Strawberry Wine (Winner of The Write Affair) | ✔️

Chapter 22

Ch. 22

Ruby really came through as the reigning Strawberry Queen. She had the breakfast crowd captivated, and left them wanting more. I watched her shine from my chair nestled safely in the corner, far away from the limelight. She was a natural; if her mom could have made it that morning she would have been proud.

"Are you having a good time?" Ruby asked, in between mingling with the guests.

"I'm having a blast," I deadpanned.

She raised her eyebrows and fixed me with a look. "Oh, come on! You could at least be social, Addy."

"I don't want to be social. This is your affair. I'm just along for the ride."

"Suit yourself," she exclaimed, and turned sharply to greet a well-wisher.

"Not having any fun?" a deep voice came from behind me.

There were those pesky butterflies again.

"Jake." I sucked in a breath and turned to face him. He was wearing my favorite outfit, a tight back t-shirt with jeans that hugged his frame and those worn-in cowboy boots. Jake grinned back at me and leaned in closer for a peck on the cheek. I watched Mags smile from across the room and then turn quickly away, not wanting to be caught. I thought I was going to die.

Please, God--don't let my parents be watching!

I felt my cheeks warm as I looked down, embarrassed by the public display of affection. What I would have given for a rock to climb under.

Jake only chuckled and brushed away the hair that fell into my face. "Are you ready?" he asked.  "I can't wait for you to show me around."

The awkwardness passed and I once again had a hard time hiding my enthusiasm. I'd been looking forward to this weekend for so long! What made it even better was knowing that I would be able to share in the excitement with Jake. I had our whole day planned, from sampling all of the strawberry treats, to listening to live music play at the gazebo in Lakeside Park. I was also looking forward to the arts and crafts area. The festival always displayed an impressive amount of works from local artists, including paintings, sculptures, ceramics and woodwork. But my favorite section was photography. Lakeside was such a beautiful area, and I was always amazed by the sights captured on film.

"So, what's first on our itinerary?" he asked.

I looked up at him sheepishly. "Don't laugh, but every year I get a caricature."

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.

"Alright 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 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?"