The aroma of spices combined with the sweetness of chocolate as Claire listened to the bubbling of the pot on Doug's stove.
"This is a heck of a lot easier with a spatula!" Karen smirked as she stirred the sauce in the pot. Dipping a spoon into the mixture, she passed it off to Claire. "I think it's ready for a taste. Give it a try!"
The spoon was fully loaded, and Claire blew the steam off of the food before giving it a taste. The unique yet familiar flavor brought her back to the cooking festival. Memories flooded her mind – their clumsy practice efforts with limited cooking equipment, getting treated to seeing a playful side of Gray, watching Cliff become a little more comfortable in a crowd, and, best of all, witnessing Karen's delight at seeing the pride she had brought to Sasha. Claire was smiling before she realized it.
"Just like I remember... unexpectedly good!" Remembering how quickly it had been devoured at the Cooking Festival, Claire turned toward Cliff. She held her hand protectively held under the spoon, which was still half filled with sauce. "I don't think you got a chance to try any at the festival last spring. Open up and give this a try!"
The enthusiasm on her face alone caused the color to creep to his cheeks. He set down his knife and gulped when he caught sight of a knowing wink from Karen. "Ah, okay..." He complied with her request and was rewarded with a spoon that had just touched Claire's lips.
The unusual flavor distracted him from getting too flustered. He could hear snickers in the background as he blinked a couple of times, contemplating what he had just tasted. "Huh... that's interesting." Shaking his head, he let out a soft chuckle. "The curry make it kind of addicting." He suddenly wanted to try it on the toast points that Karen mentioned they served it on previously.
Karen and Claire both gave emphatic nods in agreement. Retrieving a shot glass form the cupboard, Karen dunked it into the pot of sauce and drank it almost as quickly as she did when it was filled with alcohol.
"Hey, don't eat it all before the party starts!" Claire reminded her, although the giggles lacing her words kept her scolding from being very effective.
Karen rolled her eyes, swiping the remaining sauce with her finger and popping it into her mouth. "Well, maybe you should finish your own dish so everyone can fill up on something else."
Claire set yet another tomato on her cutting board after scooping the sliced ones into a pile. "How's it coming, Cliff?"
He motioned toward his own pile of diced smoked salmon beside him. "Well, the onion is next... then we just need the tomatoes you've been working on and we'll be finished."
While Claire prided herself on her kitchen skills, she found herself continually amazed by the way Cliff deftly handled the knife. He appeared even more confident than she had seen Ann in some respects – removing the bones and skin with ease.
At the very thought of her, Claire was surprised to see Ann jog into the kitchen, letting out a labored sigh and sticking out her tongue. She stretched her back with a groan and peered over Cliff's shoulder, eyeing up the diced fish in the bowl before giving his ponytail a playful tug.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she sang, giving him a swift hug around the shoulders before donning an apron of her own.
Cliff caught his breath and the color returned to his face as he turned to watch her. "Uh... you're welcome?"
Ann sifted through the inn's refrigerator with expert speed while grabbing her favorite mixing bowl on the free counter. A few ingredients were placed into the bowl before she turned her head. "You're the only tenant who does their own laundry. I normally don't mind the extra pocket change, but I wanna work on these cookies before the lunch rush comes." Shortening and a canister of sugar were added to her load before she set down her bowl with a happy sigh. "The best part about parties is the food! We're gonna eat like kings tonight!"
Claire watched Cliff raise a teasing eyebrow. "Just make sure you only eat like one king, and not like an entire royal court."
Ann grinned at the chorus of chuckles and brandished a wooden spoon like a royal scepter, pointing it in his direction. "You better watch it, or this monarch will order you to be placed in Ye Olde Royal Dungeon!"
The words left Claire's mouth before she thought too deeply on it. "The inn has a dungeon?"
Karen shook her head with a laugh at Claire's bewildered expression. "She's talking about the crawlspace under the inn. A few weeks back, there was a raccoon roaming the area and managed to get under there."
"She made me check to make sure it hadn't built a nest down there," Cliff explained with a sigh.
Claire frowned.
I must've been still upset over Gray...
Cliff continued. "Anyway, I went under there to look for it, but it never ended up coming back."
Karen nudged her friend's shoulder. "I thought you loved animals, Ann!"
She shook her head so hard that her braid slapped both of them in the face. "I don't like them living in my crawlspace!"
"Well, it would've been easier to check if you didn't keep turning the flashlight off when you were holding it for me," Cliff's huff wasn't very convincing as he added his chopped ingredients to the bowl.
