Page 73 of The Dating Prohibition
She pushed her cappuccino aside, no longer caring about it. She packed up her belongings and dropped her mug and saucer in a bin for the coffee shop to take back and clean. “Thanks, guys!” She waved at the baristas and headed out.
“What are we at now?” she muttered to herself. “Plan D?”
Chapter 18
As Kendra pulled up to PALATE that evening, she was surprised to see BJ’s SUV parked out front. She knew he didn’t have plansto help out that night, so she didn’t know why he was there, but she felt a flutter in her stomach at the opportunity to seehim.Maybe we’ll end up going home together.
BJ had a myriad of ways to keep her distracted, and the thought of him helping her clear her mind made her smile. She parkedthe car and smoothed her hands over the front of her wide-legged slacks. She wore a fitted vest over them that showed herarms, the V of the vest dropping to show off a generous amount of cleavage. Her layered gold necklaces rested on her sternum.
As she pulled open the door, her eyes widened at the sight of a familiar face standing at the hostess station. “Chase?” sheasked.What the hell is he doing here?
“Keke. Long time no see.” His lips curved as his gaze lingered on her chest.
“Kendra’s fine,” she corrected. “And honestly, not long enough in my opinion.”
He sighed. “You will forever be known as Keke to me.”
“Well, then, I guess that means you don’t know me anymore,” she retorted and moved to walk past. She could see BJ at the barchatting with Shonda. She caught his eye and headed in his direction until a hand gripped her arm.
“Don’t go away so fast. Don’t you want to catch up?” Chase pressed.
“For what purpose?” Her brow furrowed, turning back to him. It was a busy night in the restaurant. Most of the tables wereoccupied, candlelight flickering from glass votives and twinkling lights lined the large windows. The room echoed with laughterand conversation, which only irritated her further as she stared at his hand sliding to clutch her wrist.
“It’s quite a vibe in here,” he offered. “You should be really proud of your brother and sister-in-law.”
“And who said I’m not?” she retorted.
“I didn’t say that you’re not. I’m just saying...”
“Well, how about you don’t worry about what I should and shouldn’t be, okay? What is it that you want, Chase?”
His lips curled into the flirty smile that used to entice her. “You always did cut straight to the point.”
“I guess that’s one thing that hasn’t changed.”
“Don’t be like that, Keke.” His grip on her wrist softened.
She was trying her best not to recoil, but she was tempted to yank her arm away and storm off. She had no interest in discussingwhatever was on his mind, but she was trying her best not to make a scene.
“I actually came here to see you,” he admitted finally.
Kendra chewed on her lip, finally meeting his gaze.
His hazel and green eyes bore into hers, their curling lashes framing his stare. He pressed his lips together. “Can we talkfor real for a second?” He gestured outside to one of the patio tables, which were unoccupied.
“Listen, I’m not wearing a coat, so you have two minutes once we get outside,” she warned him.
“Uh-huh.” He held the door open for her.
Stepping outside into the spring air, a breeze ruffled her curls. She turned to face the restaurant, crossing her arms overher chest. “Start talking.”
“You’re really in a rush, aren’t you?”
She sucked her teeth. “I’m not here to see you, sowhatdo youwant?” she enunciated.
“Fine,” he sighed. “I was hoping, now that you’ve moved back to town, that maybe we could—”
Oh hell no.“Maybe we could what?” She quirked a brow, weary of how he was going to finish that sentence.
