Howdy y'all, ya girl is back again! I know nobody cares but my birthday was very nice vibes and I have new addictions by the name of Rune Factory 4 and Pokemon Legends Arceus. They are very fun and my poor Switch will not know peace. Anyway hope you lovelies enjoy! ~Shaymie

Chase

"Wasting all your high quality products on gifts isn't really a good business practice."

Chase looked down at the basket of fresh crops in Molly's hands. He should be used to her bringing things over in the early hours of the morning by now. Looks like this time she's brought a variety of things, oranges and honeydew and even a watermelon. There was a small bit of paper tucked into the corner. She shook her head and pushed the basket into his hands with a bright smile. Way too bright for it being eight in the morning.

"It's not a waste. You'll find a use for them." With her hands now free, she started twirling a bit of hair around her finger. It seemed to be a habit of hers. He noticed that her hair was always done up to perfection with the exception of the strands of hair she'd tug out of place. Completely different from Angela and her scruffy, barely pulled together hair. The two of them really were complete opposites. Was their brother something in-between or an exact copy of his twin?

He didn't think he'd be able to handle two Angelas. One was enough.

"Can I get your number?" Molly asked after a brief silence. Chase choked on air and blinked as she pulled a phone from the front pocket of her flower-embroidered overalls. She really had a knack for saying harmless things that could be misconstrued as flirting. First the cake comment, now this? She held the phone close to her chest like she was scared of dropping it and smiled. It was different from her usual smiles. Sadder. He wasn't sure what to make of it. And this basket was sorta heavy. How the hell did someone so small carry this so easily? "Angie bought me a new phone. I wasn't sure I wanted one but she said it's better safe than sorry."

"It's not like anything really happens around here," Chase noted, shifting the basket in his arms slightly. Molly let out a huff of air through her nostrils and nodded, hands on her hips.

"Exactly! Angie told me she wasn't going to baby me anymore and she means it this time, but she had already put the order in for the phone. So I guess I just... have a phone now."

"You don't sound that happy about it." Weren't city girls supposed to be obsessed with their phones? He was surprised she even moved here without one. Has she just been using Angela's the whole time? He knew they had a landline but they mostly used it to answer calls about the farm or to plan deliveries. Molly frowned, and Chase almost wanted to slap himself for focusing on her lips. It wasn't until she'd been admitted to the clinic and he spent hours with her in silence that he'd started really noticing her features, the soft roundness to her face and the pinkness of her lips.

And then he realized how creepy it was to stare at an unconscious girl and think about how pretty she was.

It had been bad enough at the festival. She'd been worrying about Chelsea and all he could think about was how good she looked in that two-piece. The frilly yellow outfit looked ridiculous on Maya but fit Molly perfectly. She didn't notice him staring but Ash definitely did and gave him a bunch of dirty looks. What was the deal between them anyway? He knew the two used to date but... What kind of guy gives a girl a massage in such a public area?

Why the hell did he care?

"It's a bit complicated." She tucked the phone back into her pocket and patted it, like she was making sure it was safe and secure. "I know it's good to have one so Angie doesn't have to worry, but... Well, never mind. I don't want to hold you up too long. I know you were busy."

"I wasn't that busy." It's not like he had anything to do this early in the morning. He's already eaten breakfast and cleaned up. He had been considering a nap since he didn't get much sleep last night. Despite telling Raeger that he didn't want to hear about it, his brother decided to call and update him on what their "mother" was doing. Chase couldn't care less about that woman. She was flighty and irresponsible and an idiot. She didn't know the first thing about being a mother and she went ahead and took in another kid?

Not just any kid, no, Chase's sister. Because not only was his adoptive mother still in contact with his birth parents, but apparently they decided to take a chance at having another kid and ended up unable to take care of her. Rather than have her jump from hotel to hotel with them, they asked Carmen to take in the teenager. Carmen Mathers, who couldn't even take care of her own son and relied on her father's goodwill until the very end. Yeah sure, fantastic idea.

Raeger told him to try and make nice with her, but how could he? She practically abandoned them. They rarely ever saw her. The few times they did, she only came by to ask to "borrow" some money that she never paid back. If Raeger hadn't lent her the money, she would have missed her father's funeral because she couldn't afford to travel. How could a woman her age be such a mess?

There's no point thinking about it now, though he'd have to deal with it eventually. Raeger invited Carmen and Maisie to Thanksgiving dinner, and Chase just knew the woman would show up. She never turned down free food. There's no way he can play nice with her, but Maisie... The kid hadn't done anything. He's actually texted her a few times and she's pretty cool. Hopefully Thanksgiving would be bearable with her around.

A quiet, curious hum from Molly brought him back to the present.

