Chapter Text
Sam: Hey babe, are you free tonight?
Summer set her phone down on her nightstand and rolled to face the wall, pulling the covers over her head. She laid there in resigned silence, unwilling to exist until a furry lump of housecat thunked down next to her.
The tabby ungracefully stepped directly onto her rib cage, eliciting a surprised grunt that was soon followed by a genuine giggle. Summer poked her head out from under the blankets and did her best to glare at the orange ball of fluff, but soon lost her grumpy expression to a grin as the purring picked up like a motor engine.
“Alright kitty, I'm awake.” She indulged the cat in a few head scratches, stretching slightly as she prepared to rise from bed.
Summer slowly stood, her eyes glancing over to her phone. She knew she should respond to Sam, but truthfully she didn't even want to think about it. She let her thoughts shift to the busy morning of farmwork she had ahead of her, throwing her auburn hair into a messy bun and ignoring the pang of guilt that sat in the back of her mind.
————
A year and a half earlier, Summer had quit her desk job at Joja Corporation and moved to Pelican Town. Her grandfather had left her his farm in his will, and though Summer had done her best to stick it out at her job (she was fairly successful for someone in her early 20’s and had quickly been making her way up the corporate ladder) she knew she craved something different. Her daydreams of childhood summers on her grandfather’s farm began to take up more and more of her time, and with each passing day she felt more and more out of place at the office. She resigned from her Joja Corp position at the end of winter, leaving herself just enough time to move to the valley before the new spring… but not enough time to rethink the decision.
When the first spring arrived, she became Pelican Town’s newest resident. The townspeople welcomed her openly, and she spent her first season trying to find her place in the small community. Well, that, and learning how to cultivate crops. And… learning how to run a farm in general.
One Wednesday morning, Summer found herself making her way back to her farm from Pierre’s with a basket of strawberries still in her hands. She cursed at herself for forgetting that the general store would be closed, but really, who took Wednesdays off anyway?
Passing through town, she spotted a girl with brassy orange hair, Pam’s daughter, sitting contentedly under a tree. The girl — what was her name? Peggy? No, Penny! That was it — was around her age. Summer toyed with the idea of stopping to say hi. She hadn’t made many friends yet, and Penny seemed sweet. As she approached, she noticed that the girl had a book in her hands, and was completely absorbed in whatever she was reading. Summer decided she wouldn’t interrupt her, until she caught sight of the book’s spine —
She let out a small gasp, slightly startling Penny.
“Is that Pride and Prejudice?”
Penny blushed furiously, ducking her head. “Y... yes.”
“Is this your first time reading it?”
Penny looked up slightly, her bright green eyes meeting Summer’s face with a curiosity tinged with timidness. “Yes, it is. I’ve never read it before.”
Summer grinned widely. “I won’t spoil it for you, but isn’t Mr. Darcy kind of a dream?”
Penny looked taken aback, but Summer continued anyway. “I know he takes some warming up to, but come on — you can’t tell me you wouldn’t love to be courted by someone like him!” She curtsied in Penny’s direction with mock-grace.
Penny blinked for a moment, then broke down in a fit of giggles. “You’re right. I can’t say I wouldn’t.”
Summer laughed with her, taking a seat on the grass by her side. “Well, you have to be the first to let me know if anyone in Pelican Town matches his description.” She extended her basket to Penny. “Strawberry?”
————
Summer wiped the sweat from her brow and stared out at the field. Fall was starting soon, and there was no shortage of work to be done. She had spent most of the day harvesting radishes and red cabbage, and she still wanted to make sure that her sunflowers were in good enough shape to make it through the change of seasons. Then there was the matter of clearing any field debris…
She looked up at the sky, guessing it was far past lunchtime. While Summer did have the legitimate excuse of farmwork, she couldn’t help but feel bad about not replying to Sam’s text. She sighed heavily, trudging back towards her farmhouse.
Once inside, she busied herself with everything but checking her phone. Summer refilled the cat’s food and water dishes, got herself a drink, and washed her face. She was stalling, but she couldn’t help but try and justify her actions to herself. The chores were all important. Why not do them sooner rather than later?
When she finally ran out of tasks for herself, she reluctantly picked up her phone. There were several new messages from the last few hours.
Sam: I was wondering if you wanted to meet at the saloon tonight?
Sam: Seb and Abby will be there too
Summer checked the clock — it was nearly 4 PM. She chewed the inside of her cheek and typed out a response.
Summer: Sorry, I’ve been super busy all day! I don’t think I’ll be able to make it, I still have a ton to do. Fall is coming up quick, and all that.
