Chapter 11

A Toast and Making a Date

Abigail bounced excitedly toward Joan. "Hey!" she greeted and sat next to Joan.
"Hi Abigail" Joan smiled.
"Did something happen with Sam?" Abigail said softly and was looking at Joan intently.
"No!"She said maybe too quickly, "no, we met briefly on Tuesday…I think" Joan shifted on her chair and avoided looking at Abigail.
"Come on" she suddenly grinned, "Come and meet our resident nerd, our dark lord" and Abigail hooked her arm into Joan's arm to pull her towards the games room. Joan allowed herself to be led, carrying her beer with her.

"Sebastian, this is Joan…" Abigail said as she stopped at the pool table and spoke to the tall, dark clad guy. "Joan ….Sebastian" and she plopped down onto the blue couch, "and of course…Sam, which you have already met!"

Joan stepped towards Sebastian and held out her hand "Hi" she greeted. Sebastian looked at her outstretched hand and ignored it, instead bent down to take another shot.
"That's just rude, dude" Sam said, "Ignore him, Joan. He is just moody because I am going to beat him tonight!"Sam grinned. Joan dropped her hand, finished her beer and went to stand next to Sam.
"Hey, Sam" she smiled "So…"and she quickly studied the pool table, "you are so losing aren't you?"
Sam laughed and he scratched the back of his head, "Yep….every freakin' time."

Joan moved and went to sit next to Abigail. "So how are you doing?"Abigail asked.
"Good, looking forward to the weekend" Joan responded. Abigail smiled "Maybe we could meet up and I could show you around?"
Joan nodded, "Yeah I would like that. I have not really had the opportunity to go everywhere yet…I have not even been to Cindersap Forest yet." She looked at Sam.
Sam who was busy with his shot, fumbled and missed when he heard Joan mention Cindersap Forest.
"Dang it"
"Well….that just leaves me one more ball" Sebastian said triumphantly, and raised an eyebrow at Sam.
Sam rolled his eyes and his shoulders sank in defeat, can't believe he is going to lose again. Sebastian's mouth twitched into a smile, this new farm girl has really gotten under Sam's skin.
"So, Sebastian, what do you do?" Joan asked suddenly as he bent to take his shot, which much to his annoyance made him miss. He sighed and turned to her "I am a freelance computer programmer".

Joan's eyebrows lifted, oh, so the dark lord had some talent besides pool. "That must be fun" she smiled.
Sebastian looked at her face to see if she was being sarcastic but found only a genuine smile, which made him shift uncomfortably. He nodded to Sam "Your turn, don't waste it" and he moved to stand against the wall, his hand reaching for the cigarette pack in his pocket. He didn't take it out, but just feeling it made him relax a little. He was really trying to quit, but he really, really needed a smoke.

He watched as Joan and Abigail turned their attention to a waltzing Emily coming in with a pizza.
"Pizza!" she smiled, twirled a few times then placed it down on the table beside the couch, "Enjoy!"
"Thanks Emily" Joan smiled and giggled as Emily bowed and then exited the games room.
"Pizza! My favorite!" Sam grinned at the girls; he was positioned to take another shot, Joan giggled as he fumbled his shot again. He groaned and returned his cue to stick to the rack.
"Please grab a slice, this is way too much just for me" Joan invited and patted the empty space beside her for Sam to sit and grabbed a slice. Abigail leaned over for a slice and also motioned to Sam. Sam did not need to be invited twice and accepted a slice gratefully. Sam was careful to not sit too close to Joan. He was still on edge about the earlier mention of Cindersap Forest. The trio sat on the blue couch munching on their pizza slices while watching a frustrated Sebastian finishing up his final shot.

