Page 80 of My Heart Belongs to You

“We have a small but dedicated team of writers. All the new businesses helped revive our culture column. The mayor has a biweekly column where he shares community updates. We usually print the paper during those weeks. Two runs a month isn’t bad at all. I don’t write as much since I’m the one who edits and formats the final draft. Just an FYI, The Gazette runs on sponsorships, so if you’re looking to run any ads, let me know.”

“I definitely will. What are the parameters?”

Khalil opened his phone and pulled up a presentation. I looked at the numbers with wide eyes, not expecting him to be prepared to discuss it today. He shared the click rate and impressions, then compared those findings with metrics from the company being advertised. I made a mental note to talk to Starling more about it.

“In my second year at The Gazette, I took a few marketing courses at Anne Arundel Community College. The chief editor at the time was stuck in his ways. The only methods he liked were the ones implemented over thirty years ago. I decided that if I stayed at the paper, I needed to do what I could to keep it going.”

I rested my chin on my fists, thoroughly intrigued by this story. Khalil and I were mutuals through Summer and regulars at Ray’s. He was laid back but somehow one of the more outspoken of his friend's group. It worked in my favor as he had no problem helping me print menus on such short notice.

Khalil was handsome with an understated style. He almost always wore a shirt with The Roseville Gazette’s logo and a pair of jeans. My gaze swept over the gray sweatshirt with the logo embroidered in black. I knew he was a sneaker head because he always wore a pair of shoes I’d never seen before. Like today, he sported Nikes with the checks facing backwards. His hair was cornrowed and held together by a rubber band, stopping at his shoulders. The round, tortoise frames on his face went well with his brown skin.

“The more I talk to Roseville’s business owners, it affirms my decision to stay.”

Khalil smiled. “There’s no place better to thrive.”

I laughed, familiar with the town’s motto.

“But seriously, everything changed so quickly and I worried the town would lose its charm.”

“No way that's happening.” I shook my head.

“Not when we have people like you who want to join the community and not change it to fit their ideals. You could’ve easily found a print shop in Baltimore to do this, but you didn’t.” He motioned toward my menus that he’d spread across the table. “Us sticking together is how we keep the community strong.”

“I agree. Nadir recommended you to me. I like how everyone looks out for the next person.”

Khalil smiled while adjusting his glasses. “I wouldn’t want it any other way. Anything you need, I’m here. Me and the team will be at the soft opening. We look forward to trying everything on the menu.”

Heat flooded my cheeks from his kind words. The timing was divine. As we neared the opening of my restaurant, I'd worked overtime to remain positive. The problems of yesterday were just that. Everything came together better than I could ever imagine.

“I look forward to hearing your feedback. And don’t forget to try the wine pairings.”

Khalil nodded. “Will do.”

“Thank you for everything,” I said while gathering my menus. “The second payment will be paid by week’s end.”

He waved me off. “Focus on the opening. We’ll square payment later.”

After we returned to Roseville, Khalil went to The Gazette’s headquarters while I headed to B&B. I ran into Opal in the back parking lot as she lugged empty boxes to the recycling bins. Dressed in a pair of black Carhartt pants, utility boots and a white Henley, she was prepared to work. The way her sleeves were rolled to her elbows told me she’d been at it.

“You’re early,” Opal said, taking the stack of menus from me.

“Is that a problem?”

She laughed. “No problem at all. The table chart you ordered arrived and is hanging near the food service counter.”

That had me walking faster as I was eager to see my idea come to life. Music hummed from our speakers and the chatter of the staff filled the air as I walked through the kitchen. I stopped at the service counter and reviewed the table chart I created for the team. The board was a map of our dining room. Each table was numbered with a color-coded key in the corner to indicate servers' names, reservations, allergies, and party number. A smaller, less comprehensive table was also available for our tasting room.

Carmen came up beside me and smiled. “Starling has the same system.”

I nodded. “Yup. I got this idea from him.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Carmen smile. There was something going on between Carmen and my brother. I didn’t care enough to pry, so I texted Raven, knowing she’d stir the pot.

“This is how we communicate between the front and back of house without disrupting the flow. We know who will work in what sections; the order number will go onto the table. During opening hours, Gia’s main task is to keep this updated.”

“I like it,” Carmen. “Not totally like Starling’s, which I like. His system was too detailed.”

“Starling got this from Reneé,” Opal corrected Carmen then continued, “Before her parents opened their first restaurant, she was a general manager at Château Lumière. At the time, they were hoping to obtain Michelin star status. There were rumors of an inspector visiting restaurants in the area. She had less than a year to turn things around.”