Strawberry Wine (6 page)

“Alli?” Jason’s voice was muffled through the door.

Panicked, Alli crept over to the entry hall, careful to stay out of the line of sight of the viewing window in the door. With her back against the wall near the door, she answered him.

“Go away! I can’t see you today.”

Jason frowned in confusion. “Why? Is something the matter? Open the door.”

“No! I have poison oak and I don’t want you to see me. Just go away, please.” Alli was starting to itch all over. Jason made her heart race, and the resulting flush was aggravating her poison oak.

“I don’t believe you.” The window darkened as Jason cupped his hands over the glass in an attempt to peer in.

“Why on earth would I make something like this up?”

The porch creaked as Jason shifted his weight. “I think you’re upset about the kiss. I’m sorry I was so forward. It’s not something that needs to ruin our friendship. Let me prove it to you. Come to the auction with me today like we planned. I promise it will be like it never happened.”

Jason waited for her answer. The silence stretched uncomfortably, then a faint answer from inside the house.

“I’m not upset about the kiss.”

“Then please open the door, Alli. I need to see your face to believe you.”

Exasperated, Alli flung open the door.

“I’m not upset about the kiss. I really am covered in poison oak, and I really didn’t want you to see me this way.”

Jason stared at her, incredulous. He could see the angry rash under the layer of pink lotion. “What did you do, roll around naked in the bushes?”

Alli snorted in humiliation. “I’m really sensitive to poison oak. I’m itchy and I look disgusting, and I can’t reach my back-” Her voice cracked on the last word as she stifled a sob.

“Oh, Alli,” Jason came forward, concern showing on his face. He moved as if to hug her, but stopped short when he realized there was no way to do so without causing her discomfort. He settled for taking her chin between his thumb and fingers, and appraising the rash on her face. “You don’t look disgusting, Alli, you look... uncomfortable. Can I help you get your back?”

Alli sighed her consent and lead Jason to the kitchen where the tub of calamine lotion sat. She settled herself on a stool, and presented him with her back. He positioned himself on the next stool.

He was gentle as he applied the lotion to her back with a cotton ball, but firm enough so that it didn’t tickle. Even though Alli felt very exposed, she was grateful for the help.

“Thank you.” She said when he was finished.

Jason looked sheepish. “It’s the least I can do. I think it’s my fault you got it in the first place. I was clearing brush along the back fence yesterday before I saw you. I must have been covered in the oil. I’m sorry.”

“But you don’t have a rash.”

“I’m kind of immune to the stuff. That’s why I didn’t think to warn you yesterday. Frankly, Alli, I tend to lose my reason when I’m around you.”

Alli’s heart fluttered erratically.

“I’m sorry. I’ve made you uncomfortable, again.” His smile was apologetic.

“You really lay it all out there, don’t you.” She stood to put the calamine lotion away, and put a little space between them.

“I’ve always found honesty to be the best policy in these situations. I like you Alli, and I’m sorry I gave you poison oak, but I’m not sorry I kissed you.” He stood as well, and hovered behind her, waiting for her to turn around and face him. “I want to kiss you again.”

Alli was taken aback. “Really? When I look like this?”

Jason chuckled. “As lovely as I think you are, do you really think I’m so shallow as to only be interested in you for your physical attributes? I think you’re hot, Alli - even covered in pink lotion. But body aside, I think the rest of you is sexy too.”

Alli’s heart stumbled again.

He thinks you’re sexy! This beautiful Adonis thinks you’re sexy. He wants to kiss you again.

No he doesn’t! He wants to kiss the nineteen year old he thinks you are. You could get him in serious trouble, Alli.

Alli’s guilt worked to slow her racing pulse. She gently pushed Jason away, smiling apologetically. “Sorry. It’s just hard to concentrate on anything but the itching right now. How about we hold off on this conversation until I’m not covered in a wretched rash?”

Jason stepped back graciously, non-offended. He knew she was just as attracted to him as he was to her. He could wait for her to get more comfortable with the idea.

“Sounds fair. How about a game of RISK?” He offered, spotting the board game on a living room shelf.

“You want to hang out with a leper all day?”

“Not all day. It shouldn’t take me more than an hour to annihilate you. Oh, good - it’s the original version! Make that three hours.”

As Alli was getting ready for bed that night, she couldn’t help but chuckle, remembering the afternoon. Jason had put up a good strategic fight, but she had ultimately won the game. For all that he was a strong competitor, he was also a gracious loser. He had left after applying another coat of calamine lotion to her back, and promising to bring her a surprise in the morning to atone for the poison oak.

Alli was waiting at the door when he arrived the next morning. His eyes seemed to light up when he saw her.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

Alli rolled her eyes. “Good morning yourself. What did you bring me today? A plague of locusts to go with my rash?”

Jason laughed, and made a big show of pulling a large herb basket from the back of his truck. It looked to be filled with a bunch of random green leaves. There were no flowers or seeds to speak of.

“This, my dear,” He raised the basket. “is Wild Peach.”

Alli looked again. “There are peaches in there?”

“No. They call it Wild Peach because the leaves kind of look like peach tree leaves. It grows near poison oak, and can be used as a remedy for the rash.”

Alli smiled at the thoughtful gesture. Then stopped herself before taking the basket from him, and backed up. “Wait. Does that mean you went walking through poison oak again to pick this?”

“Yes, but I did it last evening, and thoroughly scrubbed every inch of my body. Obviously my clothes are oil free too. I took every precaution.”

“Oh. Well then, thank you.” She smiled and waved him through the door.

Alli wrinkled her nose at the steaming tea in her mug. “Yuck. This stuff smells awful.”

“Don’t smell it. Drink it.” Jason admonished, as he dipped a soft cloth into the remaining tea and began to blot her neck. He blew on the wet area and watched a shiver run down her spine.

