Page 80 of The Dating Prohibition
“If you’re not ready, you’re not ready. There’s nothing to discuss. And if you regret what happened between us, then, thenthere’s really no reason to belabor the point.”
“I don’t regretanything. I just—” Exasperated, he ran his hands through his hair, pulling the top half away from his face. His dark eyes searchedhers, the gravity within them tugging at her.
“Well, either way, if we talk about it, it has to happen some other time. I don’t have time right now.” She looked away fromhim and headed toward the door.
“Kenny.”
She stilled with her hand on the doorknob, her back facing him.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly.
Kendra turned her head to speak over her shoulder. “At some point I’ll give you a chance to elaborate on that.” She walkedout, making her way back to her studio downstairs. Her plate of lemon tart still in her hand. As she got inside and lockedthe door, she carried her plate to the kitchen island and set it down to pull her phone out of her pocket. As she dialed heraunt’s phone number, she grabbed a napkin. “Now, fuck this dainty shit,” she grumbled. She picked up her half of the tartand took a big bite as she dialed Auntie Mack.
“Hello, my love! How are you doing?” her aunt asked.
Kendra swallowed. “I’m okay. I have a weird collaboration proposal that I received and I’m pretty sure I’m going to rejectit.”
“Oh, it’s in DC?”
“Yeah, but they basically want me to lease their building and in part maintain their business before I can really focus onmine.”
“What do you mean ‘in part’?”
“For a set period of time, I’d have to operate under theirbusiness name, and I would be required to sell some of their products, and they’d get a cut of that.”
“Lord today... and what do you get out of this?” her aunt asked incredulously. “I don’t like this.”
“I would have use of the space at a discounted price, and I would be able to do some of my recipes. It’s limiting.”
“How long would you have to do that?”
Kendra grimaced. “Ten years?”
“Absolutely not.”
“No, I agree. It doesn’t feel right. And the more that I think about it, I just can’t let go of something that I want to dofor ten years to carry on someone else’s dream just because it gives me a discount on a property lease.”
“I think that you would regret it if you did. So what are you thinking?”
“Well, I’ve got some ideas that I want to run by you.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, do you have time?”
“Of course, anything for you, my love.” Everything about Auntie Mack’s voice was a soothing balm, settling Kendra’s nerves.
“Great.” Kendra launched into a recap of everything that had transpired with auctions and the business opportunities thatwere open to her, and once she and her aunt found some agreement, Kendra sighed with relief, weight melting off her shoulders.“Every time I talk to you, I feel better.”
“Well, that’s what your auntie’s for, baby. How’s everything else? How’s the professor?” An amused tone played on her aunt’svoice.
“BJ.” Above all else, Kendra could count on her aunt’s discretion. That she hadn’t shared with her sisters or her daughterthat Kendra brought a plus-one to Charleston made her Kendra’s strongest confidante.
“Yes. You two looked really . . . content.” Her aunt paused as she searched for the correct word.
“We were.”
“Not anymore?” her aunt asked. “What happened? I barely saw you a few days ago.”
