I grin. “I’m fantastic. Do you have the drinks?”
Ellie nods, opens the cooler, and glances at me. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I figured water was the safest bet.” She pulls out two, ice cold bottles of water with droplets forming along the bottles as they hit the air and set them on the table between us.
“Water sounds perfect. I don’t know about you, but when I think of the park and a picnic, I remember going on field trips with my school and eating lunch at the park. So I thought it would be kind of cool to go back to our childhood, in a sense.” I hand her one of the bags. “Plus, if you’re thinking of your childhood, you’re less likely to attack me, right?”
Ellie giggles, shaking her head. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”
“Never.” I open the bag and she does the same. Inside is a bag of plain chips, an apple, and a ham and cheese sandwich. Ellie doesn’t seem upset in the least that we’re having such a simple lunch in such a simple place. The park is more relaxing and less intimate than what a tiny table at a fancy restaurant can be. I don’t want her to feel pressured or uncomfortable.
“Wait.” Ellie notices that she has two Hershey kisses in the bottom of her bag and I don’t have any. “Why do I have two?”
“We used to get something sweet after lunch if we behaved. One is for you and one is for me, if I do indeed keep my manners.”
Ellie laughs softly, glancing up at me so her eyelashes are attempting to hide her striking brown eyes. “This is all kind of cute. Thanks.”
“Welcome.” We begin to eat, me going for the sandwich first and her the chips.
Ellie looks at me nervously, like she’s debating something she’s unsure of. “What is your first name?”
She catches me off guard, so my answer sounds like I’m questioning myself. “Hudson? My first name is Hudson.”
Her cheeks flame bright red. “Oh. It just sounded like a last name to me. I-” Her voice falters with her embarrassment.
Great. Now I have to tell her my last name. What if she hears it and she has heard it before? I watch her closely and add, “My last name is King.” I pause, wait for any recognition and then finish. “My name is Hudson King.”
“Oh, that’s a nice name. I like it. I guess I shouldn’t have assumed that was your last name.”
“Don’t worry about it. Hudson was my mother’s maiden name, so you were close. Now I think I should know yours, so we can be on a last name basis.” I grin.
“Mine is Sullivan. Um, where did you grow up in Canada?”
For a second, I ignore her question, wanting to try out her name for myself. “Ellie Sullivan. Very pretty. I’m from Vancouver. And you? Somewhere in Idaho, right?”
“Well, I doubt you ever heard of it. It’s just a small farming town. I grew up there with my aunt,” she says sadly.
“Your aunt raised you?”
Ellie lowers her eyes to the table as she speaks, “Yes, since I was four. My parents were killed when their crop plane crashed. My dad would fertilize crops in the area, and my mom would go with him sometimes. The plane malfunctioned, and it crashed,” she finishes sadly.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Ellie.” I reach out and lay my hand over hers.
“It’s okay. It happened a long time ago. My aunt took care of me, and I’m grateful for everything that she did.” The corners of her mouth lift in a sweet smile.
“Does that mean you’re an only child? Because we could switch places. I have an older brother and a younger sister.”
“Ha, yes, I’m an only child. Are you close to your siblings? What about your parents?”
“We’re all very close. My sister goes to school in Seattle, my brother lives with his family in Orlando, and my parents are still in Vancouver. We’re kind of all over the place,” I say.
“That’s so great that you have a family, even if you’re spread out. I bet it’s a great excuse to travel.”
“Oh, yeah, and we love traveling. Some of us more than others. Do you like to travel?” I don’t want to mention that I travel often because of work and I do like it, so it’s still true.
“Um, I’ve been to Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. That has been the extent of my travels. I would like to travel more, but the last couple years I have been occupied with other things going on in my life.”
“Where would you go then?” I ask.
“Paris. I always wanted to go to Paris. Have you been to Europe?”