Autumn and Summer

by Danielle Allen

  Without breaking eye contact, the corner of his mouth turned up in a half smile. We continued to just stand there on the sidewalk, watching each other. It seemed as though time slowed down and the world quieted so we could focus on each other. Slowly, he extended his arm toward me and immediately, I reached out to shake his hand. As soon as our skin connected, my hand tingled and I felt a powerful surge of energy course through my body. I gasped.

  “I like the way you say my name,” Xavier acknowledged softly, caressing my skin with his thumb. Then he released my hand completely, depriving me of the charge I was receiving from our connection.

  I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding and took a step back. My heart pounded in my chest and I felt dizzy. I wanted to grab on to something. My mind told me to grab the sign; my body told me to grab him. But I just stood there, hoping I didn’t pass out. I opened my mouth to put an end to whatever it was that was happening, but my mouth felt dry.

  Clearing my throat, I licked my lips and squared my shoulders. “I believe your date is waiting,” I whispered with every ounce of strength I had in me.

  Suddenly, a voice called my name and as quickly as the moment came, it disappeared with the noise of the city rushing back. The little fantasy world in which Xavier and I were the only people around vanished and reality came back with a vengeance. Begrudgingly, I ripped my eyes away from Xavier’s and honed in on the man walking down the sidewalk toward us.

  “Summer? I’m Mr. J.,” the good looking man said as he approached. He stopped short and looked from me to Xavier and then back to me. “Or just Johnathan. I’m sorry I’m a few minutes late. Traffic was horrible today.”

  Johnathan was about six feet tall with dark blonde hair that made him boyishly handsome. His smile was nice and he a great tan. He’s a cutie, I reasoned with myself as I smiled back. I tried not to compare Johnathan to the Adonis standing beside him.

  Extending my hand, I said, “Hi, Johnathan. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “The pleasure is all mine,” Johnathan replied, his eyes flickering over me. “You are even more beautiful than the picture Autumn showed me.”

  “Thank you.” I replied, smiling graciously. I felt the intensity of a gaze on my face and I reddened. “Oh, how rude of me,” I continued, acknowledging Xavier’s intense stare. “Johnathan, this is—”

  “Mr. Ford,” Johnathan interrupted, quickly shaking Xavier’s hand. “I used to work in his building.”

  “You were part of the Scallen Marketing Group, correct?” Xavier questioned with a slight roughness in his voice that wasn’t there before.

  “Yes sir. I was,” Johnathan answered. “But now I’m with a marketing firm in Northern Virginia.”

  Giving him a polite nod, Xavier’s eyes moved back to me and an indescribable look crossed his handsome face and darkened his beautiful eyes. “Enjoy your date. I am going to head back to mine. You two have a nice night.” With that, he headed into the building.

  Replaying the final few minutes with Xavier in my head, I watched him walk to the door before I realized Johnathan was talking to me. Pay attention to Johnathan, I commanded myself silently. Forget about Xavier Ford. He is on a date right now and so am I.

  “…from Virginia. It was bad!”

  I had no idea what he was talking about so I just flashed him my best smile. He stopped talking and just smiled back.

  “It’s about to start,” I pointed out as a woman hurriedly rushed to the door.

  “Let’s go,” Johnathan said as he allowed me to walk ahead of him. Reaching around me, he opened the door for me and handed a woman two tickets to the event.

  The event had already begun and the gallery foyer was filled with people. Wait staff served hors d’oeuvres and flutes of white wine or sparkling cider. People milled around, but everyone’s focus was on the makeshift stage. Finding a spot in the middle of the crowd, Johnathan and I quietly gave our full attention to Camilla Parker, who had a microphone in hand and was explaining her exhibit. We had only heard about two minutes worth of her speech before the crowd erupted in cheers. She smiled graciously and looked off to the side modestly.

  A few more people entered the building and we were forced to move inward. Johnathan’s hand gently rested on the small of my back as he ushered me through the crowd, toward a small pocket of space. And I felt nothing. There was no spark, no physical reaction… there was nothing.

