by Tena Stetler
He took the bag, unzipped it, and peered inside. “Yep, razor, shave cream, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, and aftershave. I’m set. Thanks.” Taking a couple long strides, he lurched to a stop. “You don’t mind if I use your bathroom?”
“Of course not. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have offered your bag.” She bit her lip having said too much.
“I thought you hadn’t had a chance to return it to me?”
“Oh…that too.” Grinning, she felt the heat rise in her cheeks. Pivoting around, she bent to pick up the bigger mug pieces, dropped them in the trash, then grabbed the broom. She swept the shards of glass into a dust pan. After dumping them into the kitchen rubbish bin, she washed her hands and poured another cup of tea. Wrapping her hands around the warm mug, she waited.
Steam whooshed out of the bathroom as Gavin opened the door wide. “Thanks.” He winked, grabbed her mug, and took a swig. “I’ll be on my way. See you around noon.”
“Yep.” Shoulder resting on the door jam, she watched him sprint down the path and wished the warning bells would stop going off in her head. There hadn’t been any visible signs of danger for months, even as she wandered alone on the beach at twilight last night. So why the constant flight or fight response welling up in her? Was something coming? She gave herself a shake and backed into the room. “Nonsense.” The word echoed in the empty area and she closed the door.
A half smile turned the corner of her mouth. He was right. She couldn’t haul off and slug a customer on her first day on the job. Standing in her closet, she sorted through her clothes. She slipped into a teal blouse and tugged on snug black jeans. Ignoring a pair of black leather over the knee boots, she toed on a pair of black comfortable shoes and opened her small wooden jewelry box. It was one of a few possessions she’d been able to secret away. A pair of onyx and silver drop earrings glittered under the lighting. She fingered the matching bracelet, then encircled it around her wrist. Her mother had given the jewelry to her for a birthday years ago. Somehow, it seemed right to wear them for the first time today.
Arranging her hair in one long braid, she flipped it over her shoulder, added lipstick, a touch of eye makeup, and glanced in the mirror smiling. It’s now or never. Two of her warm coats hung on the pegs next to the door. She grabbed the heaviest one and bolted out the door, closing and locking it behind her. The walk to the pub cleared her head and left her with a surprising discovery. She was actually looking forward to working there. Mary and Tim had been supportive when Brandy had thrown that conniption fit and when Gavin announced she’d be staying in Ireland.
When she reached Shaughnessy’s, she paused. Should she use the front door or the back? Gavin’s car was parked in the lot along with only a couple others. Surmising the pub was closed, she ambled to the back door and pulled it open. Her senses were assaulted by the most delicious aroma, and warmth flooded around her.
“Hey Synn, we’re about to send someone to find you. Figured you’d chickened out,” Gavin teased.
“We were not,” Mary said bustling over to give her a hug as he took her coat. “Hurry, lass, we’ve got to get the specials cooked.”
“What are we making?” she asked.
“Tonight’s specials are colcannon with corned beef brisket, shepherd’s pie, and salmon with whiskey cream sauce. Soda bread and the brown bread are about ready to come out of the oven. Grab a mitt and take ’em out.”
“Smells wonderful.” She donned oven mitts and scooted over to the stove. He hovered a few feet behind her. A quick glance at his sly grin made her wonder what he was up to.
“Gavin Amos Shaughnessy. Don’t you dare take off with one of those loaves.” Mary grabbed him by the shirt sleeve and laughed. “Yours are in the warmer. I made extra. Now shoo. Your da needs you behind the bar to stock the shelves. He said something about the distributor shorted him the good stuff.”
She set the bread on the counter watching Mary hustle around the kitchen. It seemed like Mary was everywhere all the time. A couple of hours passed as she fetched ingredients, washed dishes, and followed Mary’s instructions. Surprised, she actually enjoyed mixing the ingredients and inhaling the delicious aromas as she created the dishes from the recipes Mary handed her. When she had finished, Mary taste tested the dishes that she’d prepared.