The looks from both Sam and Abigail were not wasted on Sebastian; his friends were clearly not impressed with his attitude. Okay, so he might have been rude, a lot rude. Sigh. Sebastian sank his last ball, replaced his cue stick back in the rack, shoved his hands into his hoodie's pocket and leaned back against the table facing the three on the couch.
"I am sorry" he said flatly and looked at Joan, "I don't take well to …new people."
"That's okay" Joan said, "neither do I actually." She smiled at him, stood up and held out a pizza slice.
"Hi, I am Joan".
Sebastian looked at the offered slice and then at Joan, she was most definitely different and much too pretty to be a farmer, and despite himself thinking she is not so bad.
He took the slice and said "Hi, I am Sebastian."
"Cool" Joan smiled and sat back down, a bit closer to Sam than before. This did not go unnoticed by Sam, and he shifted in his seat, she was so close their legs were almost touching. Dang it, what was wrong with him? He has sat next to girls before; he has a girl for a best friend! He was acting like he was sixteen all over again...when Penny and her Mom had moved to Pelican town.

Abigail shot up and rushed over to the bar; she motioned Emily over and spoke to her. Joan and the boys looked at her in surprise as she returned with a tray with four shot glasses. She gently placed it down on the pool table then handed Sebastian a glass, then took another two to hand to Joan and Sam.
Then she took the last one and raised it into the air.
"Here's to Joan! Welcome to Stardew Valley!" she said, then looked at everyone expectantly. Sebastian and Sam raised their glasses then looked at Joan. Joan smiled, raised her glass and said "and to new friends", then with a quick to look to Sam "and an old one" she whispered so that only he could hear.
She drank her shot and the others followed suit.

Shane had been watching Joan the whole night, from the moment she had entered, sat down at the bar, was led to the games room; to chatting and laughing with the Stardew Gang. Closing time came too soon when Shane realized he had been standing with the same beer he had ordered when he got there. It was warm and tasted sour. Shane placed the beer on the counter and then with a nod to Emily, left. Joan and the Gang had left moments earlier as did most of the town's people. Like usual he was the last to exit the Saloon.
As he stepped down the few steps and turned to head home he saw the four standing in the town square. Abigail had stepped forward to hug Joan then with a wave headed home towards the general store. Sebastian had given a small salute then turned to take his route up towards the mountain and home. Shane pulled his blue jacket tighter around himself, almost like he was trying to make himself smaller. Quietly he slipped past Sam and Joan with one last glance to take the path home.

"So…"Sam started, when he and Joan suddenly found themselves alone.
"How did you know it was me?" she asked abruptly. Surprised Sam answered "Actually, I didn't…it was more of a feeling? Then Tuesday night I kinda remembered that whole day….but you confirmed it for me tonight." Joan studied Sam's face and she could see his cheeks taking on a red tint.
"Is the woods still there?"She asked. "Yes" Sam nodded, "although I have not been there in years"
The last time he had been in the woods was with Abigail in one of her adventurous moods to explore, but that had been like two…three years ago. The woods had been different, darker…and there were things…in the trees...in the shadows…
"Can..can you show me?" Joan asked softly.
"Now?" Sam jumped.
"No silly" she laughed softly, "tomorrow? Or maybe Sunday?" she suggested.
"Oh…yeah sure." He said relieved and then suddenly nervous. "Just us? Or do you want Abigail and Se..
"Just us" she interrupted, "if that is okay?"
"No…no that is fine. We can go tomorrow morning?"
"Great! Thank you. I am looking forward to it, Sam."
"Do you want me to walk you home?" Sam asked, it was very late and although the path from the town square was straight forward, it was a dark one. Joan rummaged in her back pack and took out the flashlight she had gotten from Pierre's. She switched it on and showed Sam.
"No, thank you. I am good."
"Oh, okay. Well then I guess good night?" he said, he had his hands in the back pockets of his jeans, and was shifting from one foot to the other.
Joan gave a wave with her free hand, the other holding her bamboo rod, turned and headed towards the path. "Good night, Sam. Sweet dreams and I will see you tomorrow morning. My place? 10h00? "She called over her shoulder as she made her way up.
"Yeah! Sure…see then" and with that Joan had crossed the town square and disappeared down the path west towards her farm.