Strawberry Wine (Winner of The Write Affair) | ✔️

Chapter 15

Ch. 15

A short while later Jake and I drove up to a modest yet appealing cape cod.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"My aunt and uncle's house." Jake pulled into a parking space and killed the engine. "Don't worry, they go to bed early. There's no way they're still awake," he reassured after he saw the look of alarm, across my face.

I wasn't sure if that made me feel better or worse.

We left the truck and walked up the steps to the front porch. Jake pulled out a key and opened the door, leading me into a beautifully decorated--and completely empty--house.

"Do you want to make some ice cream?" he suggested, looking at me with childlike excitement.

"You mean--do I want to eat some ice cream?"

"Well, yes, eventually we'll eat it. But first, we have to make it."

I smiled at his enthusiasm, albeit a bit surprised. "Wouldn't it just be easier to go buy some ice cream?"

"I suppose. But where's the fun in that?"

I followed him into the kitchen and he turned on a soft light, illuminating the room just enough, but not too much. The glow added to the chemistry I felt growing between us. Abruptly, I put my hand to my mouth to cover a giggle.

"What's so funny?" he asked, his head buried in the pantry. Jake turned toward me, balancing bags of sugar and flour in his arm. He carried a small bottle of vanilla and a can of condensed milk in the other.

"This just isn't how I expected the night to go. I mean, coming back to your house and making ice cream."

"Hey--don't knock it 'til you try it, Addison. I promise you, this will be the best ice cream you've ever had." Jake flashed me the smile that made my insides dance.

He set down the ingredients and reached back into the pantry, pulling out an ancient ice cream maker.

I started to laugh. "Are you sure that thing's going to work? It looks ready to retire."

"I'll have you know that while very experienced in the art of ice cream making, she still has lots of years left in her."

"She?"

"Yes, she." He smiled, the tiny dimple appearing in his cheek. Jake added the ingredients into a bowl and took out a mixer. Turning it on, he began to smooth together the contents.

"So, did you have fun tonight?"  he asked, his eyes never leaving his project.

I shrugged and pulled up a stool and sat down. "I did, for the most part, anyway. How about you?"

"Sure. Your friends are very nice." He slid the mixer my way. "Okay, now it's your turn."

I took a spoon and scraped it over the sides of the bowl, carefully making sure all of the ingredients were mixed together evenly.

"You know," I said thoughtfully, "I could really use some ice cream right about now."

"I thought you might. For some unknown reason, frozen globs of sugar tend to have magical healing properties."

I watched as he poured the mixture into the ice cream maker, adding a pinch of salt and splash of milk. Retrieving a bag of ice from the freezer, he added that in as well. Jake  pulled up another stool and began rotating the crank on the old machine. I was surprised to see how easily it turned in his grasp.

"So... Did you like him?"

"Did I like who?" I asked, already knowing his answer.

"Brett. I mean, you agreed to go to prom with him. Does that mean you liked him?"