To Spring with Love: A Novella (Seasons of Summer Novella Series Book 3)

by Baldwin, Melissa

  The only awkward moment of the night is when I mention Helena’s apartment. Helena is Alexander’s ex-wife; a few months ago, she asked me to redecorate her apartment. After I finally agreed, I visited her Tribeca apartment only to be met with a wall dedicated to memories of her life with Alexander. Following our meeting, I sent her the contract and she has yet to send it back to me. Both Angie and my friend Gina think she was playing me the whole time. They think she had no intention of hiring me and she used it as a way to make me jealous of her past with Alexander.

  “Helena is known for her procrastination. The last time I saw her she told me she would be contacting you to finalize everything.”

  The truth is I don’t want to decorate Helena’s apartment. If I had my way, she would be completely out of our lives. Unfortunately, that’s never going to happen since Alexander and Helena have the same best friends. She’s part of the package whether I like it or not.

  “It’s fine. I’ve got plenty to keep me busy,” I reply.

  The subject of Helena is still a sensitive subject between us. After being reminded of their intense relationship and seeing them interact, I was almost ready to end my relationship with Alexander. This all happened at the opening of a restaurant I decorated. Needless to say, I may have overreacted slightly, but I can’t help the way I feel.

  “I have another referral for you,” he says, changing the subject.

  I place my hand on his cheek. My business has tripled since I decorated Alexander’s house, and I know I owe it all to him. Another new client is just what I need since I’m sure I won’t be doing business with Helena.

  “That’s awesome. Who?”

  He smiles excitedly. “My parents.”

  His parents? Is it really time to meet the parents? I don’t know why this freaks me out so much. I haven’t thought about introducing my family to Alexander yet. And I’m sure they aren’t ready either after the situation with Jake. Although, my father was quite pleased when Jake and I broke up. He never liked him anyway, and I’m still not sure why.

  “Your parents need a decorator?”

  He nods. “Yes. But, I’m actually the one hiring you. Their fiftieth wedding anniversary is coming up, and I would like to do it for them as a gift.”

  “So, it’s a surprise?”

  I don’t have a good feeling about this. I would never go into someone’s home and change things around without them being in agreement.

  “Oh no, they know about it. So, if you’re interested, they’ve invited us to dinner and you can sit down with my mom to discuss ideas. That is, if you want the job?”

  This is his way of introducing me to his parents? This should make me feel more secure in our relationship, but for some reason, it doesn’t.

  ~*~*~

  “You’re making that poor man wait? I would bet fifty bucks that you’re the first woman to do that.”

  My friend Gina has no inner monologue.

  “I just want to make sure the timing is right. We’ve had a lot of roadblocks in our way already.”

  She’s leaning back in her chair with her feet up on the desk. “He’s already told you he’s in love with you, so why haven’t you told him? You’re going to give him a complex.”

  I roll my eyes.

  “He knows I’m being cautious, and he’s fine with that.”

  She’s looking at her phone, so I’m not sure if she’s still listening or if I’ve bored her already.

  “Does this have anything to do with Jake?” she asks.

  I look up from my laptop screen.

  “Why would this have anything to do with Jake?”

  She shrugs.

  “Angie told me you guys saw him with Alexander’s assistant. That girl never gives up, does she?”

  Even though we all think she’s using Jake to get to me, it’s very possible that they’re really seeing each other, and I can’t do anything about it. Alexander certainly didn’t like the idea, so I don’t think I’ve heard the end of it. If anything, her being distracted is certainly better for my relationship.

  “I don’t know what’s going on between them. I’m expecting Alexander to find out. He was not happy when I told them we saw them together.”

  Gina puts her feet down on the floor.

  “Was he mad?”

  “Not exactly mad, but he did say he thought it was inappropriate.”

  She purses her lips.

  “Huh. Maybe he’s jealous.”

  What does she mean by that?

  I laugh. “Why would he be jealous that she was with Jake?”

  She gives me a look that clearly says she thinks I’m being naïve. I’ve seen this look before.

  “Not necessarily that she was with Jake, just that she was with another man in general.”

  Seriously? She thinks Alexander is jealous that Melanie was out with someone. I’m sure she has dated people in the time she’s worked for him. Right?

  “All I’m saying is that men can be very territorial over their employees, and even though he may not be interested in her in a romantic way, he may not want another man to step in and take her attention away from him. And let’s be honest, I’m sure he likes the attention she gives him. I certainly wouldn’t mind having someone at my beck and call every day.”

  As crazy as this sounds, she may be onto something here. Alexander is extremely dependent on Melanie, so much that he’s kept her around even after she caused issues in his marriage.

