Love Don't Live Here Anymore (The Love Collection Book 3) (9 page)

“Baby, is that you? Oh AJ, I missed you so much, baby.” Summer began to cry out.

“Shh! Don’t talk,” AJ said. “I need you to listen, okay? I’m fine. I made it. I’m good, baby. But you … you’re not well, and I need for you to be. I can’t rest in peace until I know you’re fine. Summer, you are and will always be my wife in my heart. But until we meet again, I need you to open your heart. Welcome new possibilities.
She
will help you. Love
her
like I would, okay, baby? Tell her how much her daddy loves her and how precious she is to me. You have options. It’s up to you to decide who you give your heart to next.

I’ve met your family. They asked me to tell you how proud they are of you and Autumn, and they’re always watching over you two, as am I. Summer, I love you, baby and always will. I need you to be strong and know that what you’ve lost in the physical, you have gained in the spiritual. I’m always here. I know your heart better than anyone. When you need me, just call and I’ll be there, baby. Hold on. You got this. I love you, Summer and I’ll be watching over you and her. Protect her, love her, and nurture her.

I’ve got to go now. Remember, what we had will never go away. Stay strong and hold on. It will get better. I promise, baby. Have I ever made a promise I didn’t keep?”

Summer shook her head.

AJ wiped the tears from her face and looked down at her finger. “It’s time to take this off, baby. It’s blocking your blessings. Place it around your neck and wear it close to your heart, right where I will always be. Take care, my love.” AJ slowly walked backward, in the direction from which he came.

Summer tried to get up to go after him, but her body wouldn’t move. She couldn’t reach out her arms or move her legs. Her body was paralyzed and the only thing she could do was look on. The closer AJ’s spirit moved toward heaven, another visual came into existence. As if engulfed in the prettiest puff of a white cloud, her parents and Grammy were smiling down at her. They didn’t speak, but they smiled and waved. Once AJ reached them, they all smiled and waved until they were no longer visible.

Summer sat up straight and looked around. She had almost forgotten she’d checked into a hotel the night before. She sought her cell phone, thinking it was her phone alarm going off but instead it was the hotel’s. Six a.m. every morning, her alarm sounded, letting her know it was time to start the day. Back in Dallas, she worked the night shift but had to admit that she loved the normalcy that came with daytime hours. Now, she felt like she had joined the other eighty percent of the work force and no longer had to live the vampire life.

As Summer recalled her dream from last night, she looked at her finger and panicked when she didn’t see her ring. She looked on her right hand and freaked out. She grabbed her chest and her fingers tightened. Her eyes watered and in the blink of an eye, warm tears graced her face. There, around her necklace, next to her cross pendant, was her engagement ring. Summer closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, tightly clasping the object that sat so close to her heart. “I love you, Ajamaal. I always will. Thank you for looking out. Mommy, Daddy, Grammy, I love you guys. Thank you for freeing my spirit.”

She inhaled again, keeping her eyes closed. She did that several times until her lids released, revealing a pair of pupils that divulged a refreshed soul. She climbed out of bed and took a look in the mirror. She turned the water on as hot as she could without scalding herself and wet a towel. After wringing it out, she placed it upon her face and let it sit there until the temperature of the towel went from steamy to cool. She did that once more and then brushed her teeth. She combed her hair back and wrapped it in a hair tie to hold it back.

Taking another glance at her reflection, she smiled openly and her heart gleamed. It was the first time since AJ’s illness that she completely felt at peace, mentally, physically, spiritually, but most of all, emotionally. Her inner peace reflected on the outside. Her skin appeared clearer, more vibrant. Her eyes looked renewed, and her energy was rejuvenating. Summer finished freshening up and put on her clothes from the day before. She grabbed her purse, keys, and cell phone and left the hotel key on the dresser.

Looking at the time on her cell phone jolted her memory. Summer frowned because she’d sworn that she had turned her phone off before going to sleep last night. She slid the arrow on the screen to unlock her phone and went to the dialer section of her call icon.

The shock on her face was no match for the myriad of emotions swarming through her body. There in the display box were seven sevens, as if she had called heaven and asked to speak to her man. The mighty God that she served had witnessed her wounded spirit and granted her greatest wish.
This shit can’t be real
, she thought. Summer quickly dialed her sister and told her everything, from waking up yesterday morning and going to church with Vincent, to waking up this morning and speaking to her in real time. Autumn began crying so hard that her husband took the phone.

“Summer, is everything okay? What’s wrong with Autumn?”

Summer was unable to talk at first because hearing her sister’s reaction to her story had brought about a second round of emotions.

