Chapter 5
5
B rooklyn
My return flight deposited me on Jackson Island in the mid-afternoon, so I chose not to go to the community center to sew. Instead, I unpacked my lone suitcase, did laundry and chilled at the guest house.
When it was time for Carrington’s bridal boot camp, I dressed in the workout gear that I made in Fenwick. Big Red helped me put together a pair of shorts and a matching T-shirt.
The entire time we were sewing together she kept talking about the glow coming from me. I told her that it had to be from the fact that I was working out and sewing again. Big Red gave me a knowing side eye, which I acted like I didn’t notice. There was no way I was going to tell her that I had spent the night before I arrived getting sexed in the best way, by an NBA player with a hypnotic curve.
As I was headed toward the room where the bootcamp was held, I was unceremoniously pulled into an empty room by hands that had wrapped themselves around my waist. The person not only caught me off guard, they also pulled me a little harder than was probably necessary.
My body bounced off a human chest that was doing its best impression of a solid brick wall. “Uhmf!” I sputtered.
His chuckles sounded softly in my ear. “My bad.”
He was still behind me, still holding my body to his. I didn’t move a muscle.
“Hi, Cameron.” My tone was semi-sarcastic.
“What’s up, mama?” His hands moved up from my waist to cup each of my breasts. His fingers lightly manipulated my nipples, causing me to moan a little. His lips and then his tongue were both warm on my neck.
I wanted to push my ass into his groin area, but with the differences in our heights, the best I could’ve done was probably rub it against his thigh area. I didn’t bother. Instead, I placed my hands over his so he would know to keep massaging my breasts.
“You’re kinda freaky, mama. That’s not the read I got on you initially.”
“You mean all of those times that you didn’t notice me?” I deadpanned. “Yeah, it’s kind of hard to get a read on somebody who’s invisible to you.”
“Look,” he pinched my nipples, which made me squirm, “don’t blame me because you went out of your way to blend into the background.”
I pulled out of his embrace. “Whatever, sir.” I smoothed down my clothing. “We should go. I’m sure there are people waiting, wondering where the instructor is.”
“Just tell me you’re coming through to watch the sunset tonight.”
“I will, but you have to feed me. Last time you promised food and didn’t deliver.”
“You had me too busy delivering them death strokes.”
He wasn’t lying, but I wasn’t about to let him know that. I turned on my heel and left the room. I expected him to let me make it to the workout room, then wait a few minutes before he entered. That was not what happened. I walked into the workout room with Cameron basically on my heels. It felt like every eye in the room was on the two of us. Maybe I imagined it, but I definitely didn’t imagine the way that Tiara chick mean-mugged me.
“Yo, it’s core day.” Cameron’s volume elevated above the din of the chatter as he made his way to the stereo system.
Carrington sidled up beside me. “Did you and my brother come into this room together or did you just happen to walk in at the same time?”
Before I could respond, Tiara joined us.
“Hey, girl.” She spoke to Carrington but ignored me. “We still going to Rickie’s tonight?”
Rickie’s was the local entertainment complex. It featured ax throwing, an escape room, miniature golf, a go-kart track, bowling, a rage room, and pool tables. It was located on the pier sandwiched between Killer Bee’s , which was the island’s most popular bar with the younger crowd and Marshmallow & Biscuit , which was a popular restaurant that had the best food and the most delicious, buttery biscuits I’d ever eaten.
Carrington’s head swung in my direction. “You’re still coming, right, Brook?”
When I agreed to go, I didn’t know that Tiara would be attending, but I wasn’t about to let her hijack the night of fun that I planned to have with my homegirl and her friends. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”
Tiara’s nose wrinkled and her eyes squinted. “I thought it was just for those of us who are in the wedding.”
“Brooklyn is in the wedding. She’s one of my bridesmaids.”
Tiara’s face visibly fell. “Oh.”
Music floated from the speakers, interrupting the conversation.
“Let’s do this,” Cameron told us as I walked to an empty spot in the back of the room.
After boot camp, I went home to shower and change. Once that was done, I fixed two turkey and cheddar sandwiches with the tiniest bit of both mustard and mayo, a thick slice of a beefsteak tomato, and a few lettuce leaves on thin whole wheat bread. I grabbed two single-serving bags of plain baked chips and drove from the guest house to the main house. Typically, I would’ve walked and counted the steps toward my daily exercise goal. What I had quickly discovered was that it was just too hot on the Island to be walking, unless you wanted to arrive at your destination sweaty, needing another shower. I didn’t, so I drove.
