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“Alright, but figuring that out is for another day. It’s already morning and you haven’t slept. Get some shut-eye and we’ll talk once you’re rested.”
I look at the well-made bed. The few nights Kenya slept in Felicidad while I remained in Escondido Bay don’t seem as lonely as the empty bed in front of me. Despite Khadijah’s advice, I don’t go to bed. Too many thoughts race across my mind, none of them good. None of them leave me with a sense of hope that I can regain Kenya’s affections.
I don’t care. As a kid, I fought the obstacles that my birth parents put in my path until the Houstons took me in and gave me a future. I can’t do any less now. Another future lies in front of me. The one I can’t live without calls to the beaten-down kid. The grown-up Cameron will answer the call.
Movement in the hall indicates Khadijah is awake. It’s almost noon. Although exhaustion should dog my every step, an unknown source of energy fuels me.
I meet my sister in the kitchen as she pours a bowl of cereal. “You and Jazzy are friends, right?”
She jumps, spilling cereal over the counter. “Shit, Cam, you scared the hell out of me.”
“Sorry.” I help clean the mess. “But are you? Friends, I mean.”
“If you’re asking because you want me to leverage said friendship to keep tabs on Kenya, strike that thought right now. Jazzy will cut me before she puts herbestfriend’s peace of mind at risk.”
“That’s fine. I’ll ask the mayor to keep me in the loop.” I pace around Khadijah as I voice the thoughts that plagued me throughout the early morning hours. “Pedro will probably want to play surrogate grandfather now that Onyx is his fiancée. And since I’m still on the committee as co-chair, she can’t avoid me at the meetings.”
Khadijah steps in my path, causing me to stumble into her. “Cam, you need to listen to yourself. You’re on the train to stalker town, and I’m here to pull you off. I’m all for you trying to win Kenya back, but not this way. All you’ll achieve is making her feel unsafe and she’ll fight harder to keep you out of her life.”
“But Deej, I have to see her. I have to get through to her.”
“And you will. We’ll find another way that doesn’t have her reaching for a gun and a restraining order.” Khadijah consoles me by rubbing my back like she did when we were kids.
This time, she isn’t able to beat away the dark hopelessness facing me.
CHAPTER 34
Kenya
“Where is she?” G-mama’s voice floats into the bungalow from the yard separating the two structures.
A week has passed and I still can’t pull myself together enough to stay in the main house. Cameron’s presence is everywhere.
The little cottage is my escape from the imprint he’s left on my life. One good thing from the storm is that the construction and redecorating have wiped his presence from the cottage.
“She moved into the bungalow. You’ll probably catch her there. Other than fulfilling her committee duties, she doesn’t go out much.” The pity in Jazzy’s voice drives me to bury my head under the pillow.
Yes, as soon as I got home, I changed into pajamas and snuggled with my stuffed characters. A set of paws pounces on my back and doesn’t settle until the owner settles on the pillow over my head.
I mutter, “Go away, Jackpot.” Of course, she doesn’t listen to me and I’m too dispirited to move her.
The front door slams, making me wish I started locking my doors again. I haven’t spoken to anyone since I kicked Cameron out. With her recent breakup, Jazzy shows me her support by not prying, although I’m on borrowed time. She will eventually extract all the information from me, but she’ll allow me some space first.
“It is a weekday, dear. Why are you in bed?” G-mama’s weight sinks into the bed.
“Beds are underrated and judged too harshly. They provide a necessary benefit to society, and no argument will convince me otherwise,” I grumble.
Jackpot’s weight is removed from my head and the pillow follows suit seconds after.
“Make space so I can get in on this.” G-mama nudges me until I move aside.
“Who told you to stop by?”
“Onyx. She thinks the whole engagement thing would rub you the wrong way, so here I am.”
I peek at her from the corner of my eye before rolling my head to the other side.
“Then there were the committee members. All week, I fielded questions about what was wrong with you. Ms. Nina even stopped by my house to drop off crystals from her lapidary society in the hopes they will cheer you up.”
