Sunday, 14th of Summer

Alma woke up refreshed and ready to start the day. Her head felt the clearest it had been since she arrived. Last night was good for her: good wine, good talk, good sleep. She went outside and had another letter from Pam:

"Hey Kid,

My throat's about as dry as a desert bone. I'm real thirsty for a pale ale. You got one? Regular old beer won't do. I need a pale ale.

Pam"

Alma wondered why Pam was asking her for this. It was clear Pam had a drinking problem; maybe everyone else cut her off and she thought the new girl wouldn't know any better. But Alma was the wrong person to ask. She did not want to enable. "Sorry, Pam," she said as she crumpled up the letter and threw it in the trash.

Alma saw that not only blueberries and sunflowers were ready, which meant she had more to give to the community center, but more hops were ready too. Did they bloom every day? she wondered. If so, that was going to be a real money-maker! She went ahead and did her usual work, gathering what she could, taking care of the animals, and making her rounds. As she walked toward the west side of the farm, she could hear hammering and had almost forgotten that Robin was here today to work on the barn! She went to check it out. It was a much bigger structure than the coop, which Alma knew in theory but didn't really register until she stood there and saw it for herself. She dreamed of what livestock could be inside: maybe cows, goats, sheep …? She was excited to see! "Morning, Robin! I'm going into town; you need anything?"

"Be patient, I still have a lot of work to do."

"Yep, okay, just checking. I'll be back later! Don't work too hard!"

Alma went first to the community center. She dropped the sunflower off into Emily's bundle, then took a blueberry and put it in the summer crops bundle, completing that one. Inside the present was a quality sprinkler. "Ooh!" Alma gasped. She looked it over then put it in her bag.

When she approached Pierre's shop, Alma saw that Sam had posted a Help Wanted ad asking for quartz. She knew she had a few quartz at home, so she took the ad and put it in her pocket before she went inside. She saw Pierre with his face in a handheld fan. "Morning, Pierre!" she called.

He moaned. "Ugh … it's so hot in here."

She chuckled. "Better in here than out there." She put her bag up on the counter and took out her produce, and as they did their business, she asked, "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot!"

"Do hops bloom every day? I had my first harvest yesterday, and then some more bloomed just today!"

"They do indeed," he answered. "That's why they're one of the more expensive seeds; it only takes three days after harvest to start making profit. Good news for you, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so!" Just then, Abigail came out from the back of the store. "Morning, Abigail!"

She came up to Alma and sighed. "Do you ever get the urge to just go exploring, Alma?"

Alma took a quick look at Pierre, who was shaking his head with a little smile. "Well, sure I do!"

A big grin came to Abigail's face. "Okay," she said, putting her hands up, "pretend you just won a free vacation. Where would you go?"

"After going to see my family?" she laughed. She thought through her options. Maybe the beach? Well, she could visit the beach here. A dark cave? Pierre would kill her if she said that right in front of him. Plus, the caves could be pretty stressful. A forest? That sounded nice. With maybe a picnic and a good book? Or maybe she should joke and say something like the Joja MegaMall? But even thinking that made her cringe. "Probably an old, gnarled forest. I'd take a hammock, some wine, a good book, maybe some music … It'd be great."

"Yeah!" she said with excited nodding. "That sounds wonderful."

"Don't get any ideas though, Abby. The forest can be dangerous too. There are monsters and creatures there that don't want you on vacation."

"Ugh, Dad, you're so lame," she said as she walked away.

When she left, he said, "You see what I mean?"

"She'll be fine, Pierre," Alma said, putting her bag back on her back. "Thanks again for your help." He gave her a salute as she left. Alma headed back toward the farm to get some quartz for Sam, but as she passed the path that went up to the fountain, she did a quick look and saw that Harvey was there. For the first time, she felt total peace in going to talk to him. To know that he did care for her and that there was freedom to move things slowly made her feel so much more comfortable. It was a great feeling that she hadn't felt in … maybe ever.

As she came up the path, he smiled at her. "Hi," he said when she stopped in front of him.

"I brought something for you," she said, rummaging in her bag.

"That's a new backpack," he noticed.

"Yes, I bought it from Pierre yesterday. It's twice as big!" She had trouble getting her hands on what she needed. "Which apparently makes things harder to - Wait, no, here it is." She pulled out a handful of big, juicy, beautiful blueberries. "I had my first harvest this morning and saved some of the best for you."

He held out his hands, and she poured them into his palms. "That's such a nice gift. Thank you!" He plucked them one by one and put them into his mouth as he asked, "So what are you up to today? Taking something to the Junimo?"

"I already did, actually. The blueberries were the last crop in the summer crop bundle, and they gave me this in return," she said, pulling out the sprinkler.

"Oh! That should be helpful, right?"

