"You're getting good at this," Akari called out to Chase.
Too good.
She gazed out into her field of various fruits and vegetables. Each crop was vibrant, plump and near harvestable. When she first started farming, nothing would grow. Not even a sprout. Her seeds sat in the parched soil until they decayed in the ground. She owned the complete opposite of a green thumb. More like a death thumb. Everything withered under her care. But Chase...he was a natural gardener and a quick learner. She wondered if she should hire him permanently. He would rake in the money.
She felt a bit guilty for only paying him 200g, especially since his work exceeded her expectations. He certainly didn't mind piling on the guilt. But her own savings were near the double digits. She didn't know what she would do if she couldn't harvest her crops soon.
"Yeah, and all guys want to be good farmers," he replied. He looked over his shoulder at her with a smirk. His unpinned strawberry blond hair hung over his eyes. He was actually handsome without that sour look on his face all the time. Chase rarely smiled, but she had seen him smile more often than not these days. After what was said and done between them a few weeks ago, she still felt guarded around him. Sometimes he was in a good mood...other times she knew to leave him alone. Regardless, she wanted to get to know him. He was interesting.
"Why not? I don't get why guys have to act so macho. I mean, you cook for a living. Isn't that usually a woman's thing?"
He rolled his eyes. "No. Both men and women should know how to cook."
"I don't know how to cook."
"I know. I cooked your breakfast, lunch and dinner."
She laughed. She had to admit that half of her income went to buying food at the bar. Most of the villagers went to the inn for Yolanda whenever they wanted a quick meal, but Akari preferred Chase's cooking. Since he traveled often, she figured his dishes tasted like the different places he lived in.
"So you should teach me," she said. She was only half joking. Living off of wild berries and grilled fish gets tiring after a while.
He finished watering his last tomato stalk and stood up straighter. "I don't teach. I do."
"I would ask Yolanda, but I like your cooking better."
His eyes lit up. "Why's that?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. Yolanda's good obviously, but you're more versatile I guess."
A blush spread up his neck. He attempted to cover it with the high collar of his shirt. "Well, Yolonda's lived here her whole life, so she doesn't know many exotic dishes. But she's also been around longer than I have, hence her being the better cook.."
"I don't think she's better. You're both good in your own way."
He averted his eyes slowly, taking peculiar interest in a blade of grass. "So what's next?"
She placed a supple tomato leaf between her thumb and forefinger. "Honestly...these should be ready to harvest tomorrow."
He nodded. "Are you going to sell them all?"
"Duh. What else would I do with them?"
He held out his palms, as if his hands explained everything. "You said you wanted to learn how to cook. If you can produce some good quality stuff, then you could probably sell it for way more than just the crops themselves."
She paused and brought a finger up to tap her chin. "Hey, you're pretty smart."
He laughed. "I said if you can. I never said you actually could. I was hypothetically speaking."
She threw a punch at his shoulder, feeling a wave of affection for the guy she couldn't even stand a couple of weeks prior. "Are you going to the firefly festival tonight?" She asked him as they walked to the barn to put away her tools. Bella gave a lazy "moo" in greeting. Akari stood on her toes to place her sickle and watering can on the top shelf, only to have the sickle slide off the edge and almost give her another cut on her forehead. Chase caught the handle before it had a chance to topple down.
He shook his head while returning the sickle to its place on the shelf. . "You're just a klutz, aren't you? And no, I'm not."
Brushing off the insult, she replied, "I don't think I've ever seen you at a festival. Why not?"
He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I'm not interested in them."
Akari thought back to the first time Chase returned to the island. She had only lived in Castanet for two seasons before she met him. The bar was in shambles then, business wise. Hayden struggled to keep the business running without any entertainment or food. Most of the time they were closed for days at a time. When Mayor Hamilton announced the official opening of the bar, Akari was the first patron. She was never a big drinker, though a cocktail or two was warranted every once and awhile. That's when she saw him for the first time. His back was turned to her. He has nice hair, she thought.
"My name is Akari," she said to him.
"Chase," he replied. The curve of his lips seemed strained and practiced. He answered her questions with curt responses.
"Are you new here?"
"No."
"I've never seen you before."
"I left."
"Yeah? Where did you go?"
"Nowhere important."
Eventually Akari gave up on the conversation and ordered a well-seasoned, perfect marinated fish. The fish tender, juicy, and steaming hot. The dish was probably one of the best things she ever tasted. Totally worth 1700g.
She looked at the man standing next to her now. She wondered if he would always be an aloof person, and if not, what was the secret to letting his guard down?
"You should come with me and Kathy," she suggested.
He wrinkled his nose. "Won't your boyfriend be there?"
Akari's stomach lurched at the mention of Owen. "Probably. So?"
He shrugged. "Don't think he likes having me around."
She laughed. "Since when did you start caring about what people think?"
Chase blinked. "I don't. But it might be easier on you if you didn't have to deal with his jealousy."
Jealousy?
"He's not jealous. Why do you say that?"
He shrugged again, a dark look crossing over his face.
"Usually that's the case when a guy abuses a girl."
The insides of her stomach twisted into a knot. She could feel the anger bubbling over. "Owen is not abusive."
He rolled his eyes. "Okay. Stay blind if you want."
A couple of weeks had passed since the morning Owen first slapped her. He never did it again, but he seemed...agitated. His emotions were like a field of explosives; she needed to take account of every word she spoke just to successfully navigate through a conversation with the guy. Every day she lived in fear that he would hit her again. He certainly appeared aggravated enough to attempt to. But she still felt the need to defend him. After all, he stopped drinking. That was progress enough in itself. Maybe he was so irritable because he refused to drink.
Akari balled her fists. How did she ever come to feel affection for someone like him? Someone who spurted out everything little thing regardless of how anyone felt? She decided not to push the issue. She wasn't going to let him ruin her day. She reached into her pocket and pulled out 200g. Her hand stalled with hesitation before handing it to him...this little bit of money was the last of her savings. Hopefully tomorrow's harvest would replenish her account.
"Here. Come back tomorrow and be ready to harvest the crops." She slapped the money in his hand and walked away before he had the chance to respond. She lingered a little by the barn door until she was sure he was gone. Then she rang the bell for Scarlett and Bella to come outside to graze.
The sick feeling in Akari's stomach persisted. She reached up to touch her bandaged forehead. When was she going to get any answers? Why was she unconscious on the Flue Fields' bridge? And why did no one seem to know where she was the few hours before? She went to Mayor Hamilton with the suspicion that someone was out to harm her, but she should have known the flighty old man wouldn't take her seriously.
"Oh no, Akari. No one on this island would be capable of such a thing!" He cried.
When the mayor left, Gill appeared and promised to look into it, but Akari didn't know if he could be trusted either. However, Gill was definitely more meticulous than his father.
Maybe she was just crazy. That's how everyone made her feel. Especially Owen. He thought she needed to drop the whole thing and move on.
What if he had something to do with it?
She shook her head. The firefly festival was tonight. She needed to focus on looking cute and making plans with Kathy and Selena, the latter who was coming to visit for the weekend.
"Did you have anything to do with Akari's injuries?
"No."
"Where were you that night?"
Narrowed eyes and furrowed brows. Irritation. "I don't see why that matters."
A shrug from the interrogator. "It's a simple question."
"And I'm simply asking you to leave."
The door shut with a soft click. And the investigator was left with more answers than none.
Who do you think was involved in the exchange above? Kathy? Chase? Owen? Gill? Keep reading to find out!
