Page 19 of The Dating Prohibition

“So, what do you think?”

“It’s perfect,” Kendra gushed.

The room felt regal and airy. She could picture herself serving drinks behind a long bar with a glossy sheen. She imagined

the high-top tables and booths with wooden partitions. Toward the back of the space, there was a massive sliding door behind

which a ten-seater table could fit for the supper club. Slightly smaller than her original plan, but this space was worth

the compromise. Everything about the location and the price point was perfect, and now all that was left to secure was the

funding.

“So you really like it?” BJ watched her marvel at the surroundings. A few days had passed since their last encounter, and

Kendra had continued her plan of pretending that nothing happened, so BJ hadn’t tried to broach the subject again. Instead,

he’d pivoted to forwarding her every viable location he found.

The tall ceilings and exposed beams and completely gutted interior gave the perfect backdrop she was envisioning for her business.

“It’s exactly what I was hoping for—I couldn’t have imagined anything better.

” She shook her head in wonder, completely enamored with the location.

“Wow, you really outdid yourself with this one, BJ.”

He chuckled. “Well, you know I’m doing this for me too. This building has a lot of historical value and I’m trying to make

sure that it’s properly recognized for its place in history.” While this property hadn’t formerly been a speakeasy during

Prohibition, it had been owned by one of the most popular bootleggers in town. Dean had shared with them a series of old photos

showing barrels of manufactured alcohol and old inventories of orders that went all the way up to New York City.

“I wouldn’t have thought all of this was happening here in DC. I don’t know why, but I figured people would avoid doing it

right under the noses of the administration.”

“Politicians were some of the biggest clientele. Did you know there was a bootlegger that was so popular he had his own office

in the old congressional building?”

Kendra’s eyes lit up as she turned to him. “Seriously? You know, I really would love to hear more about your research at some

point. What you do has always been so fascinating to me, but I don’t completely understand historic preservation and what

it takes to be a landmark—what the requirements are. For instance, is it possible to own historic buildings? And when can

these buildings be used for commercial use versus being more of a preserved piece of history or museum that can’t be used

for any other purpose?”

“Of course, people can own landmark buildings privately, though some are owned by the government.”

“But how does that work?”

“That’s a long drawn-out story that we don’t have time for,” he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Shall we continue?”

She nodded eagerly.

Dean wanted to show them one last piece of the property—a small carriage house behind the main building. “It’s kind of junky

back here because the owner hasn’t completely cleared out all of his equipment yet, but this space could be perfect as an

office or for storage. I would imagine that you might have a need for either or both of those utilities.”

They ascended a short flight of steps and waited while the real estate agent unlocked the door and pushed it open.

“Please forgive the mess, it’s a bit dusty because no one’s been working back here for a while. No one’s taken the time to

air out the space.” He smiled at Kendra and BJ.

Kendra returned the smile as she stepped inside. The frame of the one-room space was the size of a small studio, built mostly

of brick and wooden finishes. There were large windows that provided a good deal of natural light, and while currently there

were pieces of machinery all around, with tools and boxes scattered, she could picture a large desk on one side of the room,

with space for some storage racks and bookcases for her cookbooks and recipes, along with places for some file cabinets and

other necessities.

“Oh, this is perfect,” she gushed.

“You know you’re saying that word a lot.” BJ said, smiling.

“Well, it’s true. I can’t even deny that this is exactly what I’m looking for.”

Just then her phone rang and her heart skipped a beat. She looked up at BJ. “It’s the bank,” she whispered, her heart beginning

to pound in her chest.

“Well, answer it!”

She stepped outside and accepted the call. “Hello?” she asked in a shaky voice.

“Ms. Porter, hi! This is Duke. I just wanted to get back to you about your business loan request. I think that this is such an ambitious project, and I sincerely hope that it comes to fruition, but—”

“But?” she asked quietly, a feeling of dread balling up in the pit of her stomach.

“I’m afraid we don’t see enough in the financial projections to support it. You have a sizable sum that you’re putting up

yourself, which we appreciate, but without additional collateral, the bank sees this as too big of a risk. Maybe you could

find a property on a short sale that fits within the amount you have currently to get you started. Having the location solidified

and making more overt efforts to get the business off the ground might help for future consideration.

