At one time, Summer didn’t want to know about the business side of things. Since Prue had lost her general manager at the club though, she was needed there daily. So, if Prue was there… Summer was too. She’d become friendly with most of the girls, her time spent at the club quite pleasant considering her original dislike for the place. Prue continued to tease and threaten Summer with a ‘real’ dance when she least expected it, but Summer no longer saw the lifestyle as offensive or distasteful. After watching the women from time to time, she was impressed by their skill. It wasn’t a job for anybody to just climb onto the stage and grip a pole, and Summer realised that now. So instead, she embraced the women and had the time of her life most evenings. Nobody danced for her there—it wasn’t that kind of night out—but Summer was welcomed with open arms as Prue’s significant other, that sense of family now a real feeling.
Summer’s phone buzzed on top of her camera bag. “Hey, babe.”
The wind continued to howl, disrupting her call with Prue. “Where are you?”
“At the beach.”
“I hope you’re not sitting there in barely anything. It’s cold this evening.”
“It’s perfect,” Summer countered. “You should join me when you’ve finished doing whatever you’re hiding from me.”
“Or…you could join me.”
“Okay. Where?”
“I’m at home.” Prue was smiling, Summer could hear it.
“I’m on my way.”
Summer ended the call, climbing to her feet and brushing the sand from her backside. She hiked her camera bag up on her shoulder, rushing towards the strip, quieter this time of year. A few familiar faces sat outside the restaurants and bars facing the beach wall, their usual pint of beer or cocktail resting in front of them. Tías had always been incredibly special to Summer, but this time around was worlds away from her childhood. Nothing appeared how it used to. Though most of it was unchanged to the eye, it was different in every possible way.
She rushed across the street, disappearing up the dirt track leading to the villa. Lights visible around the pool as she made her way around the outside of the grounds, she could see Prue sitting calmly at the outdoor dining table, a soft smile on her mouth.
Summer peered through the railings. “You thinkin’ about me, pretty lady?”
Prue’s smile widened when she lifted her head. “Always.”
Summer winked, pushing off the wall below the railings. The sound of Prue’s heels encouraged her to move quicker, almost losing her footing on a rock as she rounded the corner.
“Hi.” Prue’s eyes sparkled, meeting Summer at the gate. “I’ve missed you today.”
“If I’d known where you were, that could have been avoided.”
“I’ve been here all day.” Prue opened the gate, pulling Summer inside before locking up for the night.
“You told me the villa had to be empty today. It was getting sprayed.” Summer frowned. “Why did you—?”
“Little white lie.” Prue held up her finger, silencing her girlfriend. “And not something I do often.”
“O…kay.”
“Come with me.” Prue guided Summer away from the gate, squeezing her hand tight. “I did something.”
“You say that very suspiciously.” Summer recognised the nervousness in Prue’s voice. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, it worried her. She narrowed her eyes, trying to get a read on Prue. “What have you done, babe?”
“You’ll see.”
Prue released a deep breath, unsure as to whether she’d done the right thing or not. She had so much she wanted to say to Summer tonight, so much she needed her to feel. Those three little words that would change everything had been on the tip of her tongue for the longest time, her worry about how Summer would react holding her back. Prue wasn’t a worrier. She never had been. Summer had changed that though. Summer had changed everything about her. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if she had, in fact, got this completely wrong, but she still wanted it to be perfect. After all, Summer’s happiness meant the world to her. It always had.
Since they’d fallen into a rhythm around one another, more so since Jade left, Prue felt as though all her Christmases had come at once. Summer never held back in telling Prue what she wanted and expected from her—it only made Prue fall harder. So hard she couldn’t possibly claw her way back out if this turned to shit tonight. She may have felt herself falling from the moment she spoke two words to Summer, but this hadn’t been the outcome she expected. When she followed Summer to the airport three months ago, she anticipated Summer doing nothing other than laughing in her face. It would have been a perfectly acceptable response, but Summer didn’t do that. She followed her heart, just like Prue, and this was the end result. This moment. Friendship. Happiness. A life together that neither of them expected, nor prepared for. In Prue’s heart though, she was always prepared for a life with Summer.
“Ready?” Prue asked a nervous-looking Summer.
“I-I suppose so.” Her camera bag still sat on her shoulder, her hand gripping it tighter. “You look as nervous as I feel.”
“Really?” Prue wrinkled her nose. “Perhaps we should just get this over and done with…”
Summer steeled herself, releasing a deep breath. “Yep. We should.”
Prue opened the door to the annexe, the room in complete darkness. The smell of fresh paint caught Summer’s attention before anything else, her forehead creasing.
“Did you repaint?”
“Me?” Prue laughed, a brow arched. “No.”
“Someone has.” Summer stepped past Prue, flicking the light on. “Um…”
“Sorry, I had to get rid of your bed.” Prue cleared her throat. “But I replaced it with a sofa-bed so I had more space to work with.”
“R-Right, uh…where am I supposed to sleep?”
Prue’s heart stopped. It was too soon to consider having Summer live at the villa, so why had she gone right ahead and effectively moved Summer in with her? The worst of it, she hadn’t even discussed the possibility with her.
