Page 45 of Surviving Lies

Few people were up and about the day after a home football game in this town, especially the first game. Downtown was quiet and I could park right in front of the shop. Becca got herself out of the car before I could get to her, but I grabbed her door to close it before she did.

Suddenly, I worried I was trying too hard. But these were things I would have done for her anyway, so I knocked that thought clear out of my head.

There were a few students and some older residents in line for coffee. The students looked to be getting ready for study sessions, similar to Jake.

“So, what will it be? Your typical pumpkin latte for the season?” I asked her. She was standing next to me, looking up at the menu.

“Yeah, but are you getting anything to eat?” she asked, turning to look at me. “I think I’ll get one of those egg sandwiches. Can you order that for me? And I’ll go grab a table.”

“You don’t need to order any food, and we don’t need a table.”

Her head snapped up. “Why not?” she asked.

“I’ve got the food thing covered,” I responded, “and I have a plan for us that doesn’t include eating here.” I smiled down at her inquisitive eyes.

A wide, conspiratorial smile took over her face. “Well, aren’t you full of surprises today, Mr. Brennan?”

She remained in line with me as I ordered our drinks. The urge to grab a hold of her hand consumed me. Such a strong desire for us to be the way we were was hitting me hard. Finally, we got our order and made it back to my car.

“Where are we going, Ty?” she asked through a slurp of her coffee. “Christ, that’s hot!”

“Don’t worry, it’s not far.”

We were going to a special place right on campus.

“The pond?” Becca’s question held a note of something else to it, but I couldn’t quite place exactly what it was. She seemed a bit off as we pulled into the lot closest to the pond on campus. It was a beautiful spot, and I knew it would be deserted on a Sunday morning.

“Yeah, is that OK?” I asked, nervous that she didn’t want to be here. I put the car in park and looked at her, trying to figure out what was going on. She turned to me, and her face was more relaxed.

“It’s perfect. Are there tables somewhere I don’t know about? For us to eat on, I mean.”

I reached into the back seat and pulled on the bag I had packed, which included the food. “No, not that I know of, but I brought a blanket. I thought we’d have a picnic.” I slapped the bag on my lap to show her I’d thought of everything. “When I checked the weather and saw how perfect it would be today, I came up with the idea.”

Her entire body relaxed. Her brilliant green eyes crinkled with a smile that displayed her white teeth. “That sounds amazing, Ty.” We met at the front of the car and both searched the area.

“What looks good?” I asked. “Where do you want to go? There’s a grassy area that way, toward the path.” I reached for her hand and walked in that direction.

And she let me take it.

Her hand felt like warm satin in mine. I made a point of not taking for granted any moment of the day. I would mark every milestone in my mind, just in case. I gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Want to go toward the path?”

She shook her head. “How about we go to the other side of the pond? There seems to be more sun over there, so it might stay warmer.” She pointed to a patch of grass that led to the pond’s edge that had no trees nearby.

“Perfect,” I told her. With the bag on my shoulder, I pulled her along to the spot she pointed out.

She was right about picking a spot in the sun; the shade spots as we walked were cool. The area was pretty clear of rocks and lumps, so I took the blanket from the bag to spread it out.

“Here, let me help you,” Becca said as she grabbed the other corners. We flapped it up in the breeze and watched it settle on the ground. She plopped in the middle as I took out the feast I brought along. “Oh, wow, this looks amazing, Ty!”

Strawberries with a cream cheese dip, veggie omelet bites, blueberry muffins, and mini bagels. My momma taught me right. Well, she taught me how to shop and order food. I could cook, but that wasn’t happening quite this early, so I ordered it ahead. But I guess I got it right, because Becca seemed happy.

And that was all that mattered.

“Well, I’m glad it looks good. Here are some plates and napkins. I even remembered plastic utensils.” The pride in my voice came through, and she chuckled.

“You did good.”

We settled in, eating quietly. Both of us looked around at our surroundings while picking at the buffet of food. Low clouds hung over the mountain range in the distance, giving us a pretty cool backdrop. That was one reason this was such a popular spot with students, mainly couples.

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