“Wow, you are a natural.” Mary smiled and got out a clean spoon and offered her a bite of salmon with whiskey cream sauce. She started to wave Mary off, but the tantalizing scent had her reaching for the spoon and tasting it. “Mmm…this is really good.” The approach of quick footsteps had her whirling around as she dropped the spoon in the sink.
The kitchen door swung open. Bridget rushed in, tugging at the apron ties behind her back. “Time to open. You’re with me.”
She brushed her hands together over the sink, took off her flour smudged apron, then washed her hands thoroughly. “What do you want me to do?”
“Take orders of course.” Bridgett snickered. She handed her an order pad, pen, and a list of items and prices. “I was going to have you follow me for an hour or so, but Callie called in sick, so it’s just you and me tonight.”
“You can’t expect her to…” Mary started to untie her apron.” I’ll help you.”
“No…you’ve got your hands full. Let her try. Best way to learn this job is on your feet.” Bridget winked at her. “Take the order down. Everything is on the list. You can price it at the bar. If it’s for food, walk into the kitchen. Mary or I will help you.” She caught the little black apron Bridget tossed her way.
She slowly put it on and tied it in the back, slipping the pad and pen in one pocket, and the price list in the other as she’d seen Bridget do.
Bridget gave her a quick pat on the back and shoved her out the swinging door. “You’ll do fine.”
Gavin caught the door and held it open. “If you need anything, I’ll…” He stopped mid-sentence at the glare his mom gave him and Bridget’s finger waggle in front of his face.
She raised her hand to her mouth to hide a snicker, then waved him off. “I can handle it.” I hope. How hard can it be?
Pasting a smile on her face, she pushed through the door into the main pub area. Several customers were seated at the bar and more trickled in. Gavin finished stocking the shelves while taking orders and building pints. All the while, he chatted with customers and gave others a hard time. How could he do everything at once? She watched for a second more before Bridget came up behind her. “He’s been doing this all his life. Born to it.”
She sucked in a breath and sauntered up to the first table. “What can I get you?”
At the table sat two burley men laughing and joking with an older man. In a loud rough voice, the younger of the two men said, “Lass, pints all around. We’ll have the salmon too. Got any pan boxty?”
She paused for a moment. “I’ll check.” She hurried over to Gavin at the bar. “Do we have pan boxty?”
“Always.”
When she returned to the table the older man grinned. “You’re new here. I’m Burt. These are my two son’s Ian and Patrick.”
Inclining her head, she smiled. “Nice to meet you. Yes, I’m new, and we do have pan boxty.”
“We’ll have the pan boxty and bread comes with it. Right?”
Scribbling fast on her pad, Synn stopped. “That’s three orders of salmon with pan boxty and I’ll have to check…” She bit her bottom lip and glanced around.
Bridget slipped up behind her and shot the guys a warning glance. “Of course it does. You know that. Now quit giving Synn a hard time,” Bridget scolded, yanking a towel from her apron and flipping it at the youngest.
“Her name is—” Burt paused a sly grin turned up a corner of his mouth. “Synn?”
“Yes. And any bad behavior from any of you and I’ll tell Maggie. Understood?” Bridget raised an eyebrow then patted Burt on the shoulder.
“Yes, ma’am,” the men said simultaneously.
She again read back the order, and the thr
ee men nodded. She smiled and hurried to the kitchen. Once the door swung shut, she handed the order to Mary with a shaking hand. Straightening her shoulders, she pushed though the swinging doors and into the main pub. Bridget was behind the bar pulling pints beside Gavin. There was no way she was going to try that. So she leaned on the bar close to Gavin and said hesitantly, “I need three pints.”
He winked at her. “Be with you in a moment.” He reached under the bar and slid a round tray in front of her.
Bridget finished her pints. “Go ahead and take a couple more orders, by then we’ll have your pints. Mary will call your name when the order’s ready. Looks like we are going to be slammed tonight.” She jerked her chin toward main room and glanced at Gavin. “When is Katie coming in?”