"Definitely. And you know what?" She peered around the sprinkler. "I think I can actually make more of these. I'll have to try it when I get home. Oh! Also!" She put the sprinkler back in her bag. "I didn't tell you! Guess what Robin is building right now!"

He raised his eyebrows as he ate the last blueberry. "Wait – not a barn?!"

"A barn!"

"That was fast! Your summer crops must really be helping you out!"

"They are! Just today, I found out that hops bloom daily! That's a big deal."

"That is a big deal. I'm so happy for you! When will it be finished?"

"In a few days, I think. Oh, but that reminds me too: how is business going for you? I haven't asked you in a while."

His smile went down a bit, and he shrugged. "People don't get sick much during the summer. That's nice, of course; I-I'm glad everyone is healthy. But it also means less business for me."

Alma nodded. "Have you started advertising out yet, like you were thinking you might need to?"

"No, not yet. I think I can hold out until the fall. If things don't pick up by then, I'll make that leap."

"Well, don't stretch yourself too thin," she said, putting a hand on his arm. "You take care of everyone else. Remember to take care of yourself too."

He put his hand on top of hers. "I – I will, thank you. Your produce helps, of course."

She smiled. "I'm glad. And I haven't forgotten about that home cooked meal either. I'm still learning recipes!"

"It's fine," he laughed. "I know you're good for it."

"And," she said with a wagging finger, "I haven't forgotten about your dance either. You still owe me one."

"I do, yes, I remember." She saw that face from him again. That warm smile and those timid eyes. It made her melt, and she froze for a moment, unbelieving that now she knew that look was meant for her.

"Well, I should go," she finally said. "Sam has asked for some quartz, and I'm going to deliver it to him and maybe do some fishing on the beach. Trying to catch some tuna." She checked the time. "I may already be too late, actually."

"Then I won't keep you. Have a great day. And th-thank you again for the blueberries."

"You're welcome." She hoisted her bag on her back and went back down the stairs on the path to her farm. She looked inside her chest and got an extra quartz and her fishing rod, then she went south to cut between Marnie and Leah's houses to get to Sam's house. She knocked on the door, and there was no answer. She peeked her head in the door. "Hello? Anyone home?" Still no reply. She closed the door back and thought maybe she could go do some fishing first and try again later. But as she got to the beach, she saw Sam and Vincent there together, watching the waves. "Sam!" she called.

They both turned around. "Hey, farm girl! What's up?"

"I believe you were looking for something," she said, pulling her bag around.

"The quartz?" She pulled it out and tossed it to him. "Hey, thanks a million, Alma! I should've known you'd be the one to take this job."

"No problem." She looked down at Vincent digging in the sand. "What are you two doing out here? Just enjoying the beach?"

"Looking for hot air balloons and digging for snails!" Vincent answered.

"Oh yeah, Harvey mentioned hot air balloons show up around this time of year."

"Yeah, when you see hot air balloons drifting over the sea, you'll know that summer's in full swing," Sam answered.

"I wanna look for bugs, but Mom gets mad when I'm all dirty. It's a tough choice. But Sam lets me dig in the sand as long as we brush it all off before we go back home, so I don't have to worry about it!" Vincent tossed his hands up, and sand sprinkled on all three of them.

"Careful, Vince! Don't get it in your hair!"

"Sorry."

"Do you all mind if I join you while I do some fishing?" Alma asked.

"Sure, go ahead. We won't be here for too much longer though."

"Awww," Vincent whined.

"Well, thanks. I know some people like quiet when they fish, but I think it's always more fun when you have company." She cast out her line and listened for the plop in the water.

"What are you trying to catch?" Vincent asked.

"Anything would be fine, but I've got my hopes up for some tuna."

"Yuck!"

"Hey, you like Mom's tuna fish casserole, don't you?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that one," he said, digging in the dirt. Alma's line started pulling, and she tried to reel it in. But whatever it was, it got away. "Is fishing hard, Ms. Alma?"

"It can be," she answered. "I'm not very good at it, but I'm still learning. I've just got to keep practicing." There was another bite, and she worked to reel it in again. And this one worked! Out jumped a red mullet!

"Wow!" Vincent gasped, standing up to see. She held the line up for him to get a better look, and he laughed at how much it was jumping. "That's amazing!"

"All right, Vince, I think it's time for us to go, bud."

"Aw man! Can't we see Ms. Alma catch one more thing?"

"Nah, we've got to get you cleaned up and home in time for dinner. Say bye to Ms. Alma for now."

"Bye, Ms. Alma!" Vincent said with a wave.

"Bye, boys! Thanks for hanging out with me!" They all waved, and Sam and Vincent started making their way back to the bridge. Alma stayed out on the beach for hours trying to catch a tuna but never had any luck. All the fish she caught, though, she knew she could sell to make a bit more money. When it started getting late, she packed up her fish, headed home, and threw them in the shipping bin before going to bed.