Buch lesen: «Waiting For Summer»

Prologue

Two years ago...

“There comes a time in one’s life when a crucial decision must be made. Everything worth accomplishing in life starts with being scared. It’s okay to be scared, but don’t let that fear overpower you.”

As Summer Dupree sat in her car staring at the old brown-brick building, she couldn’t believe she was chanting words she’d heard from a television program she’d seen last week on people suffering from zoophobia.

Unlike the people on that show, Summer wasn’t afraid of animals. She might take off running if a massive and unfamiliar German shepherd ran toward her, but she was a lover of all animals. She rarely saw an animal that unnerved her. Unless that animal walked on two legs and observed her with an intensity that seemed to peel her back layer by layer. Okay, so maybe she was thinking about a human, not an animal. Well, he’s definitely an attractive human. An extremely attractive human. A human so dangerously sexy that she couldn’t think straight sometimes, but that was beside the point.

Movement seen from the corner of her eye got her attention. There was no doubt in her mind that the guy sitting in the car next to her was hyperventilating. Judging by what she could tell from his face, she assumed it was Steve, the class valedictorian. She hadn’t talked to Steve that much in high school, but he’d always seemed nice. Within five minutes, she’d already witnessed him remove and wipe his black-framed glasses several times. There was no doubt he was experiencing the same type of anxiety that she was. Then again, was there anyone who didn’t experience anxiety attending their high school reunion? She highly doubted it.

With all the courage she could muster, Summer stepped out of her rental and began walking toward the entrance of her old high school. She was wearing her killer red heels and favorite black dress. She definitely looked more confident than she felt. When she reached the door, she exhaled the breath she’d been holding, then stepped into the building.

She barely recalled checking in at the sign-in desk and greeting a couple of former classmates before she began walking down the hall to the gym—a somewhat out-of-body experience. Neither one of her older sisters had returned to town for their high school reunions, yet here she was, walking into the place she swore she’d never step foot in again.

It wasn’t that growing up in Claysville, New Jersey, was all bad. There just were parts of the town that she didn’t particularly care for. Like being the main topic of discussion after every town event. Summer didn’t want to blame her hometown for the reason she disliked small towns. But the more she thought about it, the more she wondered if the reason she and her sisters now resided in major cities was because of their experience in Claysville. Both Winter and Autumn were now living in Chicago, and Summer was hoping to move from New York to Miami in a couple years.

The small town of Claysville was only known for three things: its historic buildings, the Fighting Tigers track team and gossip. Summer’s family used to live in a beautiful historic home. She had been on the track team, so that was a plus. Unfortunately, her family had also been the main target of gossip, more than any other family in town when they lived there.

When she stepped into the gym, the bright white lights and green and purple balloons representing the school colors transported her back ten years, to her senior prom. She blinked a few times to adjust her eyes to the brightness. Claysville High was the only school she knew that didn’t dim the lights for a dance, choosing to keep them bright the entire night. Unbelievable how some things never change. Her thought was further proved when Rochelle Slater—the beauty queen herself—approached her.

“Summer, sweetie! I haven’t seen you in Claysville since we graduated. How are you?”

Summer returned Rochelle’s hug. “Hey, Rochelle, I’m doing well. How are you?”

“Oh, I’m absolutely fantastic. Expecting my second child any day now.” She rubbed her protruding belly.

“Congratulations! Is your husband here with you, too?”

“Oh, you silly girl,” Rochelle said as she playfully hit Summer’s arm. “You call Sam my husband as if we didn’t all go to school together. I mean, I should really be thanking you.”

Here we go. “Thank me for what?”

“Well, we all know Sam had a crush on you throughout grade school and part of high school. If you hadn’t shown your true colors, he probably would have never realized that we were really meant to be together.” When Rochelle stepped closer, it took all of Summer’s energy to remain still.

“You always did want all the men to yourself,” Rochelle said in a perky voice, in an attempt to disguise the insult. “Like, all of them. Each and every decent one. So, thank God you released Sam from your grasp so I could snatch him up. I mean, can you imagine if...”

“I think our view on the subject is different,” Summer said, cutting her off. “Sam was never mine to begin with. I’m glad you two found happiness.”

“Oh, yes, we’re very happy. But I haven’t forgotten what you put me through with my first boyfriend. In case you were thinking of apologizing for trying to steal Aiden away from me, no need. I accept your apology.”

At the mention of Aiden’s name, Summer’s breath caught in her throat. “Rochelle, I never tried to steal Aiden from you. Aiden and I were only...”

“Best friends. Yeah, I know,” Rochelle said with a forced laugh. “We’ve all heard that one before.”

“What have we all heard before?” Sam asked as he approached.

Summer briefly looked around the room for an escape. Okay, where is the black hole? Time travel for one, please!

“Hi, Sam, how are you?” Summer extended her hand, but their greeting was awkward.

“I’m good. Nice to see you, Summer.”

Sam and Rochelle then kissed and embraced. Looks-wise, they hadn’t changed much since high school and they genuinely seemed happy to be together. Hmm, if I liked them more, I’d say they were a cute couple. But Summer still had the scars from the drama she’d dealt with from them in middle and high school. Against her better judgment, she offered her compliment anyway.

“You both look great together. It’s nice to see a couple so in love.”

The smile immediately dropped from Rochelle’s face. “Is that supposed to be funny?”

