“Ready,” she smiled.
“Let me carry that,” he said, taking the picnic bag from her while she closed the door.
Grateful for his help, she offloaded the cool bag into his care and locked the door. As she turned to follow him to the gate, a low twinge in her abdomen made her pause and wince.
“Hey, are you okay?” Travis asked, concern flooding his face.
“I’m fine,” Courtney said and smiled.
The twinge had vanished as quickly as it had arrived. The midwife had told her to expect sensations such as these as her due date drew closer, reassuring her they were nothing to worry about and that it was just her body’s way of preparing for the baby coming.
“Come on, let’s get moving,” she said. “I’m looking forward to our picnic lunch. As usual, I’m already starving.”
Reassured, Travis nodded and held the gate open for her. As they set off along Foxglove Street, she tried very hard not to waddle like a duck.
And quickly realised that would be a losing battle that wasn’t even worth fighting.
They arrived at the park just as the sun ducked behind clouds, and Courtney was grateful for some relief from the heat of the day. The deeper they got into April, the more the temperatures were rising, and it was already unseasonably warm.
“Our bench is empty,” Travis said as they reached the duck pond and he pointed to the wooden bench beneath the oak tree.
Our bench, Courtney echoed silently, liking how it sounded even as she blushed at the stupid way her mind had latched onto words that Travis had surely meant nothing by.
Once settled on the bench and cooling down beneath the graceful branches of the oak tree, Courtney unpacked the picnic lunch she’d prepared.
“I made cheese and pickle sandwiches,” she said, handing one of the greaseproof paper wrapped packages to Travis. “I hope that’s okay.”
“It’s perfect,” he said.
“And we’ve got apple juice or orange juice.” She held up the cartons so he could make a selection. “Also, I packed apples and grapes, and I also got some chocolate crispy cakes from the bakery, which I thought would be easier to eat outside and less likely to melt too quickly, considering how warm it is.”
“It’s a feast,” Travis said. “I’ll take the apple juice, unless you prefer it?”
“Orange is fine with me. I brought water bottles too, after learning my lesson the other week. Oh, and here are some napkins.”
“You thought of everything.”
They unwrapped sandwiches, stuck straws into juice cartons, and started eating.
“Great sandwich,” Travis said, peering at the filling. “What flavour is this pickle?”
“Actually, it’s more of a chutney than a pickle. It’s caramelised red onion.”
“It’s good.”
“I had a weird aversion to onions in my first trimester. It’s not unusual to go off things during the first few months, but I’m glad it passed, because I enjoy onion flavours.”
“What about cravings? Did you get any of those?”
“Chocolate,” she said, nodding to the chocolate-covered crispy cakes. “Although that might just be an excuse for greediness.”
He laughed at her quip. Courtney settled back onto the bench, enjoying the easy companionship of his company. As the ducks splashed and quacked in the pond, and children ran around in the play area, and people passed by on the path beside the bench, she was glad she hadn’t suggested eating their lunch in Rosie’s garden back at the house.
Being here in the park was nice. Sitting here ontheirbench was nice, sharing lunch and watching the world go by.
“How’s your new book coming along?” she asked between sandwich bites.
“Really well,” Travis said. “I think I might only have a couple more days of writing ahead and the book will be finished.”
