She closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths before she starts talking. “You’re confused and you want to know if you should give Jake another chance. You still have feelings for him.”
I let out a frustrated sigh. “Yep.”
“You shouldn’t feel guilty about this,” she says as she reaches over and takes my hands in hers.
I do feel guilty—guilty and confused.
“Yes, I still have feelings for Jake, but I’m also very drawn to Alexander,” I whine. She leans in and looks me directly in my eyes. Of course it feels like she’s looking through me again.
“There was a reason that you were meant to come here,” she says firmly. “Both you and Alexander were searching for something. He was searching for a fresh start and you were searching for a distraction.”
I think about the timing of everything. I received the message from Melanie right after Jake ended things. Were Alexander and I meant to find each other at just the right time? Then I remember what she told me the last time we talked about him.
“The last time we talked about this you mentioned there was another woman involved. Is that something I should be concerned about?”
I remember what Alexander told me about seeing his ex-wife, a.k.a. the hot Swedish model. Every time I think about her I cringe. I can only imagine what her Halloween costume looks like.
“There is another woman, but the connection you and Alexander have is strong, almost magical,” she says firmly. “You should go talk to him now.”
All of a sudden it hits that I haven’t seen him all night other than in his office. After my altercation with Melanie, I rushed out to see Mrs. Rothera. He looked very upset and I ran off.
“Melanie!” I scream. “It’s her; she’s the other woman.”
I jump up from the stool and rush out of the tent, running into a line of people waiting for their own time with the Halloween psychic. I tear through the house, passing Gina who’s doing shots. Seriously? Are we at a frat party?
I rush from room to room searching for Alexander. I don’t see him, so I make my way to his office. The door is closed but I barge in. Sure enough, he’s standing at the window looking out over the lawn. He looks at me and then turns back toward the window. It’s obvious that I’m too late. Melanie already got to him.
“Alexander. I’m so sorry,” I apologize.
He turns around and walks toward me.
“Summer, you don’t have anything to apologize for. I’m happy for you.”
What? I open my mouth to say something, but he continues talking. “I should have never pursued you, especially after you told me about your recent breakup. I tried to keep my distance as much as possible. I even stayed in the city when I knew you would be here because I knew if I were here I would want to spend time with you and get to know you better. Honestly, I didn’t intend to have you decorate my whole house until . . . well, until I met you. I was drawn to you.”
My mouth is hanging open as I listen to him unload is feelings. “I guess I only have myself to blame. I did invite your ex-boyfriend to come tonight.”
Something comes over me and I’m not sure what it is. Maybe it’s the memory of when Jake left me at the beach or maybe it’s the feeling I have when I’m here. I think about the many days I didn’t want to go home to my lonely apartment that’s full of memories of the past.
“Jake and I are not back together,” I blurt out. He looks confused, so I explain. “I’m not going to lie and tell you that I don’t still care about him, it’s probably too soon for that. But, I really like being here and being with you. I want to get to know you better, if that’s something you still want.”
He sits down on one of the chaise lounges, so I do the same.
“I’m confused. Melanie said you were outside with Jake and things were . . . intense. And then I saw you and her arguing before you ran off.”
I look down at the ground. “I know—I’ve wanted to talk to you about Melanie but we haven’t had much of a chance to be alone, and when we are together, we . . .”
The corner of his mouth curls up. I’m sure he’s thinking the same thing as me.
“Melanie hates me, and she doesn’t want me anywhere near you,” I tell him. “She’s counting down the days for this job to be finished. I know how important she is to you so I would never ask you to choose.”
He sighs. “She’s very protective of me. I know there may be deeper feelings there, but I’ve told her there would never be anything more between her and me.”
Alexander and I sit quietly. I look down at my hideous costume and remember that I’m supposed to be enjoying a Halloween party right now. This entire night has been a nightmare, and I’m sure Angie is really mad at me.
“I should check in with Angie. I will let you think,” I say, breaking our silence. I stand up and make my way toward the door.
“Wait,” he exclaims. I turn around and Alexander walks toward me. He takes my face in his hands and kisses me. I wrap my arms tightly around his neck, and his hands move from my face to around my waist.
When he stops kissing me, he touches his forehead to mine. “The first day we met, right here in this office, I knew you were meant to come into my life. The time I spend with you is . . . it’s like magic.” Wow. That’s what Mrs. Rothera just said.