“If you have any questions about how the process works, I’d be happy to meet with you to talk about it. There are pieces of

your proposal that make a lot of sense, but there’s not anything that really can document for us with confidence that you’re

going to be making enough money to pay this loan back.”

“But I—”

“I’m sorry that I’m not calling you with better news.”

“I understand.” Her shoulders slumped and a dull ache began to spread behind her eyes. “Thank you for letting me know, and

I would definitely like to take you up on your offer to talk through more of the bank’s process. I’ll reach out soon to get

on your calendar.” As she disconnected the call, she breathed a heavy sigh, looking around the neighborhood surrounding the

site they were visiting—the building of her dreams. She returned her gaze to the main space and swallowed hard. “You would

have been just right,” she muttered, shaking her head.

“Would have been?” BJ stepped out of the carriage house and descended the stairs to stand beside her. “What happened?”

“That was the bank,” she said quietly. “They declined the loan.”

BJ rubbed the side of his neck. “Damn, I’m sorry.”

“Well, it’s not your fault.” She smiled wistfully. Her stomach twisted in knots as she stared hard at the ground.

“No, but that delays your plans, right? What are the alternatives?”

She blew out a heavy breath. “I’m not sure there are any alternatives right now, to be honest. Maybe a short sale, but then

that depletes the savings that the bank wants to see. If I can magically inherit property and still have the same savings

amount to fold into the build-out and equipment and inventory, then we might actually get somewhere.” Pressure continued to

build behind her eyes as she stifled a sob. “It’s like I can’t catch a break. My family doesn’t get it, and the ones who could

help don’t really believe I can do this. The bank won’t support me. What am I gonna do? Do I have to give up my dream, BJ?”

She looked at him as the first tears began to fall.

“Hey.” He stepped closer to her, his tone gentle against her hair. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him.

“It’s gonna be okay.”

“How do you know?” She sniffled, clinging to his jacket.

His cheek rested on the crown of her head. “Sometimes it’s just about faith. I don’t know how I know, I just know that it

will. I believe it, and I want you to do the same. We gotta put that good out into the universe and manifest those things

that you want to happen.”

“Not you trying to get me to manifest!” she laughed through her tears. “Who are you? How long have I been gone?”

He laughed. “You know, I believe in a lot of things, Kenny, and one of those things is that if you ask for it, it’s coming to you. Things are working toward your good all the time, and though it may not come the way you want it to, it’s still on the way.”

“Thanks,” she mumbled against his chest. The warmth of his body against her cheek awakened her senses and she realized her

hand was pressed against the muscles in his chest. “Uh...” She pulled back awkwardly. “Thank you for taking me on these

visits and everything. I’ve really appreciated it.”

“Wait, why are you talking in past tense?” He rested his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look at him.

“Because, I mean, if I can’t get funding...” She wrung her hands as her mind raced with all of the what-ifs. What if I can’t get the money? What if there isn’t a space when I finally do find funding? What if I never get to achieve

this dream? She looked down at the ground, falling deeper into her own thoughts.

“No, no, no... don’t do that. Don’t give up, Kenny. It’s gonna happen.”

“I just...” she sighed. “Maybe I’m moving too fast.”

“You had a full plan though. You did the calculations, you have multiple menus and your price points and projections. You

cited your sources. Your brother raved about your market research and the level of detail you had in that proposal. You are

not someone who half-asses preparations, right, Kenny?”

“Yeah...” There was no reason to doubt herself the way she did, Kendra knew that, but what she envisioned as she strategized

the business during her travels and what was actually coming to pass were so different that she couldn’t help but question

her next steps.

“So then it’s just a matter of time until someone says yes.”

“I guess I’m just not able to see what you see right now.”

“Come on.” He pulled her toward the car. “Why don’t we go get a drink?”

“That actually sounds like a really good idea,” she said, nodding. They turned to Dean. “Thank you so much for your time.”

He waved. “Please let me know if anything develops! I can tell you’re really excited about the property and the owner wants