“No, it’s not. I really mean it,” Summer responded in defense. Little did that help, because Rochelle wasn’t trying to listen to anything Summer had to say.

“Oh, and I suppose we weren’t as cute of a couple before we got Summer’s stamp of approval?”

“Uh, what?”

“For your information, the sun does not rise and set on you. Sam and I know what we have and we don’t need validation from someone like you.”

I’m sorry—what the heck? “I was just trying to be nice.”

“I guess some people never grow up,” Sam said, comforting Rochelle. “Come on, baby. Let’s go talk to some of our other classmates. You can’t get upset while you’re pregnant.”

Summer was sure her mouth was hanging open as they walked away. It didn’t matter how nice she tried to be to Rochelle and Sam, they’d already made a conclusion about her character and there was nothing she could do to change it.

Thanks to social media, she still communicated with two of her childhood girlfriends, but neither one of them could make the reunion. She should have listened when they group messaged her not to go. For a ten-year reunion, only about thirty of her seventy classmates had returned, and unfortunately, those who truly knew her weren’t in attendance.

“Why the heck did I even come to this shindig?” she said quietly to herself. She knew when it was time to make her exit. There was only one reason she’d come to the reunion. Only one reason she’d decided to throw herself into the line of fire with the couple who’d just walked away.

Although they still talked every now and then, Aiden Chase had once been her best friend. Her biggest supporter. Her trusted confidant. When he’d asked her if she was coming to the reunion, she’d told him that she wasn’t going to make it. But although he was usually traveling outside the country for his job as a fashion photographer, he’d informed her that he was attending the reunion even though he didn’t want to. Something about needing footage for a documentary being done on him.

It wasn’t like her to do surprises, but after some careful thinking, she’d driven back to town in hopes of having her first face-to-face conversation with Aiden in six years. Maybe we’ll finally meet up, like we’ve been trying to do for a while. Anything had to be better than staying at the reunion. She wasn’t even sure he was still coming.

Summer waved a few goodbyes and stepped out of the building—right into a guy with a camera.

“Sorry, miss. I didn’t see you.”

“That’s okay,” she said, before her eyes locked on a couple standing near the end of the parking lot. The couple had their backs to her, but she’d know that guy anywhere. Aiden Chase had finally shown up to the reunion, and by the looks of it, he was still dating the marketing director he’d told her he was no longer with.

Did they get back together? She didn’t know what to make of them being together, but he had never lied to her. Aiden Chase was truthful to a fault. The fact that he was also charming and a genuinely nice person meant that people often accepted his brutal honesty.

“Miss? Miss? Did you hear me?”

Summer shook herself out of her daze. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“I asked if you went to school with Aiden Chase.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Great! We’re doing a documentary on Aiden and we’d love to capture your interaction with him before he walks into the building.”

Oh, my goodness, do they know we used to be best friends?

“How well did you know Mr. Chase?”

Good. Mr. Camera Guy doesn’t know. She laughed out of nervousness.

“Fairly well.” She left out the part that most of the Claysville population assumed they’d dated in high school.

“Great! Let’s have you reconnect with Aiden on camera.”

Her heart dropped out of her chest and slammed into the pavement as she listened to the camera guy talk into a walkie-talkie. Wait! Reconnect with Aiden? On film? In front of a small filming crew and his ex-who-may-not-even-be-his-ex girlfriend? There was no way that was happening.

Luckily for her, she knew the school better than camera guy did. There was a janitor’s closet to the right as soon as you entered the school. She quickly opened the door and slid back into the building. She all but leaped to the closet and twisted the knob.

“Are you kidding me right now?” The door was locked. It was just her luck the school no longer kept it unlocked, like they had years ago.

Summer wasn’t surprised when people started gathering in the hallway. It wasn’t every day that a camera crew came to Claysville. The front entrance door opened and she immediately knew the crew was looking for her for whatever greeting scene they wanted to portray. She didn’t even see Aiden walk in, but she could feel her body heat with awareness. She needed to get out of this hallway, but she knew they would spot her. She looked around for possible exits.

Thank God for small corners. Summer slipped between a locker and the wall, praying that the cameraman who’d spoken to her didn’t see her. As the crowd grew larger, the crew quickly forgot about her and took interest in some other possible interactions with Aiden.

Taking advantage of her small escape window, she slipped through the crowd until she’d reached the door again. Just as she was stepping out, she glanced behind her shoulder and saw him. Right there, directly in her line of vision. Their eyes briefly locked and Summer wondered if Aiden would rat her out to his crew but quickly disregarded the irrational thought. She couldn’t think such foolishness about the one man in her life who knew more about her than even her own girlfriends.

His eyes cut right through her in a way that made her feel uninhibited. Man, I miss him. She’d missed him for a while, but the small glimpse of him made the feeling even more prominent.

His lips curled into a smile as he mouthed the word hi to her. She returned his silent greeting before slipping completely out the door. She didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until she was safely in her car, on the road with the music blasting.

She heard her phone ding indicating a text message. She knew who it was, but waited until she was at a stoplight to briefly glance at the message.

You didn’t tell me you were coming. I wish you would have stayed so that we could’ve caught up. I really miss you, Summer.

She placed her phone back in the cup holder and continued her drive out of town. Oftentimes she thought about how their friendship would be now if things had been different back when they’d walked away from each other. He might have missed her, but she missed so much about him and the friendship they used to have. In fact, she wasn’t sure there was anything in the world that she missed more.