Page 6 of The Dating Prohibition

exactly does any of that make me hotheaded?”

BJ shook his head, eyeing Kendra like she stole something. “You don’t remember reading your brother the riot act when he got

home? You yelled at him and told him that he let Boscoe out when he left the gate open. He felt terrible.”

“Well, that was at least partially true...” Kendra replied sheepishly. “Maybe he didn’t let Boscoe out, but Boscoe got out because Logan left the gate open.”

“Tell me again why you didn’t go to law school? Ole stubborn head ass,” he teased, nudging her gently, warmth emanating from

his body. Being near this man was like holding a mug of hot chocolate––cozy and relaxed and conjuring up the best memories.

“Shut up,” she laughed.

Scott rolled four cases out the door and toward the car, handing Kendra an invoice so that she could confirm the inventory she was receiving. She scrutinized the list and then squinted at the labels on the boxes to confirm that each box contained the correct brand and vintage.

“Okay, this all looks good!” She signed the top sheet and kept the bottom one for Shonda’s records.

“Great, thanks so much for coming by, and I’ve made reservations to be there for the launch, so see you tomorrow!”

“Yes! We’ll see you then.” Kendra smiled as Scott tightly shook her and BJ’s hands before heading back inside. She turned

to BJ with wide eyes and sighed. “One more stop!

Kendra dropped bitters onto a brown sugar cube and crushed it before adding bourbon and ice to the shaker. Carefully, she

carved a curly piece of orange peel, which she squeezed to release some of its oils. In her gloved hands, she also broke a

graham cracker in half, set a small bar of chocolate and a square of homemade orange marshmallow on it before donning the

top half of the graham cracker. She held the s’more gingerly as she torched the marshmallow’s sides, turning it to char the

confection evenly. She also carefully torched the zest curl before dropping it into the drink. Then she skewered the s’more

and set it on top of the glass as a garnish. “Now—” she set the glass on a cocktail napkin in front of her sister-in-law,

whose eyes were wide as saucers “—try this and tell me what you think.”

“This looks sinful,” she gushed as she picked up the glass and held it under her nose, her olfactory senses undoubtedly picking

up every note from the orange and bourbon.

Logan eyed it warily. “It looks like a toothache.”

Kendra let out an exasperated breath. “Must you always be so critical?”

Logan glared at his sister. “The presentation is nice,” he admitted reluctantly.

“Thank you. Not all of the drinks have to be ones you’d like. Some folks don’t drink their whiskey or bourbon neat.”

“Mmm, that orange marshmallow really makes this special.” Shonda’s eyes shone. She turned to her husband. “Come on, babe,

what do you think? We could just have it for opening night. It doesn’t have to be a regular thing...”

Logan pursed his lips before giving his wife and his sister the same tight-lipped smile. This variation was more of a “Fine,

if it will shut you both up” look.

“Honestly, I just wanted to test it for that speakeasy venture that I’m trying to get off the ground.”

“Oh?” Her brother rotated his hand in front of him. “Say more.” Some might think Logan was a man of few words, but he had

a level of introspection that a lot of people never got to experience. He was always quietly observing, analyzing, conceptualizing,

building, planning.

“I want to open a bar with a speakeasy supper-club dining room in the back here in DC,” Kendra said quietly. She tilted her

head and waited, pulling her lip between her teeth. She hadn’t shared this idea with her family members, though it had been

a concept she’d been pulling together for a long time. She’d been too scared to jinx it until she was ready to take the next

steps.

“You thinking nearby?” Logan raised his eyebrows.

“Ideally, yeah. I figured we could do some cross-promo, since my dining room will only have one seating per night, and maybe

sometimes you could send some diners to my bar for a nightcap and to enjoy some jazz.”

He perked up. “You’re going to have live music?”

“That’s the goal. I’d like a stage for a small ensemble. Sometimes we could use it for an open mic night or a poetry reading . . . maybe even to feature some local comedians. What do you think?” She held her breath, her heart pounding in her ears.

He shrugged slightly, but the glint in his eye was unmistakable. “That could be cool.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I can see it. And that sort of vibe definitely fits DC.”

Shonda’s eyes brightened. “It would be so cool to have a bunch of family businesses in the DMV.” She and Logan eventually

intended to expand PALATE to more than one location, and Logan had always dreamed of opening a cigar lounge, though that was

proving to be more difficult than they’d initially thought, given local regulations on tobacco sales that had been put into

place.

