“I guess great minds think alike. Penny loves this store.”
I force a smile. Maybe I’m making a huge deal out of nothing. So what if she and Penny are friends. She’s allowed to be friends with whomever she wants. That doesn’t change how Alexander feels about me.
“Who doesn’t love Pottery Barn?” I say loudly.
Of course, I immediately think of the episode of Friends where Phoebe hates Pottery Barn. I start to giggle, and Melanie gives me a funny look.
“Sorry, I just remembered something funny.”
Obviously, she doesn’t remember the episode.
“Well, I better get back to shopping,” I say awkwardly.
I start to walk away, and she follows me. Really? What else does this girl want from me? “Did you need something else?” I ask, looking back at her.
She glares at me. “You really don’t like me, do you?”
She really wants to do this now—in the middle of Pottery Barn.
“I never said that,” I say calmly.
She snorts. “Come on, it’s no secret how we feel about each other. Sure, we try to play nice for Alexander’s sake, but it is what it is.”
Okay, so I don’t disagree with her, but I’m still not sure what she’s trying to accomplish by doing this now.
“The fact is you’re Alexander’s assistant and I’m his girlfriend. We have no choice but to coexist.”
“And you hate that.”
I grit my teeth. “What do you want, Melanie? What’s the point of your infatuation with Alexander anyway? I thought you were dating Jake, remember Jake, my ex-boyfriend?”
She gives me a wicked smile. “You mean the one who broke up with you.”
That was a low blow. In this situation, I could do one of two things: I could start screaming at her in the middle of Pottery Barn and maybe something childish like pulling her hair, or I could calmly and rationally walk away and include it in my conversation with Alexander. I have to do what I have to do.
“Yes, Jake and I broke up. Of course, I was disappointed at first, but then I met Alexander and . . . well, you know the rest.”
It’s my turn to give her a smug smile and remind her that Alexander and I are in relationship despite her many previous attempts to break up our relationship.
I decide to leave the store and get away from Melanie before I do or say something I can’t take back. Now I wish Gina had met me after all. She would have had no mercy on Melanie, and of course, I could easily remind Alexander that I can’t control what Gina does. I’ve finally decided that enough is enough, we all tried to make it work, but it’s obviously not going to. What the next step is, I don’t know.
~*~*~
“Are you serious? Oh man, I wish I was there,” Gina yells.
After my escape from Pottery Barn, I went to the office I share with Gina and told her about my run-in with Melanie.
“She probably wouldn’t have acted like that if you were there. She’s really good at making it look like she’s completely innocent.”
“I can’t believe she brought up the fact that Jake broke up with you. Just proves what a bitch she really is.”
I don’t disagree.
“There’s something that’s bothering me, though,” I say. “She just doesn’t seem to be that into Jake. It’s almost like . . .”
“Like what?” she asks.
“I don’t know—I’m just starting to wonder if they’re really dating.”
“You think it’s a setup?”
I shrug my shoulders.
“It might be. Maybe they plotted this whole thing to make Alexander and me jealous? I wouldn’t put it past Melanie, but I would be surprised if Jake did something like this.”
She has a disgusted look on her face. “I wouldn’t be surprised at all. He’s been trying to win you back for a while.”
Gina answers a call, and I rock back and forth in my chair. Could they really be faking this? Jake was so convincing when he showed up at my apartment to tell me, but what if that was his way of trying to make me jealous? And Melanie would stop at nothing to get Alexander’s attention, including make him worry he could possibly lose her to an exciting new relationship.
If this theory doesn’t pan out, it’s still very obvious that Melanie is not that into Jake. And if that’s true and she’s just playing Jake . . . well, let’s just say I’m a firm believer in karma.
“So, what’s the plan?” Gina asks.
I bite my lip. I don’t know, but somehow I need to find out the truth. This could be the only way to prove what Melanie is really capable of.
“And what if you’re wrong?”
“If I’m wrong and things go south for Alexander and me, well then, I guess we were never meant to be anyway.”
Chapter Ten
Alexander always goes out of his way to make everything perfect. When I arrive at his house, I’m greeted with candles and Chinese lanterns hanging outside on the deck. He has a table set up outside, and he ordered dinner from my favorite Greek restaurant. I look around and I’m completely speechless. Another reason I love spring so much is being able to enjoy evenings like this.
I find Alexander in his office.
“Everything looks amazing,” I say, leaning against the doorframe.
He looks up from his laptop. I walk behind his desk and lean down to give him a kiss. He quickly pulls me into his lap and kisses me with more force than usual.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispers.
