Strawberry Wine (Winner of The Write Affair) | ✔️

Chapter 18

Ch. 18

After our first official date, Jake and I spent as much time together as we could. We fell into a comfortable pattern of getting together after he finished work during the week, and made plenty of time for fun on the weekends.

I introduced him to a secluded location on the beach--a spot rumored to harbor occasional skinny-dippers--and we would park there for hours, watching the gentle waves of the lake and talking about everything, from our very different childhoods to plans for the future. We began to call it "our spot", and it felt like a secret only the two of us shared.

July rolled in with the usual festive cookouts and get-together, and I invited Jake to every single one. He happily accepted my invitations and easily fit into my circle of friends, as though he had been there all along.

Predictably, Ruby decided to run for Strawberry Queen at the annual Lakeside Strawberry Festival. She wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps, and Mrs. Sinclair couldn't have been more proud. Ruby was worried sick about winning the title, but I knew all along she had it in the bag. She was everything a Strawberry Queen should be--smart, pretty, charismatic. And her parents owned half the town, which didn't hurt her chances, either.

I was thoroughly enjoying the lazy pace of summertime, my last summer as a high school student, just as I promised myself I would. Admittedly, I was enjoying the company I was keeping even more. I felt myself growing fonder of Jake with each passing day, and whenever the thought of him returning to college arose, I firmly pushed it into the back of my mind. I just couldn't bear to think about it.

Surprisingly, my parents seemed to warm up rather quickly to the idea of Jake and I being together. With the exception of the sex talk the night of our first date, my mom accepted the fact that we were dating and she played the gracious hostess every time Jake came to the house. Dad, on the hand hand, was the biggest surprise. Maybe because he had gotten to know Jake on a different level because of working together at the farm, but he welcomed him as if he were extended family. I knew they shared a great deal of respect toward one another, and I guess that's why it was easy for Dad to understand my attraction toward him.

I couldn't get over all of the new emotions I was experiencing. Jake was the first boy who had ever sparked such strong feelings, and sometimes, they were too much to deal with on my own. To make sense of it all, I turned to Mags for support. I admired her so much as a person, and respected her opinion of my very first grown-up relationship. I continued to help her out every day at the farm, although I'd given up assisting with early morning breakfasts. No one should have to wake up at that hour.  I used my time there to give her the third degree.

"So, you really think Jake's nice, Mags?"

"I really do," she answered, smiling.

"Do you think he's cute?"

"I think he's very cute."

"And you think he's a good person?" I shamelessly prodded.

"I think if he wasn't a good person, you wouldn't like him so much," she wisely advised. "You're a smart girl, Addy. You need to trust your instincts. What do you think about him?"

"I think he's amazing," I sighed. I felt like a babbling idiot! What was Jake doing to me?

Mags laughed. "You two make a cute couple."

I stopped dead in my tracks. It was the first time anyone had referred to us out loud as a couple. Suddenly, it all felt so real.

Mags must have recognized the look of panic in my eyes. "Addy, everyone falls in love for the first time, eventually. And when it's true love--you just know it. It will feel right. Now it's your turn to experience it. In my humble opinion, you couldn't have chosen more wisely. Jake is an wonderful boy."

But I had already tuned her out.

Love? Is that what this was? The constant flip flops in my stomach? The lying awake at night thinking about him? The stupid grin I couldn't wipe off of my face?

Me, Addison Monroe--in love?

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