Page 20 of Something About September

“It’s generous of you to share your bounty. Thank you for averting a civic crisis. And it’s been a while since I’ve seen you, Pip—you’re really growing up.”

“I just turned eight,” he said, blushing so deeply his freckles stood out like constellations.

She’d always blushed too easily herself—and right on cue, her own cheeks grew warm as Cort stepped closer. That familiar mix of sawdust and soap hit her all at once, and her heart thumped traitorously.

“Rebecca’s an old friend,” Cort told his son. “She tutored me in English, back in high school. I’d be a useless reader without her, and she made me love books.”

Rebecca smiled. “You were just trying to get a passing grade so you could keep playing football.”

“It was more than that, and you know it,” he said lightly. “So, shall we get decorating so Crispin will call off his dogs?”

“Oh, you don’t have to help. I can manage myself,” she said.

“Yes, but what if you use two orange and three white? We can’t risk it.” He winked at Pip. “Go grab the burlap, buddy.”

“I’ll be honest, I was feeling more helpless about these pumpkins than it’s normal to feel about festive fall decorations.” Her smile was wry. “Thank you for all this.” She lifted a gourd and held it up. “These are really gorgeous, Cort. I never thought I’d say that about a gourd, but they are.”

His smile was charmingly proud. “You should see us when the seed catalog arrives every year. It’s like a second Christmas. Parenthood makes you get into things you never thought you would, and gardening is definitely one of those things for me.”

Pip had returned carrying a swath of burlap ribbon, and the three of them set to work, arranging pumpkins in the urns Rebecca had rescued from the storage shed.

“The tiny orange ones are Jack Be Littles,” Pip said proudly. “The white ones are Baby Boos.” He giggled at this, and so did Rebecca. It was nice, having Pip around. It made it a lot easier to feel less self-conscious around Cort and was a good start toward behaving like a normal, platonic person around him.

“Those stripy ones are from an ornamental mix,” Cort added. “You never know what you’ll get.”

Rebecca picked one up and tilted it toward Pip. “Is it just me or does this one look like a swan?”

“A dinosaur, I think,” he said.

Rebecca stepped back to look at their handiwork. “It looks great. I have to admit, annoying as these rules are, it does make it feel more like home.” The word “home” seemed to hover there in the slanting sunlight, fragile and bright. “Anyway, looks like the wind’s done for now,” she said quickly, rubbing her hands. “But my fingers are freezing. Pip, would you like a hot chocolate?”

He glanced at his father. “Mom says no sugar on school days…”

“When school’s canceled because of a fallen tree, it’s not a school day,” Cort said. “Go ahead.”

“The booth by the window’s the best seat in the house,” Rebecca told him. “I actually found a box of my old art supplies yesterday—pencil crayons, paper, even pipe cleaners—if you’re interested, Pip.”

“Oh, yes, I just learned how to make animals with them,” Pip said, his excitement clear.

She set him up, and he immediately began twisting a neon-green wire into the shape of a turtle.

“Coffee?” Rebecca asked Cort.

“Always.”

She poured him a mug and slid it across the chrome counter. “Order’s up.”

Cort smiled. “Remember how busy it used to get in here? It was the place to be. Studying with you, getting free dessert and coffee. I felt pretty special.” He looked up.

Rebecca’s pulse fluttered. His voice was easy, but the words he had said landed somewhere deep. She had felt special, too, sitting at a table with Cort Adams. But she couldn’t say that to him. She focused on whisking cocoa and sugar into paste. “I wish I had whipped cream,” she said. “Bet Pip would love that.”

“He’ll be thrilled with this.” Cort took the mugs. “I’ll bring his over.”

“Thank you, Becca!” Pip called from the booth, once his hot chocolate was delivered and Cort had returned to the counter.

Rebecca smiled. “He’s a sweetheart.”

“Best thing I ever did,” Cort said.