"Two souls are sometimes created together and in love before they're even born." -F. Scott Fitzgerald
When eight year old Beau Ruby met twelve year old Colton Caine, she had no idea she was meeting the love of her life. She had no idea she'd grow...
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I never got a clear answer from Jack about whatever it was he had accidentally mentioned. He left in a hurry, and the next time I saw him, he didn't mention it again and changed the subject every time I tried.
Just like always, days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. Time moved on, and Colton and I didn't.
I stayed busy helping Aunt Verne at the flower shop. She taught me how to cut the stems of roses and arrange bouquets. I learned how to tie those wide, curly ribbons that adorned vases. Since I was back home, Aunt Verne invested in my help advertising and appealing to the younger generation in town.
I learned that she had only owned the shop for about six months. She bought it shortly after the original own, Mrs. Dorris Love, passed away. Aunt Verne needed a hobby, and the shop, Lovie's, was the answer. It had been a staple in Hammond for years. Mrs. Love had opened it with her own mother fifty years ago. It was in the middle of Main Street in an old brick building.
I threw myself into helping Aunt Verne. It didn't keep my mind off Colton, but it was a good try. I painted a wooden "open" sign for the door in bright hues of pinks and purples and blues and greens. I started an Instagram account for the shop and we started doing giveaways for people who shared our posts with others. After a couple of months, we had a few clients from other towns.
Aunt Verne started teaching me how to cook. First it was Jack's lasagna. Then, it was homemade cookies. Then, it was banana bread. Then, it was homemade blueberry muffins. It was something new everyday.
At night, Jack came over to work on the back porch. He always stayed for dinner. Colton never came, but Aunt Verne set a place for him every night anyway. We didn't talk about him much over dinner, but Jack always made sure to tell me he was okay. Jack also made sure to give me one of his Jack bear hugs every night before he left.
I got up every day, drank my coffee, went to the shop, and came home. I helped cook dinner, and then I ate with two of my favorite people. At night Aunt Verne and I watched reruns of Friends and the local news. We talked for hours. I read book after book until the early hours of the morning when I couldn't sleep.
It still didn't fix the emptiness I felt. Colton was across the field every night. Through the gate, down the hill. Just across the field. Every night I sat in the window seat while I put lotion on my legs, watching the gate for any sign of him. The worst nights were the nights when the storms rolled in.
There was nothing on earth like summer storms.
When I was ten, Colton had taken me fishing at the lake on the south side of the field. It was close enough that Aunt Verne had let me go without her as long as Colton promised not to let me drown in the lake. Just as we were casting our first lines, it had started to thunder. The storm came out of no where. There were huge bolts of lightning that stretched across the whole sky. Colton was packing up everything and I just...froze. I was terrified. My feet were concrete blocks, too heavy for me to move even if I tried. Even when the rain started, it was like I was in a trance. I was just standing there, fishing pole still in hand, getting soaking wet. He was talking to me, and I couldn't even hear him.
