Shane had just finished buttoning up his shirt when he heard Jas yell and slam the door. He ran out of his bedroom, head swiveling as he searched for her, afraid she had fallen or gotten hurt somehow. He listened for her sobs, but sighed a breath of relief when he heard her excitedly talking to someone outside of the ranch. He checked his watch— 4:45. Marnie must be home. He headed towards the door, determined to rescue his aunt from the excited 7-year-old, who had been just a little too excited about dinner with The Farmer tonight.
Jas and Marnie liked The Farmer, quite a bit, which Shane was incredibly grateful for. He and The Farmer had also gotten incredibly close over the past year and a half, something that Marnie had wholeheartedly approved of, as The Farmer had somehow pulled Shane out of his depression, sobered him up and set him on the right path again.
What Marnie hadn't realized was that two months ago, Shane and The Farmer had spent the day in Zuzu city exploring, watching the Tunnelers and taking tours, exchanging quiet confessions and kissing in every darkened alleyway they passed. They had been dating since but hadn't told anyone yet, afraid of the newness of the relationship. The pair had finally decided to tell Marnie and Jas about them, and when Marnie had invited The Farmer over for dinner last week, they decided that it was the perfect time.
Shane got to the door and opened it, taking a step out into the brisk fall air. He was surprised to find that instead of Marnie, Jas was excitedly trying to jump on The Farmer, rapidly asking questions and attempting to pull things out of the brown paper bag The Farmer had brought with her. The Farmer was laughing, spinning in circles so that Jas couldn't reach inside of the bag, carefully holding a wrapped package and some kind of bottle under her arm, answering the few questions that she could.
"Jas, get off of her." The Farmer looked up, noticing Shane for the first time. She smiled, and Shane noticed her cheeks grow pink as she quickly scanned his body and felt his own grow warm.
"I like that, your shirt. You look nice today." The Farmer readjusted the items she held, shrugging her arm so that the bag made its way back to her shoulder, her hands holding the package tighter. Shane bit his lip— she was wearing some kind of black, sleeveless dress, made seasonally appropriate by a dark, rich orange turtleneck underneath. She looked beautiful.
"You're early," is what he said instead, but he could tell by The Farmer's curling lips and mischievous look that she might have guessed what he had truly been thinking.
"Marnie told me 5?" Shane shook his head.
"Oh, I thought- Maybe I misheard." Shane motioned to Jas. "Come on, let's let her in the door."
Jas groaned but walked over to Shane, reaching up to take his hand as he led her back into the house. The Farmer followed behind, setting everything as carefully down on the kitchen table as she could. She began to unwrap the package she had been carrying, taking Jas' attention once again.
"What are you carrying? What did you bring?" Jas was gripping the edge of the table, jumping up and down hoping for a better view. The Farmer smiled as she worked.
"Your Aunt asked me to bring a pumpkin pie, and I figured I'd bring some apple cider too!" Jas 'ooh'd' as the pie was finally revealed, but her attention quickly turned to the bag as she grabbed at its edge.
"And in here?" The Farmer laughed and took the bag away, lifting it to her own face and taking a look inside.
"Well, it's mostly just a bunch of stuff like vegetables that I thought you guys might like, but I think I did have something for you…" The Farmer reached into the bag and pretended to dig around, tongue sticking out as she looked up at the ceiling. Jas was beside herself with excitement, but Shane rolled his eyes, trying to hide his smile.
She was so sweet with Jas. He had never said anything to The Farmer about it, even before they were dating, but he could tell The Farmer understood that Jas was always going to be the most important thing to him. Jas' parents were dead and Shane was incredibly protective of her, helping raise and take care of the girl with his aunt.
The Farmer finally pulled out a deep purple flower and Jas gasped, carefully accepting it as she stared at the petals. The Farmer crouched down to Jas' level, watching the girl's face.
"Do you like it? Shane told me they were your favorite." Jas nodded, turning the flower in her hand.
"Yes! Thank you!" She gave The Farmer a hug, wrapping her arms around the woman's neck. She pulled away, smiling, then turned around to face Shane. "Look!"
"I see! How cool!" He took a step forward and picked Jas up, resting her on his hip. She was getting big, he wouldn't be able to do this for much longer. He looked at her face, where something blue and sticky was on it. "Dude, what's all over you?" He tried to rub a thumb against her face, but the gunk didn't budge.
"We made slime at school today! It's in my room, do you wanna see?" He set Jas down.
"Later tonight, sure! But I think we're going to eat really soon, why don't you put your flower in your room and clean up?" Jas nodded and sped off, closing the door to her bedroom behind her.
Shane looked at The Farmer, who had stood up and was now leaning against the table. She smiled when their eyes met.
"Hi." Her voice was quiet, and Shane smiled now and walked closer to her, their bodies only inches apart.
"Hi." She wrapped her arms up around his shoulders, their bodies now pressed together. He had his arms wrapped around her back. "Did you bring anything for me?" The Farmer pressed her lips together, an over exaggerated thinking look on her face.
"Hmmm… nope?" She looked back up at him, their faces getting closer. Shane heard the faucet in Jas' bathroom turn on.
