Driving into the garage of the building where he lived an amused grin spread across Nick’s face. What he was about to say was going to make her hotter than Mississippi in August.
“Send your pit bulls Ava and Starr to get your stuff.” He put emphasis on stuff. “They have keys to your place right? They’ll sniff your stuff out without a problem.” Nick stated dryly with a hint of a smirk playing around his lips.
Summer was furious. She wanted to smack that smirk right off his stupid face. How dare he call her best friends dogs! They’d been there for her when he wasn’t anywhere to be found! He went too far. One thing you didn’t do was talk about her girlfriends. He was about to get it.
Nick totally lost all composure. As Summer turned on him he nearly slammed into a concrete column as he parked. Her face was red and contorted in a furious frown with lips pressed so tight they turned white, and eyes squinted so small the whites were barely visible through the slits. Nick couldn’t help but to crack up laughing at her. She looked like a cartoon character; the only thing missing was steam coming from her ears. The laugh was cleansing. It had been such a long time since he laughed so hard.
Anger, shock, and then amusement simultaneously coursed through Summer. She must have made some horrendously, ugly face. Summer had never seen Nick so hysterical with laughter. Though she was mad at him for talking about her friends, she too began cracking up. Not because he had totally dissed her friends in the worse way, but because his laughter was so infectious. A few moments later the laughter died down. After catching her breath from laughing so hard she gave him a warning. “You better shut up, calling my friends pit bulls. They’ll kick your butt.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. Tell your mutts to bring it on.”
Summer’s mouth dropped open before she erupted in laughter again. “Ooh, Nick, you are a stinkin’ mess. Boy, I’m telling you, you’re about to get rolled on for talking all that trash.”
Nick’s laughter dissolved as he looked at Summer. The sound of her laughter was music
not only to his ears, but to his soul as well. He missed this carefree side of her. He’d forgotten
how her entire being literally lit up when she laughed. She had gone from upset to playful and giddy within seconds.
She noticed Nick wasn’t laughing anymore, but quietly gazing at her.
“What? Did I say something wrong?” Again.
“No, not at all.”
“Then why did you get so quiet? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I was just thinking how good it is to hear you laugh again.”
“Oh.”
“Summer?”
“Hmm?”
“You’re really pretty when you laugh.”
“I am?”
“Yes, you are.”
“Oh.”
Chapter 18
Staying with Nick hadn’t been at all what Summer expected. Initially she’d thought after he came down off whatever high he was on, he’d be in a funky mood because their trip had been cancelled. “I told you already I just want you and the baby to be safe,” was his response when she questioned him about the cancelled trip.
Once she was settled in at Nick’s, dread overwhelmed her as she remembered she hadn’t called her parents, Starr, or Ava to bring them up to date on the latest events. Biting the bullet she called her parents first. Both her mom and dad wanted to come to Philly right away to be at her side. Summer convinced them to wait until she went into true labor. She assured her folks she would be fine in Nick’s care. Although her parents balked at Summer’s decision they had to respect it. Much to Summer’s surprise Starr and Ava didn’t trip at all. They were more than willing when she requested they go to her house and bring her stuff to her. When they strutted into Nick’s penthouse their eyes nearly bulged out of their heads. “This pad is off the hook!” Starr exclaimed as she went from room to room with Ava on her heels. The penthouse was laid out like it belonged in Architectural Digest. The entire time they were there, Summer prayed they wouldn’t get into a confrontation with Nick. And they would have too, if they knew he’d referred to them as the most vicious dog known to man. Everything ended up cool. Summer’s friends and the father of her baby were cordial to one another. It went without saying they were all doing it for Summer’s sake.
As the first week faded away, Summer was able to relax in her new environment. When Monday rolled around, she expected to be greeted by a nurse Nick hired to sit with her during the day while he went to the office. To her amazement, he set up shop in his home office. That same morning FedEx delivered files from his downtown office. Everything that was necessary for him to efficiently run his business from his home was at his fingertips. The only time he left was to attend meetings at the office. He detested teleconferences. During those few hours, his housekeeper Joan kept a watchful eye on Summer.