Waiting For Summer

Danni ignored Summer’s statement and turned to Aaliyah and Nicole. “Ladies, care to join me back at Summer’s condo?”

Aiden smiled at Danni’s not-so-discreet way of helping him out.

“Summer, why don’t you and Aiden go ahead to the restaurant. You can tell us how it is later.”

Summer glanced at him before giving Danni a smile that seemed forced. “Okay, then I guess I’ll see you when I get home.”

Aiden observed her as she watched her friends retreat. She didn’t speak after they left, but turned to walk toward the restaurant. As they walked the short distance, she fidgeted with the straps of her purse, taking it on and off her shoulder several times before opting to leave it on her shoulder. Considering how uncomfortable he was making her, he shouldn’t have been checking her out—but he couldn’t help himself.

“You know, I ate a couple hours ago, so we don’t have to eat if you don’t want to.”

She stopped walking and turned to him. “I could always use a hand lifting some of the heavy boxes in the boutique. The grand opening is in two months, so we’re trying to get everything organized since the floors just got done.”

Good to know some things haven’t changed. When Summer got nervous about something, she always needed to remain busy. As long as she had something else to focus on, she was fine.

“Yeah, that sounds good. I didn’t get to the gym or go running today, so I could use a good workout lifting boxes.”

She studied his arms and even the simplest look from her warmed his body. “So, you still run?”

“Anytime I can.” Running was always something they had in common. “Do you still run?”

“At least four times a week.”

His eyes then raked over the snow-white shorts hugging her thighs and her flowy, yellow blouse. When she turned and began walking back to her boutique, he stole a glance at her creamy, butterscotch-colored legs.

He was still staring at her legs when she opened the door to her boutique and motioned for him to step inside.

“Welcome to Bare Sophistication Miami. It isn’t much to look at now, but it will be as soon as the furniture gets delivered in a couple weeks. I’m having a lounge space on the raised platform in the corner, and we’ll offer tea and infused water throughout the day for our customers.”

Aiden observed the space in detail, noting the deep walnut flooring throughout the boutique and crisp white shelving. Lavender, black and gray accent pieces sat on top of random boxes and counters.

“No home for the accent pieces yet?”

“Not yet. When the furniture arrives, I’m hoping I’ll lock down the feng shui of this place.”

“Well, even though there’s still work to be done, I can see the overall look you’re going for, and I think it’s going to be amazing.”

“Thanks,” Summer said with a soft smile. “Maybe this will help you visualize the space.” She walked over to him and handed him a binder that had been sitting on the front counter.

“Here are some of the preliminary drawings of how everything will look. Still a ways to go, but so far, I’m sticking to my design.”

He observed her as she explained each page in the binder, and he couldn’t help but listen in pride. She wasn’t his girlfriend and never had been. Hell, at the moment they weren’t even close friends, more like old friends trying to catch up. Yet the excitement in her smile made him even happier for her.

“Where do these stairs lead to?” He pointed at the staircase in the drawing before turning his head to look at the beautiful wooden staircase.

“There’s an upstairs loft area, but I haven’t figured out what to utilize the space for yet. I currently have a lot of racks stored up there and the flooring is complete, too.”

Summer pulled out a few sheets of paper that were placed in the back of the binder. “And here are a few new designs that Winter is currently working on for the grand opening in a couple months. We will have all the same lingerie as the Chicago location, only we’re adding a few pieces to represent that Miami flare. As the boutique matures, we’ll add more pieces for our target demographic.”

Aiden wasn’t sure if the idea for a collaboration popped into his mind because of the way she was explaining the lingerie pieces or because, despite the opening of his exhibit in Miami, the real reason he wanted to be there was for Summer. Or it could be the fact that every lingerie piece she showed him only made him imagine her in it. She was standing so close to him that he could smell her perfume. He couldn’t place the scent, but he wanted to bury his nose in the crook of her neck and smell more of it.

“I have an idea.”

She looked at him in confusion. “About the lingerie pieces or about the decor of the shop?”

“Both. Neither. I guess both indirectly. I told you that I’m in Miami to feature in the new Palmer Lane Photography exhibit, but I didn’t mention that I currently don’t have any idea of what the theme of my portion of the exhibit will be. And since I’m the main featured fashion photographer, it has to be a great one.”

“I just figured you would be showing photos from some of your many travels. Didn’t you just go to Greece not too long ago?”

He quirked an eyebrow at her. “We haven’t talked in a while, so I never got to tell you about Greece. Have you been keeping tabs on me?”

She shrugged. “No, but Aaliyah’s a huge fan of yours so she keeps all of us updated on the fashion industry.”

“I think I just saw some of her beauty shots in Cosmopolitan magazine.”

She giggled. “You read Cosmo?”

“Only because I have to keep abreast of the competition.”

“Aaliyah was featured in last month’s issue for a contest they had. She’s a freelance photographer right now, but she’s hoping the Cosmo feature leads to more. If you tell her that you spotted her work, she’ll probably pass out from excitement.”

“So, since Aaliyah is keeping you updated on the fashion industry, when my name got brought up, did you tell her we knew each other?”

She slightly worried her bottom lip, then soothed the bite with her tongue. “Of course I did.”

She’s lying. They might both be older—and hopefully wiser—but the quirks she’d had when she lied were still the same.

“That’s funny, because they looked shocked to see me. I wonder why they all looked so surprised if they already knew we knew each other.”

“Hmm, I can’t imagine why they were surprised.” She walked over to some small boxes sitting on a built-in shelf and began reading the labels. “So, what’s your idea?”

He followed her cue and dropped the subject. “Well, I only arrived in Miami a couple days ago, but I think it’s safe to say the fashion in this city is definitely different than what I’ve seen in other cities. The fashion in Miami is sexy. The colors are bold with heavy Latin influence. The sex appeal in this city alone is enough to make a photographer want to capture the true essence of Miami culture. I’m proud of all my work, but being here makes me want to uncage the fashion culture and represent the true beauty of Miami.”

He stepped closer to her. “If the company accepts my idea, I’ll call the exhibit Miami Unleashed and I’d spend the next few months capturing true Miami fashion. The raw. The weird. The reckless. The sexy.”

“I think that’s an amazing idea,” she said with a killer smile that he hadn’t seen in years. Man, how he’d missed that smile. He couldn’t even count how many times he’d thought of that smile when he’d been away in a foreign country on a photo assignment.

“What if a few of the lingerie pieces you showed me today were featured in the exhibit? We could set up a photo shoot with models and the works. I could even talk to my business manager about including in your contract for you to be able to hang up pieces in your boutique that aren’t chosen to be a part of the exhibit. It only seems fitting that Bare Sophistication be included in Miami Unleashed.”

It was true that the pieces of lingerie he’d seen would be perfect for the idea that was brewing in his mind. But that wasn’t the only reason he wanted to include Bare Sophistication in his idea. There was a time in life when he’d thought he’d always be a friend of Summer’s. That there would never be a time when they were apart. He understood that things had happened in their past that couldn’t be erased. However, spending eight years feeling like somewhat distant acquaintances rather than the best friends they used to be was more than disappointing. It made him feel empty inside. Alone.

He couldn’t quite read the look on Summer’s face, but judging from what he could see in her eyes, she was intrigued.

“Would you really be willing to include Bare Sophistication in your exhibit?” she asked.

“Absolutely,” he said without hesitation. He still needed approval, but he was sure the folks at Palmer Lane would love his idea.

He was watching her so closely, he was able to pinpoint the exact moment she truly believed in his plan. “Okay, then I think it’s a great idea and Bare Sophistication would be honored to be a part of it.”