"Miss Dumont." Anna opened the door with a suspiciously raised eyebrow. Her well-manicured nails curled around the edge of the door and Claire half wondered if she was going to slam it in her face.

She got the idea that she was supposed to curtsy or something; Manna and Sasha didn't have this intimidating effect on her at all. Claire figured a polite bow of the head would suffice. "H-hello, Mrs. Brown. Mary invited me over."

She said nothing in reply to this, but she stepped out of the doorway and gestured for her to come inside. "Must be a busy time of year for you. I saw all your tomatoes when Basil took us out for our weekly hike."

She was reminded once more of her overzealous venture and bit back a frown. "Yes, ma'am." She kept her voice low as she shyly followed the woman into the house.

"I hear you've been having that cute unemployed boy over quite a bit. You might want to be a little more cautious about appearances, young lady. Having a man leave your house that early in the morning is only going to raise a few eyebrows in a town like this.

Restraining herself from wringing her hands, Claire's eyebrows vanished under her bangs as she swiftly looked down at the floor. "W-well, we're helping each other out. I'm sharing my produce with him, and he's sharing his catches. We're having meals together."

"Having trouble making ends meet? It must be such a rough time," Anna tutted, but there was a condescending note that made Claire extremely uncomfortable. "Perhaps next summer you'll do better, and so will he." An amused smile spread across Anna's lips and Claire noticed that they were the same distinctive shade of maroon she had seen on Karen after a few drinks. "For now, you might want to be a little more concerned about giving too much away, if you know what I mean. You don't want to be throwing away your crops to everyone, or people will start to expect it. Moreover, if you have men coming and leaving your house at all hours of the day, people might get the… wrong idea." Her eyebrows rose into a severe expression.

Claire felt the blood leave her face.

"Mother!" The normally hushed and pleasant voice of Mary echoed down the stairs and she ran so fast it almost sounded like she had tumbled down them. "Ah, Claire is here!" She sounded rather strained, and in a flurry of movements, she grabbed a couple of cloth napkins, a pair of teaspoons, and Claire's wrist, all while managing to avoid eye contact with her mother.

Dumbfounded, Claire followed as Mary led her upstairs and pulled the door shut with a deep sigh. Muttering to herself, she put the napkins and spoons on a small table covered with saucers, tea cups, and a china teapot, all adorned with beautiful flowers. Blowing her bangs out of her face, she gestured for Claire to take a seat. Seeing her so flustered was definitely a new experience – Claire had always assumed that she had a permanent air of grace about her.

"I am so sorry about my mother. She's usually not so rude, or blunt, or, uh…" Mary apologized, her cheeks turning red. She quickly gestured toward the teapot that had been waiting. "Anyway, are you ready for some tea?"

"Sounds great."

Anything in a room away from Anna sounds great.

"This is the blend that I was telling you about. Relax tea. It's made from local herbs."

Claire caught a waft of the tea. Slightly floral and very earthy, she felt herself calming down. "It smells wonderful. I'd love some."

Mary poured the tea into a pair of stylish china cups, and a weak smile played at her lips despite the worry lines on her forehead. "The whole family goes out to Mother's Hill once a week and we always are gathering herbs to make some more. I think it's safe to say that it's my addiction." She carefully placed the teapot back on the table and let out a soft laugh. A slight frown was still heard in her voice.

Claire gave her a concerned look in response. "Something's still bothering you."

Mary handed her a cup adorned with soft peach peonies and took a small sip out of her own. Claire admired the cheery yellow roses on it. A nervous smile played at Mary's lips; Claire was becoming more open with her, which was something she had yearned for. "Today's been kind of difficult," she finally replied. "We – Mother and I – well… we got into a bit of an argument today." She leaned forward to add a bit of honey to her tea and stirred it thoughtfully. "Not that it's really anything too out of the ordinary," she added with a sigh.

Claire watched her curiously as she touched the hot liquid to her mouth. Deciding to wait a moment for it to cool, she set the cup back down on its ornate saucer. "I'm surprised you and your mum don't always get along," she admitted. Remembering Anna's slightly rowdy behavior at Kai's birthday party, she realized that the mother and daughter had their differences.

