Music of Souls

"Let's see what we've got here." He opened the basket. There were linen napkins, two china plates and champagne flutes on top. "Ah, we're having champagne."

Elisabeth peeked in the basket. "Wow, did you pack this?"

"No, Sarah did. Martha Stewart's got nothing on her." There were exotic cheeses, a crusty baguette, hard salami and melon wrapped in prosciutto. A bakery box held four small French pastries. At the bottom of the basket sat a bottle wrapped in ice. Jackson unwrapped it and held up the bottle of Cristal.

Elisabeth quipped, "A little over the top for a picnic, wouldn't you say?"

He rolled his eyes. "Everything Sarah does is over the top. Speaking of Sarah, she wants you to come for dinner Saturday."

"Oh, I don't think so." He could tell she was thinking, too soon to meet the family.

"She is going to nag me incessantly until she meets you. She may even hunt you down." He squinted and folded his hands in prayer. "I implore you, put me out of misery?"

"When you put it that way, how can I refuse?"

"Good then, I'll pick you up at 6:00."

"No, I can drive, just text me the address." He almost protested, but thought she might want control of when to leave, so let it be.

After eating, they walked some more, holding hands. As Jackson packed up the basket, Elisabeth stood again admiring the valley. She clearly felt sad to see this day end. He went to her, held her close, and kissed her temple. "I will bring you back here whenever you want."

She smiled up at him warmly. "Thank you for a perfect day."

"It's only perfect because I'm with you." She dropped her gaze and tensed slightly. Jackson let her go, sensing her discomfort.

As they neared the car, he held the keys up to her. "You drive."

"Oh, no, I couldn't."

"Yes you can, and you will. Come on, I'm insured. Can you drive a stick?"

"Yes."

"Then let's go." As she started the car, it was plain to see she felt nervous, yet excited. It took her a few minutes to become accustomed to the gearing, but she was shifting smoothly much quicker than he expected. He had thought he would be putting a new clutch in this car next week. "Elisabeth, what kind of car do you drive?"

"A Jaguar XKR-S."

"WHAT?" He started to laugh hysterically. "You are something else."

They were mostly quiet on the ride home, both reflecting on how easy it was to be together, and Jackson enjoyed watching her drive. He wanted to tell her all he felt, but knew he had pushed a little too far already today. When they walked to her door, she turned and asked, "Would you like to see my studio?"