Page 14 of The Brooklyn Way

“It’s not cap.” Her arms were folded across her chest, her right leg jutted out while her weight rested on her left leg. It was the international black woman I have an attitude, now stance. “You left me, bro. I didn’t leave you. I was willing to…”

I cut her off, “With your revisionist history writing ass.”

“Shut up.” She hissed.

“Nah, talk your shit, Baby Ti. Because the way I remember it, we both had scholarships to Booker University. Booker wasn’t even my first choice, Tiara. I wanted Virginia Colony. I wanted to play ball where my idol, CJ Upton played ball. But you wanted Booker.” I looked up at the ceiling. “You did that shit that you knew I loved with my dick in your mouth and convinced me to commit to Booker. Then, ten days before we were supposed to leave, you told me that you’d accepted a scholarship from…”

She jumped in to keep me from completing my thought. “Stop bringing up old stuff, Cam.”

“Virginia Colony,” I finished.

The two of us stood there in an awkward silence… until she broke it.

“You still haven’t forgiven me for that? It’s been almost ten years.”

“I forgive you. That was fucked up, but I forgive you. I just don’t trust you or fuck with you like that.”

Her mouth dropped at my honesty. “Are you serious? You don’t fuck with me like that? What does that even mean?”

“It means that everything with you will always be surface level. I would never… never let you get next to me in any way other than associate/homey.”

“It really was a last-minute decision. The full scholarship to Booker was predicated on me pulling up my calculus grade during summer school. It didn’t happen. The summer-school teacher gave me a C, just like Mrs. Thurmon had. Booker was reducing the amount of the scholarship from full to partial.

“Virginia Colony was giving me a full ride. My father made me take it. You know how he is. You know once he said what it was gonna be… that’s what it was gonna be. He said Virginia Colony. I didn’t have a choice.”

“You did have a choice, though. You could’ve just chosen Virginia Colony from the start. You could’ve not pushed so hard for Booker, when you knew all along that your father wanted you at Virginia Colony. In your need to be defiant with your father, you talked me out of my first-choice college, Ti. Then you went to that college. It was kind of a slap in the face.”

“It was never my intention to—”

“I know.” I held up my hand. “I know. That’s why I forgive you. I should’ve pulled my dick outta your mouth and went to Virginia Colony. I should’ve told your ass ‘no’ when you brought up Booker. That’s on me. But that situation did teach me that when it comes down to it, you’re the type that chooses yourself. You’ll do whatever it takes to sway people—to talk them into doing what you want to do, even if it’s not what’s best for them. For obvious reasons, I can’t be in intimate relationships with people like that. I have too much to lose.”

“I’m not the same little girl that you used to know, Cameron. I’m a grown woman.”

“Cool,” I told her. I was ready to get her out and have my space to myself. “We’ll see each other around,” I assured her as I led her back to the front door.

“As small as this island is? I have no doubts.” She smiled softly. “See you, twin.”

After locking my door, I walked to the kitchen with a still semi-hard dick. That was something I was willing to deal with in order to maintain my boundaries with Tiara. She was the first of many Jackson Island residents that I was going to have to be firm with. Actually, she was the second of many residents. My mother was the first.

Jackson Island was a small oceanside beach town with less than twelve thousand full-time residents. Most of those people had known me since I was little. In their minds, I would always be Little Cam Field—baby boy of Dr. Cannon and Madeline Field. They felt justified in taking liberties with me and saying things that were better left unsaid. I knew it was going to be a summer of subtly putting people in their places. My mother and Tiara were just the warm-ups.

Pushing Tiara from my mind, I walked into my kitchen. Carrington had promised to stock my refrigerator, and I was starving. As I rifled through the contents, trying to decide where my tastebuds were leading me, my phone rang.

I checked the screen, then smiled at the name displayed across it. “Genesis Upton, what are you doing calling me? Shouldn’t you be somewhere laying down… mothering that brood of babies that you and CJ have?” I teased my teammate’s wife, who also happened to be my personal chef.

“And I was calling to tell you about something nice I did for you,” she told me.

“Word? Let me apologize. What’s good, Genesis? How is motherhood treating you?”

“Motherhood is beautiful and exhausting.”

“You and my guy gotta slow down. Three babies in three years would exhaust anybody. Enjoy this little break from cooking for your clients.”

“I will, even though I miss cooking for my clients… even the complainers and the picky, OCD ones.”

“You’re not including me in the group, are you?”

“Absolutely not, Cameron. To be honest, you’re one of the most easygoing clients that I have. You never complain or have special requests. Whatever I make, you eat it. You never give me any problems. That’s why when I found out that you were spending the summer in South Carolina, I put together an end of the season gift for you. You should receive a refrigerated package from me at some point today. Open it as soon as you receive it and get the contents out of the package and into the fridge.”

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