“Here is something especially for you. I think it’s right up your alley, Ace. I call it a sour puss.” With that, I plucked the book out of his hands and put it away and turned to Tommy who was holding back laughter.
“Well?” I asked.
“You can start tonight at the party.” Tommy turned to look at Jacob. I guess for Sean’s sake they waited until he slammed out the front door before letting loose with the laughter.
“Laney, I got a place above the pub here if you want it.” Tommy held up his hand to forestall my forthcoming comment of “No thanks.”
“It’s not charity lass. You will be paying rent and you’ll be doing me a favor by renting it out instead of letting it gather dust.” He knew right where to hit already. I sighed and looked at him. “Fine. I got enough to put a bit down for a deposit now.”
“Good, then I’ll show it to you later on. Now what was in that concoction you made for Sean?”
“I have no idea. But I didn’t figure he’d be drinking it this early in the day and he needed a set down as far as I was concerned.”
Jacob looked at Tommy and said something in Gaelic. A language I had not heard in a lifetime. I stood behind the bar, remembering the Gaelic I had heard so many, many years ago from parents I barely remembered. I shook my head to chase the memories back to the recesses of my mind and then made myself useful by checking over the bar and learning where everything was. It was already stocked and ready for tonight’s festivities so with several hours left and nothing to do, I decided to explore a bit of the neighborhood — of the flower shops, bakeries, clothing stores, and several other pubs within a six-block radius of Muldoon’s. Briefly checking out the other drinking establishments, I soon realized they had nothing on Muldoon’s. I was going to be in for a treat working there. That was apparent from the very beginning. But was I up to it? Only time would tell.
Once I got back to the house, Molly showed me to my new apartment. It had a bed, small table, closet, bathroom, and a kitchenette with a single burner and small refrigerator. Since I didn’t cook I knew that space would be of no use to me. What the room lacked in space it made up for in decor and that same feeling of home that I had noticed in their house. I couldn’t quite decide whether that was comforting or disconcerting.
“Laney? Earth to Laney.” Molly gently, laid her hand on my arm. I tried not to flinch. If she noticed she didn’t give it away. “You okay? You know, you might want to nap. It’s not as if you just got over the flu or anything, you know.” I smiled at her teasing but sarcastic tone.
“I’m fine. I … um … I appreciate everything you and Tommy have done, ma’am. I really do.” I meant it, too.
Molly smiled and gave my arm a gentle squeeze, “Laney, we mean it when we say you are welcome here and that should you need anything, you have but to ask.” She slid her hand away and placed the key to my new home in my hand. She walked to the door and turned to look back at me, “Rest. I’ll see you at six.” She smiled at me and closed the door behind her.
I don’t know how long I stood there, wondering why a part of me felt like I could unburden my soul to that woman and she would not have blinked. Why the hell did I want to unburden it? It’s my job to deal with my soul, not hers and certainly not God’s. All mine.
I took a deep breath, determined to dispel the gloom that was settling over me. If I kept this up, I would be drinking instead of serving tonight.
Besides, I didn’t want to break the trust of these people. That was another surprise. I was allowing myself to care. Well, hell. Now that was unexpected.
Chapter Three
The party was lively and fun. Streamers hung from the rafters and children chased balloons on the floor as people mingled easily with each other, hugging, kissing, and singing karaoke both good and bad. It was amazing to see so many people who cared so much about each other. It was almost palpable, the love and affection everyone had for Thea, who was getting married and moving to Chicago. But it wasn’t reserved just for her. It was a common thread running among everyone.
Quite a few people she had befriended over the years worked for Woo Security. I was only vaguely familiar with the company. When I had lived near Hollywood you couldn’t help but hear about celebrities who had bodyguards, or how their lavish homes were set up with the best alarm systems. Woo was the best. William had loved to watch Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and Entertainment Tonight. He always promised me that one day we’d be rich and that I’d be set up in style. I always laughed at him. What did I know about style? Didn’t really matter to me. I was comfortable in jeans and plain shirts. The only jewelry I wore was a small silver Celtic trinity knot that had been my dad’s.
I served up drinks and returned the occasional glare that Sean tossed my way. At one point he answered his cell phone and the look he gave me could have cut glass. I’d had it! I flipped him off.
I didn’t care that the man sitting at the bar saw it. What was his name? Chase. Strange name. Drank water and made small talk with me. He seemed to find my response to Sean amusing.
I signaled Tommy to take over for a few minutes so I could go to the storage in the basement to get more champagne. I almost dropped the whole case when I turned and found Sean behind me, blocking the doorway.
“Move, Ace. You’re in my way.”
