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I grab her hand. “I bet the view is even more beautiful from the top.”
“It always is,” she says, following behind me. We hike until we reach the overlook at the top. She doesn’t say a word as she looks out over the vibrant blue water nestled deep between two mountains on either side. “Wow. It’s like something otherworldly. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
I pull my gaze away from the view and watch her for a moment. She blinks back tears and then wipes her eyes. She laughs when she notices me watching her. “It’s just so beautiful.”
She wipes her eyes again and turns away from me. “Oh, this is embarrassing.”
I grab her shoulder. “Why?”
“I’m just being emotional. It’s stunning though. I don’t know why I’m crying. I’m just overwhelmed in the moment. The beauty. The company.”
I pull her in for a hug. “I love that about you.”
She leans back and looks at me. My arms are still firmly around her waist. “What do you mean?”
“You stop and appreciate beautiful things. Most people don’t do that.”
She scrunches up her nose. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“I’ve never seen you pass a flower that you didn’t take a moment to admire. You always smell lemons.”
She cuts me off. “Well, lemons smell amazing.”
“I know. Most people don’t take time to appreciate them,” I say.
“You take time to smell and admire your food before eating it,” I continue.
“That’s half of it. How can you enjoy your food if you don’t?” she protests.
“I know. I like it. I’ve never been around someone that appreciates all the little things so much and stops to take in the beauty of life. It’s contagious. It’s why I like being around you.”
She blinks a few times – confusion spreads over her face. God, I might as well have just confessed my love to her. What am I doing? I’ve let myself believe this will last longer than this trip when she’s never given me any signal that it will. She wanted me to be her rebound. She needed to move on from her ex. She was very clear about why we are here. I clear my throat. “I brought a picnic. Want to go back down and get it from the car?”
She nods, and I give a signal to the four Secret Service agents that we’re heading back down. I’m still amazed how good they are at just fading into the background. I thought I’d feel self-conscious around them, but I often forget they are with us. I didn’t completely forget about them. I made sure to bring picnic food for them too.
Once we’re down at the bottom by the water, I set up a picnic blanket. The agents are eating at a picnic table near us.
“Oh, you brought these adorable jars ofchocolate pots de crèmefor dessert. Yum.” She’s doing that thing where she’s admiring everything I’ve brought for the picnic with great care. I asked the kitchen to make us something really special for lunch. I knew how happy it would make her.
After we eat, we’re both digging our spoons into the dessert. She sets her spoon down and looks at me. “This is nice. Thank you.”
I give her a nod and then say, “So graduation is coming up. Any plans?”
She looks a little sheepish and then says, “Yes.”
“Care to share?” I say before licking chocolate off my spoon.
She looks down at the little jar in her hand and says, “I’m going to culinary school in Paris.”
I nearly drop my dessert. “What? Are you serious? That’s amazing.”
She looks up. “Pastry school. I’ll start in July.”
I pull her in and kiss her cheek. “That’s perfect.”
She smiles. “The program is about nine months. I’m going to live in Paris for a year, basically.”
I’m beaming at her. “What do you think you’ll do afterward?”