“Food, yes!” Cameron wrapped me in a big hug at his front door, after spotting the picnic basket in my hand.
“It’s just a turkey sandwich and chips.”
“Doesn’t matter. It’s food, and I’m hungry as hell. I need to eat before we get to Rickie’s. Otherwise, I’ll end up going next door and ordering everything on Marshmallow & Biscuit’s menu.”
“I could do that anyway,” I admitted. “Oh my goodness, they have the best food.”
His smirk was instantaneous. “I’m glad you like it.”
It took me a minute to catch on. “Is Marshmallow & Biscuit your restaurant?”
The smirk fell and was replaced by a look of apprehension. “You wanna eat out on the deck?”
“Did you hose it down?” I teased.
That made him laugh aloud. “Actually, I had the landscaper douse all the furniture in sanitizer, then hose it down. I don’t know if he put two and two together to realize why I asked him to do that, but it’s whatever.” He shrugged his broad shoulders.
I cut my eyes up to meet Cameron’s gaze. “Well, if all this rain keeps up, that will become one of his regular duties.”
“See, you’re trying to get fucked before we even watch this sunset.”
“I’m not,” I denied, not sure if I was lying or not. “I’m trying to eat this food.” I walked over to the kitchen island and pulled out one of the chairs, taking a seat. “What do you have to drink, Cameron?”
After he poured us glasses filled with ice cubes and sweet tea, he sat down beside me.
“So, what did I miss while I was in Kentucky?”
“Not much.” He chewed thoughtfully. “My mother’s annual Father’s Day Bash. That’s about it. You went to Kentucky to celebrate your grandfather, was your father there?”
I figured that eventually the topic would come up, particularly if we kept discussing Father’s Day. Still I didn’t like talking about it. “I lost my dad… and my mom when I was in my second year of college.”
“Damn. I’m sorry I brought it up.”
“Whenever I talk about losing my parents, it usually makes the other person uncomfortable that they brought it up.”
“Did you lose them… together?”
“I did.” I looked up at the ceiling. I could talk about my parents’ death without crying or getting too emotional, but I did find that I had to steady myself first. “Uhm, my dad was a long-haul truck driver. He drove large loads coast to coast for as long as I can remember. When he finally retired, he always wanted to take a trip where someone else did the driving. So, he and mom booked a train trip on TrailTrack. It was supposed to be a three- day trip from Chicago to San Diego. The train went off the track somewhere in rural Utah. The train fell down an embankment and toppled over on its side. Eight people lost their lives at the scene, my mom was one of them. My dad survived the initial accident, but he… succumbed, that’s how the doctor’s put it. He succumbed to his injuries three days later. I think he succumbed to the news that my mom was gone. That’s how I ended up with Vince.” I scoffed a little before I spoke again. “We were dating very casually at the time. I really wasn’t even all that into him. I mean, he was cool, but I didn’t see a future there. Then, I lost my parents, and the only thing that looked the same about my life was Vince. He was the only thing that was there when they were alive and still there once they were gone. I think I clung on to him for that reason. He was a form of… stability, because my life and my mind were all over the place.”
Cameron stood from the seat next to mine, turned my chair so it was facing him, and pulled me into a very tight hug. He held me while softly stroking my hair. I could feel the warmth of his body heat and hear the rhythmic thumping of his heart. It was the most comforting hug I’d received in a long time. I wrapped my arms around his waist, laid my head on his stomach, and stayed there for a while.
When I felt all right, I released him.
He started to clean up our trash. “Let’s get ready to go out to the deck. We have about twenty minutes before the sun does its thing.”
“Okay. I just need to use the bathroom.”
I closed myself in Cameron’s powder room, placed my hands on my knees, and took a deep breath. It had been a minute since I had to tell somebody about the fate my parents suffered.
“At least you got through it without crying.” I quietly commended myself.
I ran a thick paper towel under the stream of cool water at his pedestal sink. Cameron had the most gorgeous house that was the best mixture of contemporary stylings paired with vintage touches. I lightly blotted my face with the paper towel, paying particular attention to my eyes. Once that was done, I tossed the paper towel. I emptied my bladder, washed my hands then met Cameron out on his deck.
Before I could sit down in my usual chair, he pulled me into his lap. I didn’t protest. I made myself comfortable in his lap, resting my head on his chest.
“You okay?” His deep baritone rumbled softly in my ear.
“I’m okay.”
He placed a kiss on the top of my head. “Good.”
Cameron smelled delectable, like masculinity mixed with sunshine, mixed with the salty sea.
“Uhm.” I inhaled deeply. “You smell so good.”