"Oh, but I had something for you." His forehead pressed against hers.
"Yeah? What is it?" Shane kissed The Famer, their lips finally meeting as he held her. He could kiss her forever, but pulled away after a few seconds. They hadn't told his family yet. "You look nice today."
The Farmer giggled, pressing her face into Shane's shoulder. He heard a muffled 'thanks' from his shoulder, and had been preparing something else, some other compliment when he heard the oven timer go off. He took a sudden step back and made his way toward the oven, The Farmer swaying forward and letting out a small 'ah!' as he did.
"Sorry! Chicken's done. I think." He grabbed a pair of oven mitts and put them on, reaching for the oven door. He heard The Farmer grab something behind him and make her way toward the fridge, opening the door.
"I'm gonna put the pie and the whipped cream I made in here." Shane pulled the chicken out. Did it look right? He hoped he followed the recipe right. Where was the meat thermometer, he better check.
"Wait, the pie in the fridge? Aren't they supposed to be warm?" He opened a drawer, searching for the utensil.
"Maybe? My family always put the pumpkin ones in the fridge at least. I like them cold." Shane found the thermometer and stuck it in the chicken and sucked in through his teeth.
"Geeze, I don't know if we're gonna work." He looked over at The Farmer and smiled, who in turn stuck her tongue out through her teeth and scrunched her nose. He turned his attention back to the bird— the temperature was good.
The Farmer made her way to a cabinet, searching for utensils to lay out. "That smells really good." Shane smiled.
"Thanks, I just showered." He heard her snort behind him, and the rattling of the forks in her hands.
"Hardy-har-har. I meant the chicken." Shane nodded, taking off his oven mitts and heading toward the refrigerator, where Marnie had put the salad she made earlier.
"Thanks. I've never made it before so I hope it's alright?" He put the salad in the middle of the table, then took half the utensils from his girlfriend and started on the other side of the table. "It's Marnie's recipe, so if it's gross we can just blame her." The two were now standing on the same side of the large circular table, and when they bumped into each other made eye contact and smiled.
"My ears are burning, someone must be talking about me!" Marnie sang as she walked into the kitchen, setting her purse down on the counter. Her eyes were flicking back and forth between the couple, a large smile on her face. Shane scooched away from The Farmer awkwardly, but The Farmer didn't flinch, instead walking toward Marnie with her arms outstretched.
"Marnie! Thank you for inviting me over today. It's been so busy this season, so it's nice to take a break and actually eat a proper meal." She gave Marnie a hug, but wasn't prepared for the force of Marnie's hug back.
"Of course! You're always welcome here." Marnie finally let The Farmer go, scanning over the other woman's outfit. Marnie turned to Shane, obviously about to say something, but paused as she took Shane in with an approving look in her eye.
"Well, that's quite a nice shirt." She nodded at him, but Shane scrunched his face.
"It's a shirt! I can wear nice shirts sometimes. Why is everyone bringing up the shirt?" He moved toward the hallway door. "I'm going to get Jas, she was washing some… weird… goo off of herself."
Shane made his way to Jas' room, the chattering of the women behind him still audible. Marnie's loud and warm laughter, The Farmer's sweet giggles. He knocked on Jas' door and waited for her response, opening when he heard her tiny voice.
Jas was at her little desk, coloring a picture when Shane walked in. He saw The Farmer's flower in a large cup by Jas' bed, water practically up to the bloom. He'd have to pour some out later, but admired Jas' efforts.
"Dinner's ready, kiddo." Jas looked up at him, smiling.
"Do you like it? I'm drawing the flower." Shane nodded, admiring the purple and blue image on the table.
"It's very pretty." Jas smiled, and set her crayons down. "Now let's go eat!" Jas didn't move.
"But Aunt Marnie told me to give the adults some space tonight." Shane cocked his head.
"What?"
"Yeah, she said before she got home to let you talk with your friend for a bit." She smiled at Shane, so proud that she had followed her Aunt's instructions so perfectly. Shane felt even more confused.
"Well," he said, shaking the feeling off, "now I'm saying to come eat dinner with us. Let's go." Jas hopped up, running out of the room.
In the hallway, Shane and Jas ran into The Farmer on her tiptoes, reaching up into a closet. Shane stopped, but nudged Jas ahead to the kitchen.
"Do you need any help?" The Farmer stepped back, nodding.
"Your Aunt asked that I grab some tablecloth out, that she was too short to grab it, but I don't think I'm doing much better." Shane scratched his head. Since when did they use a tablecloth? He peered up into the closet, spying the fabric far overhead.
"I don't think either of us would be able to get that without a stepstool. There's one in here somewhere, I think." Shane dropped to his knees, sorting through the boxes below until he found what he was looking for. He pulled it out and pulled the bars apart.
"Oh, thanks!" The Farmer climbed up both steps, reaching far up into the closet overhead. The tablecloth was still a little high up— who even put it there?- and the Farmer was still reaching far above, her heels lifted, wobbling slightly. Shane steadied her with a protective hand on her back, ready to hold her if she started to fall. The Farmer stretched as far as she could, finally pinching the fabric between her fingers.