“I want to see where this can go, more than anything, but I don’t want to rush you. We could continue to take things slow,” he continues.
I run my hands down his arms. “I would really like that.”
He smiles. “There is one thing, though—tonight doesn’t count as our first date.”
I laugh. “Please no. It has been very eventful, though, but I guess it wouldn’t be Halloween without some craziness.”
I know I still need to address the issue of Melanie and her hatred of me.
“What about Melanie?” I ask. “I really made the effort to get along with her in the beginning. I finally just gave up.”
He scratches his head. “I will sit down and have a talk with her. She’s my assistant, and she does an excellent job. However, she needs to stay out of my personal life.”
I feel a sense of relief come over me. Without saying a word, Alexander takes my hand in his and leads me back to the party. Of course, Angie gives me a dirty look as soon as she sees me. However, her dirty look fades when she notices Alexander’s hand tightly holding on to mine. She raises her eyebrows but tries to hide her curiosity. Hopefully she will recognize my happiness and forgive me for ditching her on our holiday.
Chapter Ten
What a night. Surprisingly, I enjoy the remainder of the party despite all the chaos that ensued earlier. I spend a good ten minutes talking to Gina, trying to convince her not to make any phone calls to her family members. She can’t seem to get over Jake showing up. Of course I’d rather not talk about Jake because I’ve made my decision and I know I’m ready to move on with my life.
Angie finally breaks her silent treatment to me after I practically have to get on my hands and knees asking for forgiveness. According to her, I broke the cardinal rule of our holiday, which is paying more attention to a man than us celebrating together. She also made me take a bunch of pictures in our costumes. I’m planning on blocking all those photos from all of my social media sites.
Alexander happily introduced me to all of his friends. I even meet a few people who are interested in a new interior decorator. I never thought about it but having this party at his house is a great way to show my talents. I guess I owe Angie a big thank you for harassing me with all those calls that day I was here with Alexander. I wish I had a picture of Melanie’s face when she saw Alexander and me hand in hand. At least she knows that her big plan backfired.
While Alexander is talking, I glance out toward Mrs. Rothera’s tent and, sure enough, she’s watching me intently. I excuse myself and make my way over to her.
She gives me a wave and a smug look. “Hi, looks like you’re enjoying yourself.”
S
he’s acting like she’s surprised but I know she isn’t. “Now I am.” I pause. “It’s been quite an eventful night, just like you said it would be.”
She gives me an innocent smile.
“Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for being so kind to me over the past few weeks, for constantly checking in on me, and for bringing me that yummy soup. It was much better than a Lean Cuisine meal. I really appreciate your friendship.”
She laughs. “I’m glad I could help.” She points to where Alexander is still standing. “I take it everything is working out.”
I shrug my shoulders. “We’re taking things slow. He knows I’m still getting over a broken heart.”
She pats me on the shoulder. “Good.”
A part of me wants to ask her what’s going to happen with Alexander and me. But when I look over at him, I feel an overwhelming sense of excitement. Maybe it’s better that I don’t know what’s going to happen. I look back at Mrs. Rothera and suddenly she has a very concerned look on her face.
“What is it?” I ask worriedly.
She scrunches her face. “I just . . . if I can offer you one more piece of advice.”
I nod quickly. “Of course.”
“Be honest with him and demand the same in return.”
I stare at her blankly. “Okay.”
Alexander joins us, and she gives him a warm smile. “Are you ready for your turn?” she asks him.
He starts laughing. “No. I think I’m good.” He takes my hand in his. “I don’t need to know what my future holds. I’m very content with where I am right now.”
I can feel my face get red again. This time I know it’s not the costume.
The party rages on until the wee hours of the morning. Okay, so maybe it doesn’t rage on, but it does go really late and everyone seems to be having an awesome time.
“Another Halloween under our belts,” Angie says in between her yawns. “I guess tonight turned out okay after all. It certainly looks like it did for you anyway.”
I hit her on her arm. “It was a great night. Your party was a huge success.”
She raises her eyebrows. “Are you going to give me details of your night or do I need to ask Alexander?”
I giggle. “The only details you need to know are that Alexander and I are taking things slowly and that for the first time in a while I’m really happy.”