His laugh was light. “I’m glad. That shower gel came from France or somewhere and cost about two hundred dollars an ounce.”
I sat upright. “For shower gel? I mean, I’m familiar with perfume being expensive, but two hundred dollars for an ounce of shower gel? It goes down the drain when you rinse, right?”
He laughed again. “You’re crazy.”
“You’re out here dropping stacks on shower gel? I didn’t think men cared enough about stuff like that. I’ve known them to drop stacks on gym shoes—”
“Gym shoes.” He cut me off. “You’re so fucking Chicago. I’d never heard them called that before I was drafted by The Bison.”
“Don’t change the subject.” I laid my head back on his chest. “Who bought you that shower gel, some chick?”
“Not you acting jealous,” he teased with a snicker.
I buried my face in his armpit.
He let me, but that didn’t stop him from talking his shit. “Don’t get embarrassed now. You out here acting real territorial over me right now. Acting like you’ve got a claim to me.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled from his armpit. “You’re right. It doesn’t matter who bought the overpriced ass shower gel.”
We both laughed, then stilled as the sun made its final descent below the horizon.
I wasn’t expecting Cameron to drive us to Rickie’s . I expected to go home, get my own vehicle, and drive myself. But when he pointed out that I was already at his house and that I was currently living on his property, it made the most sense for us to ride together.
“I think you just like being with me,” I joked as I buckled myself into his pickup truck.
“You think I’m ashamed to admit that, Brooklyn?”
His response caught me off guard. “Uh, no?”
“I definitely like being with you. You’re my little summer fling.”
“What?”
“What, what? You’re my summer fling. You’re the woman that I’m about to kick it with all summer.” He paused. “Yo, my intention was to come home, lay low and not get attached to anybody. But now you’ve given me the ass in a thunderstorm and I think you fucked my head up. Got me sitting around watching the weather forecast.”
“You know it doesn’t have to be raining for me to have sex with you, right?”
“Oh, fa sho. I could pull this truck over on the side of the road and get it right now, if I was so inclined.”
I scoffed, while rolling my eyes at him. “Whatever, with your arrogant ass.”
“You annoyed because I’m telling the truth?”
“Shut up, Cameron.”
“You’re annoyed because I’m telling the truth,” he concluded.
“Anyway.”
“Right, anyway. I know we can have regular sex—sex where it’s dry, inside the house and shit. We’ll have that kind of sex. I just want to have more outside, rain-covered sex.”
“That was crazy, wasn’t it?”
“That was…” His thoughts trailed off.
“Yeah. It was.”
“I’m glad as hell that you’re on birth control, because the rain, the nut, and the slipperiness—”
“Oh my gosh, Cameron.”
“What? That’s a lot of different… liquids mixing and traveling and—”
“Cameron.” I buried my face in my hands as I laughed my ass off at him. “People who watch you play basketball probably have no idea that you’re this way in real life.”
“Probably not.” He pulled into a parking space at Rickie’s .
“You never did answer my question,” I reminded him as I unbuckled my seat belt. “Is Marshmallow & Biscuit your restaurant?”
He didn’t respond right away.
“I told you about my parents, and you’re sitting here acting like you can’t answer a yes or no question.”
“You’re right,” he said finally. “This entire entertainment complex belongs to Field Goals Incorporated. I wanted to do something for the community, for my hometown. I wanted to do something that would drive revenue into the region and cause the young adults who were born and raised here to consider staying on the island, as opposed to relocating. Small towns become ghost towns when the young adults and young families leave. You can’t keep a town vibrant, growing and thriving on the backs of senior citizens. So, we have a council. I sit on it and so does Carrington. We come up with ideas and ways to keep Jackson Island vital. The complex has been a huge hit but alone, it’s not enough. We have to do more.
“So, I hold my summer sports clinic and the community center offers all kinds of classes and opportunities. Being this close to the ocean is a pro and a con. I mean, the entire town is practically a beach. If water or water sports are your thing, you will never run out of ways to enjoy the water here. If you can afford it, there are opportunities to own waterfront or water view properties. Jackson Island has a small-time vibe, while offering quite a few experiences that you would be most likely to find in a medium-sized city. The school district here is top notch. We’re revamping and adding to the nightlife scene. The entertainment complex was a no-brainer. It’s been wildly successful.”
“Was the island’s initiative to add more younger residents the reason that Carrington fought to get me here?”
“You would have to ask Carrington to know for sure, but I don’t think so. I think she saw her friend hurting and wanted to be close by to help you through it.”