"I think it's just part of having parents," Mary confessed honestly, giving her brew a quick taste. She added a bit more honey for good measure. "I know she means well, but we just don't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things."

Claire thought of the letter she needed to write to her parents and nodded.

"I hope she didn't say anything too bad to you before I came down…" Mary's frown grew and her cheeks flushed. "She can be a bit… blunt and rude when she's, ah, partaken."

Claire felt herself blushing as well and she felt a little less dirty from Anna's insinuations about what she spent time doing with Cliff. "I couldn't help but feel that she was a bit…" She searched for the word and frowned when she was unable to think of it.

"Hostile?" Mary's voice was low as she took a sip of her tea.

The stern look Anna was giving the pair last night at the festival was not easily forgotten. Claire managed a slight nod. "D-do… I have something to do with your argument?" She surprised herself at her own directness, but at the worried look on Mary's face, she found it hard not to be bold.

"Please don't take it personally…" Her dark eyes shone pleadingly at Claire and took her by surprise. "Mom just… well… she thinks I'm rather naïve. You wouldn't think that I'm turning twenty-eight at the end of the year with the way she goes on treating me like a little girl…"

"You're twenty-seven?" She didn't mean to sound so impolite in her shock. While Mary certainly seemed very mature, Claire always assumed they were the same age.

"You sound surprised." Mary took a sip of her tea and smiled. "I suppose I should take that as a compliment? Well, that's what Mom says, anyways. Always let people think you're younger than you really are." She uncharacteristically rolled her eyes. "I'm not the oldest of our age group, though. Elli's twenty-nine and Trent is thirty-three. Same age as Harris."

Despite the small population of Mineral Town, there seemed to be a wide variety of age ranges. "Well, I don't see why your mum would feel the need to treat you like a kid, honestly. You run a library all by yourself and you're managing a big novel project."

Mary set down her cup with a light clink. "You make my writings sound more impressive than they really are, and the library isn't ever very busy." She paused, realizing that Claire was likely awaiting a reason why she and Anna had been arguing. Mary had brought the subject up herself in hopes to talk about it and air out a few of her own worries. "Mom and I don't agree on a lot of things," she began. She twiddled her thumbs, trying to think of how to word the next bit delicately. "Mom thinks… well, that is, she believes that… it's important to protect those you l-love… And while I don't disagree with that, well, I think she goes about it all wrong."

Claire frowned; Mary was talking in a very roundabout way and she wasn't quite sure what she was getting at. "You mean she's trying to protect you… from me?"

If Mary's face had been flushed before, it had turned violet with embarrassment now. She hadn't expected Claire to read into what she had said that particular way, but at the same time, it made perfect sense. She bit her lip and her eyebrows shot up beneath her bangs. "Y-yes and no…? Ah, I'm sorry. I'm doing such a terrible job of choosing the right words…"

A discussion from downstairs caught Mary's attention. She could hear Sasha's voice carrying on.

"… a nice girl really, Anna. I don't think you should be so worried… Karen's rather fond of her and she doesn't strike me as the predatory type…"

A wave of anger overcame her as Mary's dark brown eyes scanned the table and she stood up abruptly. She managed to hold a neutral expression. "Ah, I can't believe I forgot the scones! I'll be right back with them, okay?"

A worried frown crossed Claire's lips. "Alright. Do you need any help?" She rose from her seat.

She got a shake of the head in response. "I already have them plated; I just forgot them in the kitchen. I'll be right back… And I'll explain what I meant regarding my mom when I get back."

The concern faded a bit from the blonde's face, but she couldn't help but feel a bit worried. "Alright. I think I'll try some honey in this tea." She drizzled a bit of it into her cup and the fresh waft of the tea made her relax a bit.

Mary gave her a nod and headed down the stairs, closing the door behind her.

"She's a grown woman, Dear," Basil was saying, not looking up from his books, his pen still in motion.

"Like you know anything about women," his wife spat in response with a bitter laugh. Sasha snorted and stifled a giggle, nudging her friend in the side.

He rolled his eyes and continued to write; he had given up the fight long ago, especially when Anna had others backing her up. "Like I'd know… I've only been living with one for almost thirty years," he mumbled inaudibly.

