“Don't thank me before you try the food,” she said, giggling. “What if you hate it?”
“I doubt that will be the case,” he replied. “But if it is, we'll just go get Sandy's.”
She strolled over to one of the hay bails next to the picnic basket and sat down. Ethan was still standing in the opening of the hayloft. He was backlit by the blue sky and the shining sun, and she could only see his silhouette. The contrast of color seemed to accentuate just how tall and lean he was. He really looked like a cowboy as he stood there, too. The tight jeans, the shirt, and probably the fact that he was surrounded by hay, all contributed to the look. Laura enjoyed the view for a moment and felt herself suddenly more drawn to him than ever before.
For fear of being caught blatantly staring at him, though, she finally called him over. “Come sit with me. Let's eat.”
“You won't hear an argument from me,” Ethan said. “I'm starving.”
The floor boards creaked as he stepped toward the bail of hay that was situated directly next to hers. Laura wasn't sure how he was going to react to having a picnic in a hayloft. The guy was a billionaire, after all, and she was certain that most of his lunches were probably in fancy restaurants while wearing a suit. Still, though, he appeared genuinely happy to be there, and that excited her. It made her feel good about the effort she had put into getting this surprise together for him.
“So what's on the menu?” he asked, nodding toward the picnic basket.
“Well, let's find out, shall we?” she said, as she opened up the basket and pulled out a plastic jug. “This is my homemade lemonade. I can't promise you'll love everything else I have packed in the picnic basket, but I'd be willing to bet money that you'll go nuts over this. It's a secret lemonade recipe known only to a handful of the Corbett family.”
“In that case, I consider myself lucky for being able to have a taste.” As Ethan spoke, it seemed apparent to Laura that he was more interested in her than he was in the lemonade. It was like he couldn't take his eyes off of her. She loved it. It made her feel beautiful and extraordinary.
She pulled two plastic cups out of the basket and filled them both with lemonade from the jug.
“Secret recipe, huh?” he said, taking the cup from Laura's hand. “What's the secret?”
She shook her head and shrugged. “Well if I told you, it wouldn't be much of a secret, would it?”
“Touché,” he said, holding the cup in the air. “Cheers.”
“Cheers,” Laura echoed his words and then tapped the edge of her cup to his.
Ethan took a sip of the lemonade and Laura watched as his eyes widened with delight.
“Well...?” she asked hesitantly. “What do you think?”
After another swig, he dropped the cup from his lips. “This is incredible, Laura.”
“You're just saying that,” she said, feeling her cheeks tingle once again.
“I'm dead serious,” he said. “This is unbelievable. How did you make this?”
“I won't tell you all of the secrets,” she said, with a sly smile. “But I can tell you that part of it is about using lemons straight off of the tree. Once you have lemonade with fresh lemons, you'll never be able to go back.”
“You're right about that,” he said, shaking his head in awe. “I think you've just ruined me. I'll never be able to drink lemonade from the store again.”
Laura shrugged. “I guess you'll just have to let me make it for you from now on.”
She didn't really mean to say it. It just sort of came out, without her even thinking about it. As soon as the words spill from her lips, she cringed.
God, why did I say something so weird? she thought. I'm so awkward.
To her pleasant surprise, though, Ethan seemed to resonate well with the idea.
“I'd like that,” he said, his pale green eyes locking with hers. “I'd like that very much.” He paused. “It snows here. Where did you get fresh lemons?”
“I have a little lemon tree in my house,” she explained. “It goes outside in the summer and comes in for the winter.”
“I see,” he replied, taking another sip.
There were a few seconds that passed, and all that they did was stare into each other's eyes. It caused a warm tingling to stir inside of Laura. She wasn't sure if it what she was feeling was similar to what she had felt the first time they met, or if it was completely different. Maybe it was just the spark of attraction, which the two of them obviously shared with each other. Regardless, she felt something. There was sexual tension in the air, and it was so thick that it was almost palpable.
“Um, so, you said you were hungry?” Laura stumbled over her words and nearly dropped her cup of lemonade onto the floor.