I felt like he was probably right, so I didn’t push him on the matter. Instead, I walked beside him in silence as we made our way through the crowd to find our group.
“Are we bowling?” I questioned, forcing my legs to move double-time to keep up with his long strides.
He glanced down at me. “Miniature golf. I thought you knew because you’re dressed for it.”
He was right. I was wearing a pleated turquoise blue mini skirt with yellow and lime green swirls on it, along with a turquoise polo. I wasn’t dressed for golf, per se. I was dressed in the trend, in an outfit that I had sewn for myself. But I could see that the style of my outfit did say ‘golf.’
“Nah, I wore this because I feel cute in it. And since I made it myself, it rides my curves… perfectly.” I ran my hands down the sides of my waist and over my hips. The move might have come off as sexy, if I hadn’t been galloping trying to keep up with him. “Slow down!” I finally commanded. “I’m out here trying to be cute and you have me practically running. Sweat is—”
He stopped walking abruptly which caused me to bump into him. “Yo,” he dragged out the word, “we’re gonna have to put some conditions or some qualifications on this summer fling thing, lil mama. What do you mean you’re out here trying to look cute? For who?”
I giggled heartily but didn’t otherwise respond. “Come on.”
He started walking again. “Okay. You wanna play and joke around.”
I giggled some more. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me up to him so that we were finally walking in sync, then he slapped me on the ass. “Whatever, jealous.”
The group was already assembled when Cameron and I joined. I recognized Carrington, Bryce, Nyrah, and the Tiara girl. There were two guys present that I had never seen before.
Tiara shot daggers at Cameron and me.
“I saw the pics on Insta .” She directed her comment at Cameron. “Your caption said something about, ‘the homie’ .” She made air quotes with her fingers. “Looks like more than the homie to me.”
I ignored her.
Cameron did too. He draped his arm around my shoulder and turned me to face the two men that I didn’t recognize. “Yo, this is Brooklyn. She’s a friend of Carrington’s.”
Carrington’s smile beamed brightly. “Brooklyn was my college roommate. I convinced her to move to Jackson Island… at least for a short while.”
“Not short enough,” Tiara mumbled.
Cameron continued with the introductions, as if he hadn’t heard Tiara’s smart remark. “Brooklyn, you know Carri, Bryce, and Nyrah. This is Bryce’s brother, Brent. And this is Tiara and her guy, Ethan.”
Ethan stepped forward with a friendly smile and his hand extended. I shook it.
“It’s nice to meet you,” he said.
“It’s nice to meet you too,” I responded while Tiara glared at me.
Ethan was a handsome guy with skin the color of ebony, dark brown eyes, a Roman nose with a bump at the bridge and a full mouth. He wasn’t the tallest guy I had ever met. He couldn’t have been more than five feet eight or so, but he towered over Tiara.
It was obvious that despite Ethan’s handsomeness, Tiara had eyes for Cameron.
“What’s up?” Brent asked, throwing back his head in greeting.
“Hey.”
Carrington spoke up. “We’re doing miniature golf. Let’s go.”
The eight of us paid to play, selected putters and walked over to the first of eighteen holes. We waited for the group in front of us to move on before deciding our golfing order.
“I’m first,” Tiara announced.
Nobody offered up any debate, so she lined up at the hole.
Nine holes later there was a two-way tie for second place while I was firmly in first.
“Why are you so good at this?” Nyrah asked me as we made our way to the tenth hole.
Carrington snickered.
“Uhm, my mother went to college on a golf scholarship. She taught me how to play so that I could go to college on a golf scholarship too.”
“You’re a fucking ringer.” Ethan laughed good naturedly.
“That’s cheating,” Tiara said at the same time.
“How is it cheating?” Cameron questioned.
“It’s not cheating,” Brent said. “I’m a golfer. So is Bryce.”
They were the two who were tied for second place.
Tiara’s brows furrowed causing her forehead to crease. “But did you earn a scholarship to college for golf?”
“I did,” Brent was quick to admit. “I took my team at Banneker University to the finals two years in a row.”
“Why did you think I chose golf, Tiara?” Bryce asked her. “Duh. I chose it because I’m good at it. It’s not cheating to be good at something.”
“Stop being a sore loser,” Carrington chided.
“Get your fuckling weight up.” Cameron suggested. “Don’t get mad because somebody’s better than you at something. Use it as motivation.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “I don’t care enough about golf to bother getting good at it.”
“Then be quiet, and let’s play.” Nyrah rolled her large brown eyes. “Why are we even discussing it? Who’s up?”
