The picnic basket wasn’t in the closet in the hall where James thought it was.
“Dad, do you know where the picnic hamper is?” he asked, looking back over his shoulder as Mel came down the stairs.
“Picnic hamper? Let me think. Haven’t seen it in a while, I don’t believe. Might be out in the potting shed.”
He headed through the kitchen toward the back door leading out to a small enclosed garden. To the side of the yard was a wood potting shed containing garden tools, pots, and a wooden bench. Mel spotted the picnic basket beneath the bench.
“Ah, here we are!” he said triumphantly, producing the basket.
James took it from him. “Thanks, now I just need to find some things to fill it with.”
“Going on a picnic, are you?”
“Yeah, thought we’d head out to the countryside.”
“You and your new American girlfriend?”
“Yeah, but I don’t know I’d say she’s my girlfriend…at least not yet.”
“Nice girl.”
“Yeah, Dad, I think so too. So, any ideas what I should take on a picnic?”
“Let’s see…” He opened the refrigerator. “Here’s the rest of the roast chicken I made last night, some shaved ham…oh, and here, let me pack up some of these oatmeal cookies I baked just this morning…tomatoes I just picked…take a couple of these to slice up…and a couple of bottles of orange soda, can’t do without that!” He started opening the kitchen cabinets. “Just in case, take this tin of potted meat and here’s a box of rye crisps…”
“Enough, Dad! All this could feed a crowd; it’s only going to be the two of us.”
“Well, don’t want you to go hungry…country air and all, you know. Works up an appetite. So, where in the countryside are you thinking of going?”
James responded casually, not wanting to be specific, “Oh, you know, out by Auntie Annabelle’s cottage, you know the hill where we used to go with Mum years ago. We used to picnic there all the time, remember?”
“Annabelle’s cottage, eh?”
“The hill above the cottage, yeah.”
“That’s a long way to go for a picnic.”
“Not really, less than an hour drive is all.”
“You know I took Annabelle to go visit her sister over in King’s Head last Friday. Not picking her back up again until next Sunday.”
“Yeah, I think you might’ve mentioned something about that.”
Mel stared hard at James.
“James, now listen to me; I believe the girl is an innocent if you get my meaning. Does she know where you’re taking her?”
“Not yet; I was going to make it a surprise.”
“Did you hear what I just said? I wasn’t born yesterday, you know. That girl is a sweet thing and not like the others you chase around with.”
“I know that, Dad.”
“So what’s with taking her out to Annabelle’s when Annabelle isn’t there?”
James folded his arms over his chest. “We’re getting to know each other better, is all.”
“Is it? I was young like you myself, you know. I know what it’s like to have your nether parts think for you instead of your brain, and I can see that’s what it is with you.”
James looked contrite. “I can do my own thinking, Dad.”
“Maybe so, but don’t you go breaking that poor girl’s heart, you understand me? You get what you want from her and break her heart, you answer to me for it. Clear?”
“Yeah, perfectly clear.”
“I don’t feel as if you’re heeding a word I’m saying.”
“I hear you loud and clear… But you don’t understand.”
“What exactly is it I don’t understand?”
James looked down at the floor, intently observing the toes of his shoes. “There’s something about her…I don’t know what it is…She’s not like other girls…She’s sophisticated like…and she talks to me and listens to me like she cares what I’m saying…I can’t explain it...It’s like it happened so sudden, overnight like...I think she’s already got a little piece of my own heart, you see.”
Mel contemplated that statement for a few seconds then said, “Has she then? I suppose that’s something new for you?”
James looked up. “Yeah, it is.”
He picked up the picnic hamper and headed toward the door. “See ya, Dad…and thanks for filling up the basket.”
As the door closed behind him, Mel shook his head, a worried expression on his face.
“Love at first sight, eh?” he mused.
Then he thought, “For some reason, I don’t see this ending well. I hope that poor girl can stand on her own against him…but I won’t hold my breath about it. She looks like a fresh peach, ready to be plucked off the tree...and James will likely bruise her badly...Oh, Sherry…I wish you were still here…”
James was prompt to pick Susan up at 10:00. She was waiting for him in the lobby of the hotel, a straw sun hat in one hand, her purse slung over her shoulder, and a large picnic hamper at her feet. James came over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Ready Luv?” he asked.
“As ready as you are,” she replied. “Are you tired at all?”
“Not a bit. I had to get up early to look around for the picnic hamper, then scrounge around for something to put in it. My dad helped me pack. He put in some of his special oatmeal cookies that he baked this morning and a bunch of other stuff. There’s some roast chicken, shaved ham, some tomatoes from the garden and bottles of orange soda. He loves orange soda. Too much really, and there’s still the shop on the way out of town that has the fresh bread and cheese I was telling you about last night.”
