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“You really didn't have to go through all the trouble for this.” Claire's eyes were apologetic as Cliff opened the lid of the container of cookies between them.
He shook his head in response. “It wasn't any at all. Manna insisted I take some extras back with me... t-to share with you.” His voice lowered to a whisper and he wondered why his mouth had suddenly become so dry.
Still, he couldn't stop himself from smiling when she took a bite.
The oatmeal cookies weren't overly sweet and they avoided being crumbly. Claire grinned, swallowing the treat. She looked up and she saw him eagerly awaiting her critique. “They're really good. I like them with a bit of chew. Manna's been keeping you busy in that kitchen over there at the winery.”
“She got the recipe from Anna. A little birdie told her that I liked sweets, so she's been really enthusiastic about teaching me how to bake.”
A smirk played at her lips. “So... I guess you could say she heard it through the grapevine.”
He fought against the corners of his mouth attempting to twitch upward. “You must've been hard pressed to come up with a pun like that.”
“I thought it was pretty vine! Grape, even!” Her expression had turned mischievous.
Cliff couldn't fight his grin any further; he playfully bumped his shoulder against hers. “So... were you the one who told her?”
Claire shook her head with a giggle. “Must've been the Kiefu fairies.”
Surely it had nothing to do with Claire and Cliff's near-daily ritual of sharing a chocolate bar during his work break. They'd sit together, laugh, and go over the details of their day. It was something that she eagerly looked forward to. Her heart skipped at the memory of the way their breaks had been ending recently – both looking around timidly before feeding each other the last two squares of chocolate amid blushing cheeks and shy smiles.
The last bit was the sweetest, she decided. They'd wave goodbye to each other and head back to work, refreshed.
“I think it's great you're spending some time with Manna.” Claire looked down at the cookie adorned with fresh raisins, sun-dried right from their local vines. “She seems eager to share her passions.”
Cliff responded with a gentle nod. Despite Manna's kindness and enthusiasm, he couldn't help but feel like he was a placeholder for someone else she'd rather have around. “Sometimes, it becomes really apparent how much she misses Aja.”
There was a beat of silence, and Claire regretted having her mouth full of cookie. “That might be true, but I think you're good for her. Your presence puts her at ease.”
Cliff couldn't be grateful enough that his employers took him under their wing and invited him to events, ate meals with him, and spent time with him outside of work. Their relationship with each other was slowly beginning to feel familial, and he didn't realize how much he had missed something like that in his life.
“I'm glad you were able to come over tonight. Being around you makes me feel peaceful, too.”
Her heart fluttered; while there was a serenity to their shared time together, it also left her feeling a bit giddy.
“I could say the same thing about you. It's always been that way,” he confessed sincerely. His eyes moved around the room. Rustic wooden paneling, simple yet clean linens, a small table that he always had an invitation to by his favorite person. Her farm and home had always been extremely comfortable to him – even more than the room he rented out at the local inn. Perhaps it had something to do with the way she had made the previously vacant, nearly unlivable house her own, and it had become awash in her gentle, positive energy.
She leaned her chin on her hand, gazing up at him with admiration. “It certainly does feel good to relax after a hard day of work. A new set of seeds have been planted, and I cleared some more room for the pasture.”
“Those are going to be the most spoiled cows and sheep in the area, but they deserve it.”
“And alpaca.”
His eyes lit up. “Oh?”
Claire nodded emphatically. “I'm planning to pick her up next week – I've had my eye on her. The first thing I'm going to do is give her a big hug and nuzzle her.”
He couldn't help but imagine himself in the same position, cuddling a soft animal... or a kindhearted, beautiful woman...
That's one lucky alpaca...
It was a pleasant daydream, but he was quickly pulled from it as he noticed he was being watched. Claire looked at him curiously, her blue eyes wide. Her hair had been pulled into a pair of buns, and he admired the loose strands of blonde hair that framed her face.