She gives me a hug. “I’m happy for you.” When she pulls away, she grabs my arms tightly. “Does that mean Jake is finally out of the picture?”
I nod. “Yeah. I’m ready to move on.”
Angie starts clapping. “So, since this party was such a smashing success, let’s talk about Christmas.”
I hold my hands up. “Uh-uh, you’re on your own for that one. I’ll help you with decorations but that’s it.”
She giggles. “I was hoping you would say that. I’m sure I will be in need of some of your decorating magic.”
Surprisingly, I don’t cringe when she says that. Moving on from the past also means accepting it.
“That’s a deal,” I say happily.
When I arrive home, I look around my apartment. For some reason it doesn’t seem as lonely as it did before. I think I’ve come a long way in a short amount of time. The only thing that has me curious is Mrs. Rothera’s advice, but like I told her, I don’t need to know what my future holds. For now, I’m going to enjoy my life and take things as they come. I have high hopes for my relationship with Alexander as long as the issue with Melanie gets under control. After all of tonight’s drama was over, I made some good business contacts thanks to Alexander. I already have three potential new clients and I’m ready to use my decorating magic to the fullest. I’ve decided I shouldn’t try to shy away from that phrase or my past. If there is anything I’ve learned this fall, it’s that everything happens for a reason and people come into our lives for a reason. I’m ready for the next season of my life and whatever it may bring.
The End
Take a sneak peek at the next book in this series . . . Winter Can Wait.
As much as I love Connecticut, I despise the cold. Wasn’t it just summertime yesterday? I wrap the large fleece blanket even more tightly around me while I look over the contract for my next project. Summer Interiors has been flourishing thanks to my amazing boyfriend, Alexander. My latest project is his friend Nick’s new restaurant. I’ve never decorated a restaurant before and I’m really excited about it. He’s given me a long list of preferences, so I’m planning to work around those.
Nick is an interesting guy—very outspoken and charismatic—and this weekend we’re having dinner with him and his girlfriend, Caroline. I’m looking forward to getting to know Alexander’s friends better. I haven’t had much interaction other than at the crazy Halloween party at Alexander’s home. And let’s just say that wasn’t the ideal setting to make new friends.
Another job I’m working on is my landlord’s apartment. Mrs. Rothera and I have an interesting relationship/friendship. I guess you could say we’re friends. Anyway, a few weeks ago she asked if I would be interested in helping her decorate her place. I reluctantly agreed, and I should have gone with my gut feeling. It turns out she’s one of the most high maintenance clients I’ve ever worked with. Our building consists of four large apartments, and her place is directly below mine so it’s the exact same layout. It’s a nice size, so that’s not the issue—the issue is the way she questions every suggestion and move I make. Being a psychic, she views the world a little differently. Yep—a psychic. I’ve lived here a year and never had any idea until she sprung it on me all of a sudden a few months ago.
I gather my notes and some paint swatches and head downstairs to show her. When I approach her door, I hear strange music coming from her apartment. I press my ear to the door to get a better listen. All I can hear is the sound of tambourines and chanting. I roll my eyes—here we go.
I knock loudly on the door, and surprisingly, she answers right away. I wasn’t sure she would be able to hear over that noise, but on the other hand, she probably could see me coming. She is a psychic after all.
“Come in. I was just finishing my meditation,” she says softly.
I walk into the dark room. She has the blinds and curtains closed. Thankfully, she turns off the music and opens the curtains. The sunlight pours into the room—much better.
“I just wanted to drop off these swatches, and I made some notes for you to take a look at,” I say as I spread everything out on the table.
“Ohhh. Very nice,” she says excitedly. She takes her time looking through everything. In the meantime, I get a text from Alexander. I smile to myself.
“A message from your man?” she asks, giving me a curious look. “I’m assuming things are going well.”
I blush. “Yes, they are. We’re going out with some friends of his on Friday night. It will be there first time I hang out with them.”
Suddenly her smile fades. “Well, don’t be too disappointed after only one night with new people,” she says vaguely.
What’s that supposed to mean?
“Disappointed?” I repeat. “Why would I be disappointed? I’m looking forward to it.”
She starts flipping through the paint swatches again. “It will just take some time.”
I’m silent for a few seconds. “Mrs. Rothera, is this something I should be worried about? What, are they going to hate me or something?” I give a nervous laugh.
Fall Into Magic- A Novella Page 8
