Page 20 of My Heart Belongs to You

He closed the door before saying, “Boss man, I need your help with canceling a drink order.”

“What happened?” Nadir asked, his voice laced with exasperation.

“I spilled the drink on the table and had to get a new one. I would’ve asked Sunny, but she left not too long ago,” he said, glancing at me then back to Nadir.

“Aight, man. I’m coming.” Keith nodded then left the room. “It’s always something with him,” Nadir groused as he stood from his perch on the desk.

“Call me later,” I told him. “You have a lounge to run.”

He walked over and hugged me once more. After dropping a quick kiss onto my forehead, he smiled at me.

“Wait up for me.”

“I will.” I returned a smile before following him out of the office back to the bar.

Patrons occupied the small dance floor in front of the stage as they moved to DJ Love’s mix. I glanced at the bar, hoping to catch Kenya’s attention. She looked up from making a drink and waved for me to come over. I leaned over the bar and pressed my cheek against her cheek.

“Hey, girlie,” she greeted me. “I’ve been missing my lemon drop girl.”

I laughed. “I had to trade in my lemon drops for bottles of merlot.”

She continued making what looked like The Roseville, a mix of freshly muddled strawberries, simple syrup, vodka, rose water, and a splash of lemon juice.

“Well, I’m glad you took a night off. You look cute. Tryna pick up a new boo tonight?”

Shaking my head, I replied, “Hell no. It’s just me and my sisters tonight.”

Kenya poured the pink drink into a martini glass and garnished it with a strawberry slice and a thyme leaf. After handing it to a woman at the opposite end of the bar, she came back over to me. Like Nadir, Kenya was dressed in all black. Her Ray’s shirt was cropped, exposing the diamond belly ring that glimmered against her coffee brown skin. Kenya was beautiful and had a natural sensual energy about her. Her bubbly personality and bartending skills made her a favorite around here.

“Girl, it’s been a crazy night.” She wiped beads of sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.

“I see. I heard Nadir liked the drink menu.”

She smiled. “Yes, he did! I can’t thank you enough for connecting me with Starling. He’s got me interested in mixology now.”

My brother Starling was like a master mixologist. The passion I had for wine was the way he felt about spirits. He stayed abreast with all the trends, releases, and history of alcohol. When Kenya expressed her desire to change the drink menu, I gave her my brother’s contact information, hoping he could help.

Starling was the busiest out of all of us. He managed my parents' restaurant in San Francisco and the one they recently opened in Chicago. I didn’t make any promises to Kenya when I offered his help, but I was happy to hear it all worked out.

“Yeah, he helped with my cocktail menu too. I wish he leaned more into it, but you know.” I shrugged. “He likes working closely with our parents.”

My mom would never admit it, but Starling was her favorite. Raven and I knew she had a soft spot for him because he was the only boy. We didn’t have a problem with it because my dad favored us just the same.

Kenya laughed. “Can’t blame him. After googling your parents, I see why he works with them. They’re royalty in the culinary community. I saw they have a new reality show, are you a part of it?”

“Nope. I want no parts of reality television,” I said with a laugh.

Carlos and Renee: Culinary Royalty would strictly follow my parents’ day-to-day lives as they managed their restaurants, made time for their marriage, and juggled their many business ventures. Raven and I weren't expected to be on the show since we lived in Maryland. I was sure Starling would make an appearance or two though.

“Girl, I feel you. Let me help Peyton with these orders. I’ll see you later.”

I waved bye and made my way back to the patio. From across the room, I saw Nadir charming a table of patrons. His smile was warm and welcoming as he spoke, but I knew deep down he wasn’t okay. As badly as I wanted to pull him back to his office and finish our conversation, I knew it was an irrational thought.

Pushing out a breath, I shook away thoughts of Nadir’s problems. Tonight wasn’t about him or anyone else, it was all about my desire to not think about the restaurant, my upcoming exam, or anything negative. I made my way back to my table and resumed enjoying my night out.

CHAPTER

FOUR