Kendra nodded, feeling like she’d surpassed the biggest hurdle. As much as she and her big brother butted heads, his opinion

mattered more to her than most, and she couldn’t bear the thought of him shooting down the concept. “I was also thinking that

it would be really cool if I could have it in a landmark building—perhaps one that was a part of the Great Migration. It suits

the nods to Prohibition, and it sheds light on parts of our history that a lot of people would like to pretend don’t exist.”

Logan scrutinized her, poking his lips out suspiciously. “Sounds like you’ve been talking to Dr. Stephens.” He turned to glance

at his best friend, who was unboxing and organizing wine bottles on a nearby table.

BJ stopped what he was doing when he looked up to three sets of eyes trained on him. “What did I do?”

“You two been talking about your research?”

“Yeah, briefly. Kenny mentioned that she wanted to put her place in a landmark building and wanted some advice on what might make the most sense, and since I’m researching preservation sites now, we figured we’d put our heads together to kill two birds with one stone.”

Shonda nodded thoughtfully like it made sense, but Big Bro didn’t look convinced.

“Interesting.” Logan eyed his sister suspiciously.

“Why are you looking at me like that? You’re acting like I asked him for a kidney.” Kendra threw her hands up in the air as

the front door opened.

“We’re here!” Lani exclaimed. She’d gone to pick up her mom, Kendra’s Auntie Mack, from the airport, and on the way they’d

picked up Kendra’s parents and Auntie Al and her husband, Uncle Ronnie.

The siblings came from behind the bar to join Shonda and BJ in hugging and welcoming the new arrivals.

“Hey, Momma, Daddy.” Kendra squeezed her parents. “I’m so glad we get to spend some time together during this launch. Hi,

Auntie Al, Uncle Ronnie.”

“Kendra,” Auntie Al sniffed. She was the grumpiest of the three sisters. Her go-to expression was one of disdain. Her husband

was much more cheerful.

“Keke! Good to see you! Come here,” Ronnie said and enveloped her in a warm embrace.

Sheesh, opposites really do attract . After extracting herself, Kendra moved her attention to Momma’s youngest sister, Makayla. “Hi, Auntie Mack! It’s so good

to see you.” She squeezed her favorite aunt. “How was your flight?”

“Hello, my love, it was uneventful,” Auntie Mack responded, her hand moving to fluff her short, golden-brown Deva cut. “We

have so much catching up to do!”

Momma and her sisters had been labeled true tomboys growing up—climbing trees, fending off bullies, avoiding the Mary Janes and lacy white socks that Kendra’s grandmother wanted so badly for them to love.

Kendra’s grandfather and his brothers had taught the girls how to scrap and protect themselves, and over time, that protection extended to any kid on their block.

Reg, Al, and Mack were still a force to be reckoned with whenever the feisty trio reunited.

“We do! How long are you in town?”

“Oh, just a few days, but I’d love to have some company down in Charleston,” she hinted, a sparkle in her eye.

Kendra nodded, grimacing slightly. “I’d love to, but I’m actually pursuing a new business venture, so I probably won’t be

able to travel right away.”

“Oh?”

Beside Auntie Mack, Uncle Ronnie perked up, his bushy eyebrows waggling. “I’m always looking for new investments. Why don’t

you tell us about it?”

Perfectly timed. Kendra’s heart skipped a beat. She’d planned to solicit her uncle for support, but having him broach the subject was even

better. “Really?”

“No time like the present. Everyone’s here, save some of your cousins. Why don’t we convene a family meeting?”

Kendra hesitated. I don’t have my proposal here to show him the research I’ve done. “You know what, maybe we should wait.”

“Nonsense, we want to hear about it!” Daddy squeezed her shoulder.

No matter who was present, a “family meeting” meant everyone sat down for the discussion at hand—close friends, the parents

and grandparents, any children present, no matter their age. And it wasn’t limited to one side of the family or the other—anyone

even loosely associated to Momma or Daddy had attended at least one of their roundtables.

Once Uncle Ronnie had gotten everyone’s attention, the family pushed together a couple of tables so that everyone fit.

Shonda had the kitchen prepare some quick bites, while Kendra and Logan poured wine and made cocktails.

Logan, Shonda, Kendra, and Lani sat on one long side of the table.

The parents and aunts were on the other, with Uncle Ronnie and BJ at the head and foot of the table.

With so many strong opinions, BJ often played the role of family mediator.

The family settled in and Kendra ran through her plan for her business. Auntie Mack nodded along eagerly as Auntie Al stared

at Kendra imperviously. No one dared play her at poker—the woman had no tells. Momma and Daddy listened intently, looks of