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

by Baldwin, Melissa

  Gina pounds on the table. “And you’re just going to let her get away with this?”

  I glance at Angie who’s been surprisingly quiet. She looks perplexed.

  “What’s up with you?” I ask her, clearly ignoring Gina’s outburst.

  She’s playing with the straw in her glass.

  “We set our moving date. We’re leaving in three weeks.”

  We’re all silent, even Gina who has clearly forgotten about the revenge plot she was planning in her mind.

  “I knew it would be sooner than expected,” I say sadly. “That’s why I set the party so soon. Once you and Brett set your minds on something, it’s usually done quickly.

  She has a pained look on her face.

  “Yeah, we’re kind of annoying, aren’t we?”

  “Hell yeah, you are,” Gina chimes in. “It gives us procrastinators a bad rep.”

  We all laugh. I’m glad Gina’s here for the comic relief on what would be a sad afternoon. I hate to say it, but I’d almost rather talk about Gina’s possible revenge plan than the fact that my best friend will be thousands of miles away in a few weeks.

  “Please, can we talk about something else?” Angie begs.

  I may as well take this opportunity to give them the low down on my latest career dilemma.

  “Helena requested a meeting to go over the contract I sent her. I guess she wants me to decorate her apartment after all.”

  “She did?” Angie squawks. “I would’ve bet she was playing you the whole time.”

  “Seriously, you mean to tell me there isn’t one decorator in all of Manhattan?” Gina adds.

  I shrug my shoulders. “I guess since both Alexander and Nick hired me, she wants to follow suit.”

  While Gina and Angie discuss the possible reasons why Helena is hiring me, I zone out.

  So far, this spring isn’t turning out the way I had hoped. Melanie is still intertwined in my relationship and now involved with my ex, Helena wants me to be her decorator, and my best friend is leaving in three weeks. Huh, maybe I will just have to look forward to summer.

  ~*~*~

  I arrive at Nick’s restaurant earlier than I expected. You never know with New York City traffic. Helena and I agreed to meet here because it’s a great central location and the food is amazing, not to mention we know the owners. It also doesn’t hurt for her to see some of my work as a reminder that I’m good at what I do.

  “Well hello, stranger,” Nick says, greeting me at the door. “Where are you hiding my best friend?”

  Hmm . . . that’s funny. However, it does make me feel better knowing that I’m not the only one who isn’t seeing much of Alexander.

  “I have no idea, but when you find him, let me know.”

  He starts to laugh.

  “He’s closing a huge deal right now, so I’m sure he’ll resurface as soon as that’s complete.”

  He nods. “I spoke with him about a week ago, and he sounded really overwhelmed. It will pay off in the end, right?”

  “I hope so. He really needs to slow down, but at least he has Melanie to help him.”

  Okay, so I know that was a sly way of bringing up the fact that Melanie is with my boyfriend more than I am.

  Nick gives me a curious look. “Is someone feeling a little insecure in their relationship?”

  I laugh. “It wouldn’t be the first time. Sometimes it’s hard having to share Alexander with Melanie.”

  He purses his lips. “That’s what Helena used to say to Caroline all the time.”

  Damn, he actually took the bait. I hope this doesn’t come back to bite me.

  “What do you mean?”

  He shakes his head. “First of all, I know what you’re thinking. Trust me when I tell you there’s nothing romantic between Xander and Melanie. However, he does depend on her . . . probably more than he should and she latches onto that. If anything, I think it gives her some false hope that they could be more someday.”

  “So, you think he leads her on?”

  He shakes his head. “No, he just makes it very obvious how much he depends on her.”

  I’m just about to ask his advice on how to handle the situation when he’s summoned from the kitchen.

  When I sit down at our table, I take out my laptop and open the file for Helena. I stare at the screen, but I’m really thinking about what Nick said. Everyone, including Alexander himself, insists there’s nothing romantic there, so it just comes down to me being secure enough in how he feels about me.

  “Hello, Summer.”

  I look up to see Helena, the Swedish goddess, standing next to me. She’s wearing a gray and white off-the-shoulder sweater, and her hair is up in a half bun on top of her head. She’s as stunning as ever.

  “Hi,” I say cheerfully.

  “Thanks for the meeting. I would have contacted you sooner, but my schedule wouldn’t allow it. And Jacques and I went on a short holiday.”

  I smile. I can see how happy she is.

  “I’m glad everything worked out for you two.”

  She nods. “So am I. Shall we look over everything? I have another appointment following this.”

  Shockingly, Helena and I have a very productive meeting. She seems to be receptive to most of my ideas, or it could be that she’s just telling me what I want to hear. And before we end our meeting, she signs the contract. So, I guess this means she’s officially my new client. Wow, who would have thought I’d be working with my boyfriend’s ex-wife? Oh well, I’m not going to let it concern me. She’s moved on and so has Alexander. I’m just going to keep my fingers crossed that everything will go smoothly.