  “Well, I for one hope she finds someone else,” I insist. “Then maybe she will get out of our lives.”

  Gina raises her eyebrows.

  “Even if that someone is Jake?”

  I scowl. “Yes.”

  Thankfully, Gina has an appointment, so we end this conversation. My mind starts to wander to Melanie and her romantic history. I wonder if she’s dated anyone in the few years she’s worked for Alexander. I know how completely devoted she is to him, so I’m guessing she hasn’t. What are the chances she’s finally found someone else and that someone just happens to be my ex-boyfriend? Ugh. This just gets more and more complicated.

  Chapter Three

  I love how it feels when I complete a project. There is such an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment, and I love when my clients are happy. I just finished decorating a home for the son of Brad Cooper. Mr. Cooper was one of the first clients Summer Interiors had, and he also happens to be Jake’s boss. I was a little nervous when he contacted me about working on a second project with him, especially considering Jake and I are no longer together. Thankfully, the project was a huge success, and I can add another beautiful home to my portfolio.

  Ever since I was a little girl I knew I wanted to be an interior decorator. I will never forget when my mom bought a Victorian floral couch for her formal living room. She let me help her pick out the color for the walls. We painted the room a very pale pink to bring out the pink tones in the couch. This was in the ’80s of course. Some of my favorite memories are of visiting furniture stores and model homes to check out the décor. My brother and I would walk down the rows in the store and pretend we lived there.

  The best part of my job is going into a building for the first time and seeing it as a blank canvas. So, why am I so nervous when Alexander sends me some pictures of his parents’ home? The home is very nice, a little outdated but nothing too horrible. Of course, I want to make a good impression on his parents without suggesting they change things they may love about their home.

  There’s a knock at my door, and I glance at the time. It’s a bit early for Mrs. Rothera, considering she tends to sleep in. She doesn’t use alarms of any kind because she claims they disturb the natural rhythm of the body or something like that.

  When I answer the door, I find Angie standing there, and I immediately notice that something is off. It’s not unusual for her to show up at my door at this time of day, but today she’s not herself.

  “What’s the matter?” I ask worriedly.

  She holds up a
tray of coffee cups and a box of donuts.

  I raise my eyebrows as I hold the door open for her to come in. She puts everything on the coffee table and falls dramatically down on the couch.

  “Are you planning on talking to me or should I guess why you look so devastated?”

  She opens her coffee cup and dumps in a few creamers and sugar.

  “Of course I’m going to talk, why else would I be here?” she wails.

  Angie can be slightly overdramatic, so I sit next to her on the couch and open the donut box.

  “We’re moving,” she blurts out.

  I give her a curious look. “What? Who’s moving?”

  She hangs her head while playing with her coffee cup. “Brett and I are moving . . . to Florida.”

  I sit still for few seconds as I try to collect my thoughts. I let her words register in my brain, my best friend is moving . . . and to Florida?

  “Hold on,” I exclaim. “Why don’t you start at the beginning?”

  She reaches for a chocolate donut and takes a huge bite. After she devours the entire thing, she lets out a deep sigh.

  “Remember when I told you that Mrs. Rothera said something big was happening. Well, I thought Brett was going to propose, so I finally asked him why he’s been acting so strange. He says he was planning a trip to Orlando for us so he could tell me about the new job offer. He’s asked me to go with him, and of course I said yes.”

  I must be in shock. Angie is moving to sunny, warm Florida. Also known as the home of Disney World, humidity, and alligators.

  “Of course, I can run Friendship Travel from anywhere, so it’s not that big of a deal for me. And just think, now you can come visit during the winter months and we can go to Disney World and the beach.”

  I nod slowly.

  “Summer? Are you okay?”

  I feel like crying. What am I going to do without my best friend?

  “Yeah. When is this move happening?”

  She frowns. “Within the next few months, he wants to find a house and get settled before the school year starts.”

  “I had no idea he was looking for a new job. Especially not thousands of miles away,” I say softly.

  She shrugs. “We’ve talked about it in the past, but I figured it would be a while.” She stops and reaches for another donut.

  I have to wonder if Angie is really happy about this. Yes, she can work her business from anywhere, but her life is here.

  “Brett’s dad is there and so are Isabella and Antonietta and their families. It’s really a good move, and let’s face it, this past winter was a killer.”

  I can’t disagree with her about the winter, it was miserable. But I’m a little surprised she wants to live near her sisters. It’s not that she doesn’t get along with them, but they tend to be slightly overbearing.

