“Well . . . I’m speechless.”
Donovan grins and my belly flutters.
“Oh, and we should celebrate. I knew you’d get the job. You free next Saturday?”
My lips curl into a smile.
“What?” he says, and my smile broadens. “I’m not taking you anywhere fancy, you know. Probably Chicken Cottage or something.”
“Chicken Cottage?” I laugh.
“Okay, fine. Nando’s?”
I notice his dimples as he laughs. “Donovan! You know what you’re suggesting is called a date, right? I mean, I thought you were terrified to ask women out?”
Donovan scratches his head. “Yeah . . . but not you.” Then as though he can’t bear being serious for a moment longer, he adds, “So are you free next Saturday or what?”
“Yes.” I’m smiling so hard, I can feel the muscles in my cheeks. Then pretending to be blasé, I add, “If I must.”
The iconic intro of Cameo’s “Candy” blares from the speakers: Bom, bom, bom, bom, bom-bom, bom-bom, bom.
On cue, flocks of people dash to the dance floor to join the dancers who have already arranged themselves into rows and are now trying to agree on what leg they should start with once the bass drops.
“Yooo!” Donovan whips his fingers. “Made it just on time.” He grabs my hand and stops when I tug him back.
I wiggle my lip. “I don’t know how to do the electric slide.”
His mouth drops. “But you’re Black.”
“Well, then I must be the only Black person in the world who doesn’t know how to do the Candy dance.”
Donovan laughs. “Don’t worry, I’ll teach you.” He takes my hand again.
We reach the dance floor and stand side by side facing the same direction as everyone else.
“Look. It’s easy.” He takes two steps to the left. Two steps to the right. Two steps backward. Two steps forward. Kicks foot out—hello!—ninety-degree turn, then does the same move all over again.
Donovan is right. The electric slide is easy. （Gosh, I missed out at Kemi’s wedding.） After one wrong start and two wobbly turns, I’ve found my rhythm.
“There you go,” says Donovan encouragingly. “See. You’re getting the hang of it.”
I take two steps to the left, another two to the right, and I spot the faces of loved ones among the crowd.
Rachel, Gavesh, Nana and Ola.
Two steps backward.
Aunty Blessing, Aunty Debbie, Big Mama and Mum.
Two steps forward.
Kemi, Uche, Chinedu and Ola’s kids.
Swerve, kick, turn—
“Oops, sorry, Donovan.”
Hmm. God, you clearly have a sense of humor.
Acknowledgments
First, I want to thank God for entrusting me with this story and for blessing me with the gift of writing. I’m grateful every day. To my husband, Martin, if only I had more pages! Thank you for encouraging me over the years and for making sure I didn’t give up. I really appreciate all those times you listened to my ideas, gave me feedback and provided a shoulder to cry on whenever I was overwhelmed. Oh, and thank you for taking off my glasses anytime I passed out after a long day.
To my wonderful parents: I love you so much. Thank you for all your support and wisdom. Thank you, Dad, for nurturing the writer in me when I was young by buying me all those Jacqueline Wilson books. Thank you, Mum, for all those motivating WhatsApp messages you’ve sent me and for your countless prayers. （Shout-out to your church group!） To my equally wonderful in-laws: thank you for your genuine interest in my writing and well-being. Your positivity really helped. To my siblings and cousins: thank you for being successful in your own endeavors. You were my role models without even knowing it. As for my many aunties and uncles here in the UK, Nigeria and the U.S., thank you for always showering me with love. Grandma and Sister Donna, thank you for keeping me in your prayers too.
To my godsent agent, Nelle Andrew: In Donovan’s words, “You’re the G.O.A.T!” Thank you for believing in me from day one （even when my writing still needed a bit of work!）。 I truly appreciate your passion and expertise. And massive thanks to the rest of the squad at Rachel Mills Agency—Charlotte, Alex and Rachel. Thank you for championing Yinka abroad.
To my UK editor, Katy Loftus: You’re everything I’ve wanted in an editor and more. Thank you for being such a talented person to learn from. For your passion, energy, and bags of enthusiasm. You really helped take Yinka to the next level. To my U.S. editor, Pam Dorman: Honestly, I feel so blessed. Thank you for your valuable advice on storytelling, for pushing me to become a better writer and for that much-needed pep talk. Jeramie and Marie, thank you for all the hard work you’ve done behind the scenes and for being such great in-house cheerleaders. Vikki, Julia Jason and the design team, thank you for absolutely smashing it with the look and feel of Yinka. You really brought it to life! Thanks also to Jaya Miceli for the amazing cover! And to everyone at Viking UK and Pamela Dorman Books, thank you for believing in Yinka and investing in me.
Huge thanks to my copyeditor, Mary Chamberlain. Thank you for being so meticulous and for getting the story timeline watertight! Massive thanks to Deborah Balogun for your brilliant line-edit and to Maria Adebisi for your valuable beta-read report. Thank you both for ensuring that all the cultural references were spot-on and for making my story even more authentic. And thank you Nicole Wayland and Megha Jain for your superb proofread.
To Aki, Joe and Nelima at The Literary Consultancy: Thank you for shortlisting my story for the Pen Factor Writing Competition 2019. Since I won, you haven’t stopped shouting about Yinka. （Please don’t stop!） As always, I’m truly grateful. And thanks to Thalia Suzuma （my TLC reader） for your invaluable manuscript assessment report. Everyone at Spread the Word: Thank you for hosting such fantastic writers’ events—they were worthy investments! Special shout-out to Aliya Gulamani for her ongoing support. And thank you to Davinia Andrew-Lynch, one of my early readers. I will never forget that time you had coffee with me and shared your thoughts.
To all my sensitivity readers: Alex and the team at AUREA, thank you for your great and reassuring feedback on my portrayal of aromanticism. Conor Duckworth at Glass Door Homeless Charity, thank you for your helpful insight on my portrayal of homelessness. Beryl Tomlins, thank you so much for running a “mock” counseling session with me. I couldn’t have written Jacqui’s character and the therapy chapters without you! Seyi Afolabi, thank you for looking over the fashion-related scenes. Alex Lee, Lola Adelaja and Louis Blackburn, thank you for allowing me to pick your brains on the world of investment banking.
To my amaaazing friends, I wish I could name you all! Thank you for your love, support and prayers over the years, and for not growing tired of my same ol’ writing updates. And thanks to my girls on the Creative Ladies WhatsApp group for spurring me on. To my lovely former co-workers at Carers UK: Thank you for all your much-needed encouragement and for not yawning when I told you that I spent my weekend writing. Again.
I have to give a shout-out to my girl, Issa Rae. If you ever read this book, I’m a HUGE fan! Thank you for creating your TV show, Insecure. I drew a lot of inspiration from it, especially as there are very few shows centered on Black female friendships. And thank you, Mara Brock Akil. Girlfriends and Being Mary Jane provided massive sources of inspiration. Thank you for being a trailblazer and for telling Black stories. Also, big-up to The Wrap Party and Chuckie Online. Honestly, listening to your podcasts helped me hone Donovan’s voice. You guys cracked me up when I needed a boost.