“She should be here by now.” A cold breeze blew through the pub as the door burst open. A short plump woman with bright blue eyes and auburn hair cut in a bob rushed in
“Sorry I’m late. Sean was late getting home. Had to feed the kids. Lord knows I can’t leave that task to my ol’ man.” She waved a hand dismissively. “We’ll get into a routine now that I’m workin’ again.” Grabbing an apron, she tied it on and grinned at her. “Who’s the new girl?”
“That’s Synn. She’s a friend of the Shaughnessys.” Bridget motioned toward the shorter woman. “This is Katie. She fills in for us during the busy season.”
“Nice to meet you,” Katie said shifting her gaze from Synn to Gavin who was staring intently at them. Katie laughed. “I see.”
“It’s not like that.” Bridget snorted. “Now go on with ya.”
There wasn’t an empty seat in the place when she turned around to survey the crowd. Where had all the people come from while she’d been in the kitchen? Making her way through the crowd, she took orders from the people seated in the booths on the far wall. “Need twelve more pints,” she said in passing on her way to the kitchen.
“Your first order’s up.” Mary pointed to the tray on the counter and returned her attention to the stove where sauces simmered and Tim flipped the sizzling pan boxty.
She picked up the order, bumped the kitchen door open with her backside, and carried the meals to Burt and his sons. The pints were ready when she returned to the bar. Picking up the tray, she served them to the men. Weaving her way past a group seated near the bar, a thin woman stood at the end of the table. She laughed at something her companions said. The sound was so engaging that Synn smiled. Not a bad way to make a living. The night passed quickly. Most of the patrons wanted to converse with her after she’d taken their orders, slowing her down. Bridget and Katie teased and talked to the customers while taking orders and delivering pints much faster.
As the door closed behind the last customer, Gavin locked the door, and the staff gathered around the bar. She plopped onto a stool, kicked her shoes off, and leaned her arms on the bar. Her feet hurt from being on them all night. Her arms hurt from carrying the large trays, but she’d not spilled a meal or drink all night. She smiled to herself. Not bad for my first time. A little slow.
Bridget sidled up behind her and patted her on the back. “Great job. You sure you’ve never waitressed before?”
She shook her head. “I was a lot slower than you or Katie.”
Bridget snorted a laugh. “That’s because the customers wanted to listen to you talk. So they asked all kinds of questions to hear that yank accent sprinkled with the soft southern drawl of yours.”
Katie snickered.
The heat rose in her cheeks. She’d picked up the drawl to blend in when she’d been on assignment in Kentucky for Baltizar. When she was nervous it seemed to surface making her stand out in this crowd. “Oh. I noticed you didn’t stop and talk as much as I did.”
“Of course not. No one wanted to listen to me or Katie talk.” She cackled.
Gavin glared at the two women. Tim slapped him on the back. “Leave ’em be.”
“Hey Brig, we still going shopping next week on your day off? If we give them enough notice, Colleen and Gale may still be able to join us.” Katie glanced over her shoulder to a thin woman with wire rimmed glasses, reddish brown hair waiting by the door.
Following her gaze, she recognized the woman as the one she’d passed by earlier with an infectious laugh.
“Planning on it. Colleen’s your ride home tonight. Right?”
Katie nodded. “Sean kept the car. I’ll ring Gale too. She’d like to join us, since she missed the last one. Sick as a dog she was.”
“Great. I’ll check back with you when I get my schedule. We’ll make a day of it. I’ll pick everyone up bright and early.” Bridget paused for a beat and turned to Synn. “Hey, wanna come along?” Bridget pointed the Synn’s stocking feet. “You need some different shoes and layered clothes if you’re going to stick around.”
“Oh…I don’t want to intrude on your—”
“Don’t be silly. The more the merrier.” Katie leaned over and whispered, “We’re going to visit the lingerie shop. The one Bridget spends all her tips at in order to entertain her man.”
“I heard that.” Bridget giggled. “Quinn has nothing to do with it. I like soft things next to—”
“That’s a different tune than last week—you like it hard.” Katie leaned back on her stool laughing outrageously and nearly toppled over.
