That type of lifestyle was hard on solid relationships and even harder on new and developing ones. He definitely had to talk to her before his meeting with Dax and Mr. Rogan. Decisions like this weren’t just about him anymore...he and Summer were a unit. Maybe I should wake her up and talk to her before I sign that agreement.
When he was almost to his bedroom, his phone rang and an unknown number flashed across the screen.
“Hello, this is Aiden Chase,” he said, walking back to the kitchen.
“Aiden, you sound just like your father.”
Aiden froze in place.
“Mom?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
“Is this your new number?”
“Oh, no, sweetie, it isn’t. I’m calling from a public phone in Turkey. I just wanted to call you because I got an email from Rogan Studios about a possible documentary.”
Damn, they move fast. “Yeah, I just heard about it.”
“Good, good. Have you decided to take the position?”
“They told you all of that?”
“Yes, they did. They probably told me so that I could give you some advice.”
Advice about what? Mia Meeks wasn’t your average mother, and advice wasn’t anything she’d ever offered him before.
“Okay, I’m listening.”
“Well, for starters, I guess I should be honest in telling you that I haven’t booked a big project in a while, so money has been scarce. What you sent me a couple months ago helped, but I need to keep my money flowing and they’ll pay us a pretty penny to be a part of this project.”
Aiden was silent while he gathered his thoughts. “So the only reason you want to do the documentary is to make money? Not to rebuild our relationship, like you’ve been telling me for the past two years?”
“Oh, come on, Aiden, you’re twisting my words.”
“No, I’m not. I’m just saying what you mean, but won’t say.”
“Baby, I’m honest about the fact that this will help my career. But I also think it will give us a chance to catch up and be a part of something great. You may be closer to your dad, but I’m the parent who understands your drive and determination. I’m the one who understands your artistry. You don’t get your talent from your father, you get it from me. It’s time for the world to see how great we are when we work together.”
“But we’ve never worked together.”
“Exactly. Now’s our chance.” Noise in the background muffled part of her next sentence. “I have to go, Aiden, I’ll talk to you soon. Make the right decision.”
After his mom hung up he remained in his kitchen looking out to the ocean. He had a lot of decisions to make and not enough time to make them. One thing he knew for sure was that Summer had enough to handle without having to deal with this, too. He didn’t want to sound indecisive when he spoke to her, so he had to figure out what he wanted. Then he’d figure out how to talk to Summer about it.
* * *
“Glad you could join us,” Seth Rogan said shaking hands with Dax and Aiden. “I know Mr. Perry has informed you about the new developments. We’re excited that you’ve accepted our offer.”
Aiden looked at Dax before turning back to Mr. Rogan. He hadn’t officially accepted, but Seth Rogan didn’t seem to care. When Dax called yesterday morning, he’d told Aiden that he’d been offered the position of vice president of business development for the London office contingent on Aiden’s accepting the position of creative director for the merged Palmer Lane and Rogan studios.
Dax had done so much to advance Aiden’s career that he hadn’t wanted his friend to lose out on an opportunity, so he’d responded to the email with his encouragement in regard to Dax. But he refused to sign another contract until they met in person.
“Mr. Rogan, although I truly appreciate the offer, what about the secret project that you want candidates to work on?”
“We’re still doing that project, but instead of participating, I need you to oversee it. Whoever performs the best will become assistant creative director and report directly to you.”
“What about the clause in the contract that says the creative director must live in London for a better part of the year. Is that negotiable?”
“No, unfortunately it won’t be negotiable for at least two years.” Mr. Rogan carefully observed Aiden. “I’m sure I don’t have to remind you how important this merger is to Palmer and I. Ever since we first started our companies, we’ve considered going into business with one another.”
“I understand. It’s just that my circumstances have changed since I initially applied for the position.”
“Then maybe now is a good time to tell you that we feel as though you have much more experience that we can tap into. It would really bring this endeavor to another level. How does VP of creative sound, working alongside your buddy Daxton Perry?”
Aiden glanced at Dax, who looked nervous about his response. Dax wanted this opportunity. Hell, Aiden didn’t know anyone who deserved it more...himself included. But Aiden still hadn’t talked to Summer and, quite frankly, he was still a bit torn about his decision. As great as he thought it would be, it wasn’t about the job itself. He could take or leave that. It was about the fact that this opportunity would bring him one step closer to working with his mother.
“All of this sounds great, Mr. Rogan, but there’s just one thing I don’t understand.” Aiden crossed an ankle over his knee. “I’ve been interested in this position for a long time, and although I know my exhibit will be amazing, I’ve been spotlighted at numerous exhibits in New York and LA. I was even spotlighted in an exhibit in Paris. You and your team didn’t seem interested until recently, so why the change of heart?”