"Batteries must've been faulty!" Ann gave Claire a wink at stuck out her tongue with a half-suppressed giggle. "You could've just reached around in the dark!"
Claire noticed that Cliff was looking at the jagged scar on his left arm with a frown. "I don't think I wanna do that again. Honestly, Ann, sometimes you're as bad as Iv-" He cut himself off, tracing his fingers over the scar tissue.
Ann slapped the wooden spoon in her open palm with a loud smack. "Are you sure you want to finish that sentence?"
His expression went completely blank for a split second before he swiftly shook his head. "Nope." Despite the playful tone in his voice, Claire could see that his eyes were not smiling and his lips were pulled tight.
Ann was too busy measuring sugar to get a good look at him and let out a chuckle. "Good answer. Don't forget who the queen of this kitchen is."
Karen dipped another shot glass in the curry sauce and passed it to Ann with a deep bow. "An offer for Your Majesty!"
"That's more like it!" Ann accepted it with a grin and downed the sauce as quickly as Karen did, stopping for a moment with a bewildered expression. "Oof, this is... not normal curry."
"I told you we were making chocolate curry dip, remember?" Karen laughed.
Ann blinked a few times, chuckling. "Well, I do now!"
Lighthearted laughter filled the kitchen. The familiar giddy feeling of preparing for a party filled her once more as she turned toward Cliff, who was busily back at work. To her relief, Cliff appeared to be back in a playful spirit, the light returning to his eyes.
"Thanks for finding this recipe. I had no idea what to make." Her eyes searched his, and when they met, she found that she was stumbling over her words. "We m-make a good team, huh?"
Incorporating her final offerings to the salad, Cliff's face visibly lit up. "Definitely."
As Claire removed her apron and put her things away, she saw a wistful expression looking back at her. Cliff opened his mouth to speak, but he stopped himself, wringing his hands before covering their completed contribution for that evening's potluck.
"What's up?" Her mouth turned into a small frown as she turned toward him, her loose topknot bobbling.
He gave her a crooked smile as he untied his apron and draped it over his arm. "I know you're headed back to the farm... Would it be alright if I walked you home?"
A private conversation... is something wrong?
Anxiety crept up her spine as she nodded. "Of course. Thank you."
As Cliff put their aprons back and added their bowl to the refrigerator, Claire turned toward her friends. "I'm headed back to work. I'll see y'all tonight." She paused before a smirk curled at her lips. "Don't eat all of that dip before the party," she mildly scolded, placing a hand on her hips and exaggeratedly waving a finger at them. Cliff came to her side and they bid them goodbye before heading off.
Ann's eyes met Karen's and they shared a smug grin.
"She really thinks I'm going to chug that whole pot of curry?" Ann's voice was laced with feigned shock. She cracked her knuckles, twirling a ladle between her fingers. "Wouldn't you say that sounds like a challenge?"
Karen snorted and refilled her shot glass with sauce. "Did you catch her say y'all? Those two have been joined at the hip."
Ann loaded her ladle and took a deep slurp. "The only thing I wanna be joined with is this addictive sauce." She licked her lips, her satisfied smile morphing into a smirk. "Seriously, though... I'm gonna laugh is she picks up that accent."
"Claire... we... we've always been honest with each other, right...?" Cliff nervously rubbed the back of his neck as they headed toward Mystic Acres, their steps softly patting in sync with one another.
The young woman let down her hair and it fell down in a soft golden sheet. She looked over at him, her expression earnest. "Of course. We've always been... equals. I tell you what's on my mind, and you tell me what's on yours. Is... something wrong?" she asked nervously, jamming her hair tie in her pocket.
He frowned and bit his lip. He didn't want his words to come out the wrong way, and the last thing he wanted to do was offend her. However, he had been running the scenario over and over inn his mind for the past few days, and something needed to be said. "Mystic Acres is... amazing," he started. "I can't begin to tell you how proud you should be for all of the things you have done with the place."
"Th-thank you," she stammered. While the compliment warmed her heart, she couldn't help but feel that Cliff was preparing to soften a blow.
He gave her an apologetic smile and she wondered if he had read her thoughts somehow. "I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true. Honestly, I lived in the mountains for a couple of months before moving into the inn. Remember that cave where Cain lives? I lived in there with him. I really wanted to move into Mineral Town, to be a part of it, but... I was afraid." He decided not to elaborate on what made him so fearful at the moment – the thought of beginning that dialogue alone caused him to feel like the world was closing in on him. Shaking off his discomfort, he continued. "For a while, I never really went beyond the border of what is now your farm, so I got a good look at it before you moved in. Overgrown, neglected... it hardly looked like something that was once a thriving farm."
