Page 85 of Just Like Summer

Lucci looked over at the silent air purifier in the corner that Daysha gifted everyone last Christmas to help combat the seasonal allergies and sickness. Upon spotting it, he inhaled deeper just to get a reaction out of Kamilla.

“You’re a child,” she playfully fired back.

“Says the baby in the room,” Charlie added.

Lowly, she flicked him off. “I hope you choke on a chocolate chip.”

“If I do, you going to give me mouth to mouth?” Charlie asked jokingly, making kissy faces before Haddon popped him across the head. “Aight, aight. I’m playing. My bad. I know you with Armon.”

“I’m not with anyone,” Kamilla corrected, before snapping her fingers. “Focus.”

Lucci waved Charlie off and took a wrapped cookie from Haddon. “We’re sending you to La Bega Fest.”

She frowned. “I thought the A&Rs went to that? I’m just an assistant to the A&R.”

“As of today, you’re the assistant A&R and if you find me a producer, artist, and writer, you can drop the assistant,” Lucci announced.

“Where are y’all going?” Kamilla asked Haddon and Lucci. For the last three years, he’d given her all the insider information before it was announced.

“My babygirl is coming any day now and I won’t miss it,” Lucci stated. “Plus, it’s too hot to be going to the desert, y’all know I get irritated quick.”

“I got a project to tackle in The Hills with Zaim and the Beatsville crew ahead of the tour in the spring,” Haddon shared. “Why you look scared, big dawg?”

“I’m not scared,” Kamilla retorted. “I just…why?”

Lucci, mid-chew of his confiscated cookie, looked at her and said, “Because you deserve it. Do you know how hard you work? Plus, Haddon is starting an umbrella label under El Jefe positioning him as a president. Until he decides he needs an A&R you’ll be serving both sides. First focus is El Jefe and when Haddon gets his shit up and running there’s a whole lot of underground talent to tap into. So what you sayin’ big dawg?”

Big dawg was a running joke amongst them. Kamilla, compared to everyone else in upper management, was the smallest and the youngest but never allowed herself to be silenced when it came to her ideas and what she brought to the table. In the beginning, she struggled to find her placement and Haddon would stop every meeting and say, “big dawg got something to say, y’all niggas shut up.”

“When do I need to be in La Bega and who is coming with me?” she asked.

Her response made the trio smile.

Charlie spoke up, “You got Big Kwan, he’ll escort you to and from the festival and wherever else you need to go. I already secured your transport inside and outside of the festival.”

“And Day is giving you CiCi for assistance. She’ll have your schedule and all the shit that goes with that,” Lucci shared.

“All the sections they gave me from the festivals to the clubs and after parties are yours. And that big ass hotel suite,” Haddon groaned, the last part earning a side-eye from his brother. “Nigga, before Day, you was spreading it.”

“Nigga, I wasn’t spreading shit,” Lucci popped back.

“Alright, children, calm down,” Kamilla laughed. “Are all the details emailed to me?”

“Yeah, and CiCi. Day confirmed everything has been sent. She’s not doing any more work for the next couple of weeks if I can help it,” Lucci replied. “If I can get her to stop working for six weeks, it’ll be a miracle.”

“You know your wife, she’s not going to stop. I promise she’ll call me the minute I land. Speaking of which, can we tell security to check their guns? I don’t want the issues we had last festival,” Kamilla announced.

“Uh nah,” Charlie spoke up. “You’re flying private.”

“And we probably forgot to mention the media team will be there. You got interviews, wardrobe, and all that shit, so shine bright with your little diamonds,” Haddon joked, making Lucci laugh.

“Now that we got all the business out the way, where’d that bullshit come from?” Lucci asked, pointing to the ring Kamilla had spent the duration of this meeting trying to wiggle off with no luck.

She rolled her eyes. “A mark. A symbol of dedication or something like that.”

Charlie curled his lip. “Did you tell him you don’t like him for real?”

“I’ve tried. While trying not to activate whatever it is when you men folk get rejected,” she replied.