Ch. 23

After a moment, Jake pulled away from our kiss and looked deep into my eyes. I 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 released a small smiled. Finally, he pulled his eyes back to mine. "Come on. Let's go get that picture."

Our fingers tangled together 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'd 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 my head, knowing it wouldn't be 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 an artist?"

I started to laugh. "No, I'm not very creative. I have more of a scientific mind, I guess. I prefer science to art class. But I do 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 far-fetched, like most caricaturists practiced. Instead, his work took on a more serious tone, making the artwork beautiful and not overly distorted.

"Hey, he's really good," Jake commented. "I wasn't expecting the picture's 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 artists said, turning toward us and smiling. He had just finished up with his last subject and gave 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, my eyebrows raising 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 his neck, squeezing him tightly. "Thank you," I whispered.

Jake smiled, his blue eyes dancing with amusement. "You're welcome."

"Alright then. If you two want to be drawn together, you're going to have to stop staring at each other," Mr. Potter chuckled.

A slow burn made it's way across my face 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 said, as I held the picture up for us to admire.

"I love it! This is by far my favorite portrait." I tossed him a grin. "I'll treasure it forever. Thank you again."

Jake slid himself closer, his nose nuzzling my cheek. "Anything for you." My heart rate kicked up as his lips brushed my ear. Taking my hand in his, Jake began to steer us 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 brightly 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 next," she whined, her face mangled in disgust.

I choked back a giggle. "What?"

"I have to announce the winners of the poultry and swine competitions!" Ruby complained.

I hung out with poultry and swine all the time, so it wasn't a big deal to me, but I knew Ruby would be out of her element.

"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 being Strawberry Queen would be easy, Ruby," Jake sympathized. "I imagine they chose you because they figured you could handle it."

Ruby shook her head gravely. "I had no idea it would 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 offered before giving me a quick hug.

"Yep. Have fun, Ruby," I said, smiling sweetly.

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

"Guess she's getting more than she bargained for, huh?" Jake laughed lightly. "Hey, what's that?" he asked, dragging me toward one of the vendors. He picked up a bottle of wine and turned it over in his hand. "Strawberry Wine," he read to himself.

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 let out a laugh. "No! Her parent's never let us."

"Do you want to try it?"

My face grew serious. "I've actually never tried alcohol before," I admitted quietly.

Jake gave me a slow smile. "Not even at Ruby's bonfires?"

I lifted one shoulder. "Some of the guys drink down by the lake, but I've never really been interested in beer. Even when I go to parties I stick with soda."

"Well, 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'd always secretly 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 moved to the check out and showed the woman his ID. He removed several bills from his wallet and handed them to her. The lady wrapped the bottle carefully in a brown paper bag and we walked away from the tent.

I suddenly laughed as we made our way down the street. "You look like an alcoholic with that bottle-shaped bag!"

"It does look pretty obvious, doesn't it?" He joined in my laughter. "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 at all."

"Maybe we can open the bottle when we get there? I'm dying to try it out."

I shrugged my shoulders, trying not to look too excited. I was dying to try it, too. Just a little taste.

Thank you for reading Strawberry Wine! If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a vote/comment. :)