Chapter 151

"Mom, I seriously don't know what I would do without you here right now. I've got Matt and Tess both out of commission from the demo derby. You and Terry have been incredible with the girls and everything this week. Thank you so much for watching the girls tonight. I'll go see if Charlotte and Tess are ready to go to Wilgul. Has Claire come back yet? Tess told me she went riding with a certain young Mr. Chelsea this afternoon and wasn't sure if it was a date or not."

"That's sweet. Blake seems like a nice young man. I was very impressed with how he stepped in and helped us get ready for the party yesterday. He didn't complain at all, he just worked hard until the job was done. I don't think Claire even knows that he did all of that," Meg responded.

'Well I hope she'll give me an update at some point, I had a heart to heart with her about the same young man only a few days ago, although so much has happened this week, it seems like months have passed instead of days," admitted Jodi.

"Hey. I'm ready for my first important family meeting. Am I dressed okay? I don't know what someone wears to a Farmers Council meeting." Charlotte asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"Charlotte, it's mostly middle aged men in flannel shirts. You look fine. Let's go. We probably need to stop and help Tess anyway. She's still pretty sore," Jodi said as she walked out the door. She spotted Claire returning from her ride and headed towards the stable. "Hey Claire, I'm glad you're back. Your mom and I have to go to a family meeting and then the Farmers Council meeting, so we won't be home for a while."

"I was just going to check in with her after I took care of Parker," said Claire.

"Leave Parker tied for now, you can take care of her after, because we are stealing your mom right now, and I'm sure she would like to see you and hear how your ride with Blake went," said Jodi.

"Hi Mom, I'm back. Charlotte and Jodi are waiting for you outside. How are you feeling?" asked Claire as she walked ito the cottage.

"Better than I was. I'm still pretty sore, but I'm getting better. My back feels a lot better, but I still can't really move my neck all the way. Would you mind throwing my hair into a bun for me? Claire, was it a date?" asked Tess.

"Yes, I'll do your hair. And yes, it was a date." Claire smiled while she pulled her mother's hair into a messy bun.

"Was it a good date?" asked Tess

"Yes, but there were a few bumps," admitted Claire

"You were wearing a different shirt before. Where is it? Why did you take your shirt off?" Tess sounded a little concerned.

"It's right here." Claire pulled her flannel that was covered in blood out of her bag and showed it to her mother. "It's ruined."

"Who's blood is that? Are you okay?"

"Mom, I'm fine. I told you there were a few bumps. I accidentally hit Blake in the nose, and it bled. He didn't have a handkerchief, so I used my shirt to mop up the blood. I knew I had another shirt underneath," said Claire.

"How did you accidentally hit Blake in the nose? Was he fresh with you?" asked Tess.

"No, he wasn't fresh, We were sitting next to each other holding hands and I went to reach across him to take a biscuit, but he turned his head at the same time and my forehead crashed into his nose. It was really embarrassing for Blake, and for me too," admitted Claire.

"Holding hands? So the date did go well then?" said Tess as she pushed for more information.

"Well yeah, other than the bloody nose part." said Claire.

"And you didn't do anything you weren't ready to do? Blake didn't pressure you at all?" Tess played the role of the nervous mother efficiently.

"No Mom. Blake was actually very sweet, he made sure I was comfortable the whole time. He even brought snacks and water in case I was hungry or thirsty. I like him," admitted Claire.

"Okay, is there anything else about the date you want to share with me?"asked Tess, hoping for more details.

"No. Mom."

"Okay, every woman is entitled to her secrets. I'll be home later. I love you!" Tess carefully walked to the door to meet Charlotte and Jodi.

"Sorry girls, I was trying to get info on the big outing with Blake." apologized Tess as she got into the car.

"Spill it! I feel I had a direct hand in this one as I helped her out when she was feeling down about Blake before." Jodi demanded.

"Is Blake the bloke she was sitting with all night at the party?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes. He's Bobby, the Killarney fieldhand's son. He's a good kid as far as we know, and Claire had a bit of a crush on him." added Jodi. "Okay, so what happened?"

"Well, my baby went on her first real date today." Tess shared proudly. "She wouldn't tell me much except that at one point, they held hands, and that Claire seems to have accidentally headbutted Blake in the nose, causing him to get a nose bleed. She ruined one of her favorite shirts by mopping up his blood. She said she really liked him and that he is sweet. She said it was a good date other than the bloody nose and that he brought snacks and water in case she was hungry or thirsty."

"Hmm, Forehead to nose collision? That honestly sounds like a kiss gone wrong. Maybe Claire had her first kiss today," wondered Jodi.

"If she did, she's keeping it to herself, and that's allowed. She said she didn't do anything that she felt uncomfortable with and that Blake wasn't fresh or pushy. She seemed happy," said Tess.

"That's our girl. She is growing up so quickly. I remember when you moved back. She was only like five or so, and now she is going on dates." Jodi remembered nostalgically.

"That's nice for Claire to have her first real date. Is it alright if I check in with her when we get back. I only had my first kiss a few years ago. I'm much closer to her in age than either of you. I talked about my first kiss with my older sister, Natalie. She might be looking more for a friend to gossip with rather than a Mom or even a cool Aunt." Charlotte asked "I like Claire and I would like to get to know her better."

"I reckon you're probably right." Tess admitted.