Strawberry Wine Read Online Free PDF Page A

her eyes.
    Just then, the door opened and in walked none other than the topic of conversation himself.
    Jason spotted Alli immediately. His eyes lit up, and he changed course mid-stride to go to her table.
    Alli’s heart flopped into her stomach as she watched him approach. Speaking low and fast she said, “Ohmygod Margot - that’s him. He’s coming over here. Please please please, as a birthday present for me, don’t tell him I’m only seventeen?!”
    Before Margot could answer, Jason had reached their table.
    “Jason, what a pleasant surprise.” Alli smiled too widely, to the point that it looked like she was baring her teeth. Margot shook her head at Alli in a fruitless attempt to get her to stop looking like a lunatic.
    “Hi, Jason, I’m Margot, Alli’s-” Alli cut Margot off.
    “-My little sister. Margot. Margot this is Jason. His folks are the Taylors.”
    Margot looked Jason over with interest. She could see why Alli was so obviously taken with the guy.
    Jason nodded to Margot. “A pleasure to meet you. Are you staying with your grandparents this summer as well?”
    “No, I’m not a farm-life enthusiast. I’d much rather hang in the city. Alli here is horse crazy, and likes to commune with nature. She’s probably only a few summers away from going one hundred percent granola, wearing hemp clothing, and throwing out her razor.”
    Alli snorted a laugh and smacked playfully at her sister.
    Taking notice of the cake, Jason raised his eyebrows. “Someone’s birthday?”
    Alli chuckled like a nervous crazy person. “Yup. I’m nineteen. the big one-nine. Practically in my twenties-”
    Margot kicked Alli under the table. “You’ll have to excuse my sister. We had some celebratory champagne with dinner.”
    Jason smiled warmly, then looked skeptically around the diner. “They serve champagne here? To minors?”
    Margot mumbled something about their own private stock and asked Jason if he’d like to join them for a piece of cake.
    “I couldn’t think of a nicer way to spend my Friday night, having cake with two lovely ladies such as yourselves. Unfortunately, I just came by to pick up an order for my parents. They’re expecting me back any minute now.” He smiled familiarly at Alli, “Can I take a raincheck?”
    Alli was lost in the dreaminess of his eyes. It took another kick from Margot for her to realize she was supposed to respond.
    “Ouch! Oh. Pardon?”
    Jason was trying valiantly not to laugh. “A raincheck?” Alli was still staring at him blankly. “For the cake?” He prompted.
    “Oh, right. Of course! Cake. Yes, please. I mean, please do.”
    Jason did laugh then. A sweet chuckle of endearment as he turned to go.
    “Until then. It was nice to meet you Margot. And Alli?”
    Alli raised her brows in a show of how alert she was. “Yeah?”
    “Happy birthday.” With that he headed for the counter and his waiting order.
    “He’s nineteen?” Asked Margot, skeptically. “He doesn’t seem nineteen to me.”
    Alli shrugged noncommittally. “Nineteen, twenty... who cares? He’s the most perfect specimen of man I have ever seen, and he happens to live within spitting distance of our grandparents.”
    “He is gorgeous, I’ll give you that. If he wasn’t so obviously interested in you, I might have found a compelling reason to stay for a while.”
    * * * * *
    Jason raised the plastic fork, balancing one of the last bites of cake on the tip. “Are you sure you don’t want any of this?”
    Alli just shook her head, trying not to stare at his lips as he ate. He had very full lips, and they looked soft... Alli could feel a familiar heat crawling up her cheeks. She dipped her head to hide her face, and scratched industriously at the ears of the border collie dog in her lap. “You like that, Chase?” Chase thumped his tail against the barn floor, pressing himself harder against Alli’s lap.
    Finishing the cake, Jason set the paper plate out of reach of Gus, and went back to