He smiled. “You’re welcome, little sister.”
Cameron waited for them to leave, and then went into his bedroom to change into his swim trunks. He’d returned to New Orleans late Sunday night, sent Jasmine a text message that he’d arrived safely, and once he returned to his apartment in the hotel, he’d managed to shower before falling completely on his face, called the front desk to schedule a wake-up call, and crawled into bed and slept undisturbed.
Much to his disappointment, his ten o’clock appointment had canceled and if he’d known in advance that he did not have a consult with the new client, he would’ve stayed overnight with Jasmine. He had another disappointment when his sister called to say everyone in her house had come down with a stomach bug and couldn’t make their meeting for later that evening. It was another four days before all were available to meet again.
However, his disappointment was short-lived when thinking about Jasmine. She’d turned out to be more than he could’ve ever imagined. Cameron tried not comparing her with the other women he’d known, but it wasn’t as easy as he wanted. And the one notion that kept popping into his head that if he’d met her years ago he probably would’ve proposed marriage. And if they had married he knew for certain they would’ve had children.
He didn’t know why she had come into his life—maybe to make him aware that not all marriages were like his parents, whom he’d one time referred to as the Squabbling Singletons.
Cameron knew he’d wanted to get as far away from home as possible when he selected colleges out of the state. He’d been accepted in several colleges in California, Michigan, and New York, and chose the latter. Living and studying in New York gave him the respite he needed to escape the toxic environment his parents seemed to revel in. It was as if they were emboldened as they challenged each other to see if who would come out the winner in their latest verbal battle of the sexes.
After he returned to New Orleans for his graduate studies Cameron moved in with his grandmother with the excuse that she should not have to live alone. Grandma La Salle saved him from what would have become an emotional breakdown because he loved both his parents and blamed both for their love-hate relationship. He’d told his grandmother if parents were aware they were scarring their children with their negative behavior then they would attempt to change. But his parents were too selfish to change until tragedy forced them to change. It took a long time for Cameron’s emotional pain to fade, yet unfortunately he’d been scarred for life, fearful if he married, his union would then mirror his parents.
Cameron was more than cognizant of the negative traits and weaknesses in his personality and although he wasn’t prone to arguing he could be possessive and controlling. There were times he could be overly frank, irritable, and moody which did not bode well for whomever he was interacting with.
Cameron scooped the keycard to the health club off the dish on the triple dresser and slipped his hand through the elastic band. He had bought the small hotel a year after the city was hit with Hurricane Katrina when the then-present owner did not have the money to make the necessary repairs. He made an offer and the man accepted it. It took more than six months to restore the hotel to its former elegance. Cameron changed the name to the Louis LaSalle to honor one of his mother’s ancestors and converted several of the suites into condos which were sold within months of the prospectus becoming available. Many tourists preferred staying at the LaSalle rather than in the larger hotels in the city because of the personalized service.
He took the private elevator to the lower level and inserted the keycard to the area with a workout room and Olympic-size pool. He’d come at the right time. Only two people were swimming laps in the heated pool. Cameron shed his jeans, t-shirt, and flip-flops and stepped into the shallow end and began swimming, his body slicing through the water like a sleek fish. He preferred swimming to lifting weights to stay in condition. It would take at least a week for him to detox from the food and alcohol he’d indulged in during his time in New York.
Cameron lost count of his number of laps across the pool and as he hoisted himself out of the water he was breathing heavily. Good news greeted him when he returned to his apartment suite to find a voicemail from the agent handling the sale of the warehouse. They had a closing date.
* * *
Two days later Cameron walked out of the lawyer’s office with the keys to his new property. He wanted to call Jasmine and share his excitement with her but stopped himself. Except for her text telling him she was happy he’d arrived safely there hadn’t been any further communication from her.
Reaching in the breast pocket of his lightweight jacket, he took out his cellphone and tapped the number for the architect he’d hired to oversee the renovations. “C and C Architects. How may I direct your call?”
“I’d like to speak to Bram Reynard.”
“Who’s calling?”
“Cameron Singleton.”
“Hold on, Mr. Singleton. Let me see if Mr. Reynard is available.”
Cameron slowly made his way to the lot behind the building where he’d parked his car, leaning against the bumper while he waited for Bram to pick up the call.
“I hope you’re calling me with good news, Cam.”
Cameron smiled. “I am. I just closed on the warehouse, so I need you to give me an approximate date when the renovations will be completed.”
“What’s the rush? Are you looking to get married and want to give your wife a new house?”
Cameron’s smile faded with the mention of his getting married. “No. It’s just that I’d like to move in before Christmas. Is that possible?”
“I don’t see why not,” the architect confirmed. “I’ll send the plans and rendering to your email so you can look at what I’ve proposed. This will be the time when you decide what you want and don’t want. Keep in mind if you want to make changes later it’s going to cost you. I’ll be working closely with the engineer and the contractor to give you exactly what you have in mind.”
“Thanks, Bram. I’ll check my email when I get back to the office.”
“I’ll give you a few days to look them over, and then I need you to get back to me. I’d like to start work before it gets too hot.”
“No problem, Bram.” Cameron had just ended the call when a ringtone chimed indicating someone was sending him a text.
Jasmine: Made plans to come to the Easy on the 29th
Cameron: Where are you staying?
Jasmine: I’m staying with Hannah and St. John
