Page 107 of Once upon a Summer Night

“Aren’t pumpkins a vegetable?”

“Technically, they’re a fruit. Don’t question your mother.” She sniffed with mock seriousness. “First, you have to plant it in a safe place, far away from the cold realities of the outside world. For almost a month, you have to keep it in ideal conditions, where no matter what, it’s protected fromextremes. When you’re taking care of something so new and precious, those first few weeks need to be protected so that something more substantial can grow.”

“I suppose,” he replied doubtfully.

Evelyn didn’t look up. “Then, after it’s safe to plant it, you have to make sure the outside conditions are right. What if there’s a cold snap? That can kill the fruit before it even has a chance to develop itself. Just give it what it needs—water, sunlight, some words of encouragement. And even though it sounds like it, that doesn’t mean it’s easy.”

“What does it mean, then?”

“It means that if you’re willing to put in the time and care necessary to foster something that nourishes your soul, then at first you keep it safe, then give it what it needs.”

He blinked. “What happens if, after you give it the water and the sunlight, it still dies? Do you toss it out with the weed pile?”

She gently brushed the dirt off some leaves of a tomato plant. “Well, of course you could. But it seems counterintuitive. I mean, you’ve already put in the time and effort. And your seedling has, against all odds, survived to a point. You should always be certain before you pull up the roots. Give it a bit of time. With a little more sunlight, a bit more water, and room to grow, love can be quite forgiving.”

“You meanplants,” Colin replied. “Plantscan be forgiving.”

“Those, too.”

Colin stood and kissed her on her head. “Thanks, Mom.”

“Any time, dear.” Evelyn sat back on her calves and, pleased, surveyed the neat soil around her small pumpkin.

James pulled out into traffic.“Aren’t you tired of the six hour flight yet?”

Colin smiled without humor. “So tired of it.”

He slid his younger brother a look. “Then why keep putting yourself through it?”

Colin rubbed his temples. “I’m an idiot, that’s why.” At James’s prolonged silence, he sighed. “I can’t sleep. I don’t eat anything. I’m so damn depressed that I’m beginning to worry for my sanity. God, I don’t even know what I’m going to say when I see her.”

“Have you cried yet?” James asked.

Silently, Colin jerked his head.

“That’s how I knew I didn’t love Hailey,” James said quietly. “Not once did I cry over losing her. And I think that if a man loses something as precious as love, he ought to have an emotion as big as love to release his pain, you know?”

“I do.”

Deftly, he maneuvered them towards the airport. “The question I kept coming back to was, can I live without her in my life? In my case, the resounding answer was yes. If you can’t answer that question with a yes, then you have to question what the hell you’re doing with your life.”

Colin remained silent, though his hands flexed over his knees a time or two. “It’s been weeks since I last saw her, and…I miss her.”

“Of course you do. She’s your soul mate.”

Colin looked over at James. “Yeah. She is.”

James reached over and tousled Colin’s hair. “Maybe it’s about time she heard the truth out of your mouth. The whole truth, no holds barred, and she can make up her own mind.”

“I have no problem jumping through time to fight battles,” Colin replied with a shaky laugh. “But the thought of Ellie holding my fate in her hands is absolutely terrifying.”

James smiled grimly. “Love is a scary thing. Be brave, Col, and trust in her a bit.”

The airport came into view. “I hurt her badly, James. I really messed this one up.”

He pulled up to the departures door and unsnapped his seat belt. “Then I suggest you spend the rest of your life making it up to her.”

Ellie absentmindedly dustedthe book in her hand again, her unfocused gaze on the wall opposite her register.

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