Page 32 of The Brooklyn Way

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.”

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