Jack spent his days on the farm, rarely leaving, for he wanted to get the farm up and running as soon as possible. The few times he did visit the town during the spring, he had seen nothing of the beautiful green eyed girl. Even when he ventured to the Green Farm to talk to Ann she was never there. He had assumed they were friends because of their visit to his farm. He had met a few other girls around the town, but none compared to the mysterious brunette.
He worked on his farm until the Flower Festival in late spring. It would be his first day off, and he was anxious to see if she would be there. He could not believe the small obsession he had over this girl with whom he'd never shared a word. Something about her green eyes cried out to him. She looked profound, and the last glance as she left his farm made him believe that she could possibly be attracted to him.
He dressed in his nicest clothes, and when he left the house he thought he looked generally good. The dirt was still buried in his calluses, but he doubted that it would ever leave. He gazed over at his horse wishing that it was old enough to ride, but then began the walk alone.
When he reached the festival, he was almost immediately bombarded by Zack, the carrier, whom he talked with every night at produce pick up. They had become good friends. Jack had not been able to befriend any of the younger men in town because he spent most of his time on the farm.
"You got a special girl picked out for the dance?" asked Zack slyly.
A light went off in Jack's head. He had not known about the dancing. He was slightly afraid his two left feet would stab him in the back. "I haven't really thought about it," he said. He considered telling him about the brunette.
"Well, you seem to know Ann the best. Is there anything there?"
"Well…" Jack trailed off. "There is a girl. Problem is I don't know her name. She's gorgeous."
"Aha," said Zack knowingly. "You must be talking about Karen." Finally hearing her name was a blessing to Jack. "The most beautiful girl in the town if you ask me. Her family owns the vineyard. You can see her at the bar every night. She's a spry one, quick-witted. Very independent. If I was your age, I would be intimidated to talk to her, but her beauty would draw me in. I say give it a go, but be careful."
At this, Jack began searching the crowd for sight of Karen's brown hair and slender body. He did not see her. He began to panic as the time for dancing was near. Still searching the crowd, he finally found her leaning against the opposite wall and almost melted at her beauty. He was fantasizing about asking her to dance, and had almost lost himself in it, when a tall, dark man came up to her. He put his arms around her, and kissed her cheek. Jack was stunned.
"Zack, who's that man over there with her?" he asked.
Zack leaned over just enough to see past the bodies of the gathering crowd through to the other side. "That's Kai," he said simply. "A real smooth talker, that fellow. He works at the vineyard. I don't like him at all."
Jack's heart sunk. He'd lost his dazzling green eyed beauty to a jerk. Then, shaking his head, he came back to reality. He decided he shouldn't feel that he lost her, as he has never won anything by her. She had never been his, and she had free range to choose whomever she wanted. He scanned the crowd for Ann, and found her talking to Rick, her cousin. He walked over to her with confidence.
"Hi," he said. She turned on her heel and gave him a huge grin.
"Hello!" she said. "Are you having a good time?"
"Oh, yes. I was wondering," he said, "if you'd like to dance with me when the couples' song comes on?"
Without a pause, she accepted.
When the time came for the dance, Jack and Ann held each other awkwardly. Barely knowing her accounted for part of that, and trying to maintain an eye on Karen and Kai added to it too. During a lull in their conversation, Jack managed to catch Karen's gaze. They held each other's eyes for a moment, and Jack smiled. She, red faced, turned the other way.
As night approached, Jack became more and more bold. Ann was by his side, but he ventured to find Karen. He looked all over the square, peering through crowds of people, but did not see her. He searched a while longer and had just given up when he saw her leaving with Kai.
