Page 64 of The Dating Prohibition
“Good! How are you doing? Did you take your nap?”
“I did. I actually just woke up and had a phone call with Auntie Mack.”
“Oh, how’s she doing?”
“Good. She was telling me about a property coming available down there in Charleston.”
“You’re not actually going to leave us, are you?” Shonda’s voice became serious.
“I don’t necessarily want to leave, but if leaving means I can realize my dream, then that’s something I have to investigate.”
“I understand, but you just got back.”
“I know, and I love it here, but I’m not opposed to something new. Anyway, what’s going on? Everything okay?”
“Yeah, I just wanted to call to get an update. Are you letting go of those other pursuits?” Shonda’s tone became hopeful.
“What are you talking about?”
“When we last talked, weren’t you kind of thinking that there might be something between you and BJ?”
Kendra bit her lip, her mind racing to determine the right way to respond, knowing Shonda’s misgivings about BJ. Kendra didn’twant her sister-in-law to feel a way if she did pursue something with BJ. She hadn’t asked BJ about that interaction but figuredshe could probably get some clarifying information that would help Shonda get past her feelings eventually. Until then, itwas probably best to keep her in the dark.
“Listen,” Shonda said, when Kendra didn’t respond. “I am assuming that, you know, since we haven’t heard anything else, y’allaren’t doing anything about your little flirtation, and you’ve let it go, but I still feel the way that I feel,” Shonda said.“And it’s purely out of wanting to protect you, you know?”
“No, I know you do, and I respect it. I appreciate you for looking out for me—just like Logan and Lani. I know y’all are protecting me but I’m fine. Nothing’s going on,” she lied.
“Okay, if you want, come on upstairs and you can join us for dinner tonight. Your parents are busy, so it’s just a quiet meal.Nothing elaborate.”
“Okay, yeah. I’m at a friend’s right now. I fell asleep over here after we were chatting about business stuff, so I’ll beon my way back there soon.” Guilt ate away at Kendra. She could hear the wheels in Shonda’s brain moving.I hate that I’m lying right now.
“Right, well, food won’t be ready until about five, so you’ve got some time.”
“Perfect. I’ll see you soon.” After they hung up, Kendra huffed and fell back against the headboard. “I’m gonna have to keeptrack of all these lies... What the hell? I don’t even want to lie.” She spoke aloud to herself. “What does this man want?”
Am I going to have to lie forever?
Chapter 15
Auntie Mack said that the pictures she sent didn’t do the location justice, but the moment Kendra received them, she knewshe had to get down to Charleston right away. The following weekend, she and BJ decided to get a vacation rental instead ofstaying with Auntie Mack so that they could enjoy each other without prying eyes and ears. She made the excuse that she andBJ were staying in a landmark building as a part of his research, logging all of the original fixtures and materials thatthe owner had been able to preserve. Mack didn’t seem to buy it, but she didn’t protest.
After a smooth drive down from DC to Charleston and a good night’s sleep, Kendra found herself standing in the center of an old carriage house that had been converted into a restaurant. As she took in the structure of the building, which was primarily brick with heavy wooden features and polished granite floors, she couldn’t help but picture the light fixtures that she would use in the ceilings, the Edison lights that she’d hang above the bar, the rustic wooden shelves she would putbehind it to stock inventory, and the wooden sliding door that would lead to the dining area.
“Auntie Mack, I... This is unbelievable,” she whispered.
“I told you.”
Gloria, Mack’s friend and owner of the building, smiled with pride. “This building has been in our family for decades. Itwas originally a carriage house that was part of a larger property that was parceled off. During Prohibition, this was wherepeople made and bottled spirits before shipping them north for the speakeasies in Harlem.”
“That is an incredible piece of history.” BJ beamed at her.
“Are you sure that this is something that you would want to sell? You don’t want to make it an inheritance for some of yourfamily?” Kendra asked gently.
Gloria smiled sadly. “Unfortunately, my husband and I were never able to grow our family. And my nieces and nephews have enoughfrom their parents and their grandparents. This is something that my husband and I want to sell so that we can enjoy the restof our retirement.”
“What do you plan to do?” Kendra smiled at her.
“We love to travel and we have a plan to do cruises all around the world. We did one of those thirty-day cruises around thetip of South America, and we want to go and venture elsewhere, see the sights, and just enjoy each other’s company.”
