Emily’s heart flip-flopped. What on earth did Titus have planned for their date?
“Read it,” he encouraged.
She opened the slip of paper.
“Please have patience as I put the horse in the stable.
You may find your next note inside on the table.”
She giggled. “You want me to go inside?”
He nodded and kissed her cheek. “Wait for me there.”
Emily watched forlornly as her handsome date walked off with the horse, then sighed. She looked down at the note, then followed the directions.
Inside, the house was a little dark, but a lantern flickered on the table. She walked to it, then turned up the wick. Near the lantern was another note like the one she’d just read. She opened the paper and read the words.
Having you in my life feels like a dream.
To find your next clue, walk down to the stream.
Titus walked in just then.
“The stream? I didn’t know you had a stream.” What other surprises did he have in store?
“Sure do. But first, we’ll need this.” He lifted a basket from the counter.
Her jaw dropped. “A picnic?”
His eyes twinkled as the light from the lantern reflected off of them. “Perhaps.”
“Lead the way, because I have no clue where we’re headed.”
He chuckled.
“You’re having fun with this, aren’t you?”
“I hope you are too.” He touched her shoulder and looked into her eyes. She saw a touch of worry in their depths.
“I am.” She stepped on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “You’re a sweetheart.” She pulled his hand. “Kumm, show me the stream.”
“Jah, okay.” Basket hanging on his arm, Titus led the way. Once out of the house, he slipped his free hand into hers. “Tell me something about you that I don’t know.”
“Okay. Like what?”
“Something easy. What’s your favorite color?”
“Aqua.”
He chuckled. “Okay, I kind of suspected that. Your favorite food?”
“Nee. You have to tell me your favorites too.”
“Okay. Blue.” He shrugged.
Emily laughed. “There are a gazillion shades of blue. Which one?”
“I guess it’s between true blue and dark blue. I wanna say it’s called azure or admiral? Anyhow, I have a shirt at the house that color. I can show you later.”
“Good enough. Okay, my favorite food is fruit.”
“Fruit?”
“Well, it has to be ripe.”
“What kind of fruit?”
“Any. I don’t know if I’ve ever tasted fruit I don’t like.”
“Hmm. How about lemon?”
“I love lemons. I just can’t eat a bunch of them at one time.”
“What about those orangey-reddish-greenish fruits that come from Mexico?”
She laughed at his expression. “You mean mango? Ach, mangos are definitely at the top of my favorites list.”
“I confess I’ve never had one.”
“You’ve never tried mango?”
“I was kind of afraid of them.”
Emily laughed again. “The trick is to pick the right one. With mangos, you don’t want too firm or too squishy. If you press it with your thumb, it should yield just a little bit.”
He chuckled. “I’ll trust you on that one.”
“That’s it. Next time I go shopping, I’m buying you a mango.”
He twisted his lips.
“Don’t be a scaredy cat. They’re delicious.” She closed her eyes. “Mm…wish I had one now.”
“Well.” He grimaced. “I didn’t bring any mangos, but I do have something you might like. I was going to save it for dessert, but…”
He stopped walking. “This is the perfect spot.” He set the basket down and opened it, then removed a rectangular pillow-like thing. He unzipped it and it unfolded into a padded picnic blanket.
“That’s neat.”
“Found it at Big Lots.”
“I like that store.”
“Me too.” He patted the blanket. “Have a seat.”
She did as instructed.
“Okay, now close your eyes.”
She stared at him. “Close my eyes?”
“Yes, just trust me. It’ll be gut.”
“Okay.” She giggled.
“Now open your mouth.”
“Titus.”
“Just do it, please.”
Reluctantly, she did as he asked. “I feel weird.”
“You can’t talk.”
She smiled.
“You can’t smile either.” He laughed. “Your mouth isn’t open.”
She attempted to open her mouth and keep a straight face. She heard him rustling something.
“Now take a bite,” Titus instructed.
She bit down into the yummiest dessert ever invented—chocolate covered strawberries! The delectable flavors exploded in her mouth. “Ach! This is delicious! May I open my eyes now?”
“Yes.” A satisfied look displayed on his face.
She looked around her and discovered she was surrounded by a feast. Not only were there chocolate covered strawberries, but fried chicken, macaroni salad, coleslaw, green beans, and rolls. “Ach, Titus!”
“Do you like it?”
She leaned toward him and planted a bold kiss on his lips. “I love it!”
He groaned. “I love that. Come back here.”
She indulged him with another kiss, delighting in the sound of pleasure that escaped his throat.
“Emily.” He pulled back, eyes wild with desire. “We can’t do that.”
She giggled. “I liked it too.” Her heart still felt like it was beating a hundred miles an hour.
“Jah, but…” He sighed and rubbed his beard. “We should eat now.”
She took the plate he offered and put a little of each thing on it.
“Uh-oh.” He pulled a note from under the basket. “It didn’t exactly go as I thought, but go ahead and read it anyhow.”
She did.
“Later this evening I have planned a treat.
Open the basket now, so we two can eat.”
“I know we’re already eating but go ahead and open it.”
She opened the basket, wondering what else he might come up with. “What’s this?” She pulled out a wrapped box.
“A little something special for you.” He grinned. “But don’t open it until we’re finished eating.”
“Okay.” She took a bite of her fried chicken. “This is gut.”
“I can’t take credit for any of it. I bought it all at the store.”
“Still. Hey, you never told me what your favorite food was.”
“Burgers.”
“Hamburgers? Really?”
“Well, seasoned and grilled just right with a toasted bun and the perfect condiments.”
“And do you know how to grill and season these burgers just right?”
“I do. How about I make some on our second date?”
“Second date or fourth? It kind of feels like this is our third date, doesn’t it?”
“In a way. Although, we weren’t alone the other two times. But if you want to count this as our third date, that’s fine with me.” He grinned.
“We weren’t alone, but you still managed to sneak in some kisses. That means they were dates.”
“Okay, you win. They were dates.” He chuckled.