“That’s simple. You came highly recommended by two people whose opinion I value greatly. After reviewing your profile, I was told separately by both that I’d be stupid not to give you this role. Now, I wasn’t really convinced at the time, but after talking to Palmer and Dax, and seeing your work, I’m more convinced that they were right.”
“Who were the people whose opinion you valued?”
“Well, your mother for starters. She and I crossed paths many years ago when she was at the peak of her career. Then she had you and stopped taking photos for a while, but we ran into each other in Milan a few months ago. She spent the entire time bragging on you. Understandably, she’s really proud of what you’ve accomplished.”
Aiden’s jaw twitched. “Are you sure my mother is the woman you talked to?” He could count on the fingers of one hand how many times his mother had actually said she was proud of him. It wasn’t that she’d claimed to be disappointed. It was more like she’d never said anything at all, either way.
Mr. Rogan looked confused until he broke out into a laugh. “Palmer was right. You do have a sarcastic sense of humor. Perfect for Rogan Studios.”
“Besides Palmer, Dax and my mother, who was the other person who recommended me?”
Mr. Rogan opened his mouth and was interrupted by the chief steward.
“Come on, fellas,” Mr. Rogan said, following the steward. “I have some one-of-a-kind Cuban cigars on the top deck of the yacht. We’ll be more comfortable up there.”
Aiden reluctantly followed, understanding the decision he had to make about the position the longer he was in the presence of Mr. Rogan. It wasn’t that Rogan was a bad man, Aiden just had this strange feeling in the pit of his stomach about the entire opportunity. The sooner he got this meeting over with, the better.
* * *
Summer took a step back and did a 360-degree turn in her lingerie boutique. She couldn’t believe that Bare Sophistication was opening in two weeks after months of preparing for the grand day.
“Everything is beautiful,” Danni said, coming to stand next to her. “Aaliyah and Nicole will be here so
on for our meeting. I’ll grab us all some coffee and tea before they get here.”
Summer nodded her head, but didn’t move from her spot after Danni left. She had to soak in the moment. Danni’s right. Everything really is beautiful, she thought. After such a great week and a half with Aiden, and putting the finishing touches on her shop, life was finally falling into place. There was still a long way to go, but she was confident that not only would her boutique be a success, but her relationship would be, too.
Aiden...
Her mind stayed on him, as it often did. He’d been anxious the past couple days, as if he had something that he wanted to talk to her about, but hadn’t. He had a really important work meeting today, but she had a feeling that wasn’t the only thing going on. She’d asked him if he needed to talk several times and he’d declined. Just this morning he’d taken a call outside rather than talking in front of her.
It wasn’t a big deal, but she’d hoped that after everything they’d been through, he could be completely honest and forthcoming with her. The door opening and closing behind her broke her thoughts.
“That was fast. There must not have been a line.” She turned around, expecting to see Danni and froze at the sight before her.
She blinked her eyes a few times, hoping she was in a bad dream and just hadn’t awakened yet.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she said with as much force as she could. The intruder didn’t seem fazed. In fact, he seemed rather intrigued.
“I always did love when you yelled, angel face,” he said with a malicious smile. “Did you miss me?”
Chapter 17
The best revenge is moving on and not giving someone the satisfaction of watching you suffer. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. Summer thought about the words that were voiced to her by the psychiatrist four years ago. Words that she’d kept tucked deep in a crevice of her mind to reflect on when needed. Today was one of those times.
Staring back at the face of a man who’d robbed her of so much, she realized she had two options. She could back down and let him see her squirm, or she could stand up for herself like she’d wished she’d done years ago.
“You’ve got a lot of nerve showing up here, Jake.”
He glanced around her boutique. “I’d like to think I inspired you a little to open a place like this.”
“I don’t give you a second thought.”
“Funny, because I think about you all the time.” She inwardly cringed at his words. He took two steps toward her and she walked behind her counter.
“You need to leave before I call the cops.”
“You won’t call the cops.”
“Yes, I will.” She was already reaching for the emergency button under her counter.
“Well, you may want to hear what I have to say first,” he said, pulling a laptop out of his briefcase. He opened it, clicked on some buttons, and left it at the edge of the counter. “Better yet, how about you just take a look at my newest business partner.” He took a few steps back, but she refused to look at the laptop.
“I could care less about who you’re working with.”
“I figured you’d say that, but I had to come see you anyway because I had to see the look on your face when I told you. He’d always been too weak to tell you the truth about anything anyway.”
Is he talking about Aiden? He can’t be...
“I can tell from the look on your face that you assume I’m talking about Aiden, and you’d be correct in that assumption.”
The way he was smiling made her nauseous. “What are you talking about?”
Jake sat down in a nearby chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “Why don’t you take a look on the laptop?”
Unable to help herself, she quickly walked to the computer, grabbed it and walked back behind the counter.
“Why are you showing me a random website?”