“Oh, oatmeal cookies! They’re my favorite! And, I have plenty of stuff too; the hotel packed three bottles of wine, two white and one red. I wasn’t sure if you liked wine or not or what kind you liked. One of the whites is sweet, a Muscat, and the other is dry, a Chardonnay. Chardonnay is my favorite! Then they put in some pastries, a bunch of grapes, a large container of fresh strawberries...I just love strawberries; they’re my favorite! There’s some other stuff, but I don’t know what it is. Maybe some chocolates.”
“And are chocolates your favorite as well?” He was teasing her.
“No, not at all; I don’t care for chocolate. Are you making fun of me for having so many favorites? What do you like? Are you a picky eater?”
“Mum always used to say I was, but I don’t think so. She was a great cook, but so is my dad. Are you ready to go?”
“Yeah, let’s. Take the picnic hamper, please. It’s awfully heavy with all that wine. I don’t even know if I should drink any wine with you…”
“And why would that be?” he asked.
“Well, it might make me reckless…or, or I might lose my inhibitions…”
“And then what happens?”
“Well, likely something that shouldn’t happen.”
He looked at her intently, thinking of what his dad had said about her being “an innocent.”
“I’ll never cross the line if you don’t want me to, Susan. Believe me, okay? What happens today will all be up to you.”
She froze. “Oh, that’s just great,” she thought, wincing. “Put it all on me, as if I have any control when it comes to you...!”
Her hormones were clapping excitedly. “Hooray! We’re in charge now!” they chuckled.
She looked into his eyes. “I don’t even know how to respond to that, you know.”
He just shrugged his shoulders then leaned over to pick up the picnic basket. She set the sun hat on her head, and they went out the lobby doors.
As he opened the car door for her, she almost felt faint. Really? Up to her? The day was going to be up to her? Oh, my! After those kisses, what was next? More kisses...and then? Certainly not back to holding hands! And, on top of everything else, she had her young, teenage body to deal with that was responding to him physically like a cat in heat. Where, oh where, was Lynn when she needed her?
Then she thought, “At least Auntie Annabelle will be there. A chaperone will be a good thing. Keep things from getting out of hand. I think I’m going to like Auntie Annabelle…and I think I’ll stick to her like glue.”
“You’re no fun at all,” whispered her hormones.
It was four o’clock in the morning on the ship and Lynn couldn’t sleep. She had watched Susan as James kissed her in the hallway and as she slid down the back of her hotel room door onto the floor after James had left her the night before, and she thought something was about to happen that Susan would regret.
Things were moving way too fast. She could sense that her friend was confused at the speed of events. She knew that Susan was a romantic, probably thinking she’d go back, meet James, he’d sing to her and they’d walk down English lanes or something holding, hands for seven days.
As she looked into her iPhone for the tenth time in the last twelve hours, she saw them in the lobby of Susan’s hotel. They were talking. She heard James say that whatever happened today was going to be up to her. After that kiss in the hallway last night, what exactly was that supposed to mean?!
Then, it dawned on her. She’d heard what James’s dad had said to him regarding Auntie Annabelle not being at the cottage, and she knew James intended to have his way with Susan even if she didn’t. He was well aware she couldn’t resist him. All he’d have to do was crook his finger.
“Suz! Pay attention!” Lynn cringed, thinking that was pretty damn arrogant of him, and knowing that Susan was doomed. She had seen the desire burning in her eyes and her reaction to his kiss. It was pretty much all over for her. What would happen after James had his way with her? Would he just take her back to her hotel, drop her off and carve another notch on a wall somewhere?
Lynn toyed with the idea of going to Marta and Mika and asking to be sent back. Susan looked confused and vulnerable, and she wanted to cry thinking how hurt she was going to be once James bedded her then discarded her. But, what would she be able to do? How could she stop what was about to happen anyway? Susan would never listen to her and would likely be upset at her interference.
Then she started to laugh. Being an old lady and having been married for forty-four years, Susan was quite experienced in the act of lovemaking. Their “girl talk” over the years sometimes strayed into that subject area. It was easy to see that once Susan gave in, James was going to be in for the surprise of his life. Forty-four years of experience combined with a seventeen-year-old body – what a combination! What would he think? She chuckled again and tried to forget about the “cheating” aspect of the situation.
James and Susan stopped at the shop that had freshly baked bread on the way out of Brighton and bought way too much stuff, considering the things they already had in the two picnic hampers. They bought a loaf of French bread, a baguette and a bag of Kaiser rolls. They couldn’t resist the cheeses either and ended up with Brie, some Swiss and a chunk of sharp white cheddar.
“This is enough for a picnic for a dozen people!” said Susan as they left the shop, bags in their arms.
“Well, maybe we’ll just need to go on another one,” James responded.
They got back into the car and continued on their journey, out to the country and Auntie Annabelle’s cottage. It took them forty-five minutes.
The cottage was set back from the road in what appeared to be a pasture of wildflowers, bluebells, hollyhocks, daisies, and lupines. Susan stepped out of the car when James opened the door for her.
“This is beautiful!” she exclaimed, looking at the cottage. It was bordered by roses. “Is your Aunt expecting us?”
