His Naughty Lessons
Chapter 144: Picnic in the Sunset

Chapter 144: Picnic in the Sunset

The resort had done a good job preparing the picnic on his behalf, Eli decided once the two of them took their seats on the oversized beach towel. There was tropical fruit salad, a variety of cheese, mini sliders with kalua pork, sushi, and an assortment of bite-sized Hawaiian sweets just as he requested. Somewhat unsurprisingly, he noticed that Harper’s eyes had snapped to the dessert tray as soon as she sat down, training on the coconut and taro puddings laid out on a bed of pandan leaves.

She didn’t dig straight into it though, perhaps to avoid ruining the atmosphere by acting "uncultured". Instead, she folded her legs prettily under her skirt, watching him with a glittery gaze as he poured them each a glass of wine.

"I’m hoping this is not an attempt to outdo my room order last night," she commented. "Because if it is, I think you’ve just obliterated me."

Eli chuckled, pleased with such a high praise. "It’s not comparable. Dinner last night was good for the soul, like you said. And this is good for—"

He paused, trying to come up with a suitable word to emphasize the difference. The body? No ... it seemed to carry a connotation that he wasn’t thinking about at the moment. The flesh? Ugh, even worse. The—

"The flesh?" Harper was clearly thinking the same, and she had no qualms uttering the word out loud with a slanted smile. "I like that. Though there are a few other things I can think of that are even better for the flesh ... Maybe we should give my version a try for our next date."

Oh. He’d like that very much.

Eli gave her a look that promised an absolute "Yes". In an exchange of ogles and knowing grins, they clinked their glasses, sipped their wine, and started sampling the artfully arranged trays of appetizers.

"Ah, pretty sure this pork slider just exposed the secret of where you got the food from." Harper chuckled as she took a big bite of a slider and made a satisfied face. "It tastes exactly like the Luau! That roasted pork was my favorite dish, by the way. Great choice."

She was so generous with approvals today that Eli wondered if he was going to begin developing a praise kink. With a proud smile stretching across his lips, he nudged the dessert tray closer to her. "Wait till you try these, and your favorite dish might change. Not all of them were part of the Luau menu."

"Oh ... That’s right, I haven’t seen this one yet." Harper picked up a square of taro kulolo, studying it as if it was a curious piece of puzzle. "Let me guess, another one of those secret menu orders like what you did at the Thai food truck?"

She didn’t wait for him to answer before popping the dessert into her mouth. A happy "Mmmm" was her endorsement of the treat. Then she continued immediately to the mini pina colada cake, rewarding it with an equally contented sigh.

"I think my favorite dish is changing indeed," she declared. "Darn, you’re going to turn me into a foodie if you keep up like this."

That made Eli groan with a strangled laughter. "I better not. Two foodies is too much for the McKenzie family, don’t you think?"

The reminder made her groan too with bare seconds of delay.

"You’ve got a point," Harper conceded. "Though, in all seriousness, have I ever mentioned that it’s crazy how good you are at always knowing what I like? And I’m talking about much more than just food." She waved a hand in the general direction of their surroundings. "This place, this sunset, everything. It’s like you know precisely the dream picnic in my mind ... so precisely that it’s almost uncanny to think about."

Eli wondered if he should say something witty to that. Or something cheesy, such as he paid attention to learning all her preferences because he cared. But in the end, he settled for the simple and plain truth, "I’d hope to think that’s expected to come with knowing someone for thirteen years."

She smiled at that, and her gaze was soft when it met his.

~ ~

They took their time with their picnic, savoring the food along with the view, chatting about their day and the island and whatever other random topics that came to mind. They watched the sun as it dipped lower and lower toward the ocean, its golden halo almost touching the hazy line separating the water from the sky. The wispy patch of pink from earlier had turned into a flaming expanse of red and orange, stretching across the entire space above them, and as the tides gradually retreated, the sound of seawaves slowly gave way to the sound of the waterfall behind them, crisp like the chiming of silver bells.

"This is enchanting," Harper marveled when she took a break from the treats, leaning against Eli’s shoulder to take in the sight before them.

The soft wind tousled her hair, blending her sweet scent into the salty tinge of ocean breeze. Eli drew in an intoxicated breath. "It is," he agreed, though he was talking about an entirely different source of enchantment.

There was a moment of comfortable silence, and they sat just like that for a while, watching the seabirds swirling above the glittering waves.

"We’ve never been to a beach together before, have we?" Harper continued after some time. "Not counting the promenade at the amusement park ... It’s not the type of beach you’d have a picnic on, after all."

"Don’t think we have." Eli brushed a light kiss over the top of her head. "We should do it again soon. On another movie set that’s just the way you like it."

Harper chuckled languidly. "I’m sure you have unmatchable standards, as has been proven too many times already ... But honestly, I would be just as happy to revisit some hidden local gems. I remember the little artificial beach at the south end of Davenshire that I went to with Chelsea once, back in college. We joked about it being a good spot for a secret tryst someday, when we both got ourselves a boyfriend." She looked up at him. "Have you been there? Or do you have a favorite beach somewhere else? I would love to see it."

That question gave Eli pause.

"I ... actually haven’t been to a beach in years." It wasn’t something he had thought about until she asked. "The last time I went to one ... was with my parents, I think."

Another silence descended between them. Only this time, it didn’t seem quite as comfortable.