She followed me toward the fire pit.
“You planned this,” she said.
“Maybe.”
“You definitely planned this,” she said with certainty.
I crouched and struck a match, watching the flame catch the kindling and slowly spread through the wood. The fire crackledsoftly as it grew. Claire sat on the blanket I had laid out earlier and looked at the cooler.
“What’s in there?” she asked.
“Dinner.”
“Did you cook?” she wondered, if she should be concerned about eating.
I gave her a look. “You’ve eaten my cooking.”
“That’s why I’m asking,” she giggled, and that sound hit me right me in the chest.
“I got dinner from the brewery. I wanted tonight to be special. I didn’t want to worry about food poisoning,” I joked.
Her eyes lit up immediately. She opened the container and laughed. “Chicken and steak quesadillas. My favorite.”
“I know.”
We ate slowly beside the fire while the sky darkened overhead. The stars began appearing one by one above the trees. Claire leaned back on her hands and looked up.
“This is beautiful.”
“Yeah.”
She glanced at me. “You’re being very romantic tonight.”
“Am I?” I said as if it was no big deal. I was never a romantic guy, but I just hadn’t found the right girl.
“Extremely.”
I shrugged. “I had some good news today.”
Her expression shifted slightly. “What kind of good news?”
I poked at the fire with a stick. “The Bellerose trial got expedited.”
Her eyes widened. “Really?”
“Yeah.” I nodded.
“The charges are sticking this time. Financial records, trafficking evidence, the whole operation. The courts are pushing it through fast.”
Claire was quiet for a moment. I could see the weight of those words settling over her.
For years, that man had haunted her life.
“Wow,” she whispered. “That’s… a lot.”
“Good a lot?” I asked.
She nodded slowly. “Yeah, it is.”