He laughed a warm and inviting laugh that melted my insides. "I'm Michael. I was walking in the woods. When I came upon this place, I decided to have my lunch." He pointed to a backpack he'd left by the tree. "Care to join me?"

I shook my head. "I don't think so." I turned to look in the direction I'd come from. "I've got to get back to the house. My husband's going to wonder where I am."

He looked disappointed. "Are you sure? I've got more than enough for two... and it's such a beautiful place for a picnic, don't you think?"

"It is," I agreed. God help me, but I wanted to stay.

He opened the pack and pulled out a bottle of red wine, along with two glasses. He smiled, like a magician preparing to pull a rabbit out of his hat, and produced a container filled with cubed pieces of cheese and slices of fruit. He reached in again, and brought out a loaf of bread.

"You see? Too much for just me. Won't you please...?"

I should have left right then. I should've told him he was on private property and he needed pack up his belongings and vacate the premises. I did none of those things. His eyes and his smile beckoned. I thought this was all so impossible; I must be dreaming, so why shouldn't I indulge in the fantasy a while longer?

We spent the rest of the afternoon picnicking in the woods, surrounded by daffodils. We talked for hours and it was all so innocent; he never even touched me.

The column of sunlight began to fade.

"Wait ‘till I tell Jim about this," I said. "He's never going to believe it. I mean, who would? The crocuses haven't even sprouted near the house, so how the devil could these daffodils be in bloom?

But there they are."

"Don't tell him," he whispered. "Let it be our little secret."

I giggled. That's when I knew I'd had too much of that wine, and if I told Jim, he not only wouldn't believe me, but he'd think I'd been doing something else with Michael all afternoon.

"All right," I said. "It'll be our little secret."

We parted and went our separate ways.

The next day, after Jim left for work and I'd put Billy on the school bus, I decided to go back into the woods to find the patch of daffodils. I wanted to know if the meeting with Michael actually happened or if it really had been nothing more than a vivid dream.

After walking for what seemed like forever, I spotted a hint of yellow peeking out of the shadows and headed for it. The flowers were there. So was Michael.

"Did you camp out?" I asked, a half dozen emotions skittering through me at once. Surprise. Excitement. Elation. Not to mention foreboding, worry, and a hint of fear.

Michael just smiled. "I was hoping you'd come back. I have more food." He jiggled his backpack, the way you might wiggle a bone at a dog, trying to tempt me. It seemed odd, yet compulsively seductive at the same time. I stayed with him until I had to leave to get Billy off the bus.

Everyday for the next week was the same. Once I was alone, I'd walk to the woods to meet Michael, always devilishly handsome, and always waiting for me with his pack filled with culinary delicacies.