  He’s cute. He’s nice. And he likes photography, I told myself as I tried to shake off the fact that there was no spark. What the hell is the matter with me? I never gauge my interest in a man based off of a spark. Sometimes the spark only happens in the bedroom. And ain’t nothing wrong with that! This is Autumn’s line of thinking and I’m going to have to tell her that I don’t appreciate her somehow infiltrating my mind in a very ‘Inception’-like way.

  “When you spend as much time traveling as I do, you have to have that person who grounds you, that person who is your partner in crime, that person that reminds you of where you come from. So finally, I’d like to thank my date for being here for me and with me tonight,” Camilla concluded, blowing Xavier a kiss.

  Hearing Camilla mention her “date” made everything else fade away. Looking in the direction in which Camilla blew a kiss, I scanned the crowd for Xavier. Spotting him off to the side of the stage, my heart beat increased in speed. While everyone was clapping in acknowledgement of his support, he smiled and nodded politely. I watched him glance around the room and when our eyes met, I felt a jolt.

  Fucking sparks, I thought as he held my gaze.

  **********

  Chapter 8: Autumn

  The night air was cooler than I anticipated and the summer breeze nipped at my skin. Looking at my phone, I raised my eyebrows in surprise. After ten o’clock already? I thought as I waited for a taxi. The street, which was bustling when I walked into FX, was practically empty. A few stragglers were walking around while music from bars and restaurants bled onto the street. A taxi crept up to the spot on the sidewalk where we stood.

  I turned my body to fully face Brecken James. “Thank you so much for tonight. Everything has been lovely,” I complimented my handsome date.

  “I enjoyed getting to know you, Autumn. I don’t know the rules of this game you and Summer are playing, but I would love to hear from you again,” Brecken said as he opened the door of the taxi. “Take my card. Give me a call.”

  I accepted the card from him and wrapped my fingers around it. “Thank you,” I replied, reaching up to give him a hug.

  He smiled as I released him and grabbed my hand, helping me slide into the backseat. “I look forward to hearing from you soon,” Brecken said before shutting my door and taking a step back from the curb.

  I waved at him as I gave the driver my address. Putting my head back against the headrest, I closed my eyes and replayed the last few hours. From the moment Brecken came outside to escort me to our table, I knew he was attractive, successful and charming. But by the time we were seated for dinner, I knew he wasn’t the one. Brecken had a controlling, alpha-male personality that seemed to straddle the line between gentlemanly and chauvinistic.

  “Thank you,” I said as we turned onto my street. When we came to a stop, I handed the driver cash and quickly made my way into the house. The darkened house was quiet. I clicked on lights as I made my way to the kitchen.

  “Summer?” I called out as I walked. “Summer?!”

  I guess she’s not home yet, I realized as I picked up a teabag. Grabbing a mug out of the cabinet, I filled it with water and put it in the microwave to be heated. As I leaned against the counter, my mind wandered back to my date.

  I can totally see why Summer thought he’d be my type, I reasoned. Brecken is handsome and well educated. But—. My thoughts were interrupted by the beeping sound of the microwave.

  Preparing my tea, I sat at the table and pulled out my phone.

  Autumn Jones: Hey! I’m home. You okay?

  Summer Wilson
: I’m pulling up now. We need to talk. ASAP!

  Moments later, Summer burst through the door, screaming my name.

  “I’m in the kitchen,” I called out as I heard her heels clicking against the floor-boards.

  “First things first,” Summer started as she dropped into the chair across from me. “How was your date?”

  I sipped my tea and placed it carefully in front of me. I scrunched my nose and shook my head. “He wasn’t for me. He was good-looking and successful. But…”

  Her shoes hit the floor heavily as she kicked them off. “But what?” she asked, her eyes widening with concern.

  “At first I thought he was a gentleman. He opened doors. He pulled my chair out. He ordered a bottle of wine for us to share. All of which was very nice. But then he ordered an appetizer for himself…and then an appetizer for me. He didn’t ask me if I wanted or even liked clams. So when I told the waiter I wanted a Caesar salad instead, he interrupted me and said—and I quote—‘she’s fine with the clams. Thank you.’”

