Page 48 of The Dating Prohibition
She squeezed her eyes shut.Good news, please, I need some good news. She whispered a prayer and opened her eyes. Heremail pinged with a notification and she rushed to open the message from the brokerage handling the auction.Oh my god, yes!
“Finally.” She breathed deeply as the email loaded, squeezing her eyes shut. She bounced her legs under the table. “Okay,it’s gonna be okay no matter what. It’s gonna be okay,” she murmured, opening the email. “Fuck, it’s not okay.”
Dammit.
Dear Miss Porter,
We had many wonderful bids and we want to thank you for your interest in this property. However, a bid from another participanthas been accepted...
Her phone rang just then and she knew it was the broker she’d been in contact with for the auction. “Hey, Dean.”
“Kendra, you saw?” His booming voice called through the phone.
“Yeah, I saw.”
“Listen, I don’t want you to be discouraged. You had it until the very last second.”
She squeezed her eyes shut again.Isn’t this always the way?She slumped in her chair.
“Listen, there’s gonna be another one soon. I’ll keep a lookout for you, and I’ll let you know if I see anything else thatfits what you’re looking for.”
“Thanks, Dean, I really appreciate it.” Kendra glumly hung up the phone and downed the last of her wine. She turned to refillher glass and realized her bottle was empty––she and Lani went through most of it yesterday testing out the hair of the dogtheory.Shit.Grabbing her coat and her keys, she stepped out into the night.
The Maple Leaf was a local dive bar that had been around a long time. The drinks were strong and the waitstaff was decent, though not exactly friendly.
“Hey, Kendra, what can I get you?” Eric stood behind the bar polishing freshly washed glasses.
She nodded in response. “I’ll take a Maker’s Old-Fashioned, please.”
“You got it.”
She took off her blazer and hung it on the back of her stool, climbing to perch on its seat, her elbows resting on the counteras she doomscrolled through social media, trying to get her mind off her disappointment.
“I didn’t think you came to places like this anymore,” a voice remarked behind her.
“Hmm?” Kendra turned. “Oh. Hi, Chase.” She turned back toward the bar to accept her cocktail.
“It’s been a long time,” Chase continued, moving to sit in the empty seat next to her. Smiling wide and still so sure of himself.His freckled brown skin and hazel eyes practically glowed under the warm lights as he flashed a smile in her direction. “I’llhave whatever she’s having.”
Ugh.“Ithasbeen a long time since I dumped you,” Kendra quipped, winking at Eric as she took a big sip of her drink.
“Now, why do you have to be like that?” His arm landed along the back of her stool. “So, seriously, I don’t even get a hug?It’s been years.”
“No, Chase, you don’t get a hug. That’s reserved for friends and people I care about.” She drummed her fingers against thebar, willing him to go literally anywhere else.
“Ouch.” He held a hand over his heart with a pained expression. “Why you gotta do me like that?”
“I could ask you the same question, but I no longer need an answer to that.”
“You’re not still upset about what happened . . . right?” He raised an eyebrow at her.
Kendra gestured between them. “Upset? No. But my breaking up with you had to do with choices you made, not the other way around.”
“You’re right. I admit that.” He nodded thanks to Eric as his drink was set in front of him.
“How big of you,” she mused, staring at the amber liquid in her glass. A curl of orange peel wrapped its way around a largeice cube.
“Listen, I’m not trying to start any trouble. I just saw you come in and figured it’s been a long time and you look reallygood.”
