Strawberry Wine

by Darly Jamison

  Jake looked skeptical. “You’re kidding, right?”

  I shook my head. “No, I’m not. I have an album full of them at home, starting from the time I was about four years old on up. It’s just what I do,” I answered haughtily.

  “All right now, don’t go getting all defensive on me, Addison,” he said, playfully nudging me in the ribs. “I want to do whatever you want to do.”

  “Okay then, caricatures it is!” I linked my arm through his and we started walking toward the door.

  “And where do you think you’re going?” I heard a brassy voice call from behind. We turned around to find Ruby with her hands on her hips, glaring at us.

  “I’m going to show Jake around the festival.”

  “You’re not going to leave me here on my own, are you?” She pouted.

  “You’re not on your own, Ruby. You have a roomful of adoring fans. Besides, it’s almost noon. I’ve been here with you for hours!”

  She attempted to hide the smile forming on her lips, but failed miserably. “They really do like me, don’t they?”

  “What’s not to like?” Jake piped in. “You make a wonderful queen, Ruby. Probably the best Lakeside has ever seen.”

  Ruby’s cheeks turned a dark shade of pink which, of course, complemented her complexion perfectly. I still got a kick out of watching her swoon over Jake.

  “Thank you, Jake. That is so sweet of you to say,” Ruby gushed.

  “Well, it’s the truth,” he continued. “Addison promised to show me around, but we’d like to catch up with you later if you have time. How about you text her when you have a free moment? In the meantime, I see several people waiting to get their picture taken with you.”

  Ruby turned around and smiled at the small gathering lingering patiently behind us.

  “I guess you’re right!” she exclaimed. “I’d better go. Have fun, you two!” And she was off.

  I gave Jake an impressed smirk and shook my head. “You’re so good with her.”

  “Oh, she’s not so bad. She just likes the attention.” He laughed.

  “You know how to sweet-talk her. She’s putty in your hands.”

  “I don’t know about all that,” he said, still chuckling. “Now enough talk about Ruby—let’s go have some fun!”

  I smiled up at him and let him lead me out the door into the bright summer sun. Inhaling deeply, I felt on top of the world. Nothing was going to ruin this perfect weekend. As we walked through the decorated downtown area, I noticed the appreciative glances from the females we passed, and had to stifle a giggle. I was walking with the most handsome guy at the fair, and everyone knew it.

  Suddenly, my nerves took over. What was I doing? How could I have let myself fall in love with Jake? He would be leaving town in just a few shorts weeks. How was I going to manage without him? I stopped to blindly study a ceramic cat displayed at one of the artists’ booths.

  “Hey,” Jake said quietly, interrupting my thoughts. “Are you okay?”

  There was that question again. The same one that had popped up so many times during the short period of time I had known him.

  I looked up at him and felt my eyes fill with tears. “I’m fine,” I squeaked.

  A soft smile lifted his lips. “I think you’re lying.”

  I shook my head in protest, but could feel the lump in my throat growing larger.

  “What are you thinking about?” he prodded.

  I swallowed hard and wiped at a tear that had escaped. “Nothing,” I insisted.

  He turned, taking me gently by the shoulders, forcing me to look him in the eye.

  “What’s going on?” Jake asked again.

  Without warning, my tears spilled over like a faucet, betraying me.

  “Addison?” he questioned, his voice laced with concern.

  “I’m sorry, I can’t help it,” I sniffed, horrified by my reaction. I owed him an explanation, and not being very quick on my feet, was unable to come up with a suitable lie. “I was thinking of you leaving next month,” I blurted out, surprisingly relieved by my confession.

  Jake let out a small sigh and regarded me carefully. “I’ve been thinking about that, too,” he admitted.

  Shocked, I looked up at him. Was he serious?

  “I wasn’t expecting to come to Lakeside this summer and fall in love.”

  My heart sank into my stomach. Did he just say what I thought he said? Did he love me the way that I loved him? His admission didn’t make me feel any better—only worse. To know that he returned my feelings was almost too much to bear.

