Now it was Honor’s turn to frown. “What?”
“I know, it doesn’t make sense. But I’ve had some distance from it now. And along with spending time with Jason, I’ve had the chance to feel . . . to feel . . .”
Her sister’s face changed into an empathetic smile. “To feel? Something for Jason that maybe you didn’t feel for Owen?”
Her sister was nothing if not utterly succinct in her summation. “I guess. But I don’t know, Honor. How do I even know if what I’m feeling for Jason is real? I thought I was madly in love with Owen, and look what happened there. Am I even a good judge of what love is? I’ve never been more confused about anything in my life.”
“There’s no time limit on falling in love, is there? Can’t you just be with Jason and let things happen naturally? See if what you’re feeling is real?”
Her sister had a point. “I guess so.”
“Then go have a picnic and quit being so grouchy.”
Erin finally dropped her shoulders, letting some of that tension go. “Fine. I’ll go picnic.”
“Good. And did you send those financials?”
“Yes. The document should be in your e-mail.”
Honor stood. “Awesome. Thanks. I can finish off the proposal and get that sent off tomorrow morning. Have fun.”
“I will. I guess.”
Honor turned in the doorway. “No ‘I guess,’ Erin. You will.”
“Fine, I will. Get out.”
Honor laughed on her way out. Erin retrieved her phone and typed a reply to Jason.
A picnic sounds fun.
It took him about thirty minutes to send his response, likely because he was busy with a client.
Pick you up at six thirty. I’ll take care of everything.
Of course he would, because that was the kind of man he was.
She sighed, then went back to work for the next few hours until it was time to end her day and go get ready for the picnic. Of course, she’d forgotten to ask Jason if it was a park kind of picnic, or if he was just going to bring her to his house and they’d have fried chicken. Not that it really mattered. Oh, who was she kidding? The right outfit always mattered. She pondered her closet while Agatha chewed on a toy.
“Dress or capris, Agatha?”
The pup cocked her head to the left.
“Capris it is. You have such good taste.” She crouched down and ruffled Agatha’s fur, which made the pup roll over, so of course she had to rub her belly.
She changed out of her dress and into capris and a sleeveless top, then slipped on her tennis shoes and wound her hair into a bun on top of her head. She stopped in the dining room to talk to the family while they ate, snatching a bite or two of her mom’s caprese salad, which was delicious.
“So, a date tonight?” Brenna asked, offering up a sly smile.
“No, just a . . .” She had no idea how to describe the picnic she was going to have with Jason. She’d meant to come up with a way to make it sound casual, and now that she’d paused, the entire family was staring expectantly at her.
“She’s going on a picnic with Jason,” Honor finished for her.
“Oh, nice,” her mother said, then resumed eating.
In fact, everyone just nodded or mumbled “Great” or “Have fun” and went back to eating as if it were No Big Deal.
Which, apparently, to her family, it wasn’t. She was the only one making it A Big Deal. Of course, she was the only one whose emotions were involved.
Agatha took a spot next to her dad, circling then lying down at his feet. He absently patted her head, then resumed eating. Erin shook her head, but was grateful her puppy was so well loved and taken care of.
She said her good-byes and went to the door, deciding to wait outside. A storm had passed through earlier in the day, and though they were heading toward July, it had cooled down some. The air felt fresh and clean and it was still cloudy outside, which made her happy since it suited her mood.
Erin took a seat on the porch swing, enjoying the respite from the heat. Winds that had been furious earlier during the storm had died down, so now it was perfect.
She didn’t sit long, though, because she saw Jason’s truck pulling down the long drive toward the house. Just seeing his truck pumped up her heartbeat into a fast rhythm.
Calm down, girl.
It was ridiculous how this man got to her. She walked down the steps as he stopped in front of the house. He got out of the truck, coming around to greet her with a smile, looking ridiculously hot in jeans, boots and a tight brown T-shirt that molded to his sculpted shoulders and biceps.
“Hi, beautiful.”
And still, those words that he’d been saying to her for years, even when she’d been with Owen. She’d always brushed it off as funny. Now she took it to heart, especially when he made eye contact with her, when he smiled at her in that way that always caused her stomach to do that funny flip.
“Hey. Thanks for the picnic invite.”
She climbed into the truck and he closed the door. He’d left the motor running and it was nice and cold inside, helping to cool her down.
Would she ever stop having this chemical reaction around him? Or maybe it was her emotions, the way she felt about him that had added to this meltdown she felt whenever she was around him lately.
Whatever, it was damned disconcerting.
He pulled into the park by the lake and drove to a spot shaded by a thick grouping of tall trees that seemed to be bent over on purpose to provide shade. They got out and he grabbed a bag and a blanket, leading her to a nice grassy spot near the water.
“So you really did mean a picnic,” she said, watching him spread