That was fine, right? It wasn’t a lie. Of course, she hadn’t really wanted to go anyway... There was nothing wrong with spending an evening at the saloon, but the idea didn’t particularly excite her anymore. Like a lot of things in the valley, those nights never really changed. She liked Sebastian and Abigail, sure, but a night at home would make her happy enough. And Sam —
Sam: No worries, I know how it is. Love you :)
Summer sighed. And Sam...
She stared down at the screen, unsure of how to respond. The phone buzzed in her hands as another text came through.
Sam: As long as I see you at the beach this weekend for the moonlight jellies?
She allowed herself another deep breath. The Dance of the Moonlight Jellies was still two days away. She could worry about that later.
Summer typed out a quick reply, deleted it, and then typed her response again before she could think too much about it.
Summer: of course :)
————
Shortly after acquainting herself with Penny, the brassy-haired girl introduced her to Maru. While Summer had initially suspected this was because Penny was still a little bit uncomfortable being one-on-one, it didn’t take long for the three girls to become close friends.
Her first spring in the valley turned into her first summer, and on one otherwise uneventful evening, Summer headed to Maru’s house with Penny in tow and plans of stargazing. Maru had a killer telescope, and she promised the night would be crystal clear, perfect for getting an expert glimpse at the sky.
When they reached the mountain house, Summer knocked once and let herself in the front door. She had become readily familiar with barging into her friends home, and she smiled to herself at the realization of the comfortable feeling.
“I’m in the kitchen!” Maru called out.
Summer rounded the corner out of the living room, running almost directly into a tall blonde boy.
Summer yelped in surprise, and the boy stepped back, putting his hands in front of himself as if to steady her.
“Whoa,” he started. “I am so sorry.” Penny snorted, catching his attention for a split second before he turned his eyes back to Summer. “Hey Penny. No, but seriously, I am so, so sorry. I should pay more attention to where I’m going, I’m just so clumsy…” He trailed off, nervously rubbing the back of his head with one hand.
Summer blushed at his profuse apologies, and glanced down at the floor. “It’s okay, really. No big deal.”
Maru’s brother, Sebastian, stepped out from behind the blushing blonde and rolled his eyes. “Right, she said it was cool. Now let’s go you big puppy, we’re going to be late.”
Ah, he was Sebastian’s friend. That explained why he was here and who he was. Well, sort of.
The boy took a few steps to follow Sebastian out and muttered in agreement. “Right.” Without warning, he stopped and spun back around on his heels, almost bumping into Summer again. “I’m Sam, by the way.” He stuck out his hand awkwardly. “I live at 1 Willow Lane.”
Summer giggled and accepted his handshake. “Summer. I’m the new girl in town, but you probably already knew that.”
“Right. I knew that. Nothing really ever changes in Pelican Town, except for when you showed up, so, everybody knows you’re new. Including me. Even though we’ve never met before, but, like, it’s not weird or anything.”
Sebastian crossed his arms, quirking an eyebrow at his stuttering friend.
Sam caught Sebastian’s gaze, and looked downright mortified. “Right, well… I’ll see ya later then!” He gave her a thumbs up and immediately made a beeline for the door, keeping his eyes fixed ahead. Sebastian followed him out with a shrug.
When the door shut behind them, Penny and Maru broke down in a fit of giggles.
Maru smirked wickedly. “Well that was certainly something, now wasn’t it?”
Summer tried to play it off, but she could feel a light blush betraying her. “Don’t we have some stars we should be looking at?”
She could be a smartass, but Maru wasn't one to push. She lead the girls to the back of the house, immediately launching into a series of explanations about the constellations they would be searching for.
Penny tapped lightly on Summer’s shoulder, and whispered to her softly. “He’s certainly no Mr. Darcy, but Sam is a sweetheart.”
————
Summer spent the rest of the evening hard at work, clearing her fields of every last rock and branch until she no longer had the strength to lift her tools. She was completely exhausted, but being exhausted meant she no longer had the energy to think. Plus, she had made good headway in preparing for fall. In fact, there wasn’t much left to do on the farm before the new season arrived.
Her overtired brain began to panic. What would she do tomorrow then? If she didn’t have an excuse, then… she shook the thoughts from her head. No, there was always more work to do. She could take to the mines for more ore, that way she could build more sprinklers or create the tools she needed to start turning some of her crops into artisan goods.
Yeah, that sounded good. Like a good, full, productive day. If a trip to the mines was going to be in her future, she had to get to bed. The mines were far from being the safest place in the valley, and she’d need her energy tomorrow.
Without another thought, she changed into pajamas and threw herself into her bed. She’d certainly gotten good at shutting her brain up, if nothing else.