He didn't normally invite people in. He valued his privacy, and it was hard to get in such a small town where everyone knew everybody else. But Molly's already been in his house and unlike everyone else, she wasn't nosy. She's curious, but she doesn't pester him with irritating questions or try to get in his head. She didn't try to force him to open up like her sister did. She minded her own business, and in this town, that was a luxury.

So instead of asking her to leave after giving her his number, he asked if she'd like to stay for a cup of tea. She responded with a smile that, just like the one she'd given on her birthday, made his heart skip a beat for some reason.

"Have you eaten today?" he found himself asking as she looked around the house. Her honey eyes settled on him as she nodded excitedly. He turned away and busied himself with putting the fruit away. It really was a waste giving these to him instead of selling them, but he knew that she would refuse to take them back. She was definitely too stubborn for her own good. Too naive and nice, too.

"It was Angie's turn to cook breakfast today and this time she didn't overcook anything!" She probably meant it as a compliment but it definitely sounded like she was insulting her sister's cooking. It didn't surprise him in the slightest that Angela wasn't a great cook. She just didn't seem the type. Molly suddenly gasped. Chase looked over at her curiously and saw that her eyes were practically sparkling. "Oh, I didn't even tell you yet! Kasey's moving here a week early! He said he wanted to have some time to get to know the town before he has to start working."

He's never seen her this excited. She told him before that she was really close to her brother. Probably, she'd admitted sheepishly, closer to him than she was Angela. That came as a surprise. Chase thought it was the other way around, that she was closer to her sister than her brother. It would make sense. They were both girls, and she uprooted her whole life to move here with Angela. Whose decision was it to move here in the first place? It seemed like such a wild jump going from the city to tiny Castanet.

"He told me he wanted to move here with us but he didn't want to be so far away from his kids. And if he had told us about them from the start then we would have understood. Looking back on it, he was obviously really stressed out about it. I mean, he drank a lot and he's not like Angie. Alcohol always hits him really hard and he ended up saying some mean things to her and she said them back."

Molly frowned and tugged at that stray bit of hair, to the point where it wasn't even curly anymore. Chase just prepared the kettle and listened. He had a feeling she wasn't expecting him to respond. At least he hoped she didn't expect a response because what the hell was he even supposed to say? Molly's face flushed as she looked at him and murmured that it "wasn't her business to tell" and asked him to please not tell Angela any of what she'd said.

Not like he really spoke to Angela that much when Molly wasn't involved.

She was messing around with her phone when he took a seat across from her. She looked up at him and gave him a small smile. Why was she always so happy to see him? Shouldn't she be spending time with her friends anyway? He knew that today was the last day the girls would be in town. Why bother spending time with him today? He's always going to be here. She saw him every day.

He knew what her answer would be if he asked. Because we're friends. And then she'd smile at him just like she is now and knowing his luck, it would be one of those special smiles that turned him dumb. One of those smiles that highlighted how pretty she was, showed off her dimples and made her eyes glimmer. He tried to think of anything else in those moments to distract himself. Even though he really shouldn't have to.

Because she's just Freckles.

Just quiet, shy, anxious, pretty Freckles.

Shit.

"Are you okay? You look a bit flushed. I can leave if you're not feeling well—"

"I'm fine, Freckles. Just... my AC broke again." It wasn't a lie. Phoebe ordered some parts to hopefully make the damned thing more reliable so it would stop breaking down so much. But using it as an excuse to cover up his stupid blush is just... ridiculous. Made him feel like a middle-schooler with a crush. Except this isn't a crush. Not by a long shot. It's just been too long since he's gotten laid and he's fawning over the newest pretty girl in town who's still single.

"Maybe you should open a window. Heatstroke is no joke and the clinic gets pretty boring. Oh, but I'd visit if you did end up in the clinic! Not that I want you to or anything, I just... wouldn't want you feeling lonely." Molly realized she was rambling and shut her mouth, cheeks flushing cutely.

Cutely? What the hell, Mathers?

The tea was a welcome excuse to get away before he spent too long staring at her face.

Of course today of all days, she'd be having an early lunch with her friends at the inn. She had changed out of her overalls and was wearing a lacy tank top and shorts. And for some stupid reason he couldn't stop staring. She typically wore dresses or skirts that at most went to her knees. But it was just clothes. Angela wore the same things, but her tank tops were tighter and her shorts were shorter. Chase didn't stare at her even though it felt like she would have loved the attention.

So why the hell couldn't he keep his eyes off of her sister?

For once he was thankful for Molly's obliviousness. She wouldn't tease him if she noticed how often he looked over at her, but being caught doing it would be mortifying. And he had a feeling it would make her feel self-conscious. She said she was getting used to the fact that she's been gaining weight. He didn't want to make her feel bad or, even worse, go right back to covering up. Not when it seems she's finally comfortable in her own skin.

