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“Well, okay, Ms. College.” He rolls his eyes with an easy smile as I pull out the partition between the rest of the small space and my bedroom. Malik lives in the next Airstream over and has almost the same model as me, so he’s used to the sounds of me rummaging through drawers and grunting as I change clothes. He calls casually to me. “You’re gonna want some clothes that can get dirty. Mom is at a doctor’s appointment this afternoon, so Aunt Delta needs us to turn over three trailers for new arrivals tomorrow.”
I groan internally. I started work before dawn, and right now, my feet are straight up killing me. All I want to do is sit down for a few minutes.
“Ah, damn. Are we at least swapping days? Mom promised when we moved to the camp full time that we wouldn’t be responsible for all the work.” I grit my teeth, and drop the light blue peasant dress that I was planning on wearing back across my bed. Instead, I pick a pair of black leggings and pair them with a worn ‘Jackson Family Reunion 1999’ T-shirt. It’s one of my Mom’s shirts that I love. I put my work shoes away and quickly hang my waitress’s uniform. I slip into a pair of boring black clogs, eying my pair of big, fluffy slippers with little green aliens printed all over them.
Later, I promise myself. I’m going to put my slippers on, kick my feet up, and do absolutely nothing for an hour.
I tidy away my shoes with efficient motions and roll the closet door closed. Living in an Airstream has made me appreciate organization; everything in my trailer has a place. There can be nothing that’s extraneous when you live in such a small space.
I emerge at last and find Malik has shut off the TV and is typing something into his phone. From the goofy grin on his face, it’s pretty safe to assume what’s he’s doing.
Malik and his boyfriend have been hot and heavy for two years now. I like Crisanto a lot and think they’re a cute couple. But I do worry about Malik leaning on him.
He is a man, after all. He is probably going to let my little brother down at some point. So I keep my guard up with Crisanto, because he will eventually break Malik’s heart. And Malik is my baby brother, so I have to watch out for him.
All men are disappointing in the long run. Ask my mom. Ask my aunts. Hell. Considering how things went with Bishop, ask me.
I give Malik a tart smile. “How is Crisanto? Still being an amazing boyfriend, I hope.”
Malik glances up at me with a shy smile. “He’s great. He’s coming home from a work trip in a couple of days, and I can’t wait.”
I pull a kombucha from the tiny fridge and shoo my brother over to make room for me to sit. He is tall and lanky, with that physique that only twenty-year-olds have, so it’s a squeeze for us both to sit comfortably in here. “You’ve been spending a lot of nights at his place in Cape Simon. Do you two ever talk about moving in together?”
Malik’s lower lip protrudes. “We’ve talked about it. But we are taking things slow.”
I nod and slip my arm around his shoulder for a quick hug. “That’s smart. And you know you’re my favorite person in the whole damn world. So basically, take all the time in the whole entire world. The longer you’re here, the better it is for me.”
Malik grins. “When I move, that means you’re going to have to pick up the slack.”
I laugh. “Shoot. No way am I working any more than I am already. Between Gem’s Diner and here, I work all the damn time.”
I complain about my schedule, but I’m okay with it. Working constantly is a good way to keep myself busy. And since I broke things off with my ex-boyfriend, I don’t want to let anyone fill that space.
The Vintages can be my new beau.
Malik shrugs. “You don’t have to. You can move out and stop helping around here. If you stopped, it would be a death blow. I think it would be a less painful way to go than the Vintages drifting toward oblivion at such a glacial pace.”
Shaking the bottle, I screw up my face. I sort of agree, but I’m not going to be the reason that the Vintages ceases to operate. “Aunt Delta loves this place.”
He cuts me a look. “Then Aunt Delta should figure out how to pay the back taxes on this place.”
I take a sip and sigh. “Yep. That’s tough. The last I heard, she was trying to get some bird-watching charity to pay what she owes for the right to use our land once a year. I think that sounds like a good idea, but it’s unlikely to help our financial situation enough.”
“That doesn’t sound like a good deal. But you never know, I imagine those folks have a lot of white guilt.” Malik eases himself up, moving carefully. “Let’s get started on these turnovers. I want to go lie down and turn the air conditioner on full blast.”
I follow him out of the trailer, watching his slight limp. He’s favoring his right leg. My tone is a little more aggressive than I mean it to be. “Are you having a sickle cell flare up?”
“A little one.” Malik waves my question away. “It’s not that bad. Honest. This new medication is so expensive, but it really works.”
“Malik Brown, you stop right there.” I move around him, and stand in his path. “Why didn’t you tell me? I can take care of the housekeeping on my own.”
He flicks me an annoyed look. “I don’t need you to do that. Last month you took care of the whole resort for two weeks. That’s plenty.”
I cross my arms and play the big sister card. “I’m your big sister. That means I’m in charge. Get your ass to bed, Malik.”
“I’ll make you a deal.” He moves around me and slowly lopes toward the resort. “I’ll help with the Airstreams, but I’ll let you do the cabins on your own.”
“There aren’t any cabins on Auntie Delta’s list!” My mouth bunches up. I trail after him up the little path that’s a shortcut through the woods to the trailers.