“Ummm...Actually, no, she’s not... She’s not here, you see. My dad took her to visit her sister in King’s Head. He picked her up on Friday, and he won’t be picking her up to come back until next Sunday.
She spun her head around to look at him. “You didn’t tell me she wasn’t going to be here!” she said accusingly, panic rising inside of her.
He shrugged his shoulders. “You didn’t ask, you know.”
She took a deep breath then exhaled. This was bad, very, very bad. She felt doomed in one sense of the word, but there was also a tense excitement stirring in her stomach, giving her butterflies and chill bumps on her arms. Her hormones were cheering wildly, and her heart was pounding in her chest so hard, she almost thought she could hear it.
She thought of what James had said in the hotel lobby before they left and closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. Up to her...up to her... Holy crap! If it was up to her seventeen-year-old body, she didn’t stand a chance! She could already feel the stirrings of something in her lower regions and blushed at the thought.
James grabbed one of the picnic hampers and a bag from the car and headed up to the front door of the cottage. He set everything down, went around the side of the house and returned with a key.
“Glad she keeps it in the same spot,” he said.
He opened the door and motioned for her to go inside. Just as he started to close the door behind them, a fluffy black and white tuxedo cat raced inside and brushed against her legs.
“Oh! A kitty! Is this your Aunt’s kitty?” she asked, picking up the cat and holding it in her arms. “I just adore cats!”
He didn’t look very pleased. “Yeah, that’s Buttons. She doesn’t like me.” And, as if to prove what he said, he looked over at Buttons, who hissed at him, jumped out of Susan’s arms then up onto a chair.
“So, what did you do to her to make her not like you?”
“Nothing. I think she likes girls and hates guys is all. I’m not very fond of cats anyway, so I don’t care if she likes me or not.”
“Well, that’s not very nice,” she said, going over to rub Buttons on her head. Buttons turned on her purr motor, looking over at James as if to say, “I don’t care if you like me either! I like this new lady.”
Susan looked around and saw a neat and tidy living room area, with a piano against one of the walls. “Does your Auntie play the piano?” she asked.
“Of course! She’s my dad’s sister. They’re all musical, you know. Let’s take these things into the kitchen,” he added. “And look in the hampers to see what we have. Then we can decide what to take up the hill for our picnic.”
He set the picnic hamper down on the kitchen table by a window, followed by the bag with bread. He then went back out to the car to retrieve the other basket and the remaining bag with the cheeses. When he came back, Susan was unpacking the first hamper, which was the one from the hotel.
“Wow! They sure packed a lot of stuff. It’s going to be hard to decide what to take on our picnic, but I’m just about starving to death now.”
“Let me show you around first, just so you know where the loo is and all, then we’ll pack up some of this stuff and head up the hill for our picnic.”
He led her out of the kitchen and pointed across the way, off the living room, to a bathroom. Next to it was a door that opened into a bedroom with a large four-poster bed. “That was my Mum and Dad’s room when they came to stay here, but when Mum died, my Dad didn’t come here much anymore, so when my brother, Chad, and I came to visit, that was our room.”
Just then, Buttons ran into the room and jumped up on the bed. She turned in a couple of circles before laying down and putting her head down on her paws.
“Scat!” James yelled at her, trying to chase her off the bed. “You don’t belong on the bed!”
Buttons just lifted her head for a minute and stared at him, but she didn’t budge. “She’s okay there,” said Susan. “In fact, my cat sleeps on my bed with me every night.”
“Well, she won’t be sleeping there tonight...” he started to say.
Susan looked at him quizzically, and he immediately changed the subject.
“Up here,” he said, pointing her up a set of stairs next to the bathroom. They started up the stairs.
At the top were two other bedrooms. “My Dad built these after Auntie Annabelle’s husband died. She had a son and his wife move back in with her, who stayed downstairs for a few months before getting their own place. Auntie’s bedroom is up here. She uses the other bedroom for her sewing. She takes in sewing jobs from time to time.”
They went back downstairs and into the kitchen where they sorted through the hampers and bags, putting the excess food away in the small refrigerator in the corner of the kitchen. “Plenty more for later, that’s for sure,” said James.
He grabbed a blanket and tucked it under his arm. Susan searched through the cabinets and drawers and found a couple of wine glasses and a corkscrew to open the wine. She grabbed the bottle of Chardonnay, the glasses, and the corkscrew. She had re-packed one of the hampers with some of the food, and they headed out the door, up the hill to a spot under a big, tall, leafy tree. They could see the cottage down below. James set down the hamper and spread out the blanket.
“Time for our banquet.” He motioned to Susan to sit down beside him. She lowered herself down and reached for the hamper.
“But first the wine,” she said.
Expertly, she used the corkscrew to open the bottle and poured them each a generous portion.
“To our picnic,” she said raising her glass.
He bumped his glass against hers. “Yes, My lady, to our picnic.” They smiled into each other’s eyes.
They sipped, then dug into the hamper and ate ravenously as if they hadn’t eaten in days.