But Molly being so oblivious could also be seen as a curse, like on her birthday when she didn't even notice that guy watching her like a creep. It would have been one thing if he just had a stupid crush on her. She looked like the type of girl guys would fall head-over-heels for. Actually, that was exactly what Chelsea had said at the festival. The guys (and girls) back in the city apparently threw themselves at Molly. It surprised him to learn that she's only dated two other people before.

It made sense why she wasn't all that perceptive to Henry's flirting. Then again, she'd also been a bit tipsy. A surprising level of tipsy that Chase didn't expect. He had a feeling she would be a lightweight but he didn't think two cocktails would have made her as spacey as they did. He was surprised she didn't have any bit of a hangover the next day. God, he has to stop thinking about her. But it's hard not to when she's right there, wearing that daisy hair clip she got for her birthday and smiling brighter than he's ever seen.

And then the Three Musketeers showed up.

Angela was laughing at Owen as they walked towards the counter. Luke had his arm around her shoulder and was lightly running a thumb over her forearm. He really couldn't go two seconds without touching her, couldn't he? They were that irritating kind of couple, the ones who were constantly all over each other and referred to each other solely by nicknames. Thankfully they didn't call each other anything dumb and just stuck to "babe."

"Angie!" Molly grinned when she noticed her sister. How was she always so excited about seeing people she saw every day? She lived with Angela but she's looking at her like she hasn't seen her for days. Chase wondered what it was like to be someone like her, someone who took joy in the littlest things. It didn't take much to make her happy. She wore the necklace he'd given her every day. Treated the damn thing like it was some kind of treasure when it was just something cheap he asked Mira to make last minute.

"I'm glad I got to see you guys before you left," Angela said as she walked over to them, stopping by Molly's chair to kiss her cheek. He looked away to focus on the vegetables he was meant to be chopping. Molly might not notice him looking over but Angela would and he knew she wouldn't shut up about it if she saw. She already gave him looks when Molly sat at the bar, parked right in front of him. She seemed to think there was something more going on between them.

They're just friends, nothing more.

He found himself listening in on their conversation. Molly and her friends were planning on taking a trip to Toucan Island for the day. They invited Angela along but she declined, saying that she had plans with Owen today. Apparently she had convinced him to take her into the mines. She wanted to get more material to expand their house and maybe, if she was lucky, get some gems to sell so she could afford it. She waved off Molly's concern with a hearty laugh and said that she was going to be fine and that Owen wouldn't let anything happen to her. The big lug might be an idiot, but he knew those mines like the back of his hand.

"I wish we could stay longer but Damon's throwing a fit back home because I'm apparently 'ruining his summer' by making him handle my half of the chores," Bridget sighed, taking a sip of her tea. She scoffed in offense when Angela reached over and stole some fries from her plate. "Hey! Why didn't you take Momo's?"

"Because you're not a little weirdo who puts honey on your fries."

"It's not weird!" Molly huffed in exasperation. She had already spent a good chunk of time earlier defending herself against Bridget's teasing. Even Maya, who'd eat practically anything, had given her an odd look when she asked for honey to pour over her fries. It was probably the first... unique thing Chase has ever seen Molly do. Maybe unique wasn't the right word. Angela said she didn't even know what food her sister liked anymore, and Molly normally just ate whatever he made her. She didn't have much of a preference for anything.

This was the first time she's ever ordered food for herself.

Why did it take him until now to realize? She's always paid for her food but she never ordered it herself. He just always started cooking for her when she showed up. It's become habit by now. If she was going to waste her nights coming to visit him, then the least he could do is make sure she eats. For some reason Angela felt the need to thank him for it, saying that she's sure he was the reason Molly's been steadily gaining weight.

She's really giving him way too much credit.

Chase,

I wanted to do something to thank you for being my friend. If it wasn't for you, I don't think I would have had the courage to stand up to Chelsea. I know you probably don't think you did anything but it meant a lot to me that you didn't try to tell me what to do. You just listened to me and supported me. I love Angie and everyone else but they can be overbearing most of the time. It's probably my fault for worrying them so much last year, but I'm doing so much better now. Even though I told you about everything, you didn't let it change your opinion of me or make you treat me any different.

I hope you like the fruit! Me and Angie worked really hard growing them and I made sure to pick out the best ones for you. And though she probably won't ever say it to your face, she's really glad you're my friend, too.

-Molly (Freckles)

Chase stared down at the scrap of paper that had been left in the woven basket Molly delivered the fruit in and chuckled, a fond smile on his face. Of course she'd think it necessary to thank him for being her friend. He took in all the details of the paper, her neat handwriting that looked so much like the writing in her mother's book of recipes and the tiny cat she drew in the corner. It was just so her.

He chose to ignore the warm feeling flooding his body as he looked at the note.

Damn AC needed to be fixed already.