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Just as quickly as they’d started talking about it, their conversation shifted again. Before Lei knew it, three hours had passed, and she, surprisingly, wasn’t ready for any of them to leave.
eleven
“You give the best hugs.”
At the sound of Cade’s compliment, Lei grinned. He held her tighter, rocking her from one side to the other. With a giggle, Lei tightened her arms around him. She’d always wanted a big brother, and Cade had quickly become a sibling she couldn’t live without. One whom she loved with her whole heart. There wasn’t anything about that man that she would change. Even his flaws were correct.
“Thank you, brother. I love you.”
Cade cupped her cheeks and placed a kiss to the center of her forehead. “I love you too. How are you?”
He held her hand and led her into the dining room, where her parents were already seated and waiting for their kitchen staff to serve them dinner.
“I’m good. Crazy thing happened when I linked with the girls yesterday, actually. I wanted to talk to Daddy about it and see how he feels.”
“See how I feel about what?” Ace asked, standing to give her a hug.
Lei went around the long gold and white table to embrace her mother before sitting across from Cade.
“A conversation was started yesterday about your pen pal program. While some women think it’s unsafe and a bad idea, others think it’s a good idea.”
“Which one are you?”
“I think it’s a good idea… which is why I agreed to a bet.”
Cashmere’s brows wrinkled as she asked, “What kind of bet?”
Chuckling, Lei nodded and thanked Whitney as she poured her a glass of both water and wine. “Well, some of them think you can’t find love or friendship with someone in prison, and I disagree. Mercedes and I have until Christmas to find a good friend or true love.”
“What do you get if you win?” Ace asked while Cade shook his head.
“If either of us win, Lexus will pay for the wedding or give us six figures for Christmas. If we lose, we have to do the same for her.”
“Are you sure about this, sis? I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“Oh, I’m not worried about that. I’m not looking for love, just the opportunity to offer someone companionship. If I get a good friend out of it, I’m okay with that.”
“Still, be careful,” Ace advised. “Do not let any of them convince you to be their sponsor, and don’t connect them with anyone else, no matter how much they ask you to reach out to someone on their behalf. Don’t tell them what you do for a living, because they can either prey on you and try to use you as their attorney or punish you because they’re locked up. Use the P.O. Box you’re going to receive when you sign up always, and never give them your real address or phone number.” Ace sighed. “I don’t even want you to put your picture on there.”
Lei giggled. “Daddy, if I don’t put a picture, only the creeps are going to try to talk to me. No man of substance is going to give a faceless profile a second look. You’re asking for me to become a target.”
“I hate to agree but she’s right,” Cade said.
“Fine, but don’t let them know Cade is your brother or who your parents are. I trust this program works, but we sometimes have people in the program that shouldn’t be, and I don’t want anyone to take advantage of you or hurt you in any way.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll be careful, I promise.”
With a nod, Ace lifted his glass of brown liquor to his lips. Though her parents could be a bit overprotective, Lei appreciated it. There was a time she wished her parents made a fuss over her, and now, she had parents who did.
??????
Because the bet required Lei to sign up for a dating profile and the regular pen pal program, she was required to submit her health records through a sealed portal for the website moderators to look over before her account was approved. That took about a week, and after that, they made both of her profiles live.
She and Yandi met up at her favorite cocktail bar to go through the profiles. Admittedly, some men were worthy of #jailbae hashtags on social media, but none of them made her want to reconsider her vow to never open her heart for romantic love again. Lei did, however, find five men to start her search with. The process was for them to view each other’s profiles, based on compatibility, and then select the option to match. If both parties wanted to be matched, that’s when they would be able to send each other virtual letters and handwritten ones if they desired.
“So, how are you feeling about your matches?” Yandi asked.
“I feel okay. Two were very attractive but only one was really my type. I mean, if I was looking for a relationship, he’d be my type, but I’m not on that so…”
