7. Soleil
SOLEIL
“Boo!” she yelled into the phone, like me having eardrums wasn’t a thing. “Where the hell have you been?”
“Hey, Bria,” I said sheepishly, using her nickname in hopes it would buy some leniency with her. I already knew what direction the conversation was about to go in.
“Don’t hey, Bria me, heifer. Why haven’t I heard from you in three days? I thought you were somewhere dead in that damn hotel, just waiting to have your body discovered.”
“So morbid.”
“Don’t play with me. You were supposed to check in. If not every day, at least every other day. It takes five seconds to send a text that says, damn, bitch, I’m alive.”
“I know. I know. I told you that I met somebody.”
“You met somebody? This isn’t about to be one of those stories about a black woman leveling some white man up, is it? I’m so sick of that shit.”
I had to laugh. “I think that trend has passed, friend. And no, this isn’t that. It’s Spencer Charles, remember?”
“As long as you didn’t get down there and decide to be Preston Wilcox’s sexual fool for the week.”
“Yuck! Why so negative, bestie? Did you not have a good time at Color Con?”
I heard her take a deep breath. “I am being negative. I apologize. I had a fabulous time at Color Con, and we’ll talk about it right after you remind me all about this man you met.
Sorry about being so mean. I’m just still a little bit mad at you for going radio silent while you’re in a foreign country by yourself. ”
“I’m sorry, too. You’re right. I have been texting my daddy to check up on him and how his ankle is healing, but I haven’t texted you. It’s so stereotypical to drop your friends the minute you start getting good dick.”
“You’re getting good dick?” She was yelling again. “From Spencer? Tell me everything!”
And so, I did. We talked for over an hour while I put together my surprise for Spencer.
After she finished telling me about her time at Color Con, we ended our phone call.
I texted Spencer and asked him to meet in the lobby.
Luckily, I made it down there before him.
Before he arrived, I was able to retrieve the package I’d requested from the concierge and stuff it into the basket I was carrying.
After a long hug and a kiss on the lips, Spencer’s eyes immediately zeroed in on what was in my hands. “What’s in the basket?”
“Ambience. Come on.” I took his hand in mine and led him out the lobby doors, into the front of the resort.
“Where are we going?”
“To dinner.”
“How are we getting there? Am I driving?”
I gazed up at him. “Did you know that this resort has two complimentary, chauffeur-driven Mini Coopers that are available to guests? They will take you anywhere on the island within a ten-mile radius of the resort. All you have to do is reserve your time.” I led him to the pretty, teal-green car that waited for us at the curb. “You ready?”
He lifted his eyebrows. “Yeah.”
I had the driver drop us off at Liberty Park.
It had been suggested by the concierge as a beautiful, green space with views of the water.
I chose a table not far from the shoreline, set my basket on the bench, and started to unpack it.
Once the table was covered with a tablecloth, I brought out candle holders, candles, wine glasses, and a two-liter bottle of lemon-lime soft drink.
Passing him my purse-sized container of hand sanitizer, I spoke. “So, I had some time on my hands after I finished working. I spent it chatting with the concierge.” I pulled out food as I continued to tell him about my day. “I mentioned that my gentleman friend—”
“Your gentleman friend? That’s me, huh? You got me out here sounding like a seventy-three-year-old man.”
We both chuckled. Then I continued. “I mentioned to her that my gentleman friend’s family is from Martinique and how he loves something called Chicken Colombo. Well, she called over one of the bellmen, who also happens to be Martinican. Did I say that right?”
“Yeah, you did.”
“Good. Anyway, I was talking to him, and he told me his favorite place on the island of Iredia to get authentic Martinique food. He also gave me suggestions on what to get.” I reached back into the basket, naming items as I brought them to the table.
“We have Chicken Colombo, Feroce d’avocat, and accras de morue.
I apologize ’cause I know I butchered the names. ”
He looked at the three containers on the table, then back at me with what I could only classify as . . . affection in his brown eyes. “Damn. Are you even serious right now?” He took the lid off the Chicken Colombo and smelled it. “Oh, shit. This smells like the real thing.”
I took out some paper plates and disposable silverware that had come with the food. “Well, help yourself.”
He spooned some of the chicken dish on both of our plates. “What made you do this, Sun?”
“You.” I shrugged my shoulders. “You surprised me with crab cakes yesterday because you remembered they’re my favorite food. I felt that same should recognize same. You pay attention and care about the things I tell you. I want you to know that I’m on that same ish.” I giggled.
“I wanna kiss you so fucking bad, but this food is stealing all my attention.”
I waved him off. “Let’s pray so you can go ’head and eat your food. There will be plenty of time and plenty of places to kiss me later.”