  “Wow.” That’s all I can say at this point.

  “I know it’s a shock, but it’s going to be okay. And you have a terrific future ahead of you with Alexander.”

  I sigh as I take another donut out of the box. “I wish I was as confident about my relationship as you are.”

  She shakes her head. “Why do you say that? Does this have to do with Helena again?”

  I shake my head. “No. I’m probably overreacting.”

  “Probably,” she interrupts.

  I scowl. “I was talking to Gina and she said something that got me thinking.”

  “Gina?”

  I give a half smile. “I know, right? Anyway, she asked if I thought Alexander was jealous that Melanie was out with Jake. I never thought about it before, but what if Alexander likes having Melanie there whenever he needs something? Maybe he doesn’t want to have to share her.”

  Angie listens intently. “I could see that, but I don’t think that has anything to do with your relationship with Alexander.”

  I groan and cover my face with a pillow. “You can’t leave. How am I ever going to survive without you?”

  She laughs. “You’ll be fine. But there is one thing you have to do for me.”

  I raise my eyebrows. I’m hesitant to agree to anything Angie says without knowing what it is.

  “Promise me we will always spend Halloween together,” she begs.

  And that’s all it takes for me to start the ugly cry, which makes Angie start the ugly cry. I can only imagine what people would think if they walked in to find us binging on donuts and crying.

  “I’m really happy for you,” I tell her after I pull myself together. “And a little jealous.”

  She laughs. “You could join us.”

  That’s actually tempting, but with my career really starting to take off, I have no plans to leave Connecticut anytime soon.

  Angie ends up staying for the majority of the day, and we spend most of the afternoon taking a trip down memory lane. We spend hours looking through yearbooks and photo albums. I can’t believe that in a few months Angie will be thousands of miles away. Sometimes I wish I could run away to Disney World, too. Of course, I’m really happy for her and Brett. I’m expecting the proposal isn’t far behind.

  Several hours later, I’m finally firing up my laptop when Alexander calls.

  “Hey, babe. How was your day?”

  I sigh loudly. “Very unproductive. I was just going to do some research for your parents’ house.”

  Of course, Alexander can sense my distress, so I tell him all about Angie’s news and he’s very understanding as always.

  “I’m sorry. I know how close you two are.”

  Ugh. I remember when Angie went away to summer camp one year. I was lost without her and that was only for two weeks. This is going to be a whole new experience for me.

  “Yeah, it’s going to be hard. But I know life changes and people move on. I’m happy for her.”

  Alexander tells me about his day, and I start to zone out. He mentions Melanie but nothing about her and Jake. I’m curious if he asked her, but I don’t want to be the one to bring it up.

  “Is anything else bothering you or is it just Angie’s news?”

  Crap. Did I miss something he said?

  “What?” I say absently.

  He laughs. “I can always tell when you aren’t listening.”

  I cringe.

  “I’m sorry. I zoned out for a second.”

  Just then, there’s a knock at my door. Crap. Mrs. Rothera is right on time as usual. I’ve been so distracted by Angie that I almost forgot she was supposed to stop by tonight.

  “Ugh. This is exactly why I need to move,” I say out loud.

  “What?” he asks curiously.

  “Mrs. Rothera. She wants to go over more decorating ideas.”

  He laughs. “I’ll let you take care of that. Call me later.”

  I start to dig through the mess that is all over my apartment. I had all my ideas for her in a folder.

  “Be right there,” I call. I rush to the door and pull it open. Although, it’s not Mrs. Rothera at the door, it’s Jake.

  Chapter Four

  I’m definitely not expecting Jake to be standing outside the door when I open it. The last time he was here didn’t go so well, so I’m not sure why he would come back.

  “Jake. What are you doing here?”

  He shoves his hands in his pockets and rocks back on his heels. “I’m sorry to stop in unexpectedly. I was in the neighborhood, and well . . . there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

  Seriously? He couldn’t just text or even call me?

  “Okay, but I only have a few minutes. Mrs. Rothera should be here any minute.”

  He frowns. Mrs. Rothera doesn’t care for Jake and he knows it. He walks in my apartment and starts talking right away.

  “This is awkward, but I feel like I owe it to you to tell you in person.”

  I fold my arms tightly against my chest. I already have a feeling this has to do with Melanie.

  “I’ve started seeing someone and . . .”

  “You’re seeing Melanie,”
I interrupt.

  He opens his eyes wider. “Yes, how did you know?”

  I tell him about seeing them at the café, and he looks surprised. I guess they didn’t see us after all.

  “Who you choose to date is your business, Jake,” I say flatly.