Chapter Three
"Well?" Marissa and Seth question simultaneously.
"She'll have lunch with us, she's meeting us in the lobby at noon." Ryan responds, "but I've got to warn you, she's far from happy about it."
"Well duh," Seth responds turning around in the bar chair. "Or did you miss out on the entire episode last night at the bar?" Seth sighs and then changes the subject, "what time are you picking Timothy up from The Nanna's?"
"We're going over for dinner," Ryan motions to the three of them.
"You mean you," Seth motions between Marissa and Ryan.
"Nope," Ryan shakes his head, "we're all going."
"I don't even know why you want to go over there." Seth responds, "all she does is give both of us trouble because we are both going to work for The Newport Group."
Ryan shrugs, "she's family. Besides Timothy really likes her so I don't want to get in the way of that."
Seth rolls his eyes, "I dunno, maybe it's just that I don't get the kid thing and maybe that's why I don't get the reason for you willingly giving up a free night."
"Seth, your grandmother's great." Marissa states.
"Well, she likes you." Seth responds, "and she only likes you because you're going into social services, which makes up for you not being Jewish. Anyway as much as I would love to talk about my The Nanna, I've got to shower."
"You mean you're going to your own apartment?" Ryan questions.
"Har, har, I see how much you guys want me around here. I'll be back at 11:45."
"Way different from where you used to eat at home Summer," Seth comments of the kind of low key, hole in the wall diner.
"I come here a lot," Summer responds. She hadn't said much else on the walk from the apartment to the dinner, but despite the fact that she's nervous on the inside she's still able to keep her calm and cool exterior.
"Summer," Brynn and Summer both loved the diner and frequented it often so it was no surprise when the waitress, Wendy, greeted her warmly. "You're without Brynn this afternoon."
Summer bites the inside of her lip quickly, already Brynn was brought up, but quickly she responds with a smile and nod, "yeah she's up visiting her grandmother for the week."
Wendy nods, "she said something about that the last time you guys were in here, she seemed excited."
Summer nods, "she was, she hasn't seen her grandmother since moving here."
"Good. So who are your friends?" Wendy questions.
"They're old friends from California who just moved into the city," Summer responds, desperately hoping the friendly red-head will just take their drink orders without bringing up Brynn again.
"Well, welcome." Wendy smiles, "what can I get you guys to drink?"
"So, um, what are you guys doing in New York?" Summer asks once they have been brought their drinks and ordered their food.
Seth, who's said very little other than his comment about the diner lets Ryan explain, "I'm going into an architecture program at NYU and Seth's going to law school there. We both have positions at Newport Group waiting for us when we get back, Kirsten's taken over for Caleb."
Summer nods, "good for you guys. What about you Marissa, just along for the ride?"
Marissa shakes her head, "Ryan and I got married last May, we tried to get in contact with you but we had no way of knowing how, since your Dad moved."
"There you!" Joseph announces loudly as he enters the diner.
"Joseph, what are you doing here? " Summer asks.
"I stopped by your apartment, George pointed me in this direction." Joseph responds stopping at the table. "I wanted to make sure you were alright, you took off like a bat out of hell last night and then you didn't answer your phones."
"Sorry," Summer offers an apologetic smile to her friend. "I left the cell at home."
Joseph glares at her, "the point of having a cell phone is to carry it with you."
"My brains been a little fried," Summer responds.
"Well what's going on?" Suddenly it's as if Joseph is noticing the other people at the table. "The people from the bar last night, interesting. Are you going to introduce us?"
"Okay," Summer draws out slowly. "Joseph these are friends of mine from California, Marissa, Ryan and Seth, everyone this is Joseph."
Joseph's eyes quickly settle on Seth and then return back to Summer, he knew almost everything about her and her past was part of that. He knew he Seth was but Summer knew he was trying not to make it obvious, "well it's nice meeting all of you. I've got to run, call me later babe." Joseph kisses Summer quickly before leaving the diner.
"Is that your boyfriend?" Seth asks once Joseph has gone.
Summer nearly chokes on her diet soda, "you're kidding right? Joseph? Joseph is not interested in woman that way."
In the safety of her apartment Summer let's her wall fall and she sinks onto her couch in tears, pulling her knees to her chest she gives into the sobs. When Brynn was born Summer had been feeling so sorry for herself, she missed California, she missed her friends, she missed that life but mostly she missed Seth Cohen. But then Brynn was born and suddenly Summer got some perspective on her life, suddenly the world wasn't only about Summer Roberts. Brynn reminded her so much of Seth from the start but that was the only reminder Summer would allow herself, she threw herself into raising her daughter and finishing high school and college that she refused to let herself dwell on her feelings for Brynn's father.
But now here he was suddenly, living in her apartment building, making it impossible for her to avoid him. She had to find a way to tell Seth that he was going to be a father, and she had to figure out a way to do it in the week before Brynn came home from Pennsylvania. Just as these thoughts settle around her Summer's phone rings, clearing her throat and hoping it's not to obvious she's been crying she answers the phone.
"I knew you would be home by now, and I knew you wouldn't call." Joseph's on the other line.
"I meant to," Summer sighs.
"I know, you must've been thrown for a loop last night. You didn't know they were moving here?"
"Not a clue."
"You've been crying," Joseph observes.
"Yeah," Summer doesn't both lying.
"Want me to come over? I'll bring ice cream?" Joseph offers.
"I'd like that, but more than ice cream I need to clear my head. I need to figure out how I am going to tell Seth that he has a five-year-old daughter he's never heard of, and probably never would have heard of if he hadn't moved into my apartment building."
"Well, it's not going to be easy." Joseph promises, "but maybe this is just fates way of telling you that he's been kept in the dark long enough."
"Fate," Summer whispers, she'd believed in fate, destiny and soul mates once but the person who had believed that was long gone. "I think I'm going to go to the gym, I need to clear my head."
"Call me if you need anything?"
"Of course."
"Hey," Marissa is in the lobby when Summer goes down, changed into her work out clothes for the gym in the apartment building.
"Hey," Summer returns the greeting. "Are you going to the gym?"
Marissa shakes her head, "no, I've got some stuff I have to mail home. Letters and stuff."
Summer nods, "well I'm off to the gym, I'll see you."
"Summer?" Marissa's questioning tone stops Summer.
"Yeah Marissa," Summer sighs she can tell what questions is coming next.
"Are you okay?"
And there it was and the lie to go with it was easy, "sure. I'm fine, just surprised to see you guys is all. Most people don't really expect their ex-boyfriend to show up in their apartment building in New York City of all people. No one ever said surprises were a bad thing," Summer responds but can't help mentally think, no one ever said they were a good thing either.
"You just seem kind of...I dunno, un-Summerlike," Marissa states.
Summer shrugs, "people change. I haven't seen you in five years, since were in high school, people change a lot in that time. But it doesn't look like any of you have changed. You and Ryan ended up together, that's good, I'm happy for you."
"Seth's single," Marissa supplies.
Summer shakes her head, "that's great but Seth Cohen and I are ancient history. We have nothing in common." Well, that was a lie too, a daughter some something they definitely had in common, but she had to lie until she figured out exactly what she was going to do. "I want to get to the gym, so I'll see you around okay Coop?"
Marissa nods, "sure, I'll see you around."