Chapter One
"I need those shirts to be here on time," 23-year-old Summer demands into her cell phone, "no, there is no leeway in this. If you don't get me those summer clothes on time there's really no point in our store carrying your summer brands. We have plenty other companies...they will? Great. I'll give you a call when the shipment arrives."
"I can't believe you pulled that off," Janine, Summer's assistant, stares in awe at her. "You rock."
Summer grins back, "I know. Listen let Gloria know that the shipment will be here next Wednesday, no later, I'll guarantee it."
"I'm going to be honest with you Summer," Janine confesses, "everyone has been saying that you only got this job because of your mother. That you're to inexperienced to be a buyer here..."
"My mother did get me this job," Summer admits, "but because she knew I could do it, not because I'm her daughter."
"Well either way, you really proved yourself today." Janine states.
Summer smiles, "can you just let Gloria know? I've got a lunch meeting with a rep from Calvin Klein I've got to get to. And hold all of my calls, alright?" Grabbing her purse Summer walks around her desk and out of her office only to be met by Laurie Yearling, one of the people Janine had been talking about.
"So how'd the call to Japan go?" Laurie's voice is dripping with sugary sweetness.
Summer smirks in response, "great, our shipment will be here on time."
"Congratulations," Laurie moves forward bumping into Summer and jarring the hand that is holding Summer's soda can spilling soda all over Summer's white blouse. "Oops sorry."
"What's going on here," Gloria, the head of the buying department for Bloomingdales, takes this time to walk out of her office. "Summer, what's happened to your shirt?"
"She's spilt soda all over it," Laurie smirks, "she can't go to the Calvin Klein meeting looking like that."
"You're right, Laurie, why don't you go."
"It's not a problem," Summer speaks up quickly. "I have a change of clothes in my office."
"You shouldn't be late," Gloria insists.
"I won't be," Summer assures.
"Fabulous," Gloria gushes. "How'd your call go?"
"I'll send Janine out to give you all the details, I've got to change and get to my meeting."
"I can't believe you," Joseph, Summer's only friend in the department, bounds into her office just as she is zipping up the simple black dress she always kept in her office for emergencies.
Summer quickly straightens herself in the mirror, "I can't really talk about it now Joseph."
"I know, I know, listen I want to take you our for drinks after work to celebrate your success today." Joseph states.
"I can't," Summer responds, "I'm taking off an hour early, I promised I'd pick Bryn up after school. It's her last day, I promised her today. She's having a bunch of her little friends over for the evening, and I've promised to take them to that new pizza place with the arcade in it."
"Then who am I going to go out and have drinks with?" Joseph pouts.
"I hear we have someone new in receiving, they say he's very cute, very single and very gay."
"He sounds exactly my type." Joseph grins, "so we'll reschedule?"
"Sure, Bryn's going up to Pennsylvania to stay with my mother for the next week anyway so we'll do it some night next week."
"Or every night next week," Joseph corrects.
"Maybe, I'll see you later." Summer calls over her shoulder before hurrying out of her office.
"Mom! Mom!" 5-year-old Bryn comes flying down the school steps and straight toward her mother, her dark pig-tailed hair flying behind her.
"Hey sweetie, how was your last day of kindergarten?" Summer questions.
"It was so much fun!" Bryn exclaims, "we had a party, but look I spilled juice on my new dress." She points to the dark stain on her white t-shirt and running over the red heart.
"It's alright, we can take it home and put some stain fighter on it, how about that?" Summer suggests.
"Will it go away?" Bryn questions.
Summer nods, "it should."
"What time are all my friends coming over?"
"Five o'clock," Summer responds, "we'll set your princess alarm clock when we get home that way you know when they'll be there, okay?"
Bryn smiles brightly, slipping her hand into Summer's, "okay." Taking in Summer's appearance the fashion conscious five-year-old comments, "you changed."
"Yup," Summer nods, "someone ran into me at work."
"Mom?" Bryn asks once they are the stop sign across the street from their New York apartment.
"Yeah Bryn?" Summer asks, stopping her mental calculation of how she was going to shower, change, fix Bryn's shirt and get Bryn's room ready for 5 extra girls in only 45 minutes.
"Can I get my ears pierced for a second time?" Bryn questions.
"No." Summer states firmly.
"Why not."
"Because I said so, and I'm the mom." Summer responds simply.
"Everybody has their ears second pierced!" Bryn whines.
"Everyone does not have their ears pierce," Summer responds logically. "Shaina and to think of it none of the girls that are coming over have second holes in their ears."
