Chapter 11
The elevator doors closed in front of her and she hit the button for the tenth floor. Even though she’d remained on set longer than planned, she should have enough time to take a nice long bath before Sean arrived. On the past few occasions when he’d come to Boston, he’d never gotten there before six, and it wasn’t even five yet.
The numbers on the elevator lit up, as it carried her to her floor. What should they do this weekend? The weekend before they’d caught a Red Sox game at Fenway on Friday night, and on Saturday they’d sat down by the Charles River and watched the Dragon Boat Festival. Sunday, at her request, they’d stayed in all day and just been plain old lazy.
There was no shortage of things to do in the city, but at the moment nothing jumped out at her. In fact if they spent the night in, she’d be okay with that. Tomorrow they could go out and do something fun.
Mia pushed opened her hotel room door, and kicked off her sandals before the door even closed behind her. The fragrance of fresh flowers and hazelnut greeted her, and she stopped short. A gigantic arrangement of summer flowers sat on the table next to a picnic basket and an extra-large latte from the Boston cafe she’d fallen in love with.
“You’re here already,” she said when Sean appeared from the kitchen with a black iced coffee in his hands.
Sean took the latte off the table and walked toward her. “I wanted to get here before you got back and surprise you, so I left earlier than usual.” He handed her the large drink. “I hope I got this right. It’s hazelnut made with nonfat milk minus the whip cream and sugar.”
Her heart sang with delight. He’d remembered how she liked her drink. “Thank you. It’s perfect.” She took a long sip from the latte, the cold beverage a great treat after the heat outside. Not quite the end of June, the heat in the city had already hit some record highs that week. Today at least a nice breeze helped provide some relief despite the humidity.
“These are gorgeous.” She leaned toward the flowers and took in a deep breath. “What’s this?” Mia pointed at the picnic basket.
“Dinner. I read that the Boston Pops is doing at concert at the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade. I’ve never been to a concert over there, and I thought you might enjoy it.” He gathered her up in his arms and hugged her. “If you don’t like that idea we—”
“No. It sounds great.”
Located on the Boston side of the Charles River, the Esplanade was used by city residents for everything from running and cycling to picnics and sunbathing. The city also used the Hatch Memorial Shell for free outdoor concerts all some summer long, with the annual Fourth of July concert by the Boston Pops being one of the most popular shows. In fact, every year that concert and the fireworks that followed it drew upward of 500,000 guests into the park, or at least that was what she’d read. She’d never attended the event herself.
Tonight the park was nowhere near that crowded, and after several people stopped them for her autograph, they found an empty area on the grass not far from the stage.
Once Sean spread out the blanket he’d packed, Mia sat down and stretched out her legs. Kicking off her sandals again, she dug her feet into the thick green grass, loving the way it felt between her toes. Next to her, Sean unpacked the basket. “Did you bring enough food?”she asked. He just kept pulling out containers.
Sean placed some paper plates next to the food and then moved the basket away. “When I stopped at Quincy Market, I didn’t know what we’d be in the mood for, so I got a little of whatever looked good.” He picked one container and handed it to her. “This is for you. A grilled chicken salad minus the dressing and cheese. You can eat anything else you want, too.”
Another piece of her heart slipped away, as she accepted the salad. “Thanks. What else did you get? Something smells good.”
He went down the line, naming each dish as he opened the containers. There was everything from a Thai chicken and curry dish, to traditional Indian naan bread, and lasagna. To top if off, he’d grabbed some double chocolate chip cookies that were the size of plates and two chocolate hazelnut tortes.
“I’m tempted to skip the food and go right for the cookies.” She stabbed the lettuce in her salad, but her eyes never left the cookies. Man did they look good.
“Go ahead. I won’t stop you.” He picked up one and held it out. “I ate one on my way back to the hotel after I got the food.”
The darn thing all but called her name, but she raised her forkful of salad to her mouth. “Maybe later.”
Sean put the cookie off to the side again, and began a plate for himself. “If there are none left later, don’t say I didn’t offer.”
After their meal, Sean sat next to her eating a cookie as she sipped her water. She’d caved and had a quarter of a cookie once she finished her salad and then wrapped the rest up and returned it to the picnic basket. “Those cookies are almost as good as your mom’s.”
“I know. The rest of yours might not make it through the night.”
“Be my guest.” She rested her head on his shoulder and watched the musicians file onto the stage. All dressed in black and white, they resembled a bunch of penguins with musical instruments. “This was a great idea tonight.” She took his hand and intwined their fingers. “Thank you.”