"Got it!" She pulled down the tablecloth with a swift motion, almost falling backwards as she did. Shane steadied her, concerned as he held his girlfriend.
"You good?" The Farmer nodded.
"Yeah." She looked down on Shane, smiling.
"Oh good! The tablecloth is out." The couple turned to face Marnie, who was leaning against the archway leading into the kitchen, her lips pressed tightly in a way suggesting she was trying to hide a smile. Shane moved his hands back to his side, realizing that he still had them around The Farmer. "We'll, shall we eat?" Marnie turned around and quickly headed into the kitchen. The Farmer and Shane looked at each other, and followed behind.
Once the tablecloth had been laid out and the placemats reset, the group sat down to enjoy their dinner, chatting amicably about nothing at all; the season was going well, the animals were producing at a nice rate, Jas had gotten an A on a test. A few times, Marnie would ask a question that would give The Farmer pause, asking about past relationships, what she thought of certain people in town, and Shane would throw his aunt a look, mentally pleading for her to change the topic. Or suddenly, she would grow very complimentary of Shane, talking about past achievements or how he was with Jas, and Shane could tell The Farmer was holding in laughter.
"You know," Marnie finally said, "We're really so glad that you came into our lives. Shane's been doing so much better since the two of you met. You're really such a positive influence on him." The Farmer bit her lip, her jaw tense trying to hold back a grin. Shane's face flushed red.
"Oh, thank you." She looked briefly at Shane, then back to Marnie.
"Marnie, I— yes. But I don't think we really have to—" Marnie cut Shane off, kicking her nephew under the table.
"I mean, the two of you make such wonderful friends, I'm sure he agrees. Right Shane?" Shane didn't know if he could blush any harder, his cheeks were burning. The Farmer's eyes were wild, practically eating her lips to hide her smile.
"Yeah, we're real good friends." Shane cleared his throat.
"Actually, we were, uh, gonna—" Marnie cut him off again.
"I really think you two should hang out more, even. I mean, you get along so well, and who knows where things could go."
"Marnie!" Shane jumped in his chair and grit his teeth. "What are you doing?" The Farmer covered her mouth with her hand, shaking with laughter. Much like the rest of his family, it seemed, she loved to see him worked up. Jas, holding her cup with both hands, was taking a long sip, her eyes darting between the adults at the table. Marnie turned to Shane.
"What? You were obviously never going to make a move, I thought I'd help!" the woman stage-whispered, her voice loud enough that everyone at the table could hear her. The Farmer lost it now, tears streaking down her face as she laughed.
"Marnie!" The Farmer's head was on the table as she tried to contain her laughter, her hair well into the food, but she hadn't noticed. Even Jas now was giggling behind her cup at the spectacle unfolding before her.
"I see the way you look at her! Nothing is ever going to happen if you keep mooning at her from a distance!"
It all made sense now. The two different dinner times. Jas' weird statements. Marnie waiting in the hallways. The table cloth. His aunt had been trying to set them up, unaware that they had already done it themselves. The Farmer lifted her head, shaking still.
"Shane, do you have a crush on me?" He could barely make out the words between her giggles.
"I— Marnie!" He turned back toward his aunt. "I— you don't need to set dates up for me! I'm a fully grown adult!" Marnie shrugged.
"It really looked like you needed the help." The Farmer's head hit the table again, causing Jas to spill her apple cider as she laughed.
"I don't need the help! We were going to talk about this tonight!" Marnie tilted her head. Shane cleared his throat, trying to settle down. "We're already dating. We were just waiting for the right time to bring it up." Jas set her cup down, a large smile on her face. Marnie clasped her hands together over her chest.
"Oh! Shane, why didn't— is this true?" Marnie turned toward The Farmer, who lifted her head and nodded, still crying. At least she was having fun.
"Yeah, it's— it's true," the Farmer said through giggles, and Jas immediately began to fire off questions at The Farmer. Marnie clapped again.
"Oh! Shane, I'm so happy. You two really would— do— make a good couple, I was so hoping this would happen." Shane rested his head in his hands, massaging his temple.
"It was just so new that we didn't want to tell anyone, in case..." Marnie laughed.
"There's no way it'd go bad." She looked toward The Farmer, who was still shaking but trying to answer Jas' questions. Marnie herself began to laugh, the giggles almost uncontrollable. "Looks like you didn't need any help after all."
Shane looked up, thoroughly prepared to be annoyed with his aunt, but as he looked at the women at the table— Marnie laughing in her chair, Jas asking rapid fire questions as his girlfriend did her best to answer them while she giggled— and realized that maybe this was just okay . His family already loved his girlfriend (maybe more than him, even) and were rooting for the relationship, even when they didn't know about it.
The Farmer caught Shane's look and winked before turning her focus back to Jas, and Shane smiled. While Marnie had somehow gone about things in the worst way possible, the night had gone well. And now, Shane could do what he had wanted to do since The Farmer had caught him in the barn working with the chickens, all those months ago— call her his girlfriend, to make it known how he felt about her, how she felt about him. The night had definitely gone well.