Page 36 of The Dating Prohibition

Coming home just felt different. After a couple of days of spending time together, real quality time, Kendra was excited by

the prospect of having a night at PALATE when she knew BJ would be there too.

During the dinner shift, BJ was helping behind the bar, per usual, and Kendra filled in for one of the servers who was out

sick. As she waited tables, she could feel his eyes on her, observing her interactions with people, smiling a little when

he heard her laugh.

Lani was working the hostess stand and Logan was behind the bar with BJ. Shonda was back in the kitchen working on a new recipe

while the cooking staff handled the orders.

“Hi,” said Kendra as she greeted a woman who had just been seated––her reservation was for a party of two. “I will be your

server today. Is there anything that I can start you off with while you wait? Some sparkling water or still?”

“Oh, we don’t mind Mount Rainier’s finest tap water,” the woman said with bright eyes and a Southern drawl.

Kendra nodded. Water quality in the DMV could be spotty, but it was decent in this neighborhood. “Very well, I’ll bring back some water glasses for you. Have you had a chance to look at our drink menu?”

“Yes, I would like that old-fashioned with the s’mores on top. My friend should be arriving soon.”

“Oh, certainly, I can get that started. Our campfire old-fashioned?”

“Yes, ma’am. It looked so good online, I just had to have it.”

“Well, thank you. I will put that order in, and I’ll give you some time to take a look at the food menu.”

“Thank you.”

Kendra nodded and turned on her heel toward the bar as she entered the order into her digital terminal. As it transmitted,

a small ding sounded at the bar, alerting Logan that a new order was placed and a ticket for the drink printed. Kendra went

to the water station to fill a glass and turned to the end of the bar to retrieve the old-fashioned. “Gonna take me a minute,

sis. I have to go to the back and get some more marshmallows.”

She nodded. “No problem.”

As Logan stepped away, BJ sauntered over. “So I was thinking,” he started, his hands pressing against the bar. “Maybe we can

revisit our conversation about jabs.”

“Jabs?” She raised an eyebrow. “Just those?”

He shrugged. “Well, you know...”

“Are you saying you want to be my personal punching bag?” She grinned.

Lani was stealth in her approach. “What are you two talking about?”

Kendra jumped. “I didn’t even hear you come up. You have got to stop sneaking up on people,” she laughed nervously as BJ hid a smile.

“Well, I was just curious what you two were whispering about. Are you two doing boxing classes together? How come I wasn’t invited?”

“Something like that,” Kendra quipped, turning away. “I’m gonna take this water to my customer, see if she wants to put in

any food orders while she’s waiting for her old-fashioned.”

BJ grunted and headed back to polish more glasses.

“No, seriously, nobody’s going to tell me what’s going on here?”

BJ and Kendra ignored her as they went about their duties, but Lani’s glare swung back and forth between Kendra and BJ the

rest of the night until her deciphering skills perked up. She got back to work checking reservations in the system, tidying

menus, and thanking guests as they exited.

Kendra stepped toward the hostess stand the moment she saw that Lani’s mind was clicking things into place. Lani’s eyes grew

wide as she stared back at her cousin. They screamed that Lani knew something as she mouthed, Oh my god , and jabbed her finger in BJ’s direction.

“Lani, I need you to be a little bit more inconspicuous and a lot less yourself right now,” Kendra warned.

“Oh my god. Tell me it’s really happening,” Lani screeched in a hushed tone.

“We’re not dating. It’s just physical.”

“But you know you want more.”

“It doesn’t really matter at this point,” Kendra said. “It is what it is. And if I apply pressure, he’s just gonna cut me

off completely. And that’s not what I want.”

Lani crossed her arms over her chest. “So you’re trying to play the long game here, is what you’re saying.”

Kendra took a deep breath, shutting her eyes as she nodded.

“I guess you could say that. But at the same time, I’m trying really hard not to get my hopes up.

So I need you to not be super excited and encouraging and all the things that I know you would be if there was actually something more happening right now. I just want to live in the moment.”

“Okay. I hear you. I just... I mean, are you gonna tell Logan?”