Although the creaking of the stairs heralded her daughter's presence, Anna continued. "Looks can be deceiving, you know. She still stops by that inn more than is proper. Why, my sources even tell me-"

Choking down her anger, Mary quietly stepped into the kitchen, wordlessly snatching up her plate of scones in hopes that her mere presence would stop their gossiping.

"Sasha, did you know that Ann's birthday party ended up being a co-ed sleepover? Want to make a bet someone was sharing a bed? I wonder if all of them slept in one room…" Anna shook her head.

Sasha said nothing, but took a large swig of her wine.

Mary felt herself clenching her jaw. There had been times where she had halfheartedly agreed with Anna's gossiping and implications; it had made her feel better in the past when she felt threatened by Claire's presence and it was a bit of a guilty pleasure. But Mary couldn't bear to hear that kind of talk from her mother, as well-meaning as it was disguised to sound. Not today. No, not just today; not anymore. She hated how ugly it made her feel.

Just do it. Say something, anything. You don't want to be a part of this anymore.

Her voice came out a little squeaky, but she was grateful no one seemed to notice. "Huh… that's funny," Mary commented, pausing at the foot of the stairs, her mouth set in a pout.

The women immediately stopped talking. "What's funny?"

The young woman shuffled the plate in her hands and willed herself to stop trembling. If she didn't say anything, how could she ever expect things to change? Mary had given the very same advice to Gray countless times, and she thought now might just be the perfect time to try it out on herself. "This house has curious acoustics. Why, with the plush furniture and curtains, you wouldn't think that voices would carry all the way up the stairs."

"Oh-hoh!" Basil's brown eyes grew wide as he grinned and clapped his hands over his mouth. He got a dirty look from his wife, but Sasha roared with laughter.

"Sorry, sweetie, we'll keep it down." Her mother's friend gave her a knowing wink.

Mary was unable to keep a smirk from playing at the corner of her lips at the defeated look on her mother's face. "Much obliged." She snapped her head forward and walked back up the stairs. She let out a silent sigh of relief as she heard Sasha change the subject.

"Have you tried that new batch of tepache that Manna's been going on about, Anna? She claims it's better than pineapple upside-down cake…"

Mary pushed open the door to see Claire leaned forward, her hair shrouding her face. The loose curls had almost completely vanished through the humidity of the day. "Your mum doesn't care for me too much. I guess I don't blame her." Claire's voice was scarcely above a whisper. She felt her throat tighten as Mary closed the door behind her. The words she had heard downstairs brought up a lot of thoughts and feelings she had repressed for a while. It seemed people did notice she was calling on a room full of men in the evenings and not everyone was pleased about it, despite the fact that her reasons were harmless. She must have looked so desperate and depraved in a town full of very conservative people. "I… I didn't really give much thought to how others saw me in certain ways. It's really strange, because I wanted so badly to fit in…" A lump formed in her throat and she couldn't help but feel sorry for herself. She finally looked up at Mary with shiny eyes; she didn't have to protect Claire the way she had a moment ago in front of her parents and their guest. "Why do you even give me the time of day?"

The young woman shook her head, setting down the plate of scones and seizing Claire's hands in hers. "Claire… please don't think of it that way."

Claire frowned. Mary spoke of honoring honesty, yet she was trying too hard to cushion the blow. "Your mum thinks I'm a-a… slut, doesn't she?"

She shook her head once more. It was time for her to be bluntly honest. "Let me tell you a story. I've only dated one other person before. Harris and I were dating for four, maybe five months. I… I really liked him, but his heart just wasn't there. He never really said it, but I think he was still in love with his old girlfriend. She ran away from home several years ago and I think he lost a bit of himself that day."

Claire remembered the hollow smile Manna had forced on her face when mentioning her daughter. "Duke and Manna's girl…"

Mary nodded. "They had been together when I was starting to become more interested in romance and became curious about writing love stories. I… knew where they hid in the vineyard to be alone. They had their problems, but I could see the strength they drew from each other. I guess in the end, the family conflicts were too much for her." She had a wistful look on her face and she couldn't help but feel a little sad. "I wanted him to look at me the way he did at Aja, but he never did."