  Chapter Eight

  The last few days have been exhausting. Ever since Angie announced that they were moving in a few weeks, I’ve been in full party planning mode. The planning has helped to distract me from the sadness of her leaving. I even rented a karaoke machine as a throwback to our college days. We loved going to karaoke night, so I thought it would be a fun way to celebrate. I feel like I could sleep for days, so when I arrive home from the city, I’m ready to crash. Until I see the note Mrs. Rothera left for me on my door.

  Please stop by my place when you get home.

  -Mrs. R

  I groan loudly. On the other hand, if I look on the bright side, at least she didn’t come to my apartment unannounced. I’m sure this has something to do with her apartment; maybe she’s changed her mind on the style already. Based on the last project I did with her, she changed her mind at least four different times, so it’s probably that time.

  I shouldn’t complain because our last interaction went really well. I actually enjoyed her company.

  And if she asks me how my apartment search is going, she’ll be happy to know that I haven’t had time to look for a new place in days, so as of right now, I’m not going anywhere.

  I slowly make my way back downstairs, and when I approach the door, I hear music playing. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this music. It’s a weird mixture of sounds, like different instruments, chanting, and humming. She claims this is meditation music but to me it sounds like a bunch of noise. I knock loudly on the door, and sure enough, she answers a few seconds later. I have no idea how she hears me when that music is playing, but she does every time.

  “Sorry to bother you. I just got your note.”

  She has a very calm and serene look on her face. I guess the meditation noise-music works.

  “Thank you for coming,” she says calmly, actually it sounds more like she’s singing. I walk into her dark living room, and she quickly turns on the lights.

  “I wanted to talk to you about my bedroom. I’m just not feeling what we discussed.”

  I knew it. I take my tablet out of my bag to get ready to jot down her new ideas. At least I didn’t put a lot of time into this yet.

  “I hope you don’t think I’m being difficult.”

  I stare at my tablet trying not to make any kind of eye contact with her. I’m not going to answer that.
It’s probably better than trying to lie my way out of it.

  “What did you have in mind instead of the Moroccan?” I ask, changing the subject before she asks me again.

  She sits down and begins taking slow, deep breaths. What the hell is she doing? It looks like she’s going into labor.

  “I’m thinking the islands of the South Pacific. Maybe some palms, floral, bamboo. Oh, maybe I should get an aquarium? That would definitely give it an island feel.”

  An aquarium? She can’t be serious. I quickly type up the notes as she’s talking.

  “Okay, I will get started on this.”

  I head for the door when she stops me.

  “Forgive me for asking, but you seem very concerned about something.”

  I laugh loudly. “When am I not concerned? It seems like I’m always worrying about something.”

  Mrs. Rothera doesn’t seem to find this as funny as I do.

  “Angie’s leaving in a few weeks, and I guess I’ve been going through a rough time thinking about her being so far away.”

  She nods her head, but I know she can see right through me. All of a sudden, something comes over me and I feel the need to completely unload on her. It feels as if the words begin to pour out of my mouth like vomit.

  “And there’s the whole thing with Alexander and Melanie . . . again.” As soon as I say it out loud, I immediately hope I don’t regret it.

  “Ah yes, but the last I heard there wasn’t an Alexander and Melanie. I thought she was dating Jake.”

  I roll my eyes.

  “She is dating Jake. For what reasons, I don’t know other than in an attempt to make me jealous. Anyway, regardless of whom she’s dating, she’s Alexander’s assistant and that’s a big deal to him.”

  “You’re afraid you’re going to lose him, aren’t you? You’re afraid he’s going to move on like Jake did.”

  I rub my forehead. “I guess so. The thing is Alexander has already told me he loves me. And I’m the one who hasn’t said it back to him yet.”

  She tries to hide her smile. I know she’s enjoying the fact I’m finally confiding in her.

  “Do you love Alexander?”

  I take a deep breath and lean my head back. I know how I feel about him, but for some reason I’m holding back on admitting my feelings out loud and to myself.

  “It’s difficult to open up your heart after it’s been broken,” she adds. “You’re entitled to feel this way.”

  “It’s very difficult. And yes, I do love Alexander, and that terrifies me.”

  After I say it, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I’m actually wondering if Mrs. Rothera put something in the air. She’s always using different kinds of essential oils, and maybe tonight she’s put some kind of calming blend into the air. Holy crap, maybe she’s drugging me. Maybe it’s a truth serum or love potion? Either way, I actually finally admitted it. I’m in love with Alexander. But now what? Am I going to be okay with Melanie always being here? I thought I was okay with it. I guess I had just accepted it because we were just casually dating, but now this is serious. This is my future . . . our future, and I really need to think hard about this before I let myself get in any deeper.