“I hadn’t thought about that part,” Prue lied, lowering her eyes and feeling like a fool. “I was too busy trying to finally make this place what you needed it to be.”
Summer opened her mouth to speak, falling short of any words.
“I’m sorry. I can scrap this part of it. If you can give me a few days, I’ll move things around and put it back how it was.”
Summer turned around, fully taking in her surroundings. “Oh, wow.”
“Please, don’t pretend to like it to make me feel better.”
“I’m not.” Blue eyes travelled the expanse of the room, Summer’s mouth now hanging open. “I can’t believe you did this for me.”
To her right was the sofa Prue had swapped in for her bed. A beautiful mustard throw hung over it like something from a home interior magazine, scatter cushions completing it. A gigantic canvas of one of Summer’s sunsets sat behind it on the wall, the colours complimenting Prue’s choice of fabric and layout within the room. The small kitchen remained untouched, the white high-gloss needing no adjustment, but a door which usually remained locked was slightly ajar.
“That door,” Summer started. “I’ve always wondered what was behind it.”
“Why don’t you go and take a look…?”
“Can I?” Summer willed her legs to move, desperate to see behind the door.
Prue watched her eyes soften, her nerves evaporating the longer they spent alone in the annexe together. “Please do. It’s yours anyway.”
“Before I do…” Summer turned to face Prue fully. “This is the third time my cheque has bounced at the bank. Maybe I should just transfer it to your account instead.”
“Is that what you want to do?” They’d had this conversation multiple times, Prue always finding an excuse not to take Summer's money. None of this was about money—it was never going to be—but Summer was persistent…explaining how she wouldn’t spend the next fe
w years in debt. “Be my tenant?”
“I, uh…”
“Because I hoped we were past that stage.” Prue’s pulse thundered in her ears. This was too soon. If she’d told herself that once today, she’d told herself a thousand times. “What do you want, Summer?”
Summer swallowed hard.
“I can tell you exactly what I want, but you matter most.”
“Tell me.” Summer stepped closer, taking Prue's hand. “Tell me exactly what’s happening here.”
“I think you know…”
“Unless you say it, I won’t believe it.” Summer smiled, pressing her lips to Prue's hand. “I know exactly what I want, I think I have for a while, but this…you? This life doesn’t happen to people like me, Prue. Meeting someone like you was never in my plans. To this day, it’s beyond my wildest dreams…even though I have you. Here. In the flesh.”
“This isn’t a dream, baby.” Prue held Summer close, their arms wrapping around one another’s waists. “This is what I want for us. Not me. Not you. Just…us.”
“Prue…”
“I love you, Summer.” Prue pressed their foreheads together. “You’re the only woman I’ve ever felt this way about. The only woman I’ve chased. I feel like me when I’m with you.” Prue’s eyes closed momentarily. “Ten years alone taught me that I didn’t need anyone to make me happy, but God, I need you.”
“I need you, too.”
“I always knew it would take something extraordinary to make me need someone…”
Summer silenced Prue with her lips. A soft, slow kiss that shattered every ounce of apprehension either of them had. “If this is the next step, living together, I’m ready.”
“Yeah?” Prue smiled into another kiss. “You’re sure?”
“How often do I spend the night in here?”
“Well, not very often at all.” Prue smiled. “I just thought it made sense to turn this entirely into your workspace.” Prue turned Summer in her arms, holding her from behind. “I know how much you want to get set up here. I want that too. I guess we’ve just been allowing life to pass us by.”
“But it’s been worth it, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Every. Single. Time.” Prue punctuated every word with a kiss up Summer’s neck.
“This means so much to me, babe.” Summer eyed the iMac sitting on a brand-new desk. “You’ll let me know what I owe you?”
“Just be mine, Summer,” Prue whispered against her ear. “I don’t want anything from you other than what I’ve had so far. Happiness.”
They would discuss the cost of this at a later date. Summer needed to get inside that room. The room that was calling her name. “Happiness.”
“You know I’d never stop you from being happy. I’d never keep you here or hold you back…but for now, we can be happy, right?”
“It’s all I want for us.” Summer tilted her head back against Prue's shoulder. “And it won't be a temporary thing, either.”
“Tell me that in ten years when I’m cramping your style.”
“I will.” Summer turned in Prue’s arms, capturing her lips fervently. “Prue…”
Prue’s eyes shone, a mixture of happiness and tears. “Mm?”
“I love you, too.”
This was it. The moment she’d craved since Prue met her girlfriend. Nothing else mattered anymore, her nerves about tonight completely vanishing into thin air. Prue held Summer for a moment longer, wishing she didn’t have to let her go. Nothing had ever come close to this moment for Prue, and she knew nothing ever would. Summer Hastings stole her heart the moment she checked into her hotel—nothing could ever possibly be the same again.
“Please, go and take a look at your room.” Prue kissed the top of Summer’s head, releasing her grip around her waist. “I think it’s right. I may have had some help.”
“Okay, now I’m worried.”