Claire had felt similar emotions herself with Gray, but she hesitated from sharing this aloud. Her mind drifted toward memories of Harris and Ann at the festival the night before, laughing together. She swallowed her tea. "Was he always sad?"

"No… he… he was a wonderful actor. He didn't want me to know he was still hurting. We'd joke and tell stories and I didn't realize anything was wrong. The thing that made it worse was how nice he was about it when he broke up with me, telling me that I deserved someone better. To be honest, I was… well, devastated. He was charming, kind, funny, polite and well-liked by everyone in the community. I didn't know what I had done wrong. It wasn't until probably a year later that I realized he was honest about simply not being able to let go; it wasn't me that was the issue."

Claire gave a slight nod. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Mary shook her head. "It's fine. It looks like he's trying for a new start with someone else and I honestly wish them the best. I hope he can find happiness again."

Widening her eyes, Claire found herself nodding once more. She felt a little silly for not realizing Mary would have been astute enough to pick up on the cues between the two.

"After he dumped me, I naturally sought comfort in Mom. I can't tell you how many nights she held me and listened to me cry." A slight smile played at her lips as she let out a weak laugh. "Poor woman, consoling a twenty-two-year-old nightly for longer than the relationship had lasted. I wasn't interested in love for a long while after that. Mom… expressed concern the way mothers do." She paused and looked at Claire with sincere eyes. "While she wanted me to find someone, she didn't want me to go through that pain again. Mom never pressured me, even when I was painfully slow on developing my relationship with Gray. I think she might always see me as that crying, heartbroken girl. And now that I'm happy, I think she's afraid that I don't have a strong enough backbone to hang onto Gray."

"Because of me," Claire muttered, letting out a sigh. "She thinks I'm a threat, doesn't she?"

A sad smile spread across Mary's mouth and she leaned closer to her friend. "If she does, I think she's scared because you and Gray have so much in common," she explained, giving her hands a squeeze.

Claire let out a bitter laugh. "That couldn't be further from the truth. I couldn't start a meaningful conversation with him after trying for months." She paused, feeling that strange sense of detachment she noticed the night before. "I'm okay with that now. I… I don't know how to explain it, but it's… alright. Gray just wasn't into me like he is with you. I'm not going to try to fight that anymore. I… saw how happy you two were last night… during the fireworks…" Stating that she had been watching them made her a little embarrassed and she was afraid to look up at her.

When their eyes did meet, Claire was shocked to see Mary's calm expression. There was a hint of pinkness in her face but she didn't look flustered at all. "We… are very happy, despite our ups and downs."

"I'm glad. Your mum doesn't need to worry about me trying to steal him away from you. You… know that, right?" She shyly looked back up at her, sitting up straight and taking her hands back. "I realized he's not what I've been looking for," Claire admitted. A hint of rosemary wafted from their tea into her nostrils. Thoughts of the young man with the long brown hair filled her mind and she fought back her blush, twirling a blonde strand in her fingers.

Mary watched her curiously with a nod. "What are you looking for?" she couldn't help but ask.

Claire was shocked at her friend's boldness, but she also found it refreshing. "And I'm not sure, but… I…" She paused, her cheeks flushing uncontrollably. "I-I'm, uh… ah, I'm exploring some new feelings with someone else."

She was grateful that Mary didn't pry further, and she wondered if she knew who Claire was referring to. A warm smile covered Mary's lips as she took a drink of the tea. "Well, I wish you both well, from the bottom of my heart. I know that I said you looked pretty back at the Midsummer's Dance, but you looked absolutely stunning last night. Please, have a scone. Carter's recipe."

"Thank you!" Grateful for the compliment, and eager to try one of the priest's recipes, Claire helped herself to a scone and bit into it with a happy sigh. It tasted like something her mother would bring home from the fancy bakery down the street on occasion, but it wasn't as large.

"I decided to change it up a bit at the last minute. I used dried cranberries instead of raisins and threw in a bit of lemon zest. I was thinking of the lemon curd crepe from last night."

"They are wonderful. Hey, you looked really nice, too. At the festival, I mean," Claire was eager to say before the subject changed too much. "That yukata was so pretty."

