The Secret Promise

Chapter Twenty-One

The conversation stayed light for the duration of the trip to the lake, which took about forty minutes.

Arthur hopped down from the front seat and reached up to grasp Susan about the waist and lift her down.

Lucas stepped down and calmly reached up to offer Allie his hand as she stepped down beside him.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" Allie breathed.

"Have you been here before?" Lucas asked.

"I think we stopped here once when I was little," she said. "But the trees had already lost all their leaves and it was cold."

"Allie mostly only goes as far as she can walk," Susan giggled, walking past her to help Arthur with the blankets.

Allie shrugged with a smile. "It's true." She followed Susan to help her lay out the blankets near the water and Lucas walked to the back of the buggy where Arthur was unfastening the buckles that held the large wicker picnic basket in place.

"Arthur, am I dreaming?" Lucas asked softly, blowing out a long breath.

"About Miss Allie?" Arthur grinned, knowing what he was thinking. "Well, ol' chap, you're not dreaming. But you've obviously been given a very special and likely very fragile gift from God, so don't waste it."

"Waste it?"

"Yeah. By playing some trick on her. Or hurting her. It seems to me, she's giving you a chance but I'd bet my left arm this will be the last chance you'll ever get."

"Yeah," he breathed. "I believe you're right."

"But also, don't waste it by never telling her how you really feel!"

Lucas nodded, but they could hear the girls' voices getting louder as they walked back to the buggy and they ended their conversation.

"I've got it!" Arthur said, pulling the basket free. "That second strap was a beast! Lucas, help me carry this over to the blankets, won't you?"

After lunch and several rounds of badminton where no one ever won, but laughs ensued, they all sat down to rest on the blankets.

"We should have brought a deck of cards," Susan sighed.

"We could play charades," Allie said.

"Yes!" Susan exclaimed. "Charades! Allie, you go first!"

"Me?"

Lucas had been lying on his back, quietly watching them, but now he sat up.

"Yes, go on!" Susan said as Allie got to her feet.

She stood there for a moment, thinking, before she got an idea. "Okay, it's a person," she said. She flexed her arms to show muscles and made the motion of drawing a bow.

"A hunter!" Arthur shouted.

Allie shook her head. Then she repeated all the actions again, adding in a dramatic fall to the ground where she grabbed at her heel and died.

Arthur and Susan kept guessing but Lucas just chuckled.

"Are you laughing at us?" Susan asked.

"Nope," Lucas grinned.

"Do you know who she is?" Arthur asked. "You have to guess!"

"I'm pretty sure she's Achilles," he laughed.

Allie sat up and smiled. "Your turn!"

"Oh boy!" Lucas stood up. "Alright, mine is also a person."

He pretended to take off a top hat and bowed low in front of Allie. Then he walked around with his chest puffed out.