  With her mouth agape, Summer laughed incredulously, “Bullshit!”

  “No, I’m serious. So I was already put off by that but then he explained how he loved FX and the clams were excellent. He seemed really excited about me trying out his favorite dish so I relented. His enthusiasm almost seemed charming, gentlemanly even.” I paused for effect. “And then when it came time to order dinner, he again ordered for me. Lamb! And I don’t even eat lamb! So I told the waiter I’d have the chicken marsala instead. He insisted I have the lamb. The waiter looked uncomfortable and then told us he would give us a minute. So finally, after standing my ground, he relented. But he went on to tell me about why the lamb was so important, why it was a must-have dinner option. I don’t know. He did stuff like that all night. He was sweet but it seemed like he needed to control everything. He seemed like a man who was used to getting his way and it just wasn’t for me.”

  Summer frowned. “I’m sorry. He didn’t come off like that when I met him. I’m so sorry, Auty.”

  “No worries. I know you wouldn’t have set me up with him if you knew he was a control freak. But you know what? I really am glad I went.”

  Summer’s eyebrows furrowed together. “Really?”

  I nodded as I sipped my tea.

  “Why?”

  “Because this month is supposed to be all about dating for the fun of it. Enjoying the company of sexy men while figuring out what it is I want out of a relationship. And I learned something valuable tonight.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “Well, I just finished reading this sexy book where the male character was aggressive and dominant and the female love interest was submissive. It was hot. I mean really hot. And I thought it sounded romantic the way he took care of her.” I took a long gulp of my tea, finishing the cup. “But girl, as soon as he tried to force those clams on me, I was like ‘oh hell no!’”

  Summer threw her head back and laughed. I got up from the table to rinse out my cup and put it in the dishwasher. Sitting back down at the table, I leaned forward and wiggled my eyebrows.

  “So tell me about your date. How was Johnathan?” I asked.

  Summer huffed, “Johnathan was fine. It was me that was a mess.”

  I looked at her in confusion. “What do you mean?”

  “I just mean that I was completely off of my game.” Summer put her head in her hands briefly before looking back at me and shrugging.

  “I’m still confused,” I said slowly. “What happened?”

  “So Johnathan is a nice guy and he is such a cutie. But he’s not really for me. I didn’t feel…”

  I smiled slowly as I anticipated what she was going to say. Feigning further confusion, I asked, “You didn’t feel what, Summer?

  Rolling her eyes, Summer replied haughtily, “I don’t think I like the turn this conversation is taking.”

  I laughed, “What are you talking about? I just want to know what you didn’t feel.”

  Fighting a smile, she continued, “Anyway, he’s cute and sweet. But he didn’t do it for me.”

  “What are you hiding from me, Summer Skye Wilson?” I inquired, narrowing my eyes at her.

  “So do you remember when I told you about that guy in the elevator?”

  My interest was definitely piqued. “Okay, I’m going to forgive your abrupt change of subject because I’m intrigued. Yes, I remember. Mr. Ford,” I answered, my smile growing.

  “Do you remember him from when you worked at the Infinity Building?” Summer asked, struggling to contain her smile.

  “I don’t remember a Ford. Well, not a young, hot one anyway. The only one I remember is Martin Ford. He’s the CEO of StratFord. And he’s at least sixty.” I frowned a bit. “That’s not the hot, model type you met in the elevator, is it? I mean, if it is, that’s cool too. No judgment here,” I stated with amusement. “And you know, they say ‘the older the berry, the sweeter the juice.’”

  “That’s not the saying Auty!” Summer laughed. “And no, he’s not sixty! He’s around our age and he is sexy. So, so sexy.” She made a little noise and shook her head before she continued. “Anyway, I don’t know why I didn’t think to ask when I told you about him, but Johnathan mentioned they knew each other from work. And since you two used to work together, it occurred to me that you might know him.”

