Page 47 of The Dating Prohibition
She took a quick selfie, a faint smile playing on her lips, her curls still damp.
Ben:It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you wear your hair like that, Kenny.
Kendra:Yeah, I haven’t worn my hair natural in a while.
Ben:Well, it’s about to get hot. You can kiss that press goodbye.
Kendra:You ain’t never lied. Anyway, what are you up to today?
Ben:Well, I am going to the Library of Congress to do some research. But I’ll probably head to the restaurant at some point.
Kendra:Yeah, I’ll probably see you there. Maybe... depends on if I am able to get some food down first.
Ben:Well, just make sure you hydrate because I’m sure you need it.
Kendra:What I need is some ibuprofen.
Ben:Well, that too. Maybe eat some bread or something that can soak up whatever’s still in your system.
Kendra’s stomach growled.
Kendra:There’s definitely still tequila in my stomach because it’s churning.
Ben:You think you’re gonna throw up?
Kendra:I hope not, but at least Lani’s not on the bathroom floor, impeding my ability to do so.
Ben:LOL. True. Well, I’ll check on you later.
Kendra:Okay.
Ben:I really do like the curls.
Kendra:Thanks, BJ.
Kendra smiled to herself as a text from Shonda came in.
Shonda:Bitch, I am in pain.
Kendra stepped out of her room and sauntered over to Lani, whose eyes were still squeezed shut. She snapped a picture andsent it to Shonda.
Kendra:You’re not the only one.
Chapter 11
The next day, Kendra stared at her laptop, anxiously waiting, waiting, waiting. Nothing about this auction was going the wayshe thought it would—she thought she’d be in a room full of people, bidding back and forth the way she had seen on TV. Butthey weren’t exactly bidding on the same kinds of things.
Instead, she’d placed her bid from home on the space that had been put up for auction for short sale after the previous ownersdefaulted on the loan. No one knew their whereabouts. It was kind of sad really, because the location was perfect. Vaguelywondering whether something nefarious could be afoot, Kendra shook her head, clearing it of the many what-ifs that bombardedher psyche.
The location was about three miles from Logan and Shonda’s restaurant—an easy commute if she stayed in the studio apartmentat Logan’s for a while longer until she got everything sorted. As much as she hated to admit it, having that space was honestlya godsend, especially because she was trying to conserve as much money as possible.
She thought about all the money she’d scrimped as she traveled. The trip itself was step one in her deciding to walk away from tech and embrace the dream she had considered unattainable. Her family didn’t know that she’d stayed in hostels when she wasn’t near family, or that she had apprenticed in different restaurants, in part so that she wouldn’t have to pay for food. She took on odd jobs and helped restaurant owners build different data reports so that they could collect the information that they needed to be efficient in running their businesses. In turn, they talked through their business launches, shared their major pitfalls, and helped her refine her concept.
In part, this was what fueled her fire to want to open Porter Prohibition—getting into the minutiae of the data that wouldkeep a business afloat, all of the inputs and the outputs and unexpected expenses. Logan doing it first just further convincedher that she was moving down the right path.
Yes, Logan was the elder brother, and yes, their parents were ridiculously proud of him, but given all that he had accomplished,they should be. She’d never tell him, but she looked up to her big brother and had always wanted to be like him. That waswhy she’d followed him into the tech sector, but with a different focus as she was always great with the numbers and statistics.She’d followed the data while he worked at the forefront of security and privacy protections.
Kendra nervously sipped a glass of wine, her fingers tapping against the table on both sides of her laptop keyboard. “Comeon, come on, come on,” she muttered, willing her email to refresh. Every few seconds, she stabbed at her portable mouse, refreshingher email just in case the system was moving slowly, though she knew it wasn’t.
