The conclusion to the series with Dani and Rand was bittersweet. I hope to hear from this couple in future stories. Once again, Nia did a fantastic job of bringing this story to a delightful ending. It is with varied emotions when I make this assertion; I already miss Dani, Rand, and Little Rocket. If you haven’t read the series, you’ve missed the opportunity to get to know this extraordinary couple.

In this story, we gained insight into Little Rocket’s situation. I used the word situation because condition sounds too clinical. Little Rocket experienced a set of circumstances which presented a state of affairs that rendered him emotional beyond his level of comprehension at his tender age. Now, that’s why I said situation? I get emotional each time I think about him and his dad’s suffering in solitude.

Nia set an enjoyable table with this story. Their saga began with Coffee Date, and explored their love through Just Lunch and concluded with Table for Two. In the previous story, I mentioned I was concerned about Rand and Dani having enough quality time with Rand’s new position. His highly visible status as a heartthrob would be back on the table. His public persona would make him a target for the hangers-on once again. My hope and prayers were for Rand to recognize game and not allow it to affect his relationship with Dani.

You might also recall when Dani complained to Rand about being his little secret. Because they never went out on the town etc. Okay well, date night was supposed to correct that situation. On the contrary, date night had turned into a date with Little Rocket in tow. So naturally, their intimacy started to suffer the consequences. Sad face. Then after they finally were out of the house to have fun, a few drinks and some substance of some sort at Q’s place. The drive home was typical for many black men in America today.  Officer Fake-friendly and officer Jackass stopped them for harassment just for the fun of it. Thank you, Nia, for including real-life issues in your writing.

As time passed, a few incidents escalated the misconnections in the relationship. People are always getting in the way of a couple’s relationship as though they have a right to be there. But, we all know a good story isn’t as exciting without a touch of drama. Their extra nonsense came in the form of past women in Rand’s life, and time constraints for him and Dani. Too slick Alexa tried her hand again at getting her hooks into Rand to no avail. Then side chicks started to come out of the woodworks to create the drama element.  Also, Eric was still looming in the background hoping Rand would stumble so that he could scoop up Dani as his lady. It wasn’t going to happen, dude, even if I had to delete that part myself. The situation with Little Rocket became part of the focus this time. Rand had to seek additional assistance to help his little man. I like the way Nia handled this portion of the story.

Side chick, Rayna’s performance was almost as painful as I expected it would be.  The drama was bound to make a presence anytime old hook-ups insert themselves in a relationship. Sadly, Rand could hardly remember her full name, after being in her private place a time or twenty, their exchange was strangely retrospective. Her secret and the drama she caused had me fuming. * No Spoiler*

Dani’s accidental meeting with a high profile client helped her career in the form of an Eagles player named Stephen Jordan. Their flight together to the ESPY’s and subsequent talks morphed into a very lucrative business arrangement. The business arrangements, however, did not coincide with Rand’s plans to spend more time with Dani. Over a period of being apart, the relationship began to suffer. Another vulture rose from the ashes of deception named Miranda. Her goal was to wreak havoc on Rand’s relationship.  She also felt it was necessary to involve her gold-digging butt into the mix. All of those factors complied the reason’s why Dani tried to keep the publicity fiasco to a minimum. Until recently she and Rand had remained above the fray. Rayna’s news was just the information to escalate Dani’s resurfacing insecurities once again. Therefore her retreat was inevitable. But in the end, love prevailed for Rand and Dani. Dinner for two was a nice serving of delish, and the conclusion to this series was exceptional. Sad face! 5 Stars.

Review – Table for Two (The Shorts Book 4) by Nia Forrester

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