Page 1 of My Heart Belongs to You

PROLOGUE

Sometimes your only available transportation is a leap of faith.

I smiled at the quote written on the pink sticky note in front of me. Adrienne had a thing for motivational quotes. Every time I visited her truck, I read the words, hoping to reignite the fire I once possessed. The thing about taking a leap of faith was that you needed courage, tenacity, and gumption to do so. Unfortunately for me, I was running low on all three.

Shaking away those thoughts, I looked over my shoulder at Adrienne. She sang along to Bad Bunny’s “Me Porta Bonito,” using a spatula as her microphone.

“Ayyy,” I cheered as Adrienne did the Bomba. She swung her hips while lifting her invisible skirt to the beat.

“Come on,” she pleaded, then pointed the spatula toward me just in time for the chorus. We sounded terrible, but I couldn’t deny the fun I was having. When the next verse started, she resumed singing lead. I swayed my hips while wiping down the chef’s station. After weeks of laying low, I decided to support my friend at her first event. I’d missed the fast-paced nature of the kitchen, especially during a rush. Tonight’s event was nonstop action as patrons rushed to the window to order Adrienne’s delicious tacos.

“Thanks for helping us tonight,” she said once the song ended.

“It’s nothing.” I waved her off before putting my cleaning supplies away.

It was a pleasure helping her. Witnessing her success was inspiring. I looked at the quote again, noting how taking a leap of faith led my friend to a successful business. Adrienne had opened Taco Dreams three years ago and experienced many hardships. There was a point when she considered shutting her business down to find more consistent work. Instead of giving up, she pivoted and opened a food truck. She persisted, and tonight was the culmination of years of hard work.

“Are you driving home tonight?” she asked, cleaning the flattop.

I shook my head. “I was hoping to stay with you.”

“In that case, we can have a drink,” she said while reaching into the overhead cabinet. After pouring rum and mango nectar into plastic cups, she handed one to me.

“How does it feel?” I asked her.

Adrienne’s eyes glimmered with pride. “Amazing. I can’t believe we sold out of everything except one item. It’s been months since I had a sold-out menu.”

I stared at my friend in awe. Adrienne was such a beauty. Rich brown skin with freckles the color of chocolate chips decorated her cheekbones. A gold hoop adorned her round nose. Her usually wild auburn-colored curls were in two braids and covered with a red scarf that matched her lipstick.

“Here’s to many more events and sold-out menus.”

Adrienne beamed. “Cheers to that.”

We finished cleaning, then I followed Adrienne to the chef station she rented at a local ghost kitchen, where she stored her items and parked her truck. Afterward, we went to her house in Landover, just outside of D.C.

An hour later, I fell onto Adrienne’s day bed and commenced my nightly social media binge.

The last thing I needed to do was waste my time doomscrolling. However, it was a hell of a lot better than wondering what Terrance was doing. Just as soon as the thought crossed my mind, I tapped the search icon and typed out his handle.

“I shouldn’t be checkin’ on him,” I murmured while quickly backspacing.

As I alternated between funny videos and cooking tutorials, I thought about the last six months of my life.

I’d been dumped and failed my sommelier exam, which led to me pushing back the opening of my restaurant, sending me into a bout of depression. My food blog hadn’t been updated in weeks because I didn’t have the desire to create content. Posturing in front of lights and cameras had become a feat. I was tired of faking happiness, and more than that, I was tired of thinking, “What if?”

What if I hadn’t pushed Terrance to propose?

What if I hadn’t failed my exam?

What if I never left San Francisco and accepted the head chef position at my parents’ restaurant?

My life was nothing like I planned. After six years what did I have to show for my move to Maryland? My sister and I were closer than ever, but she was getting married. We were already struggling to keep up with weekly outings. Just when I thought I was over the events of last year, I fell down the proverbial rabbit hole of regret. Rolling onto my side, I pushed out a sigh. Things hadn’t gotten easier, like everyone assured. My loved ones were so certain that time would heal my wounds. It seemed time had only left me with more questions.

Finding myself back on the home screen, I noticed Ray’s had updated their stories tonight. Summer mentioned amping up their social media presence since renovating the lounge. For the past month, they’d been consistent with sharing footage from open mic night, grown folks' night, and Sunday brunches.

As I clicked through these updates, I couldn’t help but smile. I was beyond proud of my best friend, Nadir, for the success of his business this year. After liking their most recent posts, I put my phone down and closed my eyes. My mind whirred as I mentally ran down my to-do list.

Once I returned home, I had to email local farms for possible partnerships, reapply for the sommelier exam, confirm my dress fitting for my sister’s wedding, and visit my restaurant. I’d avoided the place for weeks. Renovations were put on pause and so had the hiring process. I hoped to open the restaurant after becoming a master sommelier. It only made sense to have proper credentialing when opening a wine bar. My parents weren't too happy since they'd given me seed money and resources to help open my first restaurant. They wished I’d come to them first, but I couldn’t face them. Maybe the decision to pause the opening was rash, but I had a vision, and if it couldn’t be done correctly, I’d rather not do it all.