26. Epilogue
Dara
Six months later…
“Service,” I call out after putting two perfectly presented plates on the pass.
Beth beams a smile at me and grabs them, spinning on her heels and hurrying off to the waiting customers.
Yes, I stole her from Joe’s Diner. And no, I don’t care. Besides, I know she’s far happier working for me, even with the hour-and-a-half commute to and from Riverdale.
Dara’s has now been open and fully functional for about two months. My restaurant is not right in the heart of the city, but as word has spread, the restaurant’s location doesn’t seem to matter because bookings are getting fuller by the day.
I have my suspicions that Alex has a lot to do with that. Apart from telling all his clients about the restaurant, he has also hired a social media marketer who works relentlessly to put me on the map.
John is great at what he does and is usually in here at least twice a week, filming content to put up on all the usual socials. And so, Dara’s is off to a flying start.
I have two sous chefs I’m training up. Both fresh out of culinary school and both eager to learn. And while it’s all been a lot of hard work, what with learning about stock, orders, health regulations, and everything else that goes with running a restaurant, I couldn’t be happier.
Of course, it’s not just the fact that I now have and am running my own business that has me so delighted. Over the last six months, things have gone from great to fantastic.
Alex asked me to move in two months ago, something I think he sometimes regrets since I’ve revamped his apartment. It no longer looks like a showhouse and now has soft elements of a woman’s touch. Nothing drastic, just an ornament here, a plant there, and of course, a whole wall of shelves displaying my crazy teapots.
“One of these days, I’m going to come home and think I’ve walked into the wrong apartment,” he said a couple of weeks ago.
“And then you’ll see me,” I countered, “and know that you haven’t.”
Mark came to visit us last week. He and Alex got together shortly after I came to see Alex that night, and putting their male egos aside, they both apologized, and things swiftly got back to normal, thank goodness.
It would likely have never happened, but I would never want to be the catalyst that caused a rift between them. They’re my two favorite men. Both as protective over me as the other, though Mark has taken a step back now that Alex is by my side.
For the longest time, I found Mark’s behavior overbearing. But I’ve come to realize that he only ever did what he did because he loved me, and in that, I should count myself lucky. I’m his little sister, if only by a few years, and I don’t think there’ll ever be a time when he won’t be there if I need him. I’ve learned to be grateful for that.
The day flies by, and as night falls and the last customers leave, the staff and I spend another hour cleaning the kitchen. My days are long, but I don’t care. I get such a sense of fulfillment every day I come to work.
It’s taken years to reach my goal, but here I am, and as we finally close up and bid each other goodnight, I still have a smile on my face. An exhausted smile, but a smile all the same.
Tomorrow is Monday, and until I get more staff trained up, I’ve decided it’s the only day we don’t open. I need at least one day’s rest, and climbing into my car, I can tell you, I’m truly looking forward to it. The wonderful thing is, Alex has rearranged his surgeries so we get to spend at least one day of the week together.
The next morning, Alex finds me in the kitchen, leaning over the island, perusing the newspaper.
“Morning,” he says, brushing by me and kissing my cheek on his way to the coffee machine.
“Morning,” I say, smiling as I follow his pajama-clad bottom across the kitchen.
“So, what’re our plans today?” he says, waiting for the coffee machine to fill his cup. “A museum? A stroll? Going out for lunch?”
I sigh. “Or we could just stay in and lounge all day.”
“How about a compromise? We lounge all morning, and then I take you out for a late lunch.”
“Deal,” I say, turning the page and looking back down at the paper.
My eyes fly wide at an article that pops out at me, and I gasp as I scan the words.
“What?” he says, sauntering over to me.
“Opulento has been closed on a health violation,” I exclaim.
Alex comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, and I begin reading the article out loud.
“There was a major blow to three-star Michelin chef Dino Cabrini’s restaurant this week after health concerns were brought to the USDA’s attention. Mr. Cabrini was forced to close the restaurant for a month while the USDA continues its investigation.”
“Holy cow,” I gasp. “I can’t believe it.”
“How terrible for him,” Alex says sarcastically. “And perhaps, had a customer not found a cockroach in their dinner, none of that would have happened.”
I can hear the smile in his voice, and suddenly, I push myself from leaning on the island and spin around to look at him. He’s gazing at me with obvious delight, while grinning from ear to ear.
