Page 30 of The Brooklyn Way
“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.”