  A depressing melody from an instrumental band wafted across from the park, adding to my misery. “I’m so sorry,” was all I could think to say.

  He laughed lightly and brought his hand up to my cheek, causing my heart to skip a beat. “What are you sorry for? I wouldn’t trade this for the world.” He smiled down at me, his eyes soft and moist.

  “I’ve never felt this way before . . .” I was unable to complete my sentence. The butterflies in my stomach were fluttering much too quickly. I was starting to feel nauseous.

  “Neither have I.”

  Slowly, he lowered his lips onto mine. It was the softest, most meaningful kiss I had ever received, even more special than the ones in the barn.

  Jake pulled away after a moment and looked deep into my eyes. I suddenly felt self-conscious and wanted to turn away, but I was more intrigued by the sadness that covered his face. It was hard for me to believe that he felt the same way I did.

  He glanced off into the distance and then smiled. Pulling his eyes back toward me, he said, “Come on. Let’s go get that picture.”

  He laced his fingers through mine and we set off down the road. I was so distracted by my thoughts, I barely even noticed the artwork we were passing—the pieces I had been looking forward to seeing. The weekend I had been waiting impatiently for suddenly seemed bleak and depressing. I sighed, wondering if I had ruined the mood.

  Jake gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. “Let’s make today special,” he offered, as if reading my mind. “Let’s fill it with happy memories, not sad ones, okay?”

  I nodded, knowing it wouldn’t be entirely possible. We started walking again, past all of the artists and the beautiful pieces they had on display.

  “This is pretty impressive,” he said after a while. “There’s a lot of talent in this little town.”

  “There is a lot of talent here,” I agreed, trying to snap out of my mood. “This section is one of my favorite spots at the whole festival. I love looking at all of the art.”

  “Are you involved in art at school?”

  I started to laugh. “No, I’m not very creative. I have more of a scientific mind, I guess. But I appreciate those who are artistic. I think it’s amazing that someone can take a blank piece of paper or clay and turn it into something so beautiful.”

  Jake looked down at me with a smile, then wrapped an arm around my shoulder, bringing me in close to him. I inhaled deeply, loving the way that he smelled, like a mixture of soap and citrus. It was a heady combination.

  “Here we are,” I announced as we approached the caricature artist.

  * * *

  The man was working with a customer, so we wandered around the small display, looking at some of the pictures he had created. There were drawings of individuals and couples, and entire families as well. I had been going to this artist every year since I was a little girl, and I preferred his work because he didn’t sketch his subjects so farfetched, like most caricaturists practiced. Instead, his work took on a more serious tone, making the artwork beautiful and not overly distorted.

  “He’s really good,” Jake commented. “I wasn’t expecting the portraits to look so . . . normal. I imagined they would be crazy exaggerations of the people he drew.”

  “They’re a little abstract, but not in really silly ways.”

  “Hello, Addy!” the artist said, turning toward us and smiling. He had just finished up with his last subject
and was giving us his full attention.

  “Hi, Mr. Potter.”

  “I see you have a guest with you this year. Will he be joining you in the picture?”

  I looked over at Jake and raised my eyes in question.

  Jake caved, just like I knew he would. “Yes, I’ll be joining her.”

  I clapped my hands together, then threw my arms around him, squeezing him tightly. “Thank you,” I whispered.

  “You’re welcome,” he said quietly back to me.

  “All right then. If you two want to be drawn together, you’re going to have to stop staring at each other.” The artist chuckled.

  I could feel my face turn red and I gave Mr. Potter an embarrassed smile. We took our places in front of his easel and he started to draw our portrait.

  * * *

  “It really turned out great.” Jake held the picture up for us to admire.

  “I love it! This is by far my favorite portrait.” I looked over at him and smiled. “I’ll treasure it forever.”

  Jake bent closer and gave me a kiss on the cheek, taking my hand in his. We walked toward the music playing at the gazebo.

