Sherelle Green - Waiting For Summer

“I have an idea.”

She looked at him in confusion. “About the lingerie pieces or about the decor of the shop?”

“Both. Neither. I guess both indirectly. I told you that I’m in Miami to feature in the new Palmer Lane Photography exhibit, but I didn’t mention that I currently don’t have any idea of what the theme of my portion of the exhibit will be. And since I’m the main featured fashion photographer, it has to be a great one.”

“I just figured you would be showing photos from some of your many travels. Didn’t you just go to Greece not too long ago?”

He quirked an eyebrow at her. “We haven’t talked in a while, so I never got to tell you about Greece. Have you been keeping tabs on me?”

She shrugged. “No, but Aaliyah’s a huge fan of yours so she keeps all of us updated on the fashion industry.”

“I think I just saw some of her beauty shots in Cosmopolitan magazine.”

She giggled. “You read Cosmo?”

“Only because I have to keep abreast of the competition.”

“Aaliyah was featured in last month’s issue for a contest they had. She’s a freelance photographer right now, but she’s hoping the Cosmo feature leads to more. If you tell her that you spotted her work, she’ll probably pass out from excitement.”

“So, since Aaliyah is keeping you updated on the fashion industry, when my name got brought up, did you tell her we knew each other?”

She slightly worried her bottom lip, then soothed the bite with her tongue. “Of course I did.”

She’s lying. They might both be older—and hopefully wiser—but the quirks she’d had when she lied were still the same.

“That’s funny, because they looked shocked to see me. I wonder why they all looked so surprised if they already knew we knew each other.”

“Hmm, I can’t imagine why they were surprised.” She walked over to some small boxes sitting on a built-in shelf and began reading the labels. “So, what’s your idea?”

He followed her cue and dropped the subject. “Well, I only arrived in Miami a couple days ago, but I think it’s safe to say the fashion in this city is definitely different than what I’ve seen in other cities. The fashion in Miami is sexy. The colors are bold with heavy Latin influence. The sex appeal in this city alone is enough to make a photographer want to capture the true essence of Miami culture. I’m proud of all my work, but being here makes me want to uncage the fashion culture and represent the true beauty of Miami.”

He stepped closer to her. “If the company accepts my idea, I’ll call the exhibit Miami Unleashed and I’d spend the next few months capturing true Miami fashion. The raw. The weird. The reckless. The sexy.”

“I think that’s an amazing idea,” she said with a killer smile that he hadn’t seen in years. Man, how he’d missed that smile. He couldn’t even count how many times he’d thought of that smile when he’d been away in a foreign country on a photo assignment.

“What if a few of the lingerie pieces you showed me today were featured in the exhibit? We could set up a photo shoot with models and the works. I could even talk to my business manager about including in your contract for you to be able to hang up pieces in your boutique that aren’t chosen to be a part of the exhibit. It only seems fitting that Bare Sophistication be included in Miami Unleashed.”

It was true that the pieces of lingerie he’d seen would be perfect for the idea that was brewing in his mind. But that wasn’t the only reason he wanted to include Bare Sophistication in his idea. There was a time in life when he’d thought he’d always be a friend of Summer’s. That there would never be a time when they were apart. He understood that things had happened in their past that couldn’t be erased. However, spending eight years feeling like somewhat distant acquaintances rather than the best friends they used to be was more than disappointing. It made him feel empty inside. Alone.

He couldn’t quite read the look on Summer’s face, but judging from what he could see in her eyes, she was intrigued.

“Would you really be willing to include Bare Sophistication in your exhibit?” she asked.

“Absolutely,” he said without hesitation. He still needed approval, but he was sure the folks at Palmer Lane would love his idea.

He was watching her so closely, he was able to pinpoint the exact moment she truly believed in his plan. “Okay, then I think it’s a great idea and Bare Sophistication would be honored to be a part of it.”

“Great! Let’s shake on it until I’m able to have the contract drawn up.” He held her eyes as he extended his hand. The minute their hands touched, he felt the same emotions flow through his body that he’d felt when they’d hugged earlier.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you that I’m sorry the documentary that was being done on you fell through,” she said removing her hand from his. “It would have been awesome.”

“You told me that via email last year.”

“I know, but I wanted to make sure I told you in person.”

“Thank you.” His eyes dropped to her lips and lingered there for a few seconds.

“Well, then,” she said suddenly, as she clasped her hands together. “Now that we’ve settled the initial awkwardness of catching up, are you ready to help me move some boxes?”

He laughed when she didn’t wait for him to respond, but instead, got to work. As they fell into a comfortable silence, Aiden couldn’t help but think about how well they worked together on projects in the past. As a matter of fact, he couldn’t recall ever working with anyone as well as he’d worked with Summer. They had a lot to talk about and he was sure she’d rather ignore discussing certain topics. However, too much time had passed and too many memories were left unaddressed. He needed her back in his life. Not as an acquaintance. Not as close friend. He wanted her in every capacity.

Chapter 3

Twenty years ago...

Summer ignored the large raindrops falling from the dark sky as she raced across her backyard as fast as she could in her unlaced gym shoes. It was way too late for a nine-year-old to be out, but whenever things got bad at home her best friend was the only one who could calm her down. She felt bad for leaving her sisters at home, but escaping the verbal wrath of their mother was something Summer had gotten really good at the past year.

Her mother, Sonia Dupree, was a piece of work. When Sonia wasn’t telling Summer’s sister Winter that she wasn’t beautiful enough or her sister Autumn that she wasn’t smart enough, she was making sure Summer realized that she would never share the close bond that her older sisters shared with each other. She wasn’t special, and the sooner she realized it, the better. Winter and Autumn were born eleven months apart, so they were extremely close. Summer only trailed behind Winter by three years and Autumn by two, but sometimes it felt like there were even more years between them.

When she reached her best friend’s house, she went behind the shed that was connected to the main house to climb the small rope ladder hanging from the side. When she reached the top, she climbed the short distance to her friend’s window and lightly tapped the glass. It wasn’t the first time Summer had shown up in the middle of the night in tears after a fight with her mother.

“What happened?” Aiden asked as he helped her inside and wrapped a blanket around her.

“My mom is arguing with my sisters again and my dad won’t be home from his work trip until tomorrow. They are only fighting with her because of me. It’s all my fault.”

In between her sobs, Summer explained that her mother had arrived home looking to pick a fight with her daughters. Tonight, Summer was the object of her wrath because she had told her mother that she was only watching television because she had finished her homework early. Summer knew better. She wished she had cut off the television as soon as she heard the key turn in the front door indicating Sonia was home.