"I know, but everyone else in school does."
"No," Summer responds. "Final decision."
"Hello Bryn," the cheerful doorman, George, at their apartment greets. "How was your last day of school?"
"Fine," Bryn sighs.
"Only fine?" George asks.
"Yeah."
"Well there is a surprise upstairs waiting for you."
"Really?" Bryn asks quickly. "What is it?"
"I dunno George," Summer sighs, "I don't know if Bryn deserves her surprise. She's already getting to have five friends over and she's not grateful for what she has."
Bryn turns her chocolate eyes on her mother, "you know what it is?"
"Of course I do, I told George he could give it to you." Summer responds.
"I love you Mommy," Bryn offers a sweet smile.
"No more about this ear piercing thing, alright?" Summer asks.
Bryn nods, "I promise."
"Then let's go see what's upstairs." Summer smiles down at her daughter as she is dragged to their floor.
"Hurry up, unlock it, unlock it." Bryn is jumping up and down at the anticipation of a surprise.
"Go check your room," Summer suggests.
"Okay," Bryn immediately takes off for her room at the back of the apartment and three seconds later a screech that can probably be heard four floors down reaches Summer's ears. "A kitten!" Three seconds later Bryn is in the living room with the tiny orange kitten George had given them. "Is he mine?" Bryn questions.
"He's yours, but George wanted to name him."
"What's his name?" Bryn asks.
"Orange Julius."
"Hmm," Bryn thinks for a minute, "do you think George would mind if I called him OJ?"
"I doubt it."
"Can I take her with me to Grandma's?" Bryn questions.
"Yes, I checked with Grandma."
"Thank you Mom!" Bryn launches herself into Summer's arms.
"You like him then?"
"I love him! But how come you gave him to me? You said I wasn't 'sponsible enough for a kitty."
"Well I thought it over, and I think you could learn some responsibility, you have to take care of him though."
"I will," Bryn promises, her eyes wide and innocent.
"Good, now why don't you get changed while I take a quick shower?"
"Okay," Bryn nods. "Does OJ get to sleep in my room?"
"Most nights, but I think OJ would be more comfortable if he slept in the living room tonight, away from all of the girls."
Bryn thinks and nods, "I think you're right too."
"I need those shirts to be here on time," 23-year-old Summer demands into her cell phone, "no, there is no leeway in this. If you don't get me those summer clothes on time there's really no point in our store carrying your summer brands. We have plenty other companies...they will? Great. I'll give you a call when the shipment arrives."
"I can't believe you pulled that off," Janine, Summer's assistant, stares in awe at her. "You rock."
Summer grins back, "I know. Listen let Gloria know that the shipment will be here next Wednesday, no later, I'll guarantee it."
"I'm going to be honest with you Summer," Janine confesses, "everyone has been saying that you only got this job because of your mother. That you're to inexperienced to be a buyer here..."
"My mother did get me this job," Summer admits, "but because she knew I could do it, not because I'm her daughter."
"Well either way, you really proved yourself today." Janine states.
Summer smiles, "can you just let Gloria know? I've got a lunch meeting with a rep from Calvin Klein I've got to get to. And hold all of my calls, alright?" Grabbing her purse Summer walks around her desk and out of her office only to be met by Laurie Yearling, one of the people Janine had been talking about.
"So how'd the call to Japan go?" Laurie's voice is dripping with sugary sweetness.
Summer smirks in response, "great, our shipment will be here on time."
"Congratulations," Laurie moves forward bumping into Summer and jarring the hand that is holding Summer's soda can spilling soda all over Summer's white blouse. "Oops sorry."
"What's going on here," Gloria, the head of the buying department for Bloomingdales, takes this time to walk out of her office. "Summer, what's happened to your shirt?"
"She's spilt soda all over it," Laurie smirks, "she can't go to the Calvin Klein meeting looking like that."
"You're right, Laurie, why don't you go."
"It's not a problem," Summer speaks up quickly. "I have a change of clothes in my office."
"You shouldn't be late," Gloria insists.
"I won't be," Summer assures.
"Fabulous," Gloria gushes. "How'd your call go?"
"I'll send Janine out to give you all the details, I've got to change and get to my meeting."
"I can't believe you," Joseph, Summer's only friend in the department, bounds into her office just as she is zipping up the simple black dress she always kept in her office for emergencies.
Summer quickly straightens herself in the mirror, "I can't really talk about it now Joseph."