“No!” I gasp, flinging a hand to my mouth.
Alex lifts his eyebrows and shrugs. “Karma always gets you in the end.”
“But this wasn’t karma,” I cry.
“Maybe karma needed a little help this time,” he says with a smirk.
I laugh then because I know he did it for me. Since I told him the story of what Dino did to me, I know it’s been irking him. On a few occasions, he’s mentioned going to the restaurant and having a word with the man, but I’ve always put him off.
Yes, I was utterly devastated that he stole my signature dish, but I have a wonderfully creative mind and have since come up with another one that’s just as good. Besides, it’s not worth it. I don’t want Alex caught up in some scandal over something so trivial. He has his own reputation to worry about.
“You didn’t need to do that,” I say, secretly delighted that he’s done something so drastic just for little old me.
“I did. The man deserves to pay for what he did. Besides, it’s only caused him a minor inconvenience, and no doubt, he won’t learn any lessons from it. But still. He made you suffer, Dara. Not just by stealing your property, but by forcing you to leave.”
“I didn’t have to leave.”
He gives me a look. “We both know you couldn’t have stayed.”
“True. But if I hadn’t left, then we wouldn’t be where we are now.”
“Standing in this kitchen?” he says, pretending to look confused as he looks around.
I roll my eyes and throw my arms around his neck. “Thank you. I adore you, you know.”
He slips his arms around my waist and gazes lovingly down at me. “And I adore you back.” He drops a tender kiss on my nose.
After we’ve enjoyed a chilled-out morning together, we both get showered and get ready to go for lunch.
“I thought we could go for a drive first,” Alex says, opening the car door for me once we get down to the private underground parking.
“Sure. Where did you have in mind?”
“Let’s see where the road takes us.”
But after an hour of driving, I know exactly where the road is taking us, and I smile over to him. “We’re going to Riverdale?”
“I thought we could visit an old friend.”
“Who?” I ask, now more than curious.
He flashes me a grin. “You’ll see.”
For the next half an hour, I throw names at him, including Mark, Astrid, and Mrs. Casey, but Alex doesn’t flinch and refuses to give anything away. My mind starts working overtime.
Maybe Mom and Dad are back!
But I know that’s not true. There’s no way they wouldn’t have told me. And Mark wouldn’t keep something like that from me either.
So, who is this old friend then?
We travel through Riverdale and head out of the town again. As we continue on, I realize we’re heading in the direction of Alex’s house.
“Is that it? Is the old friend your house?”
Alex laughs. “It has been a while since I’ve seen her.”
“Really?” I cry. “Here I am, racking my head trying to figure out who were coming to see, and all this time it’s been your house?”
Alex continues to laugh, and I’m still shaking my head when he pulls up outside it.
The house has been in some discussions between us recently, mainly because Alex wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with it now. He was toying with the idea of selling it and using the money for Mom and Dad’s charity, but then he also mentioned how attached to it he’d become.
As we climb the steps to the porch, Alex digs out the key and unlocks the front door. Holding it open for me, I step inside.
“It feels like forever since we were last here,” I sigh, looking around the place.
“It does,” he agrees, walking past me and taking hold of my hand. He pulls me into the living room and turns to me. “But there’s a reason I’ve brought you here.”
I frown and then gasp as he drops to one knee. A second later, he produces a small, velvet-covered box, and popping it open, a dazzling diamond ring sparkles up at me.
“It all started here, Dara. For me, this house holds only memories of me and you. So, I figure this is the best place to make our next memory.” Doubt then flashes across his face. “A good one, I hope.”
A nervous laugh bursts from my throat because I know my answer before he’s even asked the question.
“Will you, Dara Gilbert, please accept my invitation to marry me?”
“Yes,” I squeal. “Yes. Yes.”
I’m nearly jumping up and down on the spot, and with a huge smile, Alex stands up and towers over me. Taking my left hand, he slips the ring onto my finger, and then cupping my cheeks in his hand, he lowers his lips to mine.
I really want the fireworks this time. But his kiss is enough. All the explosions are happening inside my heart. Huge, great big explosions of delight and excitement. I know somewhere in the future there’ll be days even better than this, but right now, I’m going to cherish this one as the happiest so far.