"Thanks. It was Mom's, but enough about her. I am still shocked at how Saibara and Cliff hijacked the bon dancing!" She let out a soft giggle as she helped herself to a scone and bit into it with a grin. "Those two are an interesting duo, and I can tell Saibara's been itching to cut loose like that for a while now."

"Yeah, they both looked really happy. I haven't done the bon since I was a girl, and I'm surprised I kind of remembered how to do it! It was so much fun!" She bounced a bit in her seat in her excitement. "The music, and the beat, and everyone just having a good time… Cliff sure looked amazing…" Her voice trailed off as she bit thoughtfully into her scone, a dreamy look spreading across her entire face.

Mary gave her a knowing smile. "You both did."

Claire dismissed this with a giggle and wave of a hand, but her cheery expression only grew as she continued to ramble on about the magical evening before.

Karen's green eyes lit up as the tinkling of a bell signaled Claire's entrance into the grocery store. The brunette clumsily shoved the remaining bags of rice on the shelves and twirled with a giggle.

"Let us come and play with the stars~" Karen's sweet alto rang throughout the store.

There was no one else in the room except for a cheerful Jeff who was sweeping to the rhythm of his daughter's song. Claire, still on her high from gushing about the festival with Mary, surprised herself when she sang the next line."And celebrate all that we are~"

The three of them sang in unison. "Al-right! And when the fireworks burst/ We'll all forget our worst/ And our troubles that are near will be far~ (To-night!)" They finished amid giggles.

"Well, listen to you! You're not half bad, y'know!" Karen laughed, catching her friend in a big hug.

"Maybe you could do a duet at the Music Festival this year," Jeff chimed in, happily going back to work with his broom.

His perky personality and ease of movement was unusual; Karen's father often had a pale face and a hand gingerly resting on his stomach. It was a welcome change. "You look well."

He let out a happy laugh. "I'm feeling great!"

"I gave him a couple bottles of my stash of ginger beer to settle his stomach. Honestly, I think most of it is the fact that we had a day off. What do you think, Dad?"

Jeff considered this. "Well, I won't say that hurt things," he replied with a chuckle. "I would like to take some more time off, but you know how your mother feels about that."

He did put in a lot of hours, Claire realized. As she knew all too well, overworking added to stress, and a lot of his ailments seemed to revolve around his anxiety. She waited for Karen to volunteer to watch the shop in his stead, but she never did. Everyone has different relationships with their parents, she reminded herself. Perhaps Jeff was the only one who handled the money; it really wasn't her place to ask.

When Karen gave a shrug and a hum of agreement, Claire began to focus on filling her grocery basket with her usual staples. "Huh… Do you know if Cliff likes yogurt, Karen?"

Her friend shrugged. Karen was certain he would think anything Claire gave him to eat was amazing simply because of who was serving it. "That kid will eat pretty much anything you put in front of him. Buying some rations for the two of you?"

"Well, Cliff's providing fish and meat, but I don't have time to cook during the day. That, and I honestly think we both deserve more than overripe tomatoes."

Claire hesitated before she added a pack of premade rice balls to her basket; simple things that were easy to prepare and serve were nice, and he had never complained in the past, but she felt like Cliff deserved better. She shook her head and put the onigiri back; no, he deserved the best. She put a tub of yogurt into the basket along with a couple of peaches and bananas. A crusty loaf of bread Sasha had baked and a small jug of milk – did Cliff like french toast?

Karen wasn't blind to the careful choices her friend was making. Claire typically purchased the cheapest things she could afford; something must have happened the night before between her and Cliff, and she was painfully curious.

"Hey, Dad, can I lend Claire a couple of pans and the hotplate?"

Jeff's fingers danced over the cash register's keys. "Sure, just don't touch any of the copper-bottomed stuff. Your mother doesn't even lend those out to Manna or Anna."

"Alright." Karen hardly waited until Claire was finished paying to snatch her to the arm and pulled her back to the living quarters, tossing her bag of groceries in the refrigerator. "Alright, girl. Spill."

CLaire looked up at her friend with wide blue eyes. "Huh? Is something wrong?"

