by Gigi Thomas
“Ha, wouldn’t that be ironic?” he said with a mirthless smile.
Kenya continued. “There’s an extra room where you can sleep.”
“Yeah, all right.”
~
Caden awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs and fresh baked bread. His eyes opened in thin slits. Bombarded with the brightness of morning, he immediately closed them, groaning internally. Little by little he blinked and became acclimated to the light. He looked around the unfamiliar room, decorated in black and white, before realizing where he was. The memories of the previous night before quickly returned to him.
He didn't even mean to come here. Caden couldn’t quite remember when he did. He remembered holding the velvet jewel box in his hand and staring at his grandmother’s ring. The emerald and three diamonds became more and more blurry as he drank glass after glass of single malt. He’d stared at it many times in the course of the last five years. He remembered it made him want to see Kenya, more so considering what date it was. Maybe if he got pissed enough, Caden thought, he’d accidentally admit everything. At least, he wouldn’t have to pretend anymore.
Caden wasn’t sure he’d ever been that drunk. After the day he’d had, drinking was the last thing he should’ve been doing. It was, at best, counterproductive. He slowly sat up in bed as more of the night returned to his memory. He remembered how he kissed Kenya. How she pushed him away. Of course, Caden did remember that before pushing him away, Kenya had responded. Blimey, had she responded: her arms around his neck, her plump lips against his, her body leaning into his own. But, that didn’t matter, Caden reminded himself, shaking his head to rid himself of those thoughts.
Caden’s head was pounding now, throbbing through the rest of his body. Caydee’s happy noise bubbled from outside his door, adding to his headache. Dropping his head in his hands, he closed his eyes. How was he supposed to face Kenya after embarrassing himself like that last night? He couldn't just try to sneak away, he thought, though that was his specialty. Fortunately this was one of those new flats, so he had an en-suite bathroom. Caden decided he would try look as presentable as possible, say good morning, and make a quick exit.
Kenya was in the kitchen making breakfast when Caden emerged.
"You’re here!" Caydee bounced in her chair, obviously excited at the prospect of seeing him this early in the morning.
"Morning, my lovely," Caden answered, with a confidence he didn't feel.
"Your face is different," Caydee said. "You have hair."
"Is it that bad?" he asked.
"I like it; it tickles," she giggled as he kissed her good morning. "You look pretty. Like a bear."
"Well, thank you," Caden said, grinning and grimacing at once.
"Morning," Kenya said.
"Hey," he whispered, nervously scratching his head as he approached her. Caden was in the throes of a hangover, and he hoped Kenya couldn’t tell. His eyes fluttered to meet hers but, embarrassed, he quickly looked away.
"Here." Kenya placed before him a steaming cup of some kind of mud colored concoction, "drink this."
“What is this?”
“You don’t want to know,” she said smirking. "I promise; it will make you feel better," Kenya assured.
“I doubt that,” he muttered. It was louder than he expected, because he could see the questioning look in Kenya’s eyes. He sat at the island of the kitchen; his head, heavy, was supported in his hands. "Ya—” he cleared his throat. “Kenya. About last night-"
"Drink," was all she said before turning back to the stove.
Caden took a large swig. It tasted like she’d boiled his cleats right after a football match, but he continued to drink it only because he didn’t know what to say. His mind was jumbled with too many other thoughts: like what he did last night and what Kenya must think of him now and how pathetic he was and how shapely Kenya’s legs looked as she stood in short shorts and a body-hugging 49ers shirt and that she was making him breakfast. His eyes lazily followed her as she moved about the kitchen.
She was even curvier than when they were in grad school, and she looked really good. Then again, Kenya always looked good. She wore her natural hair out now more than when they were in school, when she usually wore braids and extensions. It was one of the first things he'd noticed when he first saw her thick hair, falling in shiny twists past her shoulders. Today however, she wore it out in its natural curls, and her gravity-defying mass with its indefinable coils framed her face beautifully and swayed and bounced every time she moved her head.