“Summer, come on, man. One of you guys has to tell me what’s going on,” Abaki said with a concerned tone. 

Summer composed herself. “It’s nothing bad, Abaki. I was telling Autumn about my dream. She will fill you in later.”

“Oh, okay. You guys had me scared. Gee, you know how emotional your sister is. You should have told me first and then I would have had a heads up,” he said, chuckling.

Summer smiled. “I know, bro. I’m sorry.”

“I forgive you,” Abaki joked. “Here, baby, finish talking to your sister. You scared me,” he said to Autumn as he passed her the phone.

“I’m sorry,” Autumn said, taking the phone. “Summy, that is so damn crazy. I mean I didn’t even know what to say. I–I just had to cry. Hell, I
still
don’t know what to say. “That’s deep, sis, real deep. How can you
not
believe in God after some shit like that?” Autumn stated rhetorically.

“Yeah, big sis. That’s wild, right? I feel real good though. I can’t tell you how much I needed that. I feel so much lighter and whole and it feels so damn good,” Summer stated emphatically.

              She came to a stoplight, pulled the phone away from her mouth and screamed to the top of her lungs. After five seconds, she placed her cell back to her ear and laughed. “I feel great, sis. I feel great!” she exclaimed.

During the drive home, Alicia Keys’s song “Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart” played in her mind repeatedly until she reached her destination. She arrived home and instead of feeling somber and depressed, she actually felt calm and energetic at the same time. She entered the house and instantly felt a breeze that graced her with a gust of passion. “Hi, AJ,” Summer said and smiled as she closed the door and locked it behind her.

She picked out a red knee-length skirt, her flat black knee boots, and a black three-quarter-sleeved sweater. Having decided against going for a morning jog, she ran herself some bath water and soaked for a half an hour before washing up, rinsing off with the shower hose, and exiting the bathroom.

She quickly checked her cell phone for the time and was shocked to see that she had seven text messages and it was only seven-thirty in the morning.
There goes the sevens again
, she thought to herself and smiled. Out of habit and fairness, Summer always checked her messages in the order she’d received them, but depending on the sender, she would have to prioritize. And seeing as how two of the texts had come from Autumn, she checked those before the others.

The first one was simply:
Tears.

Autumn had always been the sap of the two. Summer smiled and opened the second message:
Summer, I love you so much. I really feel like today is the beginning of new things to come. Although no one can predict the number or intensity of the storms we go through, I believe that EVERYTHING happens for a reason. Many times, it’s things we may never understand or like, but God knows best. I just felt compelled to say that. Have a great day, Blue Skies. We wuv you.

Attached to the text was a picture of Autumn sitting on the edge of the bed, with all three of her babies in her lap. The photo made Summer emotional but she didn’t cry. She quickly texted her sister back and told her how much she loved her as well and was glad that God had blessed her with such an amazing sibling.

Ginger 6:49a:
Hi Summer. I just wanted to let you know that I woke up with you on my mind. Thanks again for everything Saturday. Just when I thought no one cared. Not sure if I mentioned it then, but I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate you … and … I love you also. Have a good day.

That message caused Summer to smile and tear up as well.

The next text she checked was from Braxdon, not because he was next in line of importance, but because he had texted her so late into the night or early that morning (depending on how she looked at it).

Braxdon 2:28a:
What’s up, Miss Lady. Since I don’t know your bedtime, I figured I’d send you a text. I saw that you left your card on the coffee table with your cell number on the back. The note said to call any time. Such an ambiguous message can also be interpreted as subliminal. I wanted to let you know that I was thinking about you without disturbing you. If you up, call me. If not, holla at me when you can. Peace.

Vincent 5:39a:
Good morning, Summer. I thought about you a lot last night and I hope you don’t hate me (or my mother) ~
BBM pathetic face
~(smile). I still would like to continue being your friend if you’re okay with that, and I hope you are. Did you know that it’s illegal to cut off a friend who had indirectly hurt you without reading them the Friendship-Miranda-Riot Act? Just being silly. Hope to talk to you later. Wishing you a great day!

Larita 6:05a:
Buenos Dias mamita. Escucha, I meant to call you yesterday to recap. I had the most amazing weekend. Between my male boo and my female boo, my shit was plantainos. LOL. I hope I ain’t never forced to choose because I swear I love them both for different reasons. Call my floor when you get in.