“No, and neither are you. And don’t tell Shonda either because that’s her husband and she will not keep her mouth shut.” Kendra

stepped toward her cousin menacingly. It would be too much to expect Shonda to keep something from her husband that involved

his best friend. Kendra would never ask that of her.

“Okay, okay. I hear you.” Lani held up her hands in surrender, but Kendra wasn’t convinced. While Auntie Mack could take a

secret with her to the grave, Lani would be the reason for the funeral.

“Are you really going to be able to keep your mouth shut? Tell me that I can trust you, Lani.”

“Come on, Keke, you’re my cousin. Of course you can trust me.”

Kendra eyed her dubiously. “Okay, I’m just saying.”

“I won’t let you down, I promise.” Lani’s emphatic expression made her nod in acceptance.

As the shift continued, and the restaurant got busier, Kendra had very little time to hang out near the bar and chat with

Logan and BJ, though she sensed BJ watched her, his gaze intensely burning into her. As the evening progressed, she wondered

what he was thinking. What jabs he had in mind.

Every time she made eye contact with him, her cheeks would color and a flurry of butterflies would tickle her stomach and

move south.

When she returned a glass to the bar for cleaning, BJ’s fingers would slide against her wrist as he took it from her hand.

Kendra bit her lip and his eyes tracked the movement, laser-focused as he watched her release it, his lips parted slightly, the tip of his tongue wetting the inside of his bottom lip before he turned away.

As things slowed and Lani took her break in the back, Kendra cleared a couple of empty tables, wiping them down and carrying

all of the plates to the back for their dishwasher to handle. As she returned from the sinks, she heard Shonda gasp, and Kendra

turned to see her sister-in-law and cousin huddled together.

“What’s going on with you two?”

Their heads snapped in her direction with such a quickness, Shonda’s mouth gaping open, her eyes widening as they focused.

“Lani,” Kendra accused. “You didn’t. Tell me you didn’t.”

“I’m sorry, it just came out and, and—”

“Wait, why didn’t you want me to know?” Shonda asked, her brow furrowed.

“Because I don’t want your husband to know.”

“Oh, I won’t tell him. You don’t have to worry about that.”

I don’t see her lasting more than forty-eight hours before she folds. “Yeah, okay. Listen, I really wanted to keep this to myself and Lani caught on and now she’s blabbed to you. Can we keep a

cone of silence or not?” Kendra queried, her hands on her hips.

“Listen, it’s your business to tell. You tell him when you want to.” Shonda held her hands up in surrender.

“Or maybe I won’t tell him at all. It’s none of his business,” she griped and headed back toward the dining room.

“Keke, I’m sorry,” Lani pleaded, chasing after her. “I didn’t mean it. I shouldn’t have done it.”

“No, you shouldn’t have, but here we are,” Kendra deadpanned as she crossed her arms over her chest. She couldn’t even make it to the end of the shift.

“What are you going to do now?”

“I’m going to wait and see what happens. Either she’s going to tell him or she’s not. And we’ll probably know very soon one way or another.”

“Do you really think she’ll tell him?”

“Yes, I do. And that’s why I told you not to say anything.”

Lani grimaced, apologies emanating from her eyes. “I am really sorry, cousin.”

Kendra sighed heavily as she rubbed her temples, resigned to the fact that her brother was likely to have something to say

and soon. “I know, and it’s fine. It is what it is at this point, and we probably can’t stop it.”

“What if you just tell him yourself so that she doesn’t tell him?”

“This is not something that I wanted to talk to him about. I don’t need his permission to date, just like I don’t need his

permission to start a business. But I also don’t want him looking at me all disappointed and judging me for what his best

friend and I decided to do.”

“Well, listen, he doesn’t know yet. It’s possible that she won’t say anything.”

“We’ll see. I’m gonna close out my last few tables.”

“I’ll take care of closing,” Lani offered quickly. “You just go do you.”

Kendra nodded, stepping away to bring checks to her last two tables. She avoided eye contact with BJ, lost in her own thoughts,

as she tried to smile and thank her last guests.

Once she closed out, she ran downstairs to the employee room, dropped her apron in a hamper, and grabbed her coat. Once she

made it back upstairs, she turned straight for the door and left without a word to anyone.