His eyes met mine over the table as he took my hands and blessed the food. “I’mma hold you to that shit about kissing you everywhere, Sun.”
While he fixed our plates, I lit the candles, but the breeze from the ocean kept blowing them out. Instead, I poured the pop into our glasses. I sat down and listened to him describe the dishes to me with love, then I tried them.
“Ooh, this Colombo is good. I thought it was gonna be spicy, but it’s not.”
“Flavorful doesn’t have to mean spicy. Besides, the colonizers of Martinique were French. They aren’t known for spicy food.”
“True.”
“Now, the Feroce d’avocat is spicy. It’s made with hot peppers, so watch yourself.”
“What’s in this?”
“It’s mostly mashed avocado and salted cod fish mixed together with spices, flour, and hot peppers.”
I tasted the dish. “Okay.” I nodded my head. “It tastes like guacamole . . . with a very faint essence of fish. Spicy-ass guacamole with a very faint essence of fish.”
He laughed. “Try this.” He pointed at the accras de morue.
I popped one in my mouth. “Oh.” I pointed down at the plate. “Oh, this right here is the one.” I popped another one in my mouth. “This is so good. It’s like a hush puppy, but also like some kind of crisp. It’s so light and airy. I could eat a hundred of these things.”
We continued to eat in silence, enjoying the food and each other’s company.
He wiped his mouth with a napkin. I figured he was about to speak, so I gave him my attention. “It’s day five. Day five. I don’t really get why it feels like I’ve known you so much longer.”
“We connected quick,” I agreed.
“Quick as hell, . . . but I ain’t mad. I like spending time with your pretty ass. It’s been nothin’ but vibes and Sunshine.”
I smirked. “Am I the Sunshine?”
“You’re definitely the sunshine, Sunshine.” He paused. “Ay, can I ask you something?”
I nodded.
“You google me? You search me on the internet?”
My eyes widened. “Nah. Should I have?”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because you’ve been right here with me. If I wanted to know something, I could just ask you.”
“That’s the type of shit I mean when I say you put out vibes and sunshine. You could’ve found out stuff about me that I haven’t told you.”
I wiped my mouth with a napkin and set it on top of my plate. “Well, I feel like you’re about to tell me now, so come with it.”
He laughed lightly. “Don’t tense up, Sunshine. I’m not about to admit to being a serial killer or a domestic violence motherfucka.”
“Okay.” I still couldn’t relax, though.
“I’m a dad. I have a nine-year-old daughter from a . . . friends with benefits relationship that I had in college.”
I took a deep breath. That was an admission I could live with. “Okay. What’s your baby’s name?”
“Mikayla Dawn. She’s my heart, . . . my soul.
That little girl is my everything. We had her young, and we weren’t even really in a relationship.
We were just messing around, being young—and irresponsible.
But I can honestly say that I’m proud of me and her mom, Harmony.
We both stepped up. We had our own paths, but we both made the decision to grow up and be the best parents we could be for our daughter. ”
I smiled softly. “Does she live in Chicago?”
“Nah.” He shook his head. “She lives in South Carolina. And every time I have the chance, I’m in South Carolina.”
I giggled. “It sounds like you’re a very involved dad.”
“Gotta be. That’s my legacy. All this football shit is cool.
I love my job, but at the end of the day, it’s a job.
She’s my legacy. She’s what I show to the world with pride.
She’s why I work so hard, why I keep my reputation clean, and why you’ll never hear or read about my name in any avoidable bullshit.
She’ll never have to go to school and defend me to her classmates, talking about a case I caught or some dumb shit I did. ”
“She a daddy’s girl?”
“She’d better be because I’m a simp for that little girl.”
We both laughed. “Well, as a daddy’s girl myself, I think it’s beautiful how much you love her.
My parents had me in college, too. They were a couple.
They met in the engineering program at Londynville University.
My mother passed away when I was really young.
She died from an aneurysm before they even graduated college.
My grandparents—her parents—offered to take me.
Actually, they decided to take me in, but my father stepped up and told them I was staying with him.
They fought him on it. They felt like he needed to concentrate on school and let them handle me.
He wasn’t with that, so he took me and raised me. ”
“By himself?”
I nodded.
“That’s what’s up.”
“I’m sure your daughter feels the same dedication from you that I have always felt from my daddy.”
“That’s my goal. That’s the main reason that my godmother felt like she had to bribe me to come here. She knows my summer break is for my baby girl.” He shook his head. “But Mikayla was at a cheerleading clinic in Charlotte until Wednesday. She encouraged me to come here.”
“I need for you to thank both your godmother and Mikayla for me. I don’t know what this trip would’ve been like for me if you weren’t here. I’m glad I didn’t have to find out.”
“Facts.” He walked over to my side of the table and planted a sweet kiss on my lips.