"Caden, you get to have breakfast with us," Caydee chirped, snapping him out of his reverie.
"Ugh, I don't think I'll be having breakfast, sweetie," Caden said, moving to the table and sitting beside her. "Caden doesn't feel very well."
"Mommy's buns will make you feel better," Caydee stated as it always worked for her.
Kenya placed Caydee’s breakfast before her. She stood with her hands on her hips inspecting Caden. "Are you ready yet?"
As Caden lifted his head to tell Kenya that he could not even think about eating right now, he realized that his headache was gone. Not only was the headache gone, but the dizzy loopy feeling, the twisting in his stomach, and the desire to crawl back into bed were all gone. He felt fine. He felt great in fact.
"Blimey, Kenya what was that?" Caden asked looking down at the empty cup.
“Old military secret.” Kenya just smiled and walked away. "I told you it would make you feel better. You’re lucky I decided to be this nice to you. I could’ve made you suffer just to teach you a lesson about moderation." She returned and handed him his plate, which Caden took with a grateful smile.
"Good mor-" Tasha stopped in her tracks upon seeing Caden sitting at the table, having breakfast, with the rumpled look of a man who’d slept there. She grabbed Kenya's arm and hauled her to the living room.
"Tasha, what is your problem?" Kenya asked.
"My problem?" Tasha said with raised eyebrow. "What exactly is going on here?"
"Nothing"
"Did Baron-boo spend the night here?"
"Yes, but..."
"But what?" Tasha pressed. "So what, was this a booty call? Because, I went to bed late last night, and it was just us. Now this morning, you’re in there having breakfast with your boo."
"Stop calling him my boo," Kenya snapped.
"Then what is he?"
"He’s Caydee’s dad. That’s all! Fine. Yes, Caden spent the night here. He was drunk, so I didn’t let him go home. He slept in the extra room, and now he is having breakfast. Would you like to join us?" Kenya finished, crossing her arms and leaning into her hip.
Kenya wasn’t mad at her cousin. She knew Tasha was just being protective. She couldn’t blame her, because pretty much all Tasha knew about Caden was bad. Kenya didn’t know herself what to think about why she let him stay last night. There was something so tortured in his look that it disturbed her.
“Fine. I’m just looking out for you lil’ cuz.” Tasha crossed her arms as well and surveyed her cousin for a bit. A mischievous smile crept to her lips. “So how was it? Did he turn you out?”
“Shut up! I told you, it wasn’t a booty call.”
“Mmmhmm. It was some kinda call. Coming up in here all in the middle of the night and whatnot. That boy live here, he got a home to go to.”
“I’m going to have breakfast now,” Kenya said.
“Why, you hungry? You work up an appetite?” Tasha teased, to which her cousin just rolled her eyes, and they headed back to the kitchen.
"Aunt Tee!" Caydee said excitedly.
“Good morning CayCay,” Tasha kissed her niece’s cheeks before sitting down to join them. Positioning herself across from Caden and eying him with Southern intimidation, Tasha Black said, "Morning. Baron."
Caden swallowed nervously. "Morning... Tash." He desperately looked over at Kenya as she brought a plate of breakfast for her cousin.
"So, Baron," Tasha began, her eyes sharp and cutting.
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“Caden, please,” he said.
"Mmmhmm. Sure. Well, I guess I don't really know much about you, do I, Baron Caden? But then again neither did Kenya, did she?” Tasha continued, this time piercing him with her words. “Since it seems we will be seeing each other more... frequently, we should get to know each other."
Kenya just rolled her eyes. She knew her older cousin could not help herself. She would do this with Caden eventually, so she might as well get it out of the way now. At least with her there, Kenya thought, she could temper her approach. Hell, maybe if Tasha had been able to interrogate Caden when they were dating, she would’ve seen all the holes in his story.
"You graduated from Harvard, too?" Tasha asked.
