Strawberry Wine (Winner of The Write Affair) | ✔️

Chapter 11

Ch. 11 

I was ready by seven forty five and sat in my bedroom watching the driveway, anxiously awaiting Jake's arrival. I had chosen to wear my favorite burgundy dress with the delicate spaghetti straps. It flattered my figure without making me look tacky. Plus, the rich color brought out the gray in my eyes.

I snickered to myself. Like Jake's really going to be looking into my eyes. Guys don't notice things like that.

Pulling my hair up into a loose bun, I headed downstairs ready for the night to begin. I decided to wear my swimsuit under my dress after all, and just hoped Mom wouldn't ask to see it.

My parents were in the family room, relaxing in front of the television when I walked in. "Ruby's bonfire tonight?" my dad asked, barely glancing up from the Friday night line-up.

"Yeah. I missed her last one so I have to show up tonight or she'll revoke her best friend status."

Dad chuckled and finally removed his eyes from the TV, noticing for the first time my choice of clothing for the evening. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You're kinda overdressed for a bonfire, wouldn't you say?"

I felt the familiar blush cover my cheeks, but before I could answer my mom piped in with a question of her own. "Is Ruby coming to pick you up?"

Just then, I heard a horn honk and I felt my stomach twist into a million intricate knots. A moment later there was a knock at the door and my heart flip-flopped as I suddenly realized I couldn't put off explaining who was chaperoning me any longer. "Uh--no, Ruby's not picking me up tonight. I invited Jake."

My parents noticeably stilled and regarded me with identical shocked expressions. "Jake, as in college boy Jake?" Mom asked with trepidation while Dad sat like a statue on the sofa, eerily quiet. In the meantime, the door bell rang out again and I began to fidget nervously.

"I thought it would be nice to introduce him to some people," I explained quickly. "After all, he is new in town." I gave them my best "duh" expression and just before I left the room to answer the front door I noticed Mom give Dad "the look" and my heart sank.

What if they say 'no'? I worried. Would they do that to me?

Upon opening the door, I immediately decided that whatever amount of discomfort I had to go through with my parents concerning the evening ahead, it would all be worth it. Standing before me was what could only be described as a Texan god. Strong, tanned and wearing the sexiest smile in all of Georgia--and quite possibly the Northern Hemisphere--was Jake. His eyes traveled leisurely up my body and I felt my breath catch in my throat. Annoyed by the obvious effect he had on me, I sighed inwardly and forced myself to greet him. "Hey, Jake." I smiled sweetly before biting my lip. "Thank you for picking me up."

Wow.

"You're welcome, Addison. You look...amazing," Jake responded, looking sincere. "I like your dress, it really brings out the color of your eyes."

The impact of his ironic words caught me off guard and I barely heard my parents come into the room. I had to remind my lungs to do the job they were intended to do. Just breathe, in and out. You can do this.

"Jake," my father stated, using his I-am-the-boss-and-you-should-be-scared voice. He walked over and grasped Jake's hand in a firm shake.

"Mr. Monroe. Thank you for allowing me to accompany Addison this evening. It was so nice of her to offer to introduce me to other young people from the area, I really haven't had the opportunity to meet anyone yet."

My jaw dropped in awe. Somehow, he had known the perfect thing to say without me having to coach him.

My dad visibly relaxed and a friendly smile covered his face. "How many times do I have to tell you, Jake? Please, call me Carl. Have you met my wife, Renee?"

Mom smiled politely and took the hand Jake offered her. "Not officially," Jake replied with a charming grin. "It's nice to meet you, ma'am. I can see now where Addison gets her pretty gray eyes," he drawled, his Texas accent just a touch more noticeable than normal.

Mom held his gaze and beamed. "Well, thank you, Jake. It's nice to meet you, too."

Is she seriously blushing right now?

"Well, we'd better get going. Ruby's going to have a conniption if I'm not there soon," I said quickly, grabbing Jake by the elbow and guiding him out the door.

"You'll be home at the usual time, right?" Mom called after us.

"Yes, one o'clock."

She rewarded me with her all-knowing mom expression. "I think you mean twelve thirty," she answered with a wry smile.

"Oh yeah. Twelve thirty." I at least had to try, right?

"Don't worry, Mrs. Monroe. I promise to have Addison back in one piece and on time." Jake smiled at my parents and waved as he opened the truck door for me. I slid into the passenger seat and noticed Mom and Dad looked suitably appeased, if not down-right impressed, as they returned his wave.

Jake came around and hopped into the driver's seat. He turned the key and slid it smoothly into gear, as smooth as an old truck could slide, anyway. Giving me a sideways smirk, he asked, "Are you ready?"

Smiling back, I couldn't help but acknowledge his velvety interaction with my parents. "You think you're pretty charming, don't you?"

"What do you mean?" he asked coyly as he pulled out onto the road.

"You know exactly what I mean. You practically had them eating out of the palm of your hand!"

"Maybe I'm just good with parents?"

"Or maybe you're just really cheesy?"

"Cheesy? I'm offended you think so little of me, Addison," he teased. He'd left his cowboy hat at home and his dark hair fell casually over his forehead in the most appealing way. The urge to reach out and brush it away from his eyes was intense, but I forced myself to stop thinking crazy. "You really do look great, by the way," he said again, giving me a long look.

A jolt of electricity shot through me and I smiled shyly at his compliment. The pounding in my chest was at an all-time high and I vaguely wondered if Jake knew CPR. My poor heart could only take so much...

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