Page 22 of The Brooklyn Way
“Uhm, I’m surprised that you didn’t just build the guest house so that it would have a view of the ocean.”
His head was shaking back and forth before I even completed my thought. “As much as I spoil my twin, there was no way I would let her compromise the views from the main house.” He took in the table. Really took it in. “Ahh, you’ve got a knack for entertaining, Brooklyn. This setup is nicer than the one you did for brunch the other day. You did all this just for yourself?”
That comment caused a blush of embarrassment to creep into my cheeks. I was alone. Eating alone. I had set a table for one. “Yeah. I’m trying a new thing.”
“What kind of new thing?” He gestured toward the chair closest to mine. “Do you mind if I sit?”
His home training was impeccable.
My very keen awareness of my own lack of manners had me flustered. I jumped up from my chair. “Oh no. I’m tacky. Yes, please feel free to sit. Are you hungry? I made plenty.” Before I let him respond, I rushed into the house and gathered up a place setting, all the elements matching mine. Then I raced back outside.
Cameron was seated, waiting patiently for my return.
I prepared the place setting in front of him. “Uhm, please, help yourself.” I pointed to each item on the board as I named it. “There’s some rotisserie chicken that I chopped up, cherry tomatoes, green grapes, that’s sourdough from a loaf that I sliced, black olives, provolone cheese, multi-grain crackers, and some Rainier cherries that I couldn’t resist.” I finally took a breath. “There’s iced water and uhm, sweet tea with vodka.”
“Dayum.” He dragged the word out. “This is a nice spread. Is this a typical Friday night for you?”
“Uhm, no. Not really.”
“Is this part of the new thing you mentioned earlier?” He waited for me to serve myself, before pulling some items from the charcuterie board with the tongs.
“Yeah. Well, it’s half and half, actually. One thing I’m working on is trying to be more intentional about how I treat myself,” I admitted. “I presume you know this already, but I’m staying here because I was in a bad situation. My last relationship was unhealthy. My ex cheated on me with a client.” I let out a breathy sigh. “It’s a long story, but—”
“It’s still early. The sun hasn’t even gone down yet. We’ve got time. You can talk.”
“Your manners are unparalleled, Cameron. But I wouldn’t dare take advantage of that by bending your ear with my problems all night. You probably have things to do.”
“I came home precisely so I wouldn’t have things to do. For the last five hundred summers, I’ve stayed in Chicago and adhered to the strictest fucking summer schedule ever. All I’m doing this summer is working with these kids that signed up for my camp and doing Carri’s bridal boot camp. Those are my only obligations. Anything else I do will be up to my discretion. So, nah, I don’t have no place to be. You can tell me the story. You can start from the beginning while I demolish some of everything on this charcuterie board.”
And so, I did. I started at the beginning and told him mostly everything.
“Dude is fucked up. And I’m sure you’ve heard this already, but it’s his loss. You didn’t deserve the shit he pulled and he didn’t deserve you.”
“Thank you. Anyway, I decided that I would treat myself the way I deserve to be treated, rather than waiting around for someone else to see the value in me, hence the manicure.” I held up my pretty pink fingernails so he could see.
He took my hand in his and a jolt of… something went through my entire body at the moment of contact. The force of the jolt was so jarring that I almost snatched my hand from his. Just as quickly as it had come, the sensation passed.
Cameron studied my nails for a moment, like he didn’t feel the energy shift that had taken place. “Okay. I see you, girl.”
I tried to act natural. “And hence the healthy dinner out on the pool deck.”
“Healthy and delicious.”
“Thank you.” I took a large swallow of sweet tea to try to gather myself and fully regain my bearings.
He watched me. “Okay, don’t fall in the pool when you stand up. You’ve been throwing back that tea like it’s not spiked with vodka.”
“Oh, it only has a splash. Just enough to give me a buzz, but not enough to get me drunk or make me tumble over into the pool.”
He studied the sky. “The sun is about to set. You wanna go over to the house and watch it from over there?”
“An invitation to the big house?” I joked, pretending to clutch my imaginary pearls.
“Whatever, lil mama. Let me help you clean up.”
After he’d helped me bring everything inside the house and load the dishwasher, the two of us cut across the well-manicured lawn and followed the driveway to the front of his house. He typed in the code, and I silently prepared myself for the stunt that I knew his home would be.
The floorplan of Cameron’s home was open. I knew that people were moving away from open floorplans, claiming to want more designated spaces. However, to put up walls in this man’s space would have been criminal. From the foyer, I could see through the kitchen, dining, sitting, and great rooms, right to the floor-to-ceiling windows. And just past those lay the crystal clear, marine blue vastness of the Atlantic Ocean.