"Ah, it was a lot of work," Claire confessed with a deep sigh. She remembered Cliff mentioning before that he did a lot of camping while traveling. The cave that Cain was staying in looked rather lived-in and cozy, and she wasn't very surprised to hear that he had lived there for some time. In a way, she wished that she shared his ability to adapt to different environments the way he did. She realized with a blush that perhaps Cliff was trying to say that she had already done that with moving into and transforming Mystic Acres. She looked out at the rows of red – the tomatoes had become such a problem that she could hardly remember a time where she wasn't drowning in them. She frowned at the plants, and a wave of stress fell back onto her. While she didn't mind talking to Cliff, seeing the overabundance of tomatoes was distracting and she knew she needed to get back to work soon so she could clear out some more before Kai's party started.
Cliff studied her face. Her hands were shaking as she sloppily tied her hair back up and he noted the worry lines on her forehead. It wasn't any stretch of the imagination to believe she was thinking about her crops, and he was glad the conversation was going to steer itself from here. However, he needed her full attention.
"I hope I'm not overstepping, but I was wondering if we could... talk inside."
A slight frown pulled at Claire's lips as she gave the tomatoes one last glance. "Ah, okay..."
They wasted no time heading to her house. She pulled the door closed behind them and a heaviness settled in the room.
"I'm sorry," he started right away.
Claire cocked her head at him curiously, but fear was still etched into her eyes.
"You look so worried." He gave her the apologetic beginnings of a smile. "I just... well... you know how busy I've been catching fish for Kai."
There was a bit of smoked trout waiting in her refrigerator for breakfast, given to her as a thank you for letting him use her shipping bin. Despite her protests for him to keep his entire catch, he gave her a portion, telling her it was the least he could do. She looked up at him. "Yeah... is everything going alright? I... noticed you're still shipping a lot of herbs and berries..."
"Focusing on the water like that all day can be..."
She could still remember the sweat dripping from his brow as he stared at the water, motionless, his muscles tensed in concentration.
He let out a nervous chuckle. "Well, anyway, it's going fine. It helps to alternate between tasks. I guess what I wanted to say was... I, uh, worry about you here."
Claire bristled. "What happened at the beginning of this summer was a mistake, and I've learned from it." She gestured toward her canteen hanging from a hook by the door. "I've been careful to make sure I'm drinking lots of water when I'm working."
He reached across the table and his features relaxed as her had met his halfway. "I was telling the truth when you said you have a lot to be proud of. I just... I know it's a lot for one person to handle."
Claire felt her throat tighten. "It... can be. But I made this choice. This is my life now, and I have to make it work." She remembered their discussion at the Midsummer's Dance. "It means a lot to me to be self-sufficient. I want to be able to provide for myself."
Cliff's eyes softened. "I just want you to know that if there's anything I can do to help, I'm here."
Her eyes traced his slim body; he was slender when they first met and he had steadily been losing weight. Her eyebrows furrowed with concern. She knew that he was shipping everything instead of eating it. She wasn't the only one who wasn't being completely responsible. Claire gave his hand a squeeze, taking comfort in how familiar the gesture had become to them over the past months. "I know you have more than enough on your plate. I see the proof slipped under my door first thing in the morning. Cliff... you need to take care of yourself, too – more than just financially."
He averted his eyes and rubbed the crook of his neck in response, but his embarrassed blush was more than evident. "I'm sorry for making you worry. I'll try harder."
A lump formed in her throat as she recalled that hot day at the beginning of summer when she had pushed herself too hard, her sheer stubbornness getting the better of her. She looked out the window at her fields, guilt rising in her stomach once more. Her cheery mask broke. "It's because you helped me when I had heat exhaustion and you're trying to make up for lost time! I shouldn't have planted this all at once! I shouldn't have been so insistent! I shouldn't have made you and Karen so worried!" Her last lamentation came out as an upset cry. "I-I't's my fault!" Her voice rose into a shriek.
He grasped her hands firmly and she fell silent. "I don't care about whose fault it is." His met hers with a seriousness that pushed away any sort of reply that had been forming in her mind. "It's not about fault. It's about finding a solution." He gave her hands a squeeze and his eyes softened. "Claire... we can look after each other, just like we've always promised."
Despite the calmness that settled in her at this statement, there was something about it that made her heart lift and immediately begin to pound.