“Sweetheart, I haven’t even begun to be in your way.” He leaned against the doorway, arms crossed. “I will not allow you to hurt Tommy or Molly, so why don’t you pack up your schemes and dreams and hit the road. You won’t get a penny from them. I’ll see to that.”
I have never been known for having an even temper but I’ve worked hard to keep it under control. But not this time.
“Look, asshole, I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. You’re delusional if you think I have any intention of taking a dime from Tommy that I haven’t earned. I pay my way!”
“Sure you do. I ran your fingerprints, darlin’, right off your juice glass from this morning. You’ve got a nice background there, Laney. Pandering? Breaking and entering? Those are great ways to pay your way, huh? You got a scam to bilk Tommy, but you might as well hit the road running, babe,” He smiled, acting quite pleased with himself. “Tommy and Molly all too often fall for the sob story and feel sorry for the strays that come along.”
I felt that to my core. Stray? Felt sorry for me? The last thing I needed was anyone’s pity. But right at the moment the only thing I felt was the need to strike back at Sean. “Stray, huh? Weren’t you a stray too? They feel sorry for you then? Take you in on pity?” I saw his jaw tighten and knew I’d scored.
“Leave now and I won’t tell them your plans to take them for a ride,” he growled.
“My plans? You’re so sure about my plans, huh? Wow, you sure are smart, Sean Michael Muldoon. You ran my fingerprints and so now you know my whole life story in one fell swoop? Look, you arrogant ass, you have no idea what my life has been like and a couple of knocks on a police sheet only tells you what your narrow-minded brain wants to hear. But for your parents’ sake, I’ll go and save you the trouble of making a fool out of yourself.” I tossed the case of champagne at him. He let out a curse, as he lunged to catch the box and I shoved him hard when I went through the doorway. I heard him hit the shelves, rattling bottles and swearing a blue streak. I heard the case of champagne hit the floor with a thud and the sound of breaking glass.
I know I could have done worse and to this day I still have no idea why I didn’t kick him in the nuts, or flat out deck him. I should have done something other than leave. I wanted to do anything other than leave, but I couldn’t bear having to own up to some of the missteps I had made long ago.
I left Sean in the storage room and headed up the stairs, passing Chase who was coming down. I looked him in the eyes and silently dared him to stop me, but he only stepped aside to let me pass before continuing down the
steps. I went to my room to pack and an hour later I was once again standing before a map in the Greyhound station. This time, the map was of the whole United States. I thought it might be better to broaden my horizons this time. Maybe my luck would improve if I got out of California. If I had said it couldn’t get any worse I’d have been a lying fool. I always knew it could get worse.
I saw Sean’s reflection in the map board, as he came up behind me, but I chose to ignore it. I’d watched his slow and cautious approach. I could feel the tension in his body as he waited for me to lash out at him. I would be damned if I was going to give him the satisfaction of allowing him to get to me more than he already had. He didn’t deserve my attention. Part of me was saddened at not saying goodbye to Tommy and Molly. Regardless of the kindness they had shown me, once they knew that my past had been somewhat checkered they might not be quite so forgiving. Most people weren’t. Most people only allowed the luxury of forgiveness for themselves. For those of us outside the box, forgiveness was usually doled out sparingly. Sean’s voice brought my wavering attention back to him and my future decisions.
“I hear Arizona is nice in the spring,” he said, moving more into my periphery. “Personally, I’m fond of Wyoming. I also like … ” I whipped my head around to look at him and saw him tense. “Okay,” he said. “I guess you don’t really care what I like right now, but give me a chance to explain.”
I turned away from him, picked up my bag and headed to the line at the ticket counter. Sean moved to stand in front of me so I moved around him and he blocked me again. “Look, just give me five minutes.” He started to reach his hand out to touch me but I stepped back and did an about face and headed for the doors. Five minutes? In a pig’s eye! I had been weighed, measured, and found wanting. I didn’t need him to lay it out any plainer to me.
“If not for me then, for Tommy and Molly.” I stopped and slowly turned to look at him. I could tell by the expression on his face that he didn’t feel one bit sorry at using Tommy or Molly to get around me.
He took a deep breath. “First, I’m sorry. I was way out of line. I had no right to say the things I said. You need to understand something. Last summer, a young woman, pretended to be down on her luck and took them for an emotional roller coaster ride for a couple of months, before she took them for some collateral, a good chunk of it. Said all she needed to get her beauty business up and running was some starting cash. It was all lies and it was hell to watch. I didn’t want to see them go through that again. Tommy and Molly are incredibly generous and I don’t want to see them get hurt again.”
