Over a Barrel - a Stardew Valley romance

A meet-cute later in life romcom set twenty years later from the Farmers first year in Pelican Town.
Two middle-aged widowers, one ruined petticoat, and a Flower Dance that goes considerably better than expected.

(BackStory notes: The farmer was married to Harvey until he passed three years ago 😭 The general store was sold to a new family 10 years ago after Pierre died under mysterious circumstances, and Caroline and Abigail move to a hippie commune. ☮️ 😂. Now back to our story...)
------

It's the day before the Spring Flower Dance, and Miss Amy just needed a few things from the General Store.

She went in to do some shopping, but she did not need to lose her petticoat to a pickle barrel. She especially did not need Thomas Whitmore - widower, shopkeeper, stubbornly single for ten years - to get down on one knee to help her out of it.
And she absolutely did not need him to walk her home, share a drink at the Stardrop, ask her to dance, and make her feel like spring had arrived twice in one day. But here they are.

---

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction based on Stardew Valley. I do not own game places, mechanics, or any canon characters (like Sam, Penny, etc.); all rights belong to ConcernedApe. I only harbor blame for my original characters (OCs), original plotlines, and unique dialogue.