Alli took a sip. “Ugh. Bitter. Can’t I put some honey in it or something?”

“Sorry, won’t help. You just have to grin and bear it. It’s worth it, I promise!”

He dipped the cloth into the tea again, and blotted her shoulder this time. “You know, as much as I’m enjoying this, it would probably make more sense for you to just take a bath in it.”

Alli glanced at the clock. 11:50. Where had the morning gone? Her grandparents would be home soon. If her grandparents saw Jason, they would be very curious to know why a twenty three year old man was anointing their seventeen year old granddaughter with bitter smelling tea.

“You’re right. I think I will. Why don’t I do that, and you can go home and have some lunch. My grandparents will be home soon, so I’ll be busy hearing about the wonders of time share properties tonight, but if this stink-tea works, how about I meet you at the barn tomorrow?”

Jason could tell she was agitated about something. Rather than ruffle her feathers further, he said a quick goodbye and went home for the day. He had things he needed to get done anyway. Delightful distraction that Alli was, she made it impossible for him to concentrate on getting any actual work done.

Alli inhaled the steam from her mug of peppermint tea and luxuriated in the quiet solitude of an empty apartment. As much as she hated to admit it, she already felt at home in Greg’s apartment. Greg had long since given her a drawer in his dresser and a shelf in his medicine cabinet. The pantry was stocked with her preferred foods, and if she wasn’t staying over here, then he was staying with her over at her place. Alli sighed. Maybe officially moving in with Greg wouldn’t be such a big step after all.

Would spending her life with Greg really be so bad? It would be a comfortable life. She would want for nothing.
Well, almost nothing.

There were certainly worse men than Greg. Sure, he cared too much about appearances and keeping up with the Jones’, but he could be thoughtful too. Alli walked over to the fireplace and studied the new painting. She was surprised Greg remembered the incident at the café. They had gone there for lunch while shopping in the garment district. Alli had spotted the mural immediately. It was a fanciful scene depicting three goats frolicking in a field. The artist had bordered the scene with strawberry vines.

Alli’s heart had stuttered to a halt, then started beating again at a rapid pace. She swept the mural for a signature, fully expecting to see a familiar
Jason Taylor
scrawled in the corner, but she had been disappointed. ‘J. Ogden’ was the artist. Alli had been crushed.
Well of course it isn’t his.
She had chided herself.
Jason painted nudes. Why would he take up painting goats.

It had been all Alli could do to hide her sudden despair. Greg noticed her interest in the painting and asked a waiter about it. According to the waiter, Jay Ogden was a local artist that frequented the café, and had painted the mural as a thank you to the café owner. Alli pretended to care. She smiled, and nodded, and ordered her lunch, but inside she was a wreck. The many months she had spent trying,
and failing
, to track Jason down were suddenly fresh in her mind.

Alli squinted at the corner of the new canvass. Sure enough,
J. Ogden
was scrawled in a shade slightly darker than the sand of the beach. She turned her attention to the girl in the painting. She was beautiful. The way the light touched the girl’s body made it almost appear to be a photograph. The similarities in painting style were uncanny. She was hesitant to indulge in false hope, but she just couldn’t ignore that persistent feeling niggling at the edge of her conscious mind. She reached for her laptop to Google J. Ogden. “All right, Mr. Ogden.” She murmured. “What’s your deal?”

* * * * *

Jason set down his wine glass and smiled politely at Laurel. He had to admit he was pleasantly surprised. Doug had done a good job this time. Doug had been trying to set Jason up with women for as long as Jason cared to remember, but he had seemed to be doubling his efforts of late.

Laurel had thick black hair and bright blue eyes. She was dressed fashionably, yet demure, and she had a light of intelligence in her eyes that spoke to her extensive education. There was no denying that she was a beautiful woman.

An awkward silence descended upon the table. The night was young, and already they had exhausted their respective arsenals of the usual small-talk options. Finally Laurel took a fortifying breath and looked Jason right in the eye.

“I’m just going to come out and say it.” She started. “Doug told me about your...
history
, and the resulting fall out. I’m sorry you had to go through something like that, but I want you to know that it doesn’t make a difference to me. I think you’re a delightful man, and I’d like to get to know you better.”

Jason took a moment to process her words. “Your honesty is refreshing. And you flatter me. Thank you.”

She smiled nicely at him. “Well, I mean it. It must be difficult having to live with such discrimination.”

Jason shrugged, uncomfortable with the subject matter. “It’s not as dramatic as you might think. I don’t have to wear a scarlet letter or anything.” Jason took another sip of wine, and let himself return her honesty. “I do miss teaching, though.”

“It must have been so frustrating, losing your career before it really had a chance to get started.”

Jason shifted in his seat. “I’m really not comfortable talking about it. Would you mind if we changed the subject?”

Laurel looked chastened. “Yes! Of course. Um...” She searched her flustered mind for an acceptable topic. “How about your upcoming show? Doug said it will feature some of your earlier work. Mermaids, is it?”

Jason snorted in amusement at her choice of topics. She had no way of knowing the irony of the subject matter. “Sirens, actually. It’s a series of sirens on beaches. It was an idea that occupied me for much of my first year here. I guess I was inspired by the beautiful expanses of beach and ocean we are so fortunate to enjoy every day.”

Laurel looked legitimately interested in what Jason was saying. She wasn’t just humoring a self absorbed artist, she was listening to a man that was passionate about his work. He was also distractingly handsome. Doug had been very blunt when telling her about Jason. He hadn’t entertained a woman in a long time. Laurel was a sucker for a wounded soul, and Jason’s tragic past coupled with his devastating good looks was a lethal combination for her. She wanted him.