Epilogue
ETHAN
It had been three months since we opened the shop. We, not me. It hadn’t been a solo venture. Even that first day, when I’d made the decision to turn down the offer to purchase, I hadn’t been alone. There were traces of Rand everywhere, giving me the strength to move forward even when he was gone.
But it wasn’t only Rand. Kyle had been with me through the brunt of it, and now there was Jaymes and Morgan, too. It was definitely a group effort, and it had been paying off. We had regulars, and business was so good I’d had to hire a few new part-timers.
I recently saw a report on the local news that coffee shops were the most likely new businesses to fail.
I wasn’t sure how true that was, but they said the reason was that once people had their favorites, they didn’t branch out.
I was so glad I hadn’t seen that before I opened and was doubly glad that it hadn’t been the case for us.
I rolled over, forgetting for a moment that this wasn’t one of the nights Kyle stayed, and looked at his empty pillow.
We spent probably half the week together.
It wasn’t ideal, but for now, it was working.
I planned to ask for more, I just wanted the perfect time to do so, and I hadn’t figured out what that was yet.
Despite seeing him every day and sleeping with him multiple nights a week, I still missed him on mornings like these. On days he stayed, by now I’d be smelling the pot of coffee he put on and listening to the quiet whir of his chest pump. There was a comfort in that sound.
After hitting snooze once, I got ready and went downstairs.
The sun wasn’t up yet, We opened before most people went to work. I never understood the coffee shops that didn’t unlock their doors till 10 in the morning. I had a feeling that had more to do with the shops around here not making it than anything else.
The majority of our original regulars were teachers, thanks to Daddy. Kyle, my biggest fan, carried a shop-themed coffee travel mug with him everywhere he went and made sure to tell people how wonderful the coffee was. It was sweet.
Most recently, we’d been featured in a viral video about our lavender latte.
The latte wasn’t that special. At least I didn’t think it was.
It was, however, special to me because it reminded me of my grandmother, who put lavender in her coffee.
Somehow now, it was the next big thing, and it kept us busy.
I double-checked the counter to make sure it had been stocked up correctly the night before. My eyes looked up to see the framed note above the espresso machine, the one that read: The dream is becoming a reality. We’ve got this, baby.
I did, not by myself, but with the help of others. I read the note every morning and any time we had a customer that was a tad extra.
When people asked the story, I gave the brief version.
At first, I wanted to tuck it away so most customers wouldn’t see it, but then Morgan asked about it, and Kyle told him, “This note is a reminder that even when our loved ones are no longer with us, they’re never truly gone.
They’ve still got our backs.” And if he was okay with everyone seeing it, I’d be damned if I’d hide it.
I started up the machine and went out back to let Jaymes in and wait for the pastries. It was routine, and there was comfort in that. But my favorite part of all was when Kyle showed up. He always spent the first half-hour we were open here, whether he was coming from upstairs or from his place.
Right on time, he came in with his empty travel mug and a little cooler that I didn’t even need to look inside to know was carrying my breakfast and lunch.
Daddy didn’t trust me to remember to make my own.
Which was honestly, pretty fair. If it weren’t for him, I’d be living on the pastries we had delivered here and losing money hand over fist because of it.
“Is this for me?”
“Mm-hmm,” he held out the cooler, “of course.” He turned his cheek, waiting for my morning payment. I kissed him and whispered close to his ear, “Thank you, Daddy.”
“Some of it should probably go in the fridge.” He got me curious.
When I opened it up, there was a jar of milk, which wasn’t surprising, but also my favorite yogurt, the one homemade from a small grocer a few blocks from here. “You got it for me!”
“Can’t have you going hungry. There’s also a sandwich in there for you, toppings for your yogurt, and a few snacks.”
“Is there a sweet little treat?”
“You’ll get your sweet little treat when I get back.
” He looked quickly to make sure there weren’t any customers that might not like our open affection and gave me a quick kiss.
He never hid who he was, but he respected that in a place of business, the owner smooching his boyfriend wasn’t always the best look.
I brought the cooler to the back. When I came out, our regulars had already started arriving.
Technically, we still didn’t open for fifteen more minutes, but I never kept anyone out, not when we were ready.
I usually had the door open a half-hour early, just in case. I knew that some people were in a rush.
I filled Daddy’s travel mug, and he went to the table that he always sat at while watching as we filled order after order.
Among the regulars today was Joel, one of Daddy’s clients. He was there with his wife and baby, who was getting quite big. At one time, Joel had needed Daddy’s milk. His baby hadn't been thriving, and his wife was having a very rough recovery. You’d never guess that now by looking at them.
It wasn’t until Joel mentioned it to me in passing one day that I discovered that Kyle had refused to take a penny from the sweet family. How on-brand was that for my Daddy?
We got a mini rush before Morgan arrived for their shift, and Kyle jumped behind the counter to help.
Rand would’ve loved this community we were building here, seeing that I’d found someone who would jump into action when I needed them, seeing that my silly little idea for a lavender latte had taken off.
“I need to go, sweetheart.”
I stepped out of the way for Morgan to take over my spot at the counter now that they were here and walked my Daddy out.
“Thanks for coming.”
“Like I could stay away.” He gave my hand a squeeze.
“About that...” I reached in my pocket and pulled out the key I had made for him, the one I’d been waiting for the perfect time to give him.
It was symbolic more than anything. He could already get in. There was a code out back, and I never locked our personal quarters when the shop was closed. I thought of a hundred different romantic ways to do this over the past month since I had it made. I used none of those and just kept it simple.
“This is for you.” I held it up.
“A key?”
“Yeah, to the apartment. I thought maybe it would be nice if you didn’t have to come from your place in the morning anymore.”
“Is my sweet boy asking me to move in with him?”
“Yes, Daddy. What do you think?”
“I’d love nothing more.” His phone went off in his pocket, letting him know he was going to be late if he didn’t get going. “I need to head out, but I’ll be home,” he accentuated the word, “after work.”
“Well, I’ll be waiting at home for you.”
He gave me a quick kiss and walked to his car. When I turned back to go in, I realized I hadn’t changed the sign yet from “Not Yet Open” to “Open.”
Morgan suggested I get a new sign, one that just said “Open” and “Closed,” but I didn’t want that.
I wanted this one, because if it weren’t for this sign, none of this would have happened.
Kyle would’ve just walked on by and not looked back.
As much as he insisted I could have done this on my own, I couldn’t have done it this well.
Back inside, I flipped the sign and waved as Daddy’s car drove by. This was it. It was official. I was living my Grand Grind Dreams.