Page 57 of Unconventionally, Elle
"I'm sorry." His voice was barely audible, but it was amplified with my head on his chest.
I should have acknowledged it, but instead, I stayed silent and let his inhales and exhales gently lull me to sleep.
36
Now
The next day in Nantucket felt like déjà vu.
"I could get used to this. God, that coffee smells good," I said as I walked up behind Barrett in the kitchen and wrapped my hands around his waist. I kissed him right between his shoulder blades and watched as goose bumps appeared on his warm, soft skin.
"We have a busy day, so drink up. We leave in an hour." He grabbed my hands, lifted them to his mouth, and kissed my fingers. Then he picked up his coffee and went to the bedroom. I heard him opening and closing drawers and a few "ahas" sprinkled in with groans.
"What are you looking for?" I shouted across the house.
"Just some things, and I know Emma left snow boots here. I wanted you to have them to wear." Another drawer closed.
An hour later we were hand in hand, enjoying the Christmas Stroll through Main Street. My rosy cheeks and chapped lips were entirely worth it, as the Christmas trees brought joy to my heart. I couldn't think of anything better right now than holding Barrett's hand and walking through a Christmas wonderland.We made our way into a local bakery and sat down by the window.
"Wait here. This isn't the surprise, though," he said as he got out of the booth.
The Nantucket Christmas Stroll was surprise enough for me. It's an event that happens the first weekend every December, and it's a big deal, like huge. There are even horse-drawn carriages, though I'd had my fair share of those in New Orleans.
Barrett came back holding a picnic basket.
"Barrett?" I asked, my voice tinged with curiosity.
With a huge smile, he extended his hand. "Let's go, we have to walk a little bit."
Excited, I stood up and took his hand in mine. I could smell fresh bread through the basket, and my mouth started to water.
"What's in there?" I asked as we walked through the fresh powdery snow on Main Street.
"You'll have to wait and see," he said with a smirk.
The suspense was killing me. Eventually, Brant Point Lighthouse came into view. It wasn't that far from the town, and I squeezed Barrett's hand as soon as I realized we were walking toward it.
"Ahh, Barrett!" I yelled, excitement thrumming through my body.
He laughed and readjusted his grip on the basket. "We actually get to go inside," he said, his voice layered with excitement.
My eyes widened and my mouth dropped. "No way! Oh my God!" I covered my mouth with my free hand, and my eyes stayed wide in pure shock.
"The mayor's a family friend. What can I say?" He shrugged as if it was no big deal.
"Of course he is." I rolled my eyes and giggled. I squeezed his hand tighter and skipped with delight.
Once we got to the historic lighthouse, Barrett opened the door and motioned for me to walk up the stairs. "Let's go to the top."
I followed him to the very top of the lighthouse, the whole time wondering why he was still holding the basket. When we arrived at the top, I looked out over Nantucket Harbor. The ocean extended for miles into a gray snow-filled horizon.
"Okay." Barrett was behind me, fumbling with the basket. "I actually asked Mrs. Moffat, who owns the bakery, to put together a nice lunch with some mulled wine for us so we could have a picnic. So without further ado, let's dig in, shall we?" He started to pull items out of the basket and put them onto a blanket he'd placed on the floor of the lighthouse.
I couldn't stop smiling. Barrett had gone to so much trouble to make this a beautiful, memorable day. I couldn't remember the last time I'd felt this special. It had been way too long. We sat next to each other eating paninis filled with stuffing, turkey, cranberries, and gravy. My tastebuds were assaulted with flavor.
"God, this is delicious! How did you get this idea?" I asked around a mouthful of panini.
"Emma and I have done this a few times over the years. Harold would arrange the picnic basket, and the two of us would come up here." He shrugged. "Like I said, the mayor is a family friend, so we spent a lot of time here. I just love being on the water I guess, and I only have happy memories in this spot."
