Sherelle Green - Waiting For Summer

As he approached, she was able to cast her eyes across his face more closely. Aaliyah had described him as milk chocolate, but Summer had to slightly disagree. She’d spent most of her life admiring Aiden’s complexion and it was definitely more like a hazelnut dipped in a rich chocolate-caramel blend. His strong jawline, deep gingerbread-colored eyes, and low, neatly trimmed beard took his look from sexy to downright delicious. Not that she was thinking about her friend as delicious. She was just observing a known fact...or so she kept telling herself.

When he finally stood in front of her, he didn’t say anything. She felt his eyes on every part of her face, causing her cheeks to grow warmer by the second. Girl, get a hold of yourself. This was Aiden. Her old classmate Aiden. Her good friend Aiden. He must have sensed her discomfort because he finally broke the silence.

“There are no better days than summer days,” he said with a smile, causing Summer to laugh harder than she’d intended. Hearing him say those words brought her back to her first day in kindergarten. She’d laughed then. She laughed now.

“Well, those are the best days,” she replied as she leaned up to give him a hug. Just like that, the feeling of discomfort dimmed. It didn’t go away, but it definitely lessened. She ignored the butterflies she felt in her stomach when they embraced and, instead, relished the joy of seeing her long-time friend again.

* * *

She was there. In the flesh. For once, Summer wasn’t a figment of his imagination. She’d even smiled and hugged him, which was more of a greeting than he’d thought he would get. Summer never did like surprises, and Aiden being in Miami was definitely a surprise. He’d expected a playful punch on the arm to be the most contact they’d have.

“How did you get the address to the boutique?” Summer asked. “We don’t launch the website until next week.”

“Winter gave it to me when I called Bare Sophistication in Chicago.”

“Figures,” Summer said with a laugh. “What are you doing in Miami?”

“I have an exhibit opening soon, so I’m here to finalize those plans.”

“A new exhibit? That’s awesome!”

Aiden turned to the woman who had spoken on his left. He’d seen four of them standing near the boutique when he’d crossed the street, but the closer he got, the more his eyes were only drawn to Summer. Judging by the surprised look on Summer’s face, she’d forgotten they were there, as well.

“I shouldn’t have said anything. The exhibit hasn’t been announced yet,” he stated.

“No worries, we won’t say anything. I’m Aaliyah Bai, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you,” he said, extending his hand. “I’m Aiden Chase.”

“We know who you are,” Aaliyah said enthusiastically before winking at Summer. “This is Danni Allison and this is Nicole LeBlanc.” Aiden shook both of their hands, as well.

“The four of us were actually going to get dinner at a Cuban restaurant a few doors down,” Summer said after the introductions were done. “Would you like to join us?”

Aiden looked from Summer, to the women, and then back to Summer. What he really wanted to do was be alone with Summer, but obviously she didn’t want that.

“You know what? I forgot that I need to finish unpacking my stuff back at the condo,” Danni said.

“You finished unpacking last week.”

Danni ignored Summer’s statement and turned to Aaliyah and Nicole. “Ladies, care to join me back at Summer’s condo?”

Aiden smiled at Danni’s not-so-discreet way of helping him out.

“Summer, why don’t you and Aiden go ahead to the restaurant. You can tell us how it is later.”

Summer glanced at him before giving Danni a smile that seemed forced. “Okay, then I guess I’ll see you when I get home.”

Aiden observed her as she watched her friends retreat. She didn’t speak after they left, but turned to walk toward the restaurant. As they walked the short distance, she fidgeted with the straps of her purse, taking it on and off her shoulder several times before opting to leave it on her shoulder. Considering how uncomfortable he was making her, he shouldn’t have been checking her out—but he couldn’t help himself.

“You know, I ate a couple hours ago, so we don’t have to eat if you don’t want to.”

She stopped walking and turned to him. “I could always use a hand lifting some of the heavy boxes in the boutique. The grand opening is in two months, so we’re trying to get everything organized since the floors just got done.”

Good to know some things haven’t changed. When Summer got nervous about something, she always needed to remain busy. As long as she had something else to focus on, she was fine.

“Yeah, that sounds good. I didn’t get to the gym or go running today, so I could use a good workout lifting boxes.”

She studied his arms and even the simplest look from her warmed his body. “So, you still run?”

“Anytime I can.” Running was always something they had in common. “Do you still run?”

“At least four times a week.”

His eyes then raked over the snow-white shorts hugging her thighs and her flowy, yellow blouse. When she turned and began walking back to her boutique, he stole a glance at her creamy, butterscotch-colored legs.

He was still staring at her legs when she opened the door to her boutique and motioned for him to step inside.

“Welcome to Bare Sophistication Miami. It isn’t much to look at now, but it will be as soon as the furniture gets delivered in a couple weeks. I’m having a lounge space on the raised platform in the corner, and we’ll offer tea and infused water throughout the day for our customers.”

Aiden observed the space in detail, noting the deep walnut flooring throughout the boutique and crisp white shelving. Lavender, black and gray accent pieces sat on top of random boxes and counters.

“No home for the accent pieces yet?”

“Not yet. When the furniture arrives, I’m hoping I’ll lock down the feng shui of this place.”

“Well, even though there’s still work to be done, I can see the overall look you’re going for, and I think it’s going to be amazing.”

“Thanks,” Summer said with a soft smile. “Maybe this will help you visualize the space.” She walked over to him and handed him a binder that had been sitting on the front counter.

“Here are some of the preliminary drawings of how everything will look. Still a ways to go, but so far, I’m sticking to my design.”

He observed her as she explained each page in the binder, and he couldn’t help but listen in pride. She wasn’t his girlfriend and never had been. Hell, at the moment they weren’t even close friends, more like old friends trying to catch up. Yet the excitement in her smile made him even happier for her.

“Where do these stairs lead to?” He pointed at the staircase in the drawing before turning his head to look at the beautiful wooden staircase.

“There’s an upstairs loft area, but I haven’t figured out what to utilize the space for yet. I currently have a lot of racks stored up there and the flooring is complete, too.”

Summer pulled out a few sheets of paper that were placed in the back of the binder. “And here are a few new designs that Winter is currently working on for the grand opening in a couple months. We will have all the same lingerie as the Chicago location, only we’re adding a few pieces to represent that Miami flare. As the boutique matures, we’ll add more pieces for our target demographic.”

Aiden wasn’t sure if the idea for a collaboration popped into his mind because of the way she was explaining the lingerie pieces or because, despite the opening of his exhibit in Miami, the real reason he wanted to be there was for Summer. Or it could be the fact that every lingerie piece she showed him only made him imagine her in it. She was standing so close to him that he could smell her perfume. He couldn’t place the scent, but he wanted to bury his nose in the crook of her neck and smell more of it.