"Um, well not exactly," Caden answered.
"What does that mean?"
"Kenya and I started the same year, but I didn't exactly...graduate from there."
"Oh, yes. You left. Wait... don’t tell me you were expelled? Did you get arrested or something? Witness Protection?"
"No, I sort of had to quit, for um...personal reasons," Caden began. "I... um, I finished up at Oxford about two years ago."
Somehow talking to Tasha, with her glaring, disapproving eyes, made him almost quake. Caden always thought Kenya was exaggerating when she said her older cousin was intimidating, but she didn't do Tasha justice. Her eyes were black and steely like a hawk’s and seemed to cause physical pain like talons piercing through him. Caden didn’t blame Tasha for being suspicious of him though. Of course she would be, considering what she knew.
He sighed. "It's a bit of a long story really."
"I have time."
"But, I don't." Kenya said. Even if she wanted nothing more than to learn about what happened, Caden could tell she was sure this wasn’t a conversation they should be having around Caydee.
Her cousin just looked at her and conceded. "What do you do then?"
"I have a foundation."
"You have a foundation?" She said slowly. “And what do you do with that?”
"It’s mainly focused on community projects, outreach, and things like that."
"And you earn a decent living with this—with this... foundation?"
Caden sat up straighter and cleared his throat. "Well, it’s not really about that. It’s more about trying to make things better for others like focusing on education and health initiatives. Right now we are working on a children’s hospital that would benefit children in under-served communities. It’s going to have one of the finest pediatric oncology units in the country, which will be available at no cost to the patients and their families."
"Really?" Kenya piped in, for the first time wanting to be a part of the conversation. "That's wonderful. I thought your plan was to take over the financial world? I didn’t expect to see you in nonprofit." Smiling at her old friend proudly, she couldn't but help feel awed that after everything he’d given up the idea of making money for helping the community. While Caden was never selfish, that was not the direction Kenya expected him to pursue.
"Well, things change, you know?” Caden just shrugged his shoulders humbly, and their eyes locked. “In the end, this seemed to be a better use of my time than trying to make more money. I have money. It definitely can’t buy everything."
CHAPTER SIX
Daddy's Girl
Caden was determined that the first birthday party he threw for his daughter would be unforgettable, and Kenya was constantly harried as she tried to dissuade him from one extravagant option to the next. Children of other nobles were invited, though Cadence did not yet know any of them besides her cousins. Caden said it would be a good time to introduce Cadence to her peers, which Kenya realized meant British nobility.
Kenya insisted that the local children from Groveton be invited as well, knowing too well what it feels like to be on the outside looking in. Each child was also being sent home with a gift bag of goodies and commemorative toys. Even with her attempts to curtail his plans, the children and adults alike were entertained with more sights and activities than one finds at a county fair.
There were acrobats, fire breathers, and juggling unicyclists. Caden had turned the lawn overlooking the moat, which Lady Mildred called the green, into an outdoor carnival. There were rides, a carousel, a Ferris wheel, carnival games, a ball pit, and a photo booth. Carts served carnival foods of both British and American fare. The scents of fish and chips, corn dogs, and meat pastys mingled with the aromas of funnel cake, treacle tart, and cotton candy.
That evening, fireworks would spell out "Happy Birthday" with Cadence’s name and create shapes in the sky to delight the crowd. Until then, everyone was free to enjoy the outdoor activities at leisure including taking part in jousting demonstrations or watching the circus performance. How Kenya was supposed to make Caydee content with a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese’s or Gymboree after this was beyond her.
"Is this what your birthday parties were like growing up?" Kenya asked, both annoyed and amazed. Two men on unicycles were juggling pins, which they occasionally threw at each other and caught them without breaking stride.
“Seriously!” Tasha exclaimed, her camera in hand as she captured shots of Cadence being picked up and put on the shoulders of a man in stilts. “It’s like Ringling Brothers and Coney Island had a baby!”