  “Addy!” I heard a loud voice call from behind us. We turned around to see Ruby racing toward us, her tiara gleaming in the sunlight. “What are you two up to?”

  “We’re just wandering around,” I said, once she reached us.

  “You won’t believe what they want me to do,” she whined, her face mangled in disgust.

  “What?” I asked curiously.

  “I have to announce the winners of the poultry and swine competitions!” she complained.

  I frowned, not understanding what the big deal was.

  “It’s going to be so stinky!” she exclaimed, as though I should have known better.

  “It is stinky work, but no one ever said that being a queen was going to be easy, Ruby,” Jake sympathized. “I imagine they chose you because they figured you could handle it.”

  Ruby nodded gravely. “I had no idea it was going to be this difficult.”

  I snorted under my breath. My best friend could be so utterly clueless sometimes. You shouldn’t complain about stinky animals to people who spent their days working knee-deep in horse manure.

  “I have to get going,” she groaned. “I’ll call you later, okay?” she asked.

  “Yep. Have fun, Ruby,” I said, smiling sweetly.

  She rolled her eyes and turned around, walking toward the 4-H section of the festival. Her shoulders were slumped in defeat.

  “Guess she’s getting more than she bargained for, huh?” Jake laughed lightly. “Hey, what’s this?” he asked, dragging me toward one of the vendors.

  “Strawberry wine,” he read to himself, picking up one of the bottles and turning it over in his hands.

  I nodded. “It’s one of the most popular items at the fair. The strawberries are grown locally at a vineyard not too far from here. I’ve heard it’s really good. Ruby’s parents always have several bottles stored in their basement.”

  “Have you ever tried it?” he asked, looking over at me.

  I laughed. “No! Her parents would never let us.”

  “Do you want to try it?”

  My face grew serious. “I’ve never tried alcohol before,” I whispered to him.

  Jake gave me a slow smile. “One sip won’t hurt anything. I mean, if you want to try it—I would never force you.”

  I thought for a moment. I secretly had always wanted a little taste. And he was right, one drink wouldn’t be a big deal. I wouldn’t be driving, and I certainly didn’t plan on making it a habit. I kind of liked the idea of sharing my first taste of wine with him.

  I bit my lip. “I am sort of curious.”

  Jake showed the woman at the vineyard stand his ID and paid for the bottle of wine. She wrapped it carefully in a brown paper bag and we walked away from the tent.

  “You look like an alcoholic with that bottle hiding in the bag like that,” I said with a laugh.

  “Maybe I should run it home? I really don’t want to carry it around all day—especially if it makes me look like a lush! Do you mind?”

  “Nope, I don’t mind.”

  “Maybe we can open the bottle when we get there? I’m dying to try it out.”

  I shrugged my shoulders, hoping I didn’t look too excited. I was dying to try it, too. Just a little taste.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I swirled the wine around in my glass, just as I had seen Ruby’s parents do on so many occasions, and stared at the pink liquid that I was, admittedly, a little nervous to sample.

  “I’m sorry I don’t have wineglasses,” Jake apologized. “My aunt and uncle never drink.” But I was barely listening.

  I brought my nose to the rim and inhaled the pleasant aroma. Glancing up at Jake, I noticed he was watching me, carefully gauging my reaction. I gave him a small smile before touching my lips to the glass, tipping a small amount of wine into my mouth. I whirled it around before swallowing, reveling in the crisp yet smooth feeling it left in its wake. I took another big swallow and felt a warm sensation pool in my stomach.

  “Well?” he asked. “What do you think?”

  “It’s delicious,” I exclaimed, reluctant to drag myself away from its fruity flavor. I had never tasted anything quite like it before, and felt very mature sitting there with Jake, drinking it.

  I watched him take his first sip, admiring the way his muscles moved underneath his shirt as he lifted the glass to his mouth. I smiled in anticipation as I waited for his reaction.

