in the first place.
And wondering why Travis had said yes.
Probably he’s just being polite,she told herself.Probably he just feels sorry for me.
But when she opened the door, there were no signs of sympathy or forced politeness in Travis’s expression. Instead, she saw only the shy smile and warmth in his eyes that made her glad to be in his company.
“Ready to go?” he asked.