Karen hadn't realized how serious her tone of voice sounded. She playfully ruffled her hair. "No, silly, I just wanted to talk about last night."

"It was amazing, huh? I had no idea that the setup for the whole thing was going to be so elaborate! Ah, the decorations and the stalls! Did I tell you Cliff and I went turtle scooping? The baby turtles were soooo cute! Did you get a chance to see them?" she squealed, hopping up and down a bit in her excitement. "Or should I say, did you sea them?" she continued without missing a beat. "And then Cliff picked out a tanuki figure that had realllly big assets, but don't tell because it's a surprise gift for him! He says he sees them in the clouds, but I think he only says it to make me laugh. Oh, and the guy running the turtle stall was a childhood friend of Gray's. Who knew, right? And Stu ended up eating Ann's missing cotton candy and you could see the dirt on his face from it; it was totally disgusting!" Claire burst into giggles but continued, not giving much thought to the fact that half of these things wouldn't make sense to Karen without further explanation. "And Cliff is sooo sweet with the kids – I wish I could've made my little brothers respect me like that! And I ate this super yummy red bean paste crepe. Did you see the crepe stall? It was amazing! And the fireworks? Ahhhh…" Her face melted into a satisfied smile as she stared up at the ceiling with starry eyes.

Karen laughed and gave her a squeeze. "I take it you had fun? You're so cute it hurts sometimes, you know that?"

Claire curiously looked over her own outfit; while she had originally dressed to catch Cliff's eye at the inn, she wasn't expecting Karen's strong reaction, and it likely wasn't the clothes she was referring to as cute. At the admission that she was trying to get his attention, Claire felt her face warm. "Ah, thank you…"

"I love seeing you happy like this! I don't know if I've ever seen you this excited. It's nice. There couldn't have been a better day to hold the festival, too."

The clear sky had been wonderful above the fireworks, and the temperatures were comfortable. "It was nice that it wasn't too hot."

Karen could still picture her two friends curled up together on the edge of the pier, blind and deaf to the rest of the world around them. The pure innocence and affection surrounding them was simply adorable. She couldn't resist a mischievous grin. "Good cuddling weather, huh?"

She was surprised to see a smirk on Claire's face. "You would be the one to judge, you flirt!" She let out a soft giggle at the memory of Karen sneaking off to have some time alone with her boyfriend.

"Well, I think you can agree one of the nicest feelings in the world is the warmth of a sweet, loving person's arms around you."

Claire found herself nodding in agreement before she could stop herself. In her own surprise, she burst into happy giggles and Karen joined along, forcing herself to stop from prying further, her fears and frustrations from her new emotions that morning a distant memory.

"W-we… we can agree Cliff is… sweet, right?" she asked shyly, averting her eyes as her face quickly turned to a rosy hue.

Karen bit back a smirk. "Sure."

A grin kept spreading across Claire's lips, but she continually bit it back. "I told him that he was," she continued boldly, playing with her fingers. "He seemed… really happy."

Karen watched her curiously. After her friend had voluntarily offered the information, she found it impossible to resist. "Claire… are you trying to tell me something?" She patiently waited for her to begin gushing about her new love.

She suddenly looked back up at Karen, her sapphire eyes wide and her brows furrowed a bit. "I-I don't know what I'm trying to say… or… I do, maybe…?" She wasn't quite sure how to express why she was so scared with all of these new changes.

Karen tilted her head and frowned.

"I'm just learning a lot about myself right now… about my feelings and emotions… Sorry, I didn't mean to get carried away." Claire gave her friend a cautious smile. "I thought I knew all there was to know about myself… I guess I'm full of surprises, huh?"

"Yeah, you're like a piñata filled with candy and toys!" Karen had been there herself many times, and she wasn't about to judge her best friend for taking time to be honest with herself. Her laughter died down and she pulled her into a warm embrace. "Hey… I don't think you need to feel like you got carried away. You're allowed to have fun and laugh. I love you, Claire." She kissed the top of her blonde head and held her close. "I'm always up to talk about anything, okay?"

"Thank you. I love you, too, Karen."