"I know, I know, listen I want to take you our for drinks after work to celebrate your success today." Joseph states.
"I can't," Summer responds, "I'm taking off an hour early, I promised I'd pick Bryn up after school. It's her last day, I promised her today. She's having a bunch of her little friends over for the evening, and I've promised to take them to that new pizza place with the arcade in it."
"Then who am I going to go out and have drinks with?" Joseph pouts.
"I hear we have someone new in receiving, they say he's very cute, very single and very gay."
"He sounds exactly my type." Joseph grins, "so we'll reschedule?"
"Sure, Bryn's going up to Pennsylvania to stay with my mother for the next week anyway so we'll do it some night next week."
"Or every night next week," Joseph corrects.
"Maybe, I'll see you later." Summer calls over her shoulder before hurrying out of her office.
"Mom! Mom!" 5-year-old Bryn comes flying down the school steps and straight toward her mother, her dark pig-tailed hair flying behind her.
"Hey sweetie, how was your last day of kindergarten?" Summer questions.
"It was so much fun!" Bryn exclaims, "we had a party, but look I spilled juice on my new dress." She points to the dark stain on her white t-shirt and running over the red heart.
"It's alright, we can take it home and put some stain fighter on it, how about that?" Summer suggests.
"Will it go away?" Bryn questions.
Summer nods, "it should."
"What time are all my friends coming over?"
"Five o'clock," Summer responds, "we'll set your princess alarm clock when we get home that way you know when they'll be there, okay?"
Bryn smiles brightly, slipping her hand into Summer's, "okay." Taking in Summer's appearance the fashion conscious five-year-old comments, "you changed."
"Yup," Summer nods, "someone ran into me at work."
"Mom?" Bryn asks once they are the stop sign across the street from their New York apartment.
"Yeah Bryn?" Summer asks, stopping her mental calculation of how she was going to shower, change, fix Bryn's shirt and get Bryn's room ready for 5 extra girls in only 45 minutes.
"Can I get my ears pierced for a second time?" Bryn questions.
"No." Summer states firmly.
"Why not."
"Because I said so, and I'm the mom." Summer responds simply.
"Everybody has their ears second pierced!" Bryn whines.
"Everyone does not have their ears pierce," Summer responds logically. "Shaina and to think of it none of the girls that are coming over have second holes in their ears."
"I know, but everyone else in school does."
"No," Summer responds. "Final decision."
"Hello Bryn," the cheerful doorman, George, at their apartment greets. "How was your last day of school?"
"Fine," Bryn sighs.
"Only fine?" George asks.
"Yeah."
"Well there is a surprise upstairs waiting for you."
"Really?" Bryn asks quickly. "What is it?"
"I dunno George," Summer sighs, "I don't know if Bryn deserves her surprise. She's already getting to have five friends over and she's not grateful for what she has."
Bryn turns her chocolate eyes on her mother, "you know what it is?"
"Of course I do, I told George he could give it to you." Summer responds.
"I love you Mommy," Bryn offers a sweet smile.
"No more about this ear piercing thing, alright?" Summer asks.
Bryn nods, "I promise."
"Then let's go see what's upstairs." Summer smiles down at her daughter as she is dragged to their floor.
"Hurry up, unlock it, unlock it." Bryn is jumping up and down at the anticipation of a surprise.
"Go check your room," Summer suggests.
"Okay," Bryn immediately takes off for her room at the back of the apartment and three seconds later a screech that can probably be heard four floors down reaches Summer's ears. "A kitten!" Three seconds later Bryn is in the living room with the tiny orange kitten George had given them. "Is he mine?" Bryn questions.
"He's yours, but George wanted to name him."
"What's his name?" Bryn asks.
"Orange Julius."
"Hmm," Bryn thinks for a minute, "do you think George would mind if I called him OJ?"
"I doubt it."
"Can I take her with me to Grandma's?" Bryn questions.
"Yes, I checked with Grandma."
"Thank you Mom!" Bryn launches herself into Summer's arms.
"You like him then?"
"I love him! But how come you gave him to me? You said I wasn't 'sponsible enough for a kitty."
"Well I thought it over, and I think you could learn some responsibility, you have to take care of him though."
"I will," Bryn promises, her eyes wide and innocent.
"Good, now why don't you get changed while I take a quick shower?"
"Okay," Bryn nods. "Does OJ get to sleep in my room?"
"Most nights, but I think OJ would be more comfortable if he slept in the living room tonight, away from all of the girls."
Bryn thinks and nods, "I think you're right too."