“Just click on the staffing tab and you’ll see.” She navigated to the staffing page, and the first thing that popped up was a PR announcement that Aiden Chase was the newest VP of creative for the Rogan Studios and Palmer Lane photo and film merger.
Why wouldn’t he tell me about this? She skimmed the release before exiting and looking through the rest of the staff, only stopping when she landed on a photo and bio of Jake listed as VP of marketing for Rogan Studios. She closed the laptop and pushed it to the side.
“Seen enough, angel face?”
“I thought I told you to never call me that.”
“You liked it.” He may have been talking about the pet name, but his words were like a dagger to her heart. A reminder of the night he’d claimed she’d wanted to have sex with him, although he’d drugged her and broken her trust.
Even now, she reminded herself that he hadn’t been the first person to break her trust and wouldn’t be the last. If Sonia Dupree had prepared her for anything in life, it was that sometimes the people who we thought cared were the first ones to shatter our faith.
Her mind drifted back to Aiden and she wondered again why he hadn’t told her about the position.
“He signed a contract,” Jake said, waving a sheet of paper at her. Even from a distance, she could tell it was Aiden’s signature. “He sent these to my office, too.” He rose up from his chair and tossed photos on the counter. She shuffled through a few, noticing that they were all copies of photos Aiden was including in his exhibit.
“Imagine my surprise when I saw the details of the Bare Sophistication photos and noticed the owner was Summer Dupree.”
“Why are you showing me all this?”
“I thought it’s what you always wanted? For Aiden and I to get along?”
She tried to find any sign of warmth in his eyes and found nothing. “You need to leave before I call the cops.”
“What’s wrong, Summer? Can’t handle the truth? That Aiden was going to move to London and leave you without a second glance?”
She didn’t want to ask him to explain, and she shouldn’t even be conversing with him, but she was too curious not to ask. “What are you talking about?”
“The job he just accepted is in London.”
She tried to mask her surprise, but failed.
“That’s right, angel face. Mr. Knight in Shining Armor is leaving for London soon, and from what I’ve seen on the website for your store, he’s leaving right around the grand opening. You may think he cares about you, but what type of man would leave on such an important day?
“Oh, wait, I forgot. Clearly he doesn’t care that much if he left you in my hands for five months.”
“You despicable son of a...”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Careful, angel face. Your claws are showing.” He moved his pointer finger back and forth in front of her face.
Summer couldn’t place exactly when her frustration hit an all-time high, but before she could rethink her decision, she lifted her hand and smacked him as hard and fast as she could before kneeing him in his genitals the way she’d learned in her self-defense class. Summer ran back to the counter and pressed the alarm, forgetting that her appointment with ADP wasn’t until tomorrow morning.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” He lunged toward her, knocking her phone off the counter in the process. It shattered as soon as it hit the ground.
“What’s going on?” Danni asked frantically as she dropped the cups of coffee and tea. Jake looked from Summer to Danni before cursing as he grabbed his laptop from the counter and his briefcase.
“Back in college, I thought it would have been much better,” he said, spitting on her floor when he pushed past Danni and walked out the door. “Waste of two years chasing after something that was as forgettable as what I ate for dinner last night. Tell Aiden I’ll see him at work, and if you two get married, I’ll be sure to gi
ve him my condolences for subjecting himself to a life of dissatisfaction.”
Summer was still staring at the door after he left.
“Summer, what happened? Who was that?” Danni asked again.
“Did you know that according to the National Institute of Justice, over eighty-five percent of victims who are sexually assaulted in college actually know their attacker?”
Danni looked at Summer in confusion. “What are you saying? What did he do?”
Summer took a deep breath as her eyes remained focused on her front door. She was tired of being quiet. Tired of feeling as though telling her story somehow made her weak, because if there was anything she’d learned over the past month, it was that she was much stronger than she’d ever given herself credit for. On the outside, she’d always held herself with confidence, but she could honestly say that she was now internally confident in her ability to handle any obstacle life threw at her.
“He didn’t attack me today, but he assaulted me when we were in college.” At Danni’s gasp, Summer turned to face her. “I think he showed up here today because he found out Aiden and I were together and he wanted to disrupt my life. I’ll tell you more later, but I have to find Aiden and talk to him, first.”
Danni studied her eyes before nodding her head in understanding. “I’m here when you’re ready to talk. Aaliyah and Nicole should be here soon, too.”
“I’ll wait to leave until they get here.”
“You don’t have to,” Danni said. “You need to go and find Aiden.”
Summer glanced around her shop, well aware of the fact that Jake had purposely sought her out at her workplace to try to disturb her comfort. He wanted her to feel unsafe. It was all a joke to him, and he was trying to make her play the game his way.
“I refuse to give that sick bastard any more power over me. This is my boutique, and tomorrow morning I will walk into the shop and not think about him bursting through here for one second.”
Waiting for Summer Page 16