Author's Note: Another quick update! Sorry, I couldn't help myself! Hope y'all enjoy! :)

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Mayor Thomas beamed at the group of young folk that had congregated in the village square, surely herded together by Ann. He finished hanging the flyer and turned around to give them a tip of the hat. "I hope to see you all there. Ann, I think that you've outdone yourself this time. Good day, everyone," he politely nodded and headed back to his house.

The crowd gathered to read the poster. The waitress stayed in the back of the group, a proud smile plastered across her face.

"So, I guess Karen's business alone isn't enough to keep the inn going," Gray chuckled, "But how on earth does Doug think he is going to get enough people to make the event profitable? Especially with free admission?" he folded his arms across his chest in a nonchalant fashion, but his eyes were deceiving as they looked at the poster with great interest.

Cliff stared at the bulletin board wistfully. "A midsummer dance…" He looked up at the clouds as if deep in thought. In truth, he had been looking forward to the event for a couple of days now. "Kind of like home, I suppose…" he muttered to himself quietly with a nostalgic expression.

Mary smiled warmly at her companions and cast the waitress a grateful look. She twiddled her thumbs nervously as the words tumbled out of her mouth. "I can't think of a better time of year for a dance, with the beautiful sunset…" The librarian trailed off, but quickly caught herself, letting out a shy chuckle at her reverie.

Claire stared at the cobblestones, her stomach dropping. No doubt Mary was thinking about how romantic the whole affair would be, with that beautiful imagination of hers. The color drained from the farmer's face as she imagined the very thing that Mary must be dreaming up. Claire only had a couple of days to get Gray's attention and pray that he would be interested in attending with her…

"So I imagine you will all have dates, then?" Kai peeked over Mary's shoulder knowingly.

Claire shot the young man a frustrated look, but he didn't notice. Why did he have to rush everything? The moment wasn't right! Claire bit her lip and nervously jammed her hands in her pockets, trying to think of something to say to Gray to catch his attention.

Mary turned a bright shade of pink at the cook's remark. It was hardly a mystery who the librarian was wishing to spend that evening with. "Oh, I don't know about that… I mean…"

"Mary?" Gray tugged on the bill of his cap.

"Y-yes?" Both the librarian and farmer's hearts were in their throats.

The apprentice gave Mary a kind smile that shot a wave of envy through the blonde. He never looked at Claire that way, and it made her heart hurt to see that expression on his face when it wasn't reserved for her. "… Wanna go with me?"

Claire could see the young woman's chest rise and fall quickly; Mary was hyperventilating in her excitement and doing a poor job of hiding it. The blonde didn't have to guess what the answer was. "S-Sure! Wow, that's really sweet of you... I-I hope you didn't feel obligated to ask me that," Mary giggled a little too loudly and the farmer tried to hide the sour look on her face.

He shyly took a step closer toward her and shook his head. "Not at all. We'll have a lot of fun," the blacksmith responded happily, relief washing over his facial features.

Claire was numb. She now realized the scene had been inevitable, but she didn't expect it to play out right in front of her. The fact that Kai had rushed along the situation had made Claire miss her slim chance with the apprentice. The young woman frowned as she looked at the summer resident – he was busy laughing with Cliff about something and Claire almost wanted to slap him out of annoyance. Did Kai not realize what he had done to her? And the way Gray asked Mary so casually! The fact that he was so comfortable around her made the whole situation hurt even worse.

"Yeah, it will be lots of fun." Claire echoed the apprentice's words but didn't recognize the sound of her own voice, and she immediately hated herself for her response. Now she had no choice but to go as well. She slowly realized that her frustration at Kai was misguided – she was angry with herself for not being more aggressive. Surely if she had said something first…

"I've yet to break you out of your shell and see you really party," Karen's sudden loud voice and slap of Claire's shoulder startled the farmer.

"And you'll be going with Rick, I assume?" Kai teased. The chicken farmer was still back at home working.

Karen turned red, and Claire wasn't sure if it was the blush of love, or the wrath to throttle Kai. A moment ago, the farmer would have been happy to hold down the young man while her friend punched him. "Maybe, maybe not. I don't need a man to have a good time at a dance." She quickly turned toward the farmer. "Maybe I'll go stag. Or maybe I'll bring Claire as my date."

The blonde struggled to avoid rolling her eyes as she returned her gaze to the ground. Karen always got so touchy when the subject of Rick got brought up, and she didn't want to be dragged into this. However, her stunned state from Gray's preference to escort Mary left her unable to think of a witty reply.

"But maybe she has someone else she'd like to go with," Kai pressed his luck and winked at a particular young man.

Claire didn't move her stare from the cobblestones. If this was some sort of attempt of Kai's to ask her to the dance, she was conflicted in her feelings to give him an affirmative answer. She enjoyed the young man's company, but his eagerness to pair everyone up made her like him a little less at the moment. "Now that I think about it, I don't know if I'll be able to make it," Claire was desperate for an escape. She longed to avoid this crowd; she yearned for a quiet place to lick her wounds…

"Come on, Claire! Don't be such a killjoy! When's the last time you've been on a date?" Karen threw her arm around her friend's shoulders, giving her a rough squeeze. Claire let out a tiny involuntary cry in surprise. "I'm a great date! I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I'm a really good dancer. I get it from my grandma! Plus, I'm a ton of fun! You can even buy me my drinks."

