Page 4 of The Dating Prohibition
“Hey, Keke, how are you doing on that mise en place?” Shonda called over her shoulder as she kept her eye on a roux that she
was toasting to a perfect chocolate brown. Two days had passed by quickly, and Kendra had fallen into step with her sister-in-law
in the kitchen. Upon her arrival, her family immediately put her to work, and they dined on menu items from the staff’s practice
runs. After, she and Shonda put their heads together to get everything just right, talking through the presentation, the garnishes,
a finishing sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
They had one more day to perfect their dishes and cocktails and prep for the next day’s grand opening, but with more family
coming into town, and everyone coming together, Shonda insisted on making a big pot of gumbo for the restaurant team and the
family as a love gift to thank them for everything they’d achieved.
Kendra’s knife flew through the last of the holy trinity—bell pepper, onions, and celery.
The ingredients would be added to the roux to cool it and cook down the vegetables in preparation for the stock.
“Almost done! Where do you need me after this? Should I get started on desserts or syrups for the cocktails?”
Kendra slid over to incorporate the trinity into the roux, accepting the spoon from Shonda as Shonda glided to another burner
to turn it off and carried a saucepan to a nearby prep table. It felt so good to be back in the kitchen with family. The synergy
that Kendra had with her sister-in-law was intuitive and meticulous, and Kendra wanted everything that she touched to be done
just right to help alleviate any stress that Shonda or Logan were feeling. As a family, their shared love language was food.
They had a group thread where all they did was send videos of recipes and local fare that they wanted to try.
“Actually, I want to send you and BJ over to Restaurant Depot for some last-minute supplies and items that we need in bulk,
and I thought while you’re out you can pick up a few cases from our wine supplier—something happened to their delivery truck
so they’re not able to bring these bottles I need for dinner pairings. I may need you to also stop by the house, because I
think that my boxes of extra stemware might be good to have on hand just in case.” Shonda rattled things off as she pulled
split vanilla pods from the pot of hot cream. She poured a small amount of the steaming liquid into a bowl of egg yolks beaten
with sugar and salt, whisking furiously as she poured to ensure that the yolks didn’t scramble. Once she was satisfied the
cream was well incorporated, she expertly poured in the rest of the saucepan while mixing continuously, a fierce concentration
in her eyes as the velvety mixture thickened to custard.
Kendra closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of sweet vanilla. “That crème br?lée is going to be so good. Do you have a list
for me of what you need?”
Shonda grunted, still whisking—her chin jutting toward her phone on the counter. “The list is in my notes app.”
Kendra angled the phone in front of Shonda’s face to unlock the screen and sent herself the notes. “Got it! We’ll be back
soon.”
Her sister-in-law stopped whisking and blew out a breath, satisfied with the consistency of her custard mixture. “Or, you
know, take your time,” she said with a grin, her thick curls piled into a messy bun at the top of her head and secured with
a scarf to keep the flyaways controlled. “I’ve been hearing some of the family gossip.”
Kendra’s cheeks warmed as she gave her sister-in-law a death glare. “Don’t even think about it. You can’t believe everything
you hear.” I’m gonna kill Lani.
“Oh, I know. Just keep your wits about you.”
“ Nothing is happening.” Kendra rolled her eyes and stalked off toward the front of the restaurant, where BJ and Logan were organizing
the bar. She nodded toward BJ. “You rollin’, B?”
“I’ll drive.” He looked to Logan and lifted his chin. “We’ll be back.”
Logan pressed his lips together, eyeing his sister. “Call me if you need me.” His calm, easy demeanor often masked whatever
he was thinking, but she usually got a read on his general mood. Something about his face stopped Kendra in her tracks.
“What is it?” She stared at him curiously.
“You sure you don’t want me to go?” He ran his hand over his fade, his waves tapering off on the sides. As firstborn, his
looks favored their mom while Kendra was a true blend of both of their parents.
Kendra shrugged. “It’s just errands, bruh. Need anything while we’re out?”
“If you’re going to the house, go into my office and grab a couple of sticks for later. Just if you remember.” He was of ten soft-spoken, especially with her––the doting big brother when they weren’t at each other’s throats.
“I got you. Anything in particular?” Logan was a fan of a lighter cigar with his morning coffee and then would progress throughout
the day—a true cigar connoisseur.
