Read Online Blue Sky Days by Marie Landry - Free Book Online Page B

speed. The wind whistled in my ears as the now-familiar scene of the park blurred around me while we ran. Slowing to a walk when we reached the bottom of the hill, we wound our way to the far end of the park, down a path through a small but dense forest, and came to an old wooden fence that separated the forest from a large field.
    Nicholas climbed to the top and straddled the highest plank of the fence, which came to my shoulder. Reaching down for my hand, he helped me up, and when I got to the top, he hopped down on the other side before gripping my waist so I could jump down. It all happened so fast, I didn’t have time to worry about being clumsy or awkward, and I actually managed a semi-graceful landing thanks to Nicholas.
    “This is Farmer Milligan’s property,” Nicholas told me, sweeping his arm in a wide gesture that encompassed the seemingly endless field around us. “He’s a good friend of my family, and he lets me come whenever I want to pick fresh fruits and vegetables. Strawberry season’s early this year, so I’ve been coming almost every day. He doesn’t even like strawberries; I think he plants them just for me,” he said with a laugh.
    As Nicholas set the picnic basket down and took out the plastic container that had held the cookies, I chuckled to myself at his enthusiasm. He practically sparkled with it, his eyes always bright and a smile never far from his lips. He was almost childlike in a way, brimming with excitement and happiness. I had been such a serious person for so long I didn’t even know how to have fun, but his eagerness was like a magnet, not only drawing me in, but also drawing something from me that I didn’t recognize. I had a vague recollection of being a happy, carefree child for the short time Daisy had been in my life before her move to Riverview. Being with Nicholas felt the same, like I could easily be swept up and carried away by all the happiness surrounding me, and I wouldn’t mind in the least.
    I watched as Nicholas squatted down and began picking berries off the vine. His fingers were slow and patient, and he would occasionally bring a perfectly ripe, bold red berry to his nose to sniff appreciatively before putting it in the container.
    After a minute, I crouched a few feet away from him and began picking, glancing at him every few seconds. I liked watching him. He was so agile, his actions relaxed and uncomplicated, and I loved the way he took things in with all his senses.
    I didn’t realize I had stopped picking to stare at him until he looked at me and smirked. “What?”
    My face burned as I turned back to the vines and laughed nervously. “Nothing.” Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him watching me with a mischievous grin on his face before turning back to pick more berries.
    There was a delightful breeze moving across the field, unhindered by buildings or trees. It rippled across the low-lying greenery surrounding the strawberries, sending the mouthwatering scent of ripe berries into the air. The wind moved around us, teasing the hem of my shirt and ruffling Nicholas’s hair so that it fell forward across his forehead, giving him a slightly roguish look that had my fingers itching, as they had before, to touch his hair. To touch him .
    We worked away in silence until the container between us was full. Nicholas plucked one more strawberry from the vine and held it out to me. When I reached for it, he shook his head and held it to my lips. My stomach tensed as I leaned forward to take a tentative bite, careful not to graze his fingers with my teeth. I laughed when juice spurted from the ripe berry and rolled down my chin. When my eyes met Nicholas’s, expecting him to be laughing too, his face was serious, his eyes intent on my mouth.
    I licked my lips self-consciously and wiped the juice from my face with the back of my hand. Nicholas’s gaze lingered on my lips a minute more before meeting my eyes as he popped the rest of the berry in his