  “You need to tell him how you feel,” Mrs. Rothera demands. I almost forgot I was still in her apartment. Seriously, what did she put in the air?

  “You mean that I’m in love with him.”

  She nods slowly. “Yes—but also how you’re feeling about the situation with Melanie.”

  I frown. “I’ve done this already. He knows how I feel.”

  “He knows you’re not sure you want to move forward in this relationship?”

  I furrow my brow. “I never said that.”

  “You didn’t have to say it. You’re having a lot of doubts and have been for a while. There’s another woman in his life—maybe not in the same manner as you, but she’s there and it doesn’t appear she will be going anywhere. Unless, you speak up.”

  This really sucks. How am I supposed to tell him I love him, and then tell him he needs to choose between us? Is that really fair to him? But is it fair to me?

  “You told me I shouldn’t push her out,” I remind her.

  “I did tell you that. But if it’s weighing on you this much, you can’t stay silent. You’re visibly distraught about it, and I believe you can do it in a way that’s not forcing him to choose. Just be honest and let it come from the heart.”

  ~*~*~

  I finally crawl into bed after what seems like one of the longest days of my life. Mrs. Rothera was really helpful tonight, and now I feel super guilty for being so negative toward her. Yes, she’s nosy and sometimes the unsolicited advice is too much. But, she also cares about people, and for some reason she especially cares about me. Tonight, she acted like a supportive friend and not a nosy neighbor-psychic. And she swore up and down she didn’t release any kind of soothing chemical into the air.

  Now comes the million-dollar question: When do I talk to Alexander about my concerns? Right now, he’s so busy with this acquisition I think it will just add to his stress levels. I certainly don’t want to be the cause of that.

  In the meantime, I can put all my attention into my projects for both Mrs. Rothera and Helena, and of course, Angie’s good-bye party. I also can’t forget about finding a new place to live—I still want a fresh new start, but I need to find the right place to start over. I’m not going to rush into anything, because I’m learning that rushing into things is not the best idea.

  Chapter Nine

  Sometimes all you need is a good shopping trip to clear your mind. And for me, this is exactly what I need. Gina was supposed to meet me to shop for a going away present for Angie, but something urgent suddenly came up and with Gina that could be anything. As I walk through the mall, I’m kind of glad she canceled. It gives me a chance to really think. It’s not like I haven’t thought about how to handle the Alexander-Melanie situation, it’s practically been monopolizing every waking moment I have. The good news is when I spoke to him this morning he told me they would finally be wrapping up this deal today and tomorrow, and we’re having dinner tomorrow night to celebrate. I’m not sure if that’s the right time to have our little talk or if I should wait, but I’ve never been very good about keep things bottled up inside. And usually I’m so transparent I end up blabbing my feelings anyway. The other night with Mrs. Rothera is the perfect example of this.

  I would normally talk to Angie about this, but she’s so busy with the move and I don’t want to give her anything more to worry about. As it is, she’s been sending me multiple texts checking up on me every day. I feel like the little child whose best friend is moving away. I have this image of myself hugging a stuffed animal and chasing after the moving van as it drives down the street. Seriously, I’m an adult and I need to act like one. It’s okay (and natural) to be sad, but I can’t let it consume my whole life. Things change and people move on. This is just part of life.

  I’m in Pottery Barn looking for something for Angie’s new place when I see Melanie.

  Crap! This is the last thing I want right now. I try to hide behind a tall display of throw pillows but I’m too late.

  “Summer?”

  I crawl out from behind the pillows and try to act surprised to see her. I know she caught me trying to hide from her.

  “Oh, hi, Melanie,” I say, trying to sound surprised to see her.

  Ugh, I’m really not a good liar.

  “Looking for something back there?” she asks smugly. I wonder if I’d get arrested if I accidentally punched her. I know that’s not the mature way to handle this, but it was just a random thought.

  I ignore her snarky comment and change the subject away from me trying to hide from her.

  “Hey, congrats on the acquisition. Alexander told me it’s being finalized today.”

  Her smugness seems to disappear for a moment. “Yes, we did it. Alexander was so sweet and gave me the rest of the day off today.”


  “You guys worked really hard. I’m sure it’s well deserved.”

  She nods. “So, what are you doing? Are you here to get Penny a birthday present, too?”

  Penny—it doesn’t take a genius to know she’s talking about Alexander’s mom. Of course, I didn’t know it was her birthday.

  “No, actually a good-bye present for Angie. She’s moving soon, and I wanted to get her something for her new home.”