“I know several tunes, and it depends what we are…” Bridget shot back.
“That’s enough ladies.” Tim interrupted chuckling as his cheeks blushed. “Go on home with you.” He made shooing motions with his hands. “Synn, great job tonight. See you tomorrow, same time.”
“Synn, could I see you for a moment.” Gavin nodded toward the kitchen.
Mary pushed out through the swinging doors. “Gavin leave her be.” She walked to Synn, put an arm around her shoulders. “What’d you think? Can you put up with us?”
“Yes, of course. I had fun.” She rubbed her aching foot then eased off the barstool eying Gavin. “Mostly.”
He held one door open to the kitchen.
She ambled through the door Gavin held for her. The doors swung shut.
Chapter Four
A Disagreement
Gavin shrugged into his jacket then helped Synn on with her coat. When he pulled the back door open, the frigid north wind stung his face as they stepped outside. Once outside the pub, he turned Synn to face him. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea to spend the day with Bridget and her friends, so soon.”
“I’m not asking.” She shot back wriggling out of his hold. “I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”
“Sure you can. You could have been in serious trouble, had I not seen you at the water’s edge.” He snatched at her arm. She dodged him.
“I was fine.” She huffed out wrapping her arms around herself.
“Bloody hell—you weren’t even aware how far you’d wandered.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “Synn, I care for you.”
“Then trust me to make my own decisions.”
“What if—I mean—”
“What if Baltizar returns and tries to regain influence over my being?” Her huge aqua eyes watched his face intently. “Then I’ll be beyond anyone’s help. He’ll kill me.”
She said it so nonchalantly it worried him. “So that’s it?” He ground out.
Quizzically she glanced at him, one eyebrow raised. “No. But it’s a hell of a lot better than having him defile me again as he did when he murdered my family and forced me—I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I’m going with Bridget and her friends next week. We’ll be fine. You wanted me to make friends—yet when I try—” She raised her arm waving it around in frustration. “You can’t have it both ways.” She whirled around and marched down the street in the direction of her cottage.
“Wait—” He bellowed.
She stopped, turned, and glared at him. “You have no idea the things that have happened to me, and I survived. I put it all behind me when Bruce gave me my freedom. At least I tried.
But they will always be a part of me. Before there can be you and me, there has to be a me, without you hovering and being overprotective. What you don’t understand—if he returns—” She emphasized each word. “There is nothing you can do.”
Her voice returned to normal. “Learn to live with it, or—” Sucking in a breath, she blew it out slowly, shrugged one shoulder. “There can’t be an us.” She paused as if letting her words sink in.
He rubbed the back of his neck and lowered his voice. “Okay—let’s take a step back. Maybe I was a little overbearing.”
“Ya think?”
“But the other night, you weren’t—”
“You’re right. I wandered into that dark place. But with Bridget and the girls, that won’t happen. Only happens when I’m by myself. I have to learn to control it. As far as Baltizar is concerned, I trust Bruce and Tristian to keep him at bay. They’ll know the minute he sets foot in the mortal world. That has to be good enough.” Her voice gentled. “You worry too much.” Rising up on her tiptoes, she kissed him softly on the lips. “I’ll check in with you during the day. Okay?”
He sighed. “No, you don’t have to. I trust you’ll be fine. But if you run into a problem…”
“You’ll be the first to know.”
He reached for her hand. “Mind if I walk you home?”
“I’d like that.”
He sprinted back to the pub, yanked open the door, and grabbed his coat. His da was wiping down the bar. “I’m going to walk Synn home. I’ll clean up when I get back. You and Ma go on home.” The door banged shut behind him.
It was an amicable silence as they walked hand and hand, under the cover of darkness, though the streets to her cottage. The breeze tousled his hair and sent a cold chill down his spine. The moon almost full, washed everything to a silvery gray. A contrast to the yellow pool of light cast on the ground from her outside lamp. On her porch, he took her in his arms and covered her cold lips with his mouth his tongue traced the full softness of her lips.