He shook his head. “Surprise me, and pick some for you too.”
They gave each other the same tight-lipped smile that they had since Kendra was old enough to mimic her big brother. Variations
of this exchange might as well have been their secret language. It all hinged on the expression in the eyes—this one was his
standard Love you to her Always . Being almost three years apart, his second favorite was a wide-eyed You are annoying to her smirking But you love me anyway .
As she followed BJ outside into the cool spring air, she lifted her face toward the sunshine for a moment. “So what are you
driving these days?”
“I’ve been thinking about an electric car, but it’s hard to part with perfection.” His indifferent gaze flashed a smug grin
briefly as he unlocked his Land Rover Defender and held open the passenger door for her.
“Perfection, huh?” Maybe a slight exaggeration...
He shrugged, his locs falling behind his shoulders. “It gets the job done. Where should we start?”
“Let’s hit the house, then the wine supplier, and then Restaurant Depot. Shonda’s got some perishables on the list, and I
don’t want those sitting in the car longer than they need to.”
“Bet.” BJ shut her door and rounded to his side to get in. He started the engine, strapped himself in and waited expectantly.
Kendra sighed, reaching to tug on her seat belt. “Right, I forgot. My bad.”
“Nah, you don’t have to apologize, Kenny.
” His fingers tightened around the steering wheel.
In college, BJ had a longtime girlfriend whom everyone assumed he would marry, but she’d been the victim of a hit-and-run while she was out for an evening jog.
It didn’t matter that she hadn’t been in a car when the accident happened, BJ took car safety seriously ever since.
Kendra turned to look out the passenger window. She’d been in high school when it happened, and she’d only ever seen him date
one other person since then, but that had changed the dynamic of their entire circle. I wonder if anyone will ever compare to his first love.
A flash of BJ catching her before she fell in the restaurant crossed her mind––the way his hand gripped her waist stirred
something within her. Pull it together, Ken. That’s lust, not love. She shook the memory from her head.
“The weather is perfect,” she murmured. The early afternoon sky was a clear light blue with thin clouds gently traversing
toward the east. A small flock of American robins were bunched together on the mostly bare branches of a maple tree that was
just starting to bud new leaves. “I love springtime.”
“I prefer fall.” His deep voice rumbled like the threat of low thunder off in the distance but reverberated low in Kendra’s
belly.
“Yeah?” She turned to look at BJ, whose locs were pulled back from his face. The profile view of his strong jaw flexing made
her quickly turn her gaze back out the window. Just because we’re in the middle of a dry spell doesn’t mean we need to be thirsty. She shook her head slightly to focus on the conversation. “I love this time of year—peak bloom of the cherry blossoms is
one of my favorite things.”
“Oh yeah, I remember,” he chuckled. Once Logan had gotten his license, she used to force him and BJ to take her to the Tidal Basin so that she could marvel at the blush-colored clouds that circled the water.
From certain angles, people would take photographs that showed the blossoms framing the monuments, and often visitors would observe proposals and engagement photos taking place with the trees and commemorative structures in the background.
Kendra smirked. “I was kind of a pain back then, huh?”
He maneuvered out of his parking spot and toward Logan and Shonda’s, which was just a handful of blocks away. “Who says that’s
changed?” BJ glanced at Kendra slyly before returning his attention to the road, the corner of his mouth just slightly lifted.
Kendra scoffed and smacked his arm. “Hey! You haven’t seen me in years.”
BJ grunted. “Yeah, too long,” he agreed. “I haven’t forgotten what you said the other day. You mentioned wanting to ask me
about something.” He pulled into Logan’s driveway and parked, turning off the engine.
Both of them hopped out of the SUV and crossed the grass to the porch steps. “Yeah, I did... Damn, I never remember their
lock code.” She bit her lip, trying to jog her memory, but only the code to her own apartment came to mind.
“I got it,” BJ murmured, then typed in a four-digit sequence, and the bolt mechanism unlocked. He swung the door open with
one arm, standing to the side to let her pass. “After you.”
Kendra felt warmth radiating from his torso as she stepped past him, his cologne capturing her.
What is that? Definitely a gourmand fragrance, but with notes of tobacco and something spicy.
.. “Thanks. I think the stemware cases are in the back in their storage room if you want to grab those. I’ll grab Logan’s cigars
and then help you out.”