"You're right... we still can!" She wasn't sure why it felt like her voice was booming off of the walls. "I've got summer taxes to pay, so money's pretty tight, but... if you were up for a trade..."
A pair of deep blue eyes flicked up at her with great interest and she gulped.
"Well, that is to say... I don't want you to push yourself too hard, and I want to make sure you're getting enough to eat for yourself... But if there were fish you managed to catch that were maybe too small or not the right type for Kai, or you're out with Cain and you manage to bag some extra game..." She didn't realize she was playing with a lock of her hair until it caught around her finger. "I've got some blemished produce that's still good to eat... it's not the prettiest, but... m-maybe we could trade, or share our extras together? I mean... we'd both be getting a more balanced diet, and it would... be a morale boost at the very least," she muttered, averting her eyes.
"I'd really like that. You don't mind trying some foods that might be considered a little... backwater by city folk?" His smile was rueful as he moved his gaze to their joined hands.
Claire beamed, and she wasn't sure what delighted her more – his response or the glow in his yes. "Ever since the tomatoes came in full force, I haven't gotten the chance to do much foraging. It's mostly whatever eggs my hens decide to lay and... tomatoes." She let out a combination of a sigh and an airy laugh. "I'm definitely happy to have some variety." Her heart gave a sudden jolt. "We could have breakfasts together!"
"I'm up pretty early with Cain, but I can come by when you want for a meal. I mean... if that works for you." His wide eyes focused on her.
"Breakfasts and dinners!" she interjected, bouncing in her seat from excitement. "And we can take turns prepping lunch boxes for each other!"
He continued to stare at her silently, his face blazing.
Maybe I'm getting more out of this than he is...
"I mean, if that wouldn't be too much troub-"
"We'd be looking after each other." Cliff's voice gained strength. "It's no trouble, Claire... it would be a good thing."
"Yeah!" Her delighted giggle rang throughout the tiny farmhouse. "I mean, that would make me really happy."
"I want that, too," she replied, her smile twitching with emotion. "Do we have a deal? I really think that if we combine our resources, we'll both be better off for it." She looked over at him, silently pleading for him to agree. She hadn't been so aware that they needed each other until right then.
He desperately needed her as well, and Claire's comment on his financial stability lingered in his mind. After all, since he was seventeen, his life had revolved around being able to provide for himself, and he was still struggling with that. Selling everything he found rather than eating more of it had left him drained and exhausted. He knew that proper meals would keep his hand steadier and he could catch fish more reliably. In the end, he'd be eating better and making more money for rent.
Cliff looked down at the floor for a few moments. He had spent several nights dreaming about them spending more time together and finding that they couldn't live without each other. Her sparkling eyes would light up at his arrival, and he would say hello with a soft kiss. Her farmhouse had always felt more at home to him than the inn... Perhaps they'd comfort each other throughout the trials they faced that day and delight in the fact that they had each other. He could already imagine her hair draped across his bare chest as he held her in the dark. Coming home to her would be...
Cliff gulped; surely he was getting too far ahead of himself.
"... Cliff?" Claire's voice was soft, but it had startled him so much that he jumped. She gave him an apologetic smile. "Ah, I-I'm sorry... I know I got a little overenthusiastic, but I didn't mean to pressure you. If you don't want to, I understand. You have so much to do, after all." Her eyebrows were furrowed despite her kind voice. Her throat tightened; she had really thought that this would be a good opportunity for the both of them.
"I would love to!" he sputtered. He shook the fantasies from his head as he focused on her. "Let's help each other."
He put a hand on her shoulder and he smiled when he saw the grin return to her face. He took her hand in his free one and ran his thumb along her knuckles, admiring the callouses that had been forming since spring. She noticed his gaze and shyly looked away, her insecurity over her less-than-dainty hands getting the better of her.
"You're a hard worker, Claire."
Her eyes returned to his and she was taken aback by the wide-eyed gaze he was giving her.
"And I'd be honored to share my catches with you. After all, everyone needs help sometimes."
She nodded. "Everyone does."
She slipped her hand out of his and stood up. A beseeching look caused him to rise from his seat as well, and he was delighted to see that they had already thrown their arms around each other.
After all, he wasn't alone anymore, and neither was she.
Author's Note: Author's Note: I was planning on Kai's birthday luau being a one-chapter ordeal… Whoops. Well, I hope you're all looking forward to a crazy party with lots of action and fun! See you at the next chapter, and thank you all for your support, as always!