"Well, if there is one thing the Hargrove's do well: it's entertain," Caden responded, smiling at Cadence and the other children enjoying themselves.
With her camera in hand and her over-sized maxi-dress billowing in the breeze, Tasha left the pair to see the activities that were currently capturing everyone’s attention. Kenya and Caden soon followed.
Caden’s cousin, Broc and his daughter had come down from Scotland with a special presentation for the birthday festivities: a mini version of the Highland Games. Broc was planning a Games of his own in Scotland that summer, which he hoped would start a new local tradition and help revitalize his once thriving town.
Caden was more than willing to help and, with so many other nobles in attendance, it would be a great opportunity for Broc to network. He also wanted Caydee to learn a bit about her Scottish heritage.
The Games, a tradition dating back to the 1800s, was a series of competitions between the Clans. It featured ultimate tests of strength and grace that included the hammer throw, Caber toss, and Highland dancing.
Broc’s demonstration had the children enthralled as he picked up a Caber—which to Kenya looked pretty much like a twenty-foot-tall tree trunk—and, with his bare hands, tossed it several feet. How anyone was able to do that was beyond Kenya. Tasha just looked on in jaw dropped amazement.
Broc had smaller Cabers set up and began teaching the children how to do the different activities. With his long red hair pulled back in a bun, he dwarfed the birthday girl even as he knelt his hulking frame beside her. From there, Broc helped her lift and toss a baby-sized Caber, which was no more than two feet tall. Caydee screamed and clapped as the wooden piece flew from her hands, toppled over, and fell down.
"I see why you didn't tell us about your family in school," Kenya began. "I would be soo embarrassed if my parents created an entire carnival for my birthday." Grinning, she looked up at him.
Caden stepped closer. Crossing his arms over his broad chest, he looked down at Kenya in mock indignation. "Firstly—"
“Ahh!”
Kenya whipped around immediately at the sound of her cousin’s scream. She thought Tasha was still beside her, but she had moved closer to snap more pictures of Broc’s demonstration. She and Caden looked on confused, trying to decipher what had happened.
Somehow, Tasha had landed in the water feature Broc had set up for his baby Loch Ness creature. Her hand was raised high clutching her camera to keep it dry. It was the only thing about her that wasn’t wet. As Broc fished her out, in one easy motion, Kenya moved closer to her cousin, who did not look happy.
Tasha’s dress was drenched and clung to her body. Kenya knew her cousin would be mortif
ied. There was a reason she usually wore baggy, loose fitting clothes rather than anything body hugging. At the moment, however, Tasha looked too involved in her argument with Broc to realize her state.
What they were saying, Kenya could not tell, but they both looked as if they were about to pounce on each other. Kenya quickly approached her cousin and whispered in her ear. Tasha’s light-khaki-colored cotton dress had an artsy pattern with large sketches of white flowers with black borders. Now that it was wet, the thin material was effectively see-through, and those white flowers explicitly exposed Tasha’s body to anyone who was willing to look. Caden distracted the crowd by getting the circus to start performing.
“Are you serious?!” Tasha quickly crossed her arms over her chest and began pulling the material away from the rest of her body. It was pointless. The wet material hugged her body like a sleeve.
“Come, I’ll take you back to the house, so you can get changed,” Kenya offered, leading her cousin away from a suddenly red faced and staggered looking Broc.
“That dumb ass!” Tasha yelled as the approached the house.
“I’m sure it was a mistake, Tash,” Kenya tried.
“Seriously, I just got this camera fixed. What the hell! This is the second time! That freakin’ oaf!”
“I know, but hey it’s fine, right.”
“I hope so. Do you realize just one drop of water in the wrong place and this thing is out of commission?” Tasha said inspecting her camera. “I can’t afford to fix it again or get a new one.”
“Don’t worry. If it’s damaged, I’ll pay for it.”
“No you won’t, cuz! It’s not your mess; you shouldn’t have to clean it up.”
