Epilogue
Miles
“I need bacon cheeseburgers and sweet potato fries all day,” Kat called out, getting the kitchen started for the night. We’d been open for an entire month, but tonight was a special celebration—my grandma’s birthday.
Erick had brought her in a few minutes ago, and we’d planned a menu around her favorite foods.
There was a reason I’d always fallen back on making cheeseburgers and sweet potato fries, and that’s because it’s what I grew up on.
My grandfather always made them for my grandma for special occasions or just to pick her up when she was having a bad day.
It became a food of love between them, and I wanted to keep that memory and feeling alive for her.
Not only that, but we were also celebrating her ninetieth birthday, and I was determined to go all out. She wouldn’t allow me to throw her a party at her house or mine, so I did the next best thing—threw her a party at Miles High.
I grabbed Kat by the waist and tilted her back for a kiss while the kitchen staff bustled around us.
“Get a room,” Anthony teased as he passed by with a few orders.
It was a low-stress night for us, with most of our customers being friends and family here to celebrate my grandma. What I loved the most was that almost every night felt the same.
From the day we’d opened, I’d kept to my promise of helping the community that needed it. At the end of each night, I’d take all the food we couldn’t use and make meals to be delivered to as many people as possible in the homeless camps around us.
I took time getting to know everyone and, on occasion, took Kat with me. We’d met a few people who were looking for help to get back on their feet and offered them jobs at the restaurant, helping out until Erick had room for them at his place.
Darryl lived there permanently and had struck up quite the friendship with Erick. Together, they’d expanded and renovated the house, creating more space to take in more people who needed it. With the extra mouths to feed, Darryl decided to take over as the house chef and did an outstanding job.
I helped finish the plates that were ready to go out and added an extra side of the garlic aioli sauce that my grandma loved so much.
“She’s going to love it,” Kat said, rubbing my back reassuringly. “Now get that tray out there before those plates get cold.”
“So bossy,” I teased, then lifted the tray and carried it to the dining area.
She followed me and smacked my ass when she thought no one was looking.
I set the tray down on the stand she’d grabbed and set up.
My grandma’s eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands excitedly as I set her plate in front of her.
“You remembered,” she whispered, tears flooding her eyes.
I bent and kissed the top of her head.
“How could I forget?”
She wiped her tears away with the backs of her hands and then looked up at me.
“He would be so proud of you.”
I smiled sadly, missing my grandpa more today than usual.
“I wish Pop was here to see this.”
“Me too,” she sighed. “But I meant your dad. He would be proud of you and what you’re doing.”
The tears stung my eyes as I tried to force them away.
“I’m proud of you, too,” Kat whispered, pulling me into her as she hugged my sadness away.
My life wasn’t perfect, but it made me feel good knowing I was doing something to help others. Not only that, I had the most incredible woman in my life, and tonight I was going to ask her to be mine forever.