Cliff became aware that he had been caught staring, and he immediately got paranoid he was voicing his thoughts aloud. In an attempt to explain himself, he stumbled over his words. “Y-Your hair...” He gestured toward his own head, the proper term eluding him. He felt as if steam was rolling out of his ears. “Y-You've got hair... balls.”
Claire blinked, her head cocking slightly in confusion. It didn't help that the young calico cat she owned caught Cliff's eyes as her pet walked over to their water dish. “Hairballs...?” She let out a delighted laugh as she understood. “Oh, you mean my buns!”
He gave an emphatic nod, using a nervous chuckle to relieve himself of the breath he didn't realize he was holding. “Yeah, sorry. I dunno why I can't talk,” he sputtered. “It's... different than the way I usually see it when you come to visit. Your hair, I mean.”
She touched one as her eyes moved down toward the surface of the table. “It can get in the way when I'm working, so I've been pulling it up like this.” She shyly averted her eyes as he took in her appearance.
Ruddy cheeks from a hard day's work, soft wisps of blonde hair that escaped her buns, a few runaway bits of hay clinging to her usual denim and flannel...
She had been busy every single day breathing life back into that overgrown farm. What had once been a vacant lot overtaken by weeds and loose branches now stood straight rows of growing sprouts. The earth was tilled, tidy, healthy. His mother had told him stories as a child about sprites and spirits that worked the land. They brought new life back to dying forests, decaying plants, and barren soil. The once-murky water ran clear. Karen had affectionately referred to their friend as “her little harvest sprite” on more than one occasion, and as the seasons passed, Cliff started to wonder if there was some truth to her words, if there really was some magic in those calloused hands.
Sometimes it felt like Claire could bring life to anything. The sickly foal she had been given by Barley when she first moved in was now a prancing stallion that frolicked across her fields. Her crops grew and flourished with time...
And with enough of her gentle presence, her warm smile and kind laughter...
Cliff had felt something in his own heart begin to change. Something he feared to say aloud – something he thought that he would never be fortunate enough to feel again in his own lifetime after everything he had been through.
Kindness.
Acceptance.
Unconditional love.
Cliff's eyes moved back toward her locks. “Well, I... like it!” He didn't know why his voice was so loud. “Your hair, I mean!”
He couldn't help but wonder if the blush rising in her cheeks was out of secondhand embarrassment. Nervously rubbing the crook of his neck, he moved his gaze to the floor.
“You're too k-kind,” she stuttered, biting back a smile. “I'm still all messy and sweaty from work. I never could have gotten away with this kind of sloppiness back in the city.”
Cliff found his hand resting on her shoulder as he moved closer. “Well, you're not in the city anymore. We're both here, and... things are different here.”
“They sure are,” Claire quietly agreed, “and to be honest, I'm more grateful for that every single day.”
He realized he was as well. It was hard to believe that it hadn't been that long ago when he didn't know the next place he was going to rest his head, let alone open up to others.
“We've both grown and changed so much,” Cliff murmured, recalling the seasons that had passed by.
They had started as shy strangers and quickly moved to awkward acquaintances, neither seeming to find the right words to say. They both were focused on improving themselves and becoming more independent, and a friendly hello along with a silent prayer together in the church quickly turned to a routine. He didn't like to interrupt Claire from her work at the farm, but he couldn't help but notice he was seeing more and more of her in the town lately. It seemed she had mastered the art of streamlining her chores and was taking time to enjoy the time between work.
Why she had chosen to spend so much of that with him, Cliff wasn't quite sure, but he was grateful for it.
And now, he realized as their eyes locked, their time together had expanded outside of church and work hours. They had become a permanent fixture in each other's life, and he wouldn't have it any other way.
He looked up to see a serene smile on her lips. “Change can definitely be good.”
The gentle kiss she left on his cheek confirmed that the feeling was mutual, and he was happy to return the favor.