The brunette had a way of mellowing out Claire. The young woman cracked a pained smile. "My farm is doing better, but it's not doing that well, Karen," she found herself chuckling.

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"Wow, you clean up good, kid," Karen teased as she tied the bow on the back of Claire's lavender gingham dress. "Look at those curves you've been hiding under those bulky overalls!" the brunette giggled, "I know of a couple of young men that were drooling over you on Beach Day," she gave her a wink as she zipped up the back of her own cherry red cocktail dress and gave it a twirl for good measure.

Claire ignored her and stared at her reflection glumly as she applied a thin coat of makeup, finishing off with a demure peach lip gloss she wore back in the city. "Gray's going to the dance with Mary. It's not like I have anyone to impress," she adjusted the sweetheart neckline of Karen's borrowed garment and deflated her lungs, disappointed in the face that was looking back at her.

The brunette frowned at her friend's gloomy reflection in the mirror. The farmer was talking herself out of having fun before the party even started. "Who said you have to impress anyone? If you feel the need to, then impress yourself. You've already impressed me!" Karen squeezed her friend. The brunette studied the young woman. If they were measuring by purely physical beauty, her friend had clear skin, bright blue eyes, sleek golden locks, and feminine facial features – Claire was very pretty, and would be even more beautiful if she realized it herself.

Claire's voice caught in her throat as her eyes shyly moved back up to the mirror. The grocer's daughter was hugging her around the shoulders, and all the blonde could see was the fact that her friend was much more attractive than her. The farmer was reminded of the first day they met; Karen had always possessed a particular brand of confidence and beauty that Claire knew she would never own herself. Wasn't the whole point of a dance to enjoy one's date or find a new potential romance? That was the way the girls in the city acted, anyway…

Karen held the young woman out at arm's length when she realized that she had been unable to cheer her up. "Seriously, Claire, I want you to have a good time. Plus, you look adorable." She stated this last word with a playful bop on the nose.

The blonde sighed. Her friend was merely attempting to get her to smile; adorable was one of the last words Claire would use to describe herself. If she was indeed adorable, she would be on Gray's arm tonight, or at the very least, a young man – not a sympathetic girl friend. Karen had offered the farmer a couple of dresses that were a little too tight on herself, and Claire had selected the more conservative of the two. The farmer looked down at her borrowed shoes and felt a flash of jealousy when she thought of how much better this dress must have looked on the grocer's daughter. The young woman watched as Karen brushed out her brunette locks and wistfully yearned for her friend's unique brand of glamour. The blonde bit her lip and swiftly remembered she had added lip gloss; she replaced her expression with a pout. Her standards were too high – she should at least hope that someday she would be considered "adorable" and Karen wouldn't have to lie about her friend's attractiveness.

The brunette sensed that Claire had plunged down a deep hole – anguish and self-pity were written clearly upon her face. This simply would not do. After all, the grocer's daughter had given up her opportunity to attend the dance with Rick in order to make sure that Claire would allow herself to have a little fun. The blonde hadn't been the same since Gray came over to train with Tucker. The farmer seemed very distracted and her emotions were much more varied. She also seemed to get upset much more easily, and she seemed preoccupied. Claire needed a friend who was going to talk some sense into her, she realized. "Not everyone is going with a date, you know," Karen continued. "There will be plenty of people there who are going stag and they're just looking to have a good time. I want you to dance with at least three different people tonight," the young woman challenged her. "If you can do that, I will buy you dinner." The blonde rolled her eyes, but Karen caught her. "Claire?"

"Y-Yes?" the farmer's stomach twisted uncomfortably as she realized she had been seen sulking. The brunette had said her name with a very stern voice. The blonde wrung her hands and couldn't meet her friend's gaze.

"Don't…. freak out about Gray, alright?" Karen's green gaze was surprisingly warm.

Claire was taken aback at both her friend's facial expressions and her words. "But-"

Karen cut her off. "Okay, here's the plan: I'm going to dance with someone else's date tonight. And guess what? It's not going to be a big deal! We are not teenagers anymore. It is a dance – it's a party for people to have fun and enjoy each others' company. It doesn't have to be a search for your soul mate. Promise me that you will at least try to enjoy yourself."

Claire attempted to release the tension she was holding in the pit of her stomach and she let out a small sigh. "Alright, I will try my best," she relaxed her furrowed eyebrows as she smoothed out her dress.

The brunette grinned. "Ever so polite and proper as always, my sweet," Karen clutched Claire's arm. "The night awaits! Away we go!"

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Author's Note: I always made waaaay too big of a deal at dance parties as a teen. Hope this strikes a chord with some you readers out there. Thank you all for taking the time to read my work; you guys are seriously awesome! Please let me know if you have any questions or comments! Feel free to write them in the box below or send me a message! I don't bite! :D