“Me.” Carrington approached the hole and moved into her stance.
Tiara didn’t make many additional comments. Those she did make weren’t directed at me, even when I ended up winning the game by more than five holes over Brent.
“Damn, girl,” Brent commented as we waited at the clubhouse to return our putters, “your short game is unparalleled.”
Good sportsmanship was my jam, so I didn’t gloat. Instead, I dropped my eyes to the ground in a ‘shy girl’ move, then gave a small smile. “Thank you. I spent a lot of time working on it.”
“It shows.” His eyes moved down my body before they met mine.
I smiled again. “Thank—” My statement was cut off by an irritated Tiara.
“Uhm, what’s next on the agenda, Carrington? I’m hoping Killer Bee’s , because I personally need a strong drink.”
The atmosphere inside Killer Bee’s was lively and vibrant for a Tuesday night. The elevated volume of voices trying to be heard over the music, the clinking of glasses and laughter greeted the eight of us as we took seats around two tables that had been pushed together.
Cameron’s legs were long. I let him sit first so he would be on the end where he could stretch out. Before I could blink, Tiara had lightly elbowed me aside and plopped down in the seat next to his. Since Cameron was my summer fling as opposed to him being my man, I let her have that. I took a seat on the opposite side of the table between Carrington and Brent.
“You said you went to school on a golf scholarship.” Brent’s head was bent so that he was basically speaking into my ear when he made the statement. “Where’d you go to school?”
“Walker University. It’s in Indiana, right outside Indianapolis. I went there for undergrad and grad.”
His eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise as he made impressed noises. “An HBCU alum… okay. I see you. I’m going to presume that you don’t play golf for a living. What do you do?”
“I’m a fashion designer and seamstress. My specialty is formal dresses. I love creating wedding gowns.”
“And you do this full-time?”
I eyed him because he sounded surprised. “Look, Brent, don’t try to do me,” I teased.
He laughed heartily. “I’m not. I’m not.” His promise came in between chuckles. “I’m saying, that just sounds kinda like the guy from around the way who tells you that he’s a rapper.”
Tiara, who was apparently ear-hustling from across the table joined in the laughter.
Both Brent and I ignored her.
“I run a small but lucrative business,” I told him, before adding, “I’ll have you know.”
“She’s an Insta influencer with over five hundred thousand followers,” Carrington chimed in with that little tidbit. “She’s making my dress for the wedding.”
I glanced over at her. “Uhm, actually, I’m retooling your dress.”
Carrington gave me a sheepish look.
“Carri!” I fussed. “Ugh, please bring me the dress… tomorrow. If you think it needs more than a retooling, I need to start working on it now.”
“What’s your handle?” Brent asked, his phone already posed in hand.
I told him my handle and watched in silence as he pulled up my page.
Brent looked over at Cameron. “Yo, you on her page doing a little free promo?”
Cameron had been staring off into the crowd. He barely glanced at Brent before replying. “Something like that.”
Brent looked at me, then back at Cameron. Finally his eyes fell back to his screen. He went through the pictures slowly. “Damn, these dresses are fire.” His eyes bore a hole into the side of my face. “You’ve got talent, lil mama.”
“Thank you.”
“All of this work talk is boring.” Tiara tossed her phone onto the table with a thud. “I thought we were gonna get drinks. Where’s the damn waitress?”
“Why’re you being so moody?” Ethan asked her.
I didn’t bother listening for her answer because I already knew it would be a lie. She couldn’t tell her guy that she was mad because the guy she really wanted not only brought another girl with him, he also wasn’t paying her any attention.
Even if I had been listening for her response, I wouldn’t have heard it. Brent was talking close by my ear again. “The camera loves you.”
“I give the credit to Cameron,” I joked. “He took those pictures. When I take selfies, I always come out looking crazy. I didn’t even post the one I took of me and him together.”
“You and him together, huh?” His voice was soft and low.
I matched his volume. “What are you insinuating?”
He smirked, holding his hands up in what looked like surrender. “Nothing. It just seems like everybody sees what type of time y’all are on except Tiara. She got dick sitting right next to her and she’s sweating the fuck out of Cam’s.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied easily.
He scoffed. “Yeah, whatever. All I know is that I’m about to stop leaning over talking in your ear before your guy gets rowdy.”
I cut my eyes across the table to Cameron. Our eyes locked. I broke the stare and moved my gaze to Tiara. She was boring a hole into the side of Cameron’s head.
“Fucking love triangle,” Brent muttered.
I didn’t even bother to respond, because that was exactly what the three of us looked like.