She was given one last squeeze and a giggle. "Alright, let's get you that hotplate and a couple of pans so that you can cook something tasty!" She reached into the cupboard and produced a couple of pots, clanking them loudly as she shuffled through the cabinet. "Oh, and I demand another cooking lesson! I want to cook something for my family sometime and have them actually want to try it."

"What do you want to try to cook?"

"Pizza!" Karen pumped her fist excitedly, dropping the pans into a canvas bag that always housed their hotplate, handing it over to her friend. She led the way to the door and opened it for her.

"Well, pizza is actually pretty easy. That seems like a good one to try," Claire commented as they made their way back onto the sales floor. "We can have a pizza party and My Dear Princess marathon!"

"Yes! Sounds awesome! And a slumber party!"

The two were giggling with delight when the sound of the bells on the shop's door sounded, signaling a new arrival.

"I'm back! Anna says hello." Sasha gave them a smile as she entered the room. "Hi, Claire. Ah, borrowing the hotplate, I see?" She recognized the bag as she stepped a bit closer, a breezy smile on her face. Anna had offhandedly told her that Claire was visiting with Mary after her daughter had brought a plate of scones upstairs, giving Anna a few words in that passive-aggressive manner she had learned from her. She was surprised to see Claire at her own place with Karen so soon.

"She's cooking meals with Cliff," Karen explained. "There's only so much you can do with tomatoes, corn, spa-boiled eggs, and grilled fish over a fire."

Sasha led them back into the shop with a kind smile and pulled a box of curry roux off of the shelf, along with a bag of rice, a few carrots, and a couple potatoes. Whether it was because she pitied her after the way Anna had talked about her earlier, or the fact that she was entertained by the juicy gossip, Sasha wasn't quite sure. Either way, Claire was someone's daughter and her heart felt touched. In addition, she wanted to believe that Anna had been worked up over nothing. "Curry is Cliff's thing, right? Free of charge."

"S-Sasha!" Jeff looked surprised. He was normally the one being scolded for giving away free merchandise.

His wife dismissed his concern with the wave of a hand. "Claire brings in plenty of money for us as it is. You know she'll be back soon enough to buy a load of seeds. Here you go, sweetie. You have any cayenne at home? Add a touch of that and it'll be irresistible."

Claire thanked her profusely and added the items to her bags.

Karen raised a curious eyebrow. Claire knowing their friend's favorite things was one thing, but her mother was another. "How did you remember what Cliff likes, Mom?"

Sasha gave a shrug. "You mentioned it at the Cooking Festival, right? Besides, it was my sister's favorite, too. She was the one who liked adding the extra spice."

"Thank you again, Mrs. Blanchette. I'm sure Cliff will appreciate it, too." She was never sure how to address her friend's mother. Claire had always referred to Jeff by his first name because all of his customers did. She wasn't quite sure why Sasha was a different case.

Anna was sorely mistaken, Sasha realized. She shook her head with a laugh; she had seen enough positive changes in her daughter through their interactions to be convinced Anna was just being insecure. "Sasha is fine, you silly girl."

"Alright. Well, thank you again. Y'all have a good night!" She waved to them with a cheery grin as she headed back outside, unaware of her best friend's stifled giggles.

Practically skipping across the cobblestones, Claire headed home, humming an upbeat melody from the night before. The glow that she had in her heart when she awoke that morning had returned, and she hurried back to Mystic Acres, a little surprised at how giddy she was at the thought of working the next day.

The final touches were planned for the Tomato Tube, but she realized quickly that her mind was drifting toward her company for breakfast. Now aware of the emotions that had been bouncing around in her heart, she couldn't tell if she was nervous or excited. She finally decided on the latter as a grin spread across her lips.

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, and following! I hope that you enjoyed!

We haven't seen much of Anna yet, and I hope I did her justice. I wanted her to come off as protective, but well-meaning. However, I also wanted her to be hostile if threatened. There are also a few hints about the nature of her relationship with Basil here, another character that I'm hoping will be making some more appearances in the future.

We also get a new last name in this chapter – the Blanchettes! I wanted a French surname as Jeff looks French to me, and Blanchette means "pale" which I think works for someone who is often sickly, poor guy. I also like the way the name sounds with everyone in the family. :)

Thanks again for reading! :D