  “Sorry I couldn’t be of service. But I’m missing the connection here. Were you thinking about Mr. Ford the whole time you were out with Johnathan?”

  She replied guiltily, “In my defense, it was only because I saw him tonight.”

  “What?” I exclaimed. “You saw the mystery man? I need details!”

  “I saw him alright. He was on a date with some beautiful photographer and her photography was being showcased tonight.” Her tone had a subtle bite to it that usually indicated she was perturbed.

  “Oh wow. I’m sorry, girl.”

  “Oh no.” She waved her hand in the air. “It’s cool. I don’t even know him. I just learned his name tonight. And they looked happy.” Summer was always nonchalant when it came to men. But the look in her eyes gave her away and I knew that whatever happened tonight had stung.

  “Are you okay?” I asked gently.

  “I’m fine,” she replied with no emotion. “He’s not single and I’m only dating guys you pick out this month so...” She shrugged nonchalantly.

  I reached over the table and grabbed her hand. “Everything happens for a reason.”

  She nodded and smiled tightly. “It’s getting late.”

  I stifled a yawn and glanced at my phone. “Yeah it is.”

  We got up from the table and headed upstairs. After saying goodnight, I showered and climbed into bed. As soon as the cool sheets settled around my body, I felt my muscles relax. Thoughts of past dates circled my mind as I drifted in and out of consciousness. Good dates, bad dates, decent men, good men, great men. But never, the right man, I thought before I succumbed to sleep.

  Several hours later, my cell phone buzzing against the nightstand awakened me with a start. Groggily, I grabbed the phone and answered it.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Autumn, it’s Max.”

  “Yeah,” I responded as I snuggled back down in my covers, pulling the comforter over my head. “Is everything okay?”

  “Depends. Where are you?”

  “At home. In bed. What’s going on, Max?”

  “We were supposed to meet to work on the project this morning over breakfast. I’m here and you’re not.”

  Oh no, I thought with panic coursing through my body. I threw the covers off of me and leaped out of bed. “Maximillian, I am so sorry. Meet me at the office. I’ll make it up to you, I promise. I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

  “Okay,” Max said dryly.

  Ending the call, I tossed the phone on the bed and rushed to get ready. In a record thirty minutes, I was out the door. Instead of taking the train, I opted to take a taxi to the downtown office. Whi
le in the backseat, I shot a text message to Summer.

  Autumn Jones: I completely forgot about my morning meeting with Max so I had to rush out. Talk to you later.

  Summer Wilson: I just went to your room to see if you wanted bacon. I have a shoot this afternoon, but I’m pretty much bullshitting the rest of the day. Call me!

  When the taxi pulled up to the building, I paid the driver and walked swiftly to the office. I was forty-five minutes early for work and forty-five minutes late for my meeting. And I felt horrible.

  I’m never late. And I don’t usually forget stuff like this. I don’t know what happened, I thought in frustration as I approached the conference room Max and I always use when briefing for big projects. Neither of our offices had desks big enough to spread out all the paperwork.

  “Max,” I started as I walked into the conference room. “I’m sorry.”

  Max was pissed, but he was too much of a gentleman to really let me have it. “Forget about it. Let’s just get started.”

  We dove into the work and managed to get a good portion of the project done. The details that worried Max about the rebranding project were getting ironed out and Max’s attitude toward me had thawed.

  “What happened this morning, Autumn? This is important. And you’re never late,” Max asked, pushing his thick black glasses up on his face. He sat back in his chair and looked at me.

  Maximillian Dunham was absolutely adorable with his deep set dimples and big brown eyes. He was a few inches taller than me and made of lean muscle. His thick black hair and glasses made him look a lot like Clark Kent. A lot of women around the office thought he was hot. And a lot of those same women thought Max and I had something going on. But even though I agreed with the masses that Max was good-looking, my relationship with him was completely platonic. He was one of my closest friends and he was one of the most important men in my life.

  “I was up late talking to Summer and I never set my alarm. I really am sorry,” I apologized sweetly. Holding up a file, I continued, “I will make it up to you though. What do you want?”