I cup his chin with my hand and kiss him again. “I’ve missed you more.”
I sit in his lap for a while, and he tells me all about the big win for his company. I knew it was important, but I had no idea just how important. The way Alexander makes it sound, this deal has set them up for five years. I can see the relief on his face and he’s back to his normal self. He’s in such good mood I don’t know if I have the heart to bring up my issues with Melanie.
“You hungry?” he asks.
I nod, and we make our way outside to the romantic dinner he has planned for us.
I’m just digging into my Greek salad when he asks me what’s been happening with me. I laugh nervously because I don’t know where to start between signing the contract with Helena, Angie moving soon, my love for him, and last but not least the almost-brawl with Melanie in Pottery Barn.
“I suppose I should give you the bad news first.” I pause. “Well, it’s not completely bad news, but it may come with some uncomfortable feelings and emotions.”
He gives me a curious look.
“Okay, give me the news.”
I take a sip of my wine. “Helena and I met at Nick’s for lunch and to discuss the contract.”
He raises his eyebrows. “Did she sign it?”
I nod quickly.
“She did, finally.”
“So you’re going to decorate my ex-wife’s home?” he asks with a fake laugh. “Never in a million years did I see that one coming.”
I cringe. “Neither did I, but this is all your fault. You went and referred me out to all your friends and you have the same friends as Helena. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate all the referrals, but truthfully, I didn’t think she was going to go through with it and hire me. And she seems kind of . . . easy to work with.”
He sips his wine. “I guess love does that to people. It makes you strive to be a better person. I’m glad she’s found that someone new, and I wish her all the happiness in the world. Just like I’ve found with you.”
I take a deep breath. It’s now or never. This perfect weather and this amazing setup makes me want to tell him how I feel. I’m so nervous my palms are sweating and my mouth is dry. I shouldn’t be this nervous, he’s already told me how he feels, so I know he will be happy. I don’t have to worry about rejection.
“I’m so sorry I’ve been unavailable lately. I promise it won’t be like that all the time, some deals require more time and attention.”
“You don’t have to explain anything,�
� I insist. “I know how important your work is.”
He takes my hand in his. “Not as important as you. I know I’ve already told you this, but I love you, Summer.”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “I love you, too.”
The next few minutes are so surreal. I’m about to explain my feelings more in depth when he jumps out of his chair and pulls me into his arms.
“Whoa. If I had known you would have had this kind of reaction, I would have said it sooner.”
He laughs. “You needed time and I respect that. I wasn’t going to push you even though I couldn’t wait for you to say it. Do you know how happy I am right now?”
I can see how happy he is, and I feel the same way. Truthfully, I haven’t felt this happy in a long time. Even though in the back of my mind I know we still need to talk about Melanie. Sure, things are good now and we’re having a wonderful night together, but what happens the next time a big project comes up or the next time Melanie tries to get under my skin. We need to have this conversation, but not tonight. I don’t want to be the one to mess this up.
After dinner, Alexander puts Grease 2 (our favorite movie) on and we curl up on the couch together. I’ve decided that I need to do everything I can to make this work. A man like Alexander doesn’t come along every day. If anything, I should probably admire and respect his loyalty. He’s definitely been loyal to Melanie, and she has to him.
Normally, I would be breaking out into song and dance to “Cool Rider” but my mind is still wandering.
“Hey, are you all right?”
I stare at him for a second.
“What? Oh yeah, just daydreaming.”
He looks concerned and sits up.
“You had a very worried look on your face.”
Hmm . . . I guess I didn’t try hard enough to hide my distraction.
He pauses the movie and turns to face me. Crap! He’s going to do this now. Why couldn’t I just enjoy our evening instead of overthinking everything?
“You know I can tell by your expression. Something has you worried.”
I cringe. He won’t believe me if I say nothing’s wrong. Now is my chance, and I need to do this in the kindest way I possibly can.
“I didn’t want to talk about this tonight. Everything has been so perfect.” I look down at my hands in order to avoid his curious stare.
“You know you can tell me anything.”
I nod slowly. Here goes nothing.
“Did Melanie tell you we ran into each other in Pottery Barn?”
“Noooo. Did something happen between you two?”
I tell him all about our run-in except I leave out the part about me hiding behind the pillows. He listens intently as I explain my feelings.
“I’m not trying to give you an ultimatum, but I don’t see how this is going to work. We’ve all tried, and things aren’t any better between us.”
