Epilogue
Sunday morning and the one day of the week he knew that Darren didn’t have to work.
Over the last three months, he had come to count on Sunday as their day together, and Chet was very careful not to make other plans.
He stretched and opened his eyes, only to find the bed empty, which was very unusual.
Darren usually slept in, so something was definitely off.
Chet climbed out of bed and pulled on his robe before opening the door. Pixie, the cockapoo he and Darren adopted a month ago, danced around his legs. He gently picked her up and followed the hum into the kitchen, where Darren was forcing meat through a grinder. “What are you doing?”
Darren smiled. “You were still in bed, and we got some requests for a spicy-type sausage, so I thought I’d experiment with a couple of recipes to see which I like best.” He put more pork though the grinder and then turned it off.
He split the mixture in two and made notes as he went.
“I thought I’d start with the basic sausage.
It has a good flavor. And that’s what I have here. ”
Chet sat down and held Pixie, who nestled into his arms.
“But I’m not sure how to spice it up. I could use cayenne, but… I was thinking of grinding up some peppers and adding them.”
“Sriracha,” Chet offered. “It has heat, but it also had a good flavor. “Maybe mixed with jalapenos. They both have a good flavor, and if you don’t use the seeds from the fresh peppers, they’ll add heat and flavor without creating hot spots.”
“Good idea. I brought home some peppers. I’m just going to need to experiment with them to get a good heat level.
” He went to get the peppers he needed, and Chet left him alone and returned to the bedroom to clean up and dress.
By the time he was done, Darren was stuffing sausage into casings before putting them in the refrigerator.
“I need them to sit and season through,” he added as he started cleaning up.
“How is Henry?” Chet asked.
“He’s doing okay. Margie told me that he’ll be out for the next few weeks.
” It turned out that Henry’s grumpiness was to mask fears that were well-founded, but thanks to his sister’s hounding, he saw the doctor and they caught the adrenal cancer in time.
His treatments were tough, but he was improving.
Meanwhile, Darren had learned a great deal about the butcher shop and had largely been seeing it through while Henry was gone. Chet was so damned proud of him.
Darren still worked a few shifts at The Pub, but a lot of his financial stress had been alleviated with Chet paying part of the house expenses.
So, things were much better on that front.
Chet had also discovered a love of flowers and gardening, so their little house by the sea was surrounded by flowers and local plants.
“I take it we’ll be having sausage for dinner,” Chet said with a smile. “You know I like things spicy.” He tugged Darren into his arms. “Especially you.” He kissed him with enough heat to rival the peppers.
“Chet…,” Darren whispered. “You know we have visitors coming today.”
He rolled his eyes. “Yes. I know.” His father was coming in from New York for a few days, and Chet was more than a little nervous about the whole thing.
He had gone back east twice in the past few months to handle work issues and for meetings that had to be held in person.
Other than that, things had been working out great, especially when his father realized that he could give Chet things to do and they’d often be done when he came in the following morning because of the time difference.
Chet had also been able to meet with West Coast clients in person, and as a result, sales all along the Pacific corridor were climbing.
“He got in last night, and he’s on his way already. He says the GPS has him arriving at noon, so he wants to take us to lunch.”
“How do you know that?”
Darren shrugged. “He has my number. Remember when you fell last month? I looked up the number of the company and called him. I felt he had a right to know you had been hurt. He and I talked a little, and he gave me his direct number.” Darren said that as though it weren’t a huge deal, and yet Chet’s father hardly ever gave out his personal number to anyone.
“Anyway, he messaged me while you were dressing.” He seemed pleased.
“You know what this means…. After this, we’ll have met each other’s families.
I just hope yours is less screwed up than mine. ”
“Yeah… well, don’t count on it,” Chet said with a smile. He may snark about his dad, but he wasn’t all that bad, especially now that Chet was happy, really happy. “He’s staying at the Hill House.”
“Yeah. But I invited him for dinner. I figure he can try my sausages too. Who knows. I also have some non-hot ones in case that’s what he wants.”
Chet drew closer. “Are you sure this is okay?”
Darren grinned. “It’s perfect. Don’t worry.
See, no matter what happens, once he leaves, it will be you and me and Pixie, just like always.
” Darren lifted their little girl, who gave them both kisses.
“Now, let’s go for a walk.” Pixie went nuts.
She loved her walks along the trails at the bluffs.
She chased birds and the small squirrels.
It was her hobby, and she always looked so pleased with herself once she’d scared the other animals away.
Darren always said she was protecting them, and Chet knew exactly how she felt, because he’d do anything for Darren and Pixie… his family.