“You have no reason to worry.” Prue trailed her thumb across Summer’s cheek. “I love you. Remember that and everything else will be okay.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever forget…” Summer turned, heading for the door.
Pushing it open, she turned on the light, a gasp falling from her mouth. “P-Prue.”
“Is it okay?” Prue asked. “I mean, I think everything is where it should be. I had a friend work his magic and set up a wet and dry area for you.”
Summer stared, mesmerised by the dark room that sat before her. “Y-Yes.” She moved further inside, inspecting every detail of the room. “It’s perfect.”
An enlarger sat in the dry area, paper and every tool she would need placed down and in pristine condition. In the wet area, separated by a makeshift wall, there was developing trays, various chemicals, and tanks for film development.
Before Prue could speak another word, Summer was rushing towards her…wrapping her arms around her neck. “God, you’ve no idea what this means to me.”
“It’s time, Summer,” Prue said, lifting her and wrapping Summer’s legs around her waist. “For us to just go with it. To have a beautiful life.”
“I want that.” Summer smiled against Prue’s mouth. “More than you probably realise.”
“I see it in your eyes every morning when we wake up beside one another.” Prue stumbled towards the couch, dropping down on it. “We’re blessed to have this life. I’m blessed to have you.”
Summer sat with her legs straddling Prue’s thighs. Tonight had been a welcome surprise, that was a given, but she didn’t know where to begin with thanking the beautiful woman pinned beneath her. Prue had always gone above and beyond to make Summer feel special—the earlier days included—but this was something else. The woman she had fallen in love with unexpectedly…loved her back. And boy could she feel it.
Epilogue
Two years later…
The sound of laughter filled Summer’s heart with pride—contacts she’d made here in Tías over the last two years sharing this special day with her. The last eighteen months or so had been a whirlwind for both of them, the club no longer under ownership by Prue, but another hotel added to the collection. Summer thought Prue would struggle to let go of the club, as her reasons for owning it had been out in the open from day one, but she’d been pleasantly surprised. There was no second-guessing from Prue in her decision—the girls would be taken care of. It hadn’t been sold to just anybody, no. It had been sold to Vivian. Summer still wasn't sure how the decision had come about, and she also wasn't overly concerned, but Prue had a staggering amount of trust and respect for Vivian—she always had. Prue no longer carried that part of her past around with her, and Summer was thankful. She and Prue had enough to keep them going without running the club, and in this moment, more so than ever before.
The new hotel wasn’t open yet, final touches being made to the refurbishment, but Summer knew it would be another success. Reservations had already been taken, with next summer already fully booked until the final few days of August. Prue didn’t work as often as she used to, instead opting to employ the right people who could step into her shoes and keep the hotel going. Of course, Summer would see less of her once the new hotel opened, but the success would be worth it. Seeing Prue smile would always be worth it in the long run. It hadn’t all been easy going, stress brought on by the takeover of the new place while trying to run the old place had gotten the better of their relationship once or twice...but every night, they still sat down together. TV. Conversation. Love. Those were the moments Summer lived for.
I can't believe this is mine. She’d finally found the place she wanted to call her own. Her gallery. Prue had brought in her contacts to rip the premises out, installing everything exactly as Summer requested it to be. Bright white walls. Alcoves and spaces for her photography projects. Another dark room—far superior to the one at the villa—present and correct at the back of the building, her office adjacent to it. If Summer would have learnt about this future way back when she met Prue, she wouldn’t have trusted a second of it. How could she po
ssibly? She knew Prue could make her happy—there was nothing in her mind hesitant of that—but this? This was a happiness and contentment she never thought for one moment she could possess. She wasn’t a negative person—it purely wasn’t in her nature—but Prue Michaels was never supposed to be here. Not like this. With her. Perhaps their paths would have overlapped in other ways, but waking every morning with the love of her life? No. This wasn’t her strategy for Spain. Would Summer take it back should the chance ever be offered? Not in a million years.
She glanced around the gallery, her portraits adorning the walls…many of Prue’s silhouette from a shoot she’d arranged around six months ago. It was intimate. Particular. It was complete beauty. That woman possessed every conceivable attribute a photographer could wish for…and then some. Summer turned around, tears pricking her eyes as she tore them away from the images around her. Grandma and Grandad would be proud of me. She brushed away a tear, sighing as she sipped ever so slightly from her champagne flute. Her only regret in life was that she hadn’t done this sooner, when she still had them around to cheer her on and tell her how happy she made them. In her heart, Summer knew exactly how proud her grandparents were of her, but it didn’t lessen the pain knowing they weren’t around anymore.
Yes, she was still young, but Summer fully believed that she could have achieved this sooner if she’d tried to—if she hadn’t remained in the UK with an ex-girlfriend who had no intention of growing their relationship unless it was on her terms. Bryony now had a one year old—maybe a little closer to two. They’d spoken fleetingly online around the time of Alfie’s birth, but it was a simple congratulations and ‘I hope you’re doing well in life’. No more needed to be said. Bryony was happy… Summer was ecstatic, and life was working out how it was supposed to.
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