  “This is good,” he said finally, after finishing half of what was in his cup. “Probably the nicest wine I’ve ever tried. You got lucky, Addison. My first sip of wine tasted like teriyaki sauce.”

  I laughed and swallowed down what was left in my glass, then held it up for him to pour more.

  Jake gave me a reluctant look. “Are you sure, Addison? I don’t want you to overdo it. You’re not used to drinking, so it probably wouldn’t take much to, um, make you feel funny.” A slow blush covered his cheeks. I couldn’t help but grin at his discomfort, enjoying the fact that it was him for a change.

  “Come on,” I persuaded. “Just a little more. It tastes so good!”

  He smiled skeptically and poured a small amount more into my cup. We brought our glasses together for a quick toast before I drank it down, marveling at the slightly euphoric sensation taking over. I knew better than to ask for more.

  “I’m sorry—I can’t give you any more,” Jake said regretfully. If I didn’t know better, I would have sworn he was psychic.

  “That’s okay, I’m good.” I smiled at his sense of responsibility. How many guys would act like that? I set my glass down on the counter and walked over to Jake, enveloping him in a hug. “Thank you.”

  “What for?” he whispered into my hair as he wrapped his arms around me.

  “For everything. For just being you. For making this the best summer of my life. For letting me fall in love with you, and for loving me back. And for giving me my first taste of wine—I’m so glad I got to share this with you.” I smiled into his chest, loving the way we fit together. “I love you.”

  Jake pulled away and brought his hand up to my face, slowly brushing my hair behind my ear. His eyes were tender as he stared down at me, and I felt myself melt. I definitely wasn’t drunk, but I had to wonder if it was the wine that brought out the honesty, or just the fact that I really wanted him to know how I felt.

  “I love you, too,” he responded quietly.

  I inhaled deeply, suddenly needing to hear more. “Why?”

  His mouth twitched. “Why what?” A look of confusion covered his face.

  “Why do you love me, Jake?” It felt like a perfectly normal question to ask at the time, but I could tell it had caught him off guard.

  He paused before bringing me back into his chest and holding me tightly. “I love you because you make me feel . . .” His voice cracked slightly. “You make me feel like I’v
e never felt before. I love you because you’re the first person I want to talk to when I wake up in the morning and the last person I want to talk to when I go to bed at night. I love you because you’re smart and witty. I love the way you make me laugh. I love your innocence and naivety. And I love how you always want ice cream.” He chuckled quietly. “I love everything about you.”

  My heart swelled. I looked up at him and felt more love than I ever knew was possible. Everything about him was so perfect and I was so lucky to be a part of his life, even if only for a short while.

  He brought his forehead down and rested it against mine. “I love you, Addison,” he repeated. They were the sweetest words I had ever heard, and I knew I would cherish the moment for as long as I lived. No matter how much time passed and what happened afterward, those words would forever be burned into my heart.

  “I love you.” I sighed, bringing my lips up to his.

  Jake’s hands traveled down to the small of my back, and I twisted my hands into his hair. When an involuntary moan escaped from his mouth, I felt my stomach leap.

  I needed more.

  “I want to be with you, Jake,” I said, after he brought his lips down onto my neck.

  I felt him still.

  Oh no! Had I said the wrong thing? Would he not want me the same way I wanted him?

  Jake pulled away from me and looked deep into my eyes. He seemed conflicted, as though he were struggling with something internally. Was he trying to figure out how to let me down gently? I had to force myself not to take it back; not to say “just teasing.”

  “Addison,” he began. “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”

  “Why?” I asked him. “Don’t you want me?”

  He brought his forehead back to mine and quietly chuckled. “I want to be with you more than you know,” he whispered.

  I let out a breath, thankful he was not rejecting me. “But I love you. Why isn’t it a good idea?”

  “Look at me,” he encouraged softly, tilting my chin upward. “Once you make that decision, there’s no going back.”

  “You sound like my mom.” I shook my head vigorously. “I won’t want to go back. I promise! I love you, and I want my first time to be with you.”