Eugene 6:44a:
Good Morning, sweet pea … I’m heading into surgery in a few. I just wanted to wish you a great day and thank you for setting the tone for my weekend. I will see you later on today. There’s a surprise for you, so be expectant. ;)

Summer saw that it was after seven. If she didn’t hurry, she would be late for work. Technically, she was supposed to be there by seven but she knew she could get there by seven-thirty and still be okay. Within ten minutes she was dressed and out the door. With no time to stop, she would have to miss out on her morning hot chocolate, her favorite fall beverage. Summer quickly parked and headed into the building. She greeted everyone and walked into her office.

As soon as she opened the door, she came face to face with seven dozen assorted roses. “Eugene does the most sometimes,” she said aloud as she walked over to the tallest bouquet and opened the card. Her mouth formed an “O” when she read the content:
Summer, if I apologized a thousand times, to me, it wouldn’t be enough. Please accept these roses as not only a gesture of apology but also all the other fundamentals associated with the colors. I would love to hear from you today! Love, Vincent.

Summer sighed deeply and decided to let go of yesterday. Vincent had not done anything wrong and she wasn’t going to let his mother’s insensitivity end their friendship. She would call him later on. After hanging up her jacket, she sat down and started sifting through her inbox.

“Morning! Wow! Someone thinks you’re pretty special,” Moet announced, slightly startling Summer.

“Hey, Moet. Come on in. I just got here too and came to the same conclusion,” she said to her friend with a wink.

“I just wanted to thank you again for checking up on me this weekend. Your words got me to thinking about my life, where I want to be, and where I’m trying to go. And being honest with myself, I came to grips with the fact that Kareem is not helping. In fact, he’s hindering me. I have alienated so many people while I was fucking with his ass. My father barely talks to me, my three brothers refuse to talk to me, and the rest of my family has given up on me. My mom is the only family holding out hope for me. Maybe because she’s been there and understands the complexity of it all, I don’t know. And then there’s you. So many people have told me exactly what you told me and I’ve always turned a blind eye. But there’s something about how you said it that resonated a little clearer. In my heart, I’m ready to move on, but my mind is trying to convince me otherwise.”

“I’m here for you, Moet. Whenever you’re ready to make that move, just let me know. But no one, not me, your mom, dad, or brothers can make moves on your behalf. I’m so proud of you for even taking the first step and admitting that you need to leave. I love you, girl, and I don’t want to see anything happen to you.”

“I know,” Moet said honestly. “Summer, you have always been a good friend to me and I want to thank you for that.”

“Think nothing of it,” Summer said.

They hugged and ended with the promise to chat later.

As soon as Moet left, Larita showed up. “Hey, why didn’t you call me? Oh, damn!” Larita said, taking notice of all the flowers. 

“Dang, mamita,” Summer said playfully. “I literally just got here like ten minutes ago. I was running a little late this morning and I haven’t had time to even process these.” She motioned to the array of roses.

“Who sent them, Dr. Briggs?” Larita assumed, referring to Eugene.

“No, actually, Vincent sent them.”

“Oh, okay.” She nodded in approval. “I was just coming to bring you this.” She produced a medium hot chocolate with whip cream from behind her back. “And let you know that I’m treating you and Moet to lunch today; so meet me by the shelter at twelve-thirty, cool?”

“You
do
love me,” Summer cooed facetiously. “Sounds good to me, literally. By the way, take a vase with you when you go. Place it at the nurse’s station. It’ll look good there. I’ll bring Moet one later when I go downstairs.”

“Sure will. Thank you,” Larita said, taking her arrangement with her on the way out.

Summer was able to go a whole hour without further interruption. She used that time to respond to all her text messages and thank Vincent for the flowers. In came her colleague, Geri, carrying a basket of some sort. “Hi, Summer. This was just delivered for you.”

Summer stood up and relieved Geri of the cellophane wrapped basket and inspected it. Inside was an assortment of fruit: pineapples, strawberries, watermelon, kiwi, and melons from Edible Arrangements. “Thank you, Geri. The surprises just keep on coming.” Summer set the arrangement on her desk.

“I see!” Geri said.

Summer took a quick assessment of her tiny office and concluded that there were just way too many flowers. “Geri, before you go, do you mind taking a couple of these vases, one for the nurses station and the other one for the waiting room. I’ll bring another one and put it in the bereavement room as well.”

“Sure, no problem at all. These are so pretty,” she said as she grabbed two of them and walked out of the office.

Summer kept the big one for her office, gave one to Moet, and put the other one at the nurses station in the E.R. She read the card attached to the fruit basket and blushed:
The best part of waking up is knowing that the beauty of Summer is always amongst me. No better way to start the day than with some fresh fruit and a little chocolate. Enjoy, sweat pea! ~Eugene.