Page 79 of My Heart Belongs to You

“When I walked into your place, using my key, the realization hit me again. I love everything about you and us. So I’m taking your advice and letting things play out how they’re meant to.”

I beamed, remembering our conversation from last week. Although I wasn’t talking about our situation, the sentiment remained.

“So, you do listen?”

Robyn laughed. “Shut up. You’re like the only person whose advice I take regularly.”

“And why is that?”

“Because you’ve proven to always have my best interest at heart.”

“Always have, always will. I love you and revere our friendship. No matter what happens it’ll always be us.” I took her hand and kissed it.

Robyn smiled. “Always us.”

I kissed her sweetly. Eventually, I got a little carried away when her tongue pushed between my lips. She pressed her hand into my chest.

“I have to meet Khalil in twenty minutes,” she said regretfully.

With a groan, I replied, “You coming back tonight?”

“No. You’ll be at work all night.”

Running my hand over my face, I sighed. “I’ll come to your spot when I get off.”

She bit back a smile. “Okay.”

After Robyn finished eating, she gathered her things to leave. I walked her to the door, feeling a little lighter after our conversation. While I was still unsure about seeing Avery, I decided to wait it out. There were too many things looming over that situation. Even if I chose to see her, Vanessa could rescind the opportunity.

Robyn kissed me, pulling me out of my thoughts. I held her gaze, earning a smile that hit me right in the chest. There was so much more I could say in terms of us, but I learned that patience was paramount to Robyn. In due time, I’d lay it all out for her. For now, I’d enjoy exploring the chemistry between us.

CHAPTER

SEVENTEEN

Iswallowed the lump in my throat while blinking repeatedly, hoping Khalil wouldn’t see my misty eyes. The menu for my soft opening was gorgeous. The fanciful font I selected captured the essence of Brie & Bordeaux. Starling was not happy when I sent him the menu mockup. He preferred clean, boring, serif fonts with no character. I couldn’t wait to send him a picture to prove him wrong. I smiled while scanning the selections. For the soft opening, we created a condensed version of the menu to include the dishes I hoped would become favorites.

Seeing what started as an assortment of sticky notes and ideas in pocket-sized notebooks materialized, I bit my lip thinking of the recipes I worked years to perfect and the other offerings I spent months ruminating over. I poured my heart into this restaurant, and to see it coming together piece by piece was surreal.

“When I held my first copy of The Gazette, I cried too,” Khalil said with an earnest smile.

I patted my face, realizing tears were streaming down my cheeks. “It's been a long journey.”

Khalil’s eyebrows wrinkled. “I’m sure. It's not easy building something from the ground up. Setbacks, self-doubt, failures, long nights; I'm familiar with it all.”

“Got any advice for me?”

He chuckled, then retrieved the rest of the menus from the printer. The machine was way bigger than I expected. It whirred and hummed while pushing out one hundred copies of my menu. The glossy, cream-colored cardstock glistened under the white lights. I looked at the copy in my hand in awe.

“Don’t be afraid to pivot.”

I nodded. “Is that why you have a second workspace?”

This morning, I met Khalil at his office just off Main Street then he drove us to Hanover, a town near Baltimore Washington International Airport, where he had an industrial space. Inside his suite were two offices, a room storing the printers and a room with a conference table and a wet bar.

“Yup. When print media transitioned to digital, I knew I needed to find a new consistent stream of revenue.” He waved for me to follow him as he tucked my menus under his arm. We left the print room and went to the coworking space. “When the city announced their small business grants, I knew I’d use the money to open a print shop. A few times a week, I print bulk orders and make enough to cover rent and other expenses. If it gets too busy, I enlist volunteers from Roseville High.”

“How do you make time for this and the paper?”