Alexander is silent. He doesn’t look mad, but he is visibly upset.
“Summer, are you asking me to let Melanie go?”
I grit my teeth. How do I answer this? Yes, this would be ideal unless there was some way she would lay off but it never stops.
“I’m not going to force you to do anything,” I say bluntly. “But if you have another suggestion, I’m all ears. I’ve told you how I feel about you, and I want more than anything for this to work out between us. I just don’t want to feel like I come second in your life.”
“You don’t,” he insists. “I told you I was sorry I’ve been so busy.”
“It’s not about your work,” I interrupt. “It’s Melanie. And how she can’t separate being your assistant and butting in to your personal life. She went out of her way to tell me she was at the store to buy your mom a birthday present.”
“That’s my fault. I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had a chance to shop for her. The gift is from me, not from Melanie.”
I shake my head. “See what I mean. She could have told me that, but she conveniently left that part out because she was trying so hard to make me believe she’s buddies with Penny.”
I know this is all making sense to him. I can almost see the wheels turning in his brain.
“Okay, I will talk to her.”
I snort. “Again? Sure, things will get better for a while, and then it will happen all over again. She’s got it out for me. Don’t forget she told Mrs. Rothera about me moving out. Oh, and I don’t believe she and Jake are really dating. I think it’s all a ploy they set up to make us jealous.” I don’t know where this comes from, but I’m on a roll. I’ve come this far, I might as well put it all out there.
He puts his face in his hands. “Do you really believe they would pretend to be in a relationship?”
I fold my arms defensively. “I wouldn’t put anything past either of them at this point.”
It’s obvious that the mood has changed once again at the mention of Melanie. This is exactly the point I’m trying to make. How long is this going to go on? Are we going to spend the remainder of our relationship arguing over this? As bummed as I am that this conversation has ruined our night, it had to be done.
“Please say something,” I beg.
He’s still looking at the carpet.
“I understand where you’re coming from, and I never wanted you to feel like you come second. I don’t know how many times I have to apologize for her behavior, but you’re right. Something has to change.”
My heart starts beating a mile a minute, and my mouth is dry. Would he really choose her? Maybe deep down he really does have feelings for her and doesn’t realize it?
He puts his hand on my cheek. “I promise you everything’s going to be okay.”
I really wish I could believe him. In the meantime, I need to get to the bottom of this lingering question, and there’s only one person who can answer it for me. Jake.
Chapter Eleven
Jake seemed really happy to get my phone call, and when I asked him to meet me, he seemed very eager. I didn’t tell Alexander I was going to contact him, but I need to find out what Melanie is up to.
After our amazing evening together ended up being not so amazing, Alexander promised
me he would fix everything. I don’t know what he meant by that, but I’m hoping we can finally get some kind of resolution. I barely got any sleep last night thinking about all of this and about what I need to say to Jake.
I’m sitting outside (of course, any excuse to enjoy the good weather) at the same café where Angie and I saw Jake and Melanie together. I arrived a little early so I could follow up on some emails and finalize a few things for Angie’s party. When I look up, I see Jake walking toward the table.
Show time.
“Hi, Jake. Thanks for meeting me.”
He gives me a warm smile. “Of course. I was glad to hear from you.”
He sits down and orders a drink. After a bit of small talk, he cuts to the chase.
“So, what did you want to talk about?” He’s practically on the edge of his chair. I wonder what he’s expecting me to say.
“Well, first of all, I hope Melanie doesn’t get upset about you being here.”
He gets a funny look on his face. “Why would she be upset?”
I cringe. “Let’s just say Melanie and I probably won’t be allowed back into Pottery Barn.”
“What do you mean?”
I give him a curious look. “She didn’t tell you about this?”
He shakes his head. “Um . . . no.”
Of course she didn’t tell him. I wouldn’t be surprised if they haven’t spoken in days.
“What happened?”
I tell him about our altercation. He looks angry when I tell him about what she said about him breaking up with me.
“I don’t understand why she would say that.”
I snort. “Oh, I can answer that, because she loves to get under my skin any chance she can get.”
He looks away and doesn’t say anything. Here’s my chance to finally ge
t to the bottom of all of this.
“Is everything all right with you two?”
He looks back at me. “Yeah. Why do you ask?”
I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know. Despite everything that happened with us, I want you to be happy. Just because Melanie and I don’t get along doesn’t mean I don’t wish you well.”
To Spring with Love: A Novella (Seasons of Summer Novella Series Book 3) Page 6