The next morning, Kendra sat in the coffee shop with her laptop in tow, looking at different properties and also making note of different fixtures and aesthetics that she thought might look really strong in each space.

As she sipped on an oat milk cappuccino, her phone began to ring, the screen displaying an unknown phone number with a local area code. “Hello?”

“Kendra?” a woman’s voice asked.

“Yes, this is she.”

“Hi, this is Sydney from PHI Realty. Um, I understand you were looking for a commercial property that had a historic background,

but also was within a certain price point. And I wanted to call and let you know that we did find something that matches a

good majority of what you’re looking for, but I just wanted to discuss some of the particulars with you to see if it might

be something you’d be willing to consider.”

Kendra took a beat. Something’s wrong with it. Her mind began to race and she wondered what could be the issue. “Okay, so what... what are the particulars?”

“Hmm, so this one is right near the Navy Yard. It’s a converted schoolhouse that has more recently been used as a wine bar,

and so it’s got some of that great brick and heavy wood that I know you’re looking for. The building itself is a historic

building, and it’s situated on a block with several others.

“And it does have the kind of bar space that you’re looking for, along with a room that could be used as a private dining

room in the back. The kitchen space is bigger than what you said you needed, because the wine bar was also utilized during

the day as a space for cooking classes. But there is something that we do need you to know though.”

“Okay, what’s that?”

“The owner is not looking to completely sell.”

Kendra frowned. “Well, either you sell or you don’t. What do you mean ‘not completely’?”

“So they’re looking to, um, have someone essentially take over their business, but instead of outright selling you the property, it’s on a term lease basis, but also there is an expectation that you learn some of their recipes and continue selling their product, with them retaining a percentage of the profits from that. ”

“Well, how does that work exactly?”

“Right. The lease would be at a discounted rate because they’re receiving a part of the profits from you on the back end.”

“And am I able to stop that at some point? Because, you know, I have a very clear vision of what I want my business to be.

I’m not really sure how their products or recipes fit into what I’m trying to do.”

“It might! When they heard about the type of business you’re wanting to open, some of the dishes that they want you to prepare

could be a part of your supper club menu, so that might not be an issue. But they do also want to preserve their original

business name.”

“So basically I’m paying to run their business.” Kendra pursed her lips. This sounds like a mess.

“Yes. But there is still space in this model that allows you to start building your name and your brand. I think that their

goal is to have their business continue for another ten years and then after that, their part would phase out and you could

eventually buy them out.”

“So it’s like a rent to buy, after continuing parts of their business for ten years.”

“Yes.”

“Wow, that’s a pretty hefty ask, Sydney,” Kendra laughed nervously.

“Yeah, it is,” she chuckled. “And I know it’s not exactly what you were looking for, but it can lead to what you’re looking

for, and so I’m just hoping you’ll keep an open mind and consider it.”

“I mean, I’ll definitely consider it. Are they trying to move quickly, because I’m gonna need some time to sit with this.”

“They do have two others who they’re interested in, but they really liked what you’re trying to bring together, and especially

because you’re a local, they want to give you preference,” Sydney emphasized. “Um, if you could consider it and let me know by next week, that would be ideal.”

“Okay, I’ll certainly do that. Thank you so much for calling me and please thank them for considering me for this opportunity.

I completely understand wanting to have your business continue and have some longevity, creating that sort of legacy.”

“Exactly. So you get it,” Sydney said.

“I do. I just have to weigh out the pros and cons and get a sense of whether I might be able to incorporate what they have

into my business plan, since I’m also trying to create my legacy. Are you able to send me some more detail about the kinds of recipes that they would want me to, um, utilize and also

the name of their business so I can figure out how exactly my brand fits into that?”

“Yes, I can email it to you, but first I would need to email you a nondisclosure agreement, because they do not want their

information being made public.”

“That makes total sense. Thanks. I’m out right now, but once I review it and everything, if I have questions, I’ll let you

know.

“Okay. Sounds great! Thank you so much, and I will be emailing you shortly.”

“Okay. Thank you, Sydney. Bye-bye.” Kendra slumped in her chair.

Is this really all I can do? She bit her lip. Would this be me selling out?

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?”