Page 66 of The Dating Prohibition
“Well, you’ve been a tumbleweed for a long time. I know you want to put down roots.” He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
Kendra nodded, looking down at her plate, and picking at her fish. “I do. I want to. I just don’t know,” she sighed. “On onehand, I was really excited to be near Lani and Shonda and Logan and, and BJ.” She gestured to him. “It felt good to be reunitedwith everyone that I had been so close with before I left for Silicon Valley for the tech world, and to kind of fall backinto life in DC. And I love DC so much! But I’m starting to see that it may not be possible for me to do what I want to dothere. It’s just so expensive.” Her shoulders fell slightly.
Auntie Mack nodded. “Well, you’ve got some time. What is the status of this whole short sale situation anyway?”
“We’re waiting for news of the auction date and then we’ll be able to get a sense of the true timeline that I’m working with.Right now, it doesn’t look like anybody else is going to try to buy it beforehand, so I have a good shot at it. Obviously,it’s not guaranteed that I would win in the auction, but it at least gives me a chance to try.”
“Do you have a sense of when they’ll announce the date?”
“I’m pretty sure they’ll announce it right when we get back.”
Auntie Mack nodded. “Well, then, we’ll know soon.”
“Yeah, it feels like that’s the only iron I have left in the fire in DC.” She looked down at her plate, avoiding the temptationto gaze in BJ’s direction.I’d stay in DC if he asked me to.
“Okay, well, but it’s not the only iron left in the fire overall, and that’s the thing that’s important.”
Kendra nodded soberly. “True.” She eyed the table and the relatively empty plates. “Anyone ready for dessert? I hear thisplace makes a mean bread pudding!”
After dinner, she and BJ parted ways with Auntie Mackand decided to explore the nightlife in the city. He held Kendra’s hand, openly flirting with her, and he wasn’t afraid to kiss her in public. She didn’t know what any of it meant and why it was okay for them to be this close in Charleston when it wasn’t okay at home.
Is he embarrassed to be seen with me when there’s a chance we’ll run into people we know? Am I just a sneaky link? Is thisside chick treatment and he’s really got someone else?
Internally, she questioned how he saw her. Even though she knew she was attractive, she couldn’t shake the feeling that hedidn’t want to be seen with her in public—that it was more than just the complication of her family. And there were so manymixed signals that she didn’t know which way was right.
As they strolled toward a vibrant bar with live music blasting out every time the door opened, Kendra’s inner voice screamedat her until she couldn’t hold it in anymore. She tugged on his arm a little. “Can I ask you a question?”Please don’t get mad.
“Of course.”
“Why can’t we be like this at home?”
He bristled slightly. “I’m just not ready for that. Is it okay if we just focus on the present, right here, right now? We’rehere together, alone, without anybody thinking anything or feeling any kind of way. It’s just you and me here. Is that okay?”He turned toward her, releasing her hand.
She nodded, conflict churning in the base of her stomach.
“Hey.” BJ’s tone was gentle. He lifted her chin so that she would look at him. “Let’s explore tomorrow. There’s so much tosee, and we can’t possibly take in the whole city, but we can walk around some, learn some of the history, and maybe helpyou get a feel for it here. And then tomorrow night I made us a reservation for dinner.”
“You did?” Her eyes lit up in surprise.
“I did.”
“Wow, okay. That sounds amazing.” She smiled brightly at him, and he extended his arm to her as they proceeded toward thebar. Her heart jumped as she wrapped her arm in his. “I actually brought a dress, just in case.”
“Then I will look forward to peeling that dress off of you when we get back to our place.”
Our place.
The words rang in her ears as he opened the door, and a blast of jazz music greeted them.Is this too good to be true?She shivered at the thought that all of this could just be pretend.What will happen when we really go home?
Chapter 16
The pair made a day of exploring Charleston’s French Quarter, holding hands, strolling cobblestone streets, pointing out differentfacets of the architecture of antebellum homes, visiting a gallery to learn more about Gullah culture, and enjoying oysterswith a view of the Fort Sumter ferry. After, they grabbed coffee and spent a lazy afternoon traipsing through Waterfront Park,taking a much-needed nap when they returned to the rental.
Everything about the day felt relaxed and familiar like they’d been traveling together for years. Kendra enjoyed observingBen as he geeked out over historical landmarks as much as he seemed to like watching her sample pecan pralines and Low-Countryfare. Back in the room, they shared a shower and stole glances at each other while they got ready for their night out.
Ben helped to zip Kendra’s dress before taking her hand to twirl her around. “You look beautiful, Kenny.”
His hushed tone was a gravelly whisper. She shivered as he kissed her softly, and it took everything in her not to askhim to strip them both naked so that she could show him just how much she loved the time they’d spent together. Before she could propose staying in, Ben pulled back and kissed her fingertips and her palm, leading her out to the car.