I shook my head and moved around Sean, but he got right back in my way and let me run into him. I dropped my bag and he grabbed my arms to keep me from moving away from him. “Please understand, I thought you were doing the same thing. Tommy refused to allow me or anyone else to run a check on this girl until it was too late. I couldn’t stand by and watch him and Molly go through that again.”
I could not help but hear the anguish in his voice at how helpless he had felt for Tommy. Damn it, I didn’t want to hear that. I didn’t want to hear anything he had to say.
“I didn’t wait to get the rest of the information about you. I’m sorry. I owe so much to Tommy and Molly and all I could think of was how I could protect them. Chase told me about your commendation from the mayor for saving some kids. The same kids who’d done the breaking and entering that you took the blame for.”
Sean let go of my arms and stepped back. He dropped his hands down to his sides. “You go ahead, take a shot. I’m sure I deserve it.” Damn right he did, I thought, as I stepped up to get in his face. To his credit he didn’t flinch and he didn’t move back.
“I don’t need a free shot, Ace. I could have put you on the floor any time. You want to know something about me, ask me! I’ve got no call to lie to you, or them.”
A security guard came up behind Sean. “This man giving you trouble, ma’am?” he asked, hand on his nightstick. I took a long minute to answer, looking Sean in the eyes. “No, everything’s fine.”
Sean let out the breath he held in as the guard walked away. I’m sure the guard was disappointed he didn’t get to have a tussle. Hell, I was disappointed that there wasn’t going to be one. But I knew just by looking at Sean that one day we’d go to town. It was nice to have something to look forward to.
I stood there a few minutes looking at Sean and weighing my options, which, as usual, were few. “I need a ride back.”
Sean wisely just nodded and led the way to his Jeep.
When we got back to the pub, Tommy met us as we came in the back door. For a guilty moment it felt like “Dad” had just caught us sneaking home past curfew. Tommy looked at us both. “I usually only allow a half hour break, Laney.” And with that he turned around and went back to the bar.
Sean offered to take my bag back up to the room. Hey, who am I to argue with that, it was heavy. I went to the bar and waited for Tommy to say anything else but he continued talking with Chase. Chase looked at me while he was talking to Tommy. I can’t say as I quite cared for his staring, so I stared right back. He smiled and then turned his complete attention back to Tommy. Sean came up beside me and whispered, “Well?”
Before I could answer, strong ebony hands descended on both our shoulders. We both turned around to see Jacob holding two aprons out to us. “Dishes,” was all he said. I shrugged and grabbed an apron and put it on. Sean started to protest.
“You care to explain why she left?” asked Tommy from the bar, not even turning around to look at us. Sean looked back at Tommy and then at the apron Jacob held.
“Come on, Ace,” I snickered. “You’ll look down-right cute in an apron. I promise not to tell your friends. You know, ruin that macho image and all.”
Sean jerked the apron out of Jacob’s hands and put it on. “Not one word, Laney.”
I laughed and went to the sink and started rinsing dishes. I was no stranger to doing dishes and it gave me time to think. Unseen forces were at work around me. I found myself laughing, smiling, and caring and I didn’t like it one bit. It’s been my experience that allowing those things into my life also meant that people would come to depend on me and expect things from me. Some people might think this was an odd reason to resist, but I’ve let so many people down. I don’t care for the emotional fallout. But I was realistic enough to understand that I had made the choice to come back to Muldoon’s. Sean might like to think that his lovely words of persuasion were what made me come back. I could allow him that little fantasy for now. Maybe there was more to this man who cared so much about these people than met my eye. Perhaps I had committed the same sin as he had. Judged without trial? But now I had painted myself into a corner and my choices were to mar the work I’d started, or sit back and wait for the paint to dry.
“Hey, babe?” Sean interrupted my thoughts. “You going to soak your hands in the soapy water all night or do something with them?”
I looked over at him and flicked water his way. “Don’t call me babe.”
“Why not? Should I use your real name? Helena Marie Murphy.”
“Laney is my name, Ace.”
“My name is Sean Michael Muldoon, not Ace.”
“Fine, Slick.” I don’t know what it was that made me want to push his buttons but I couldn’t seem to stop myself.
Sean scooped up some soapsuds and blew them in my face. “It ain’t Slick either, sweetheart.”
I grabbed the sprayer hose from the sink at the same time he did and a wet tug-of-war ensued.
“I ain’t your sweetheart, Ace! Let go!”
He laughed, “What? And have you soak me? I don’t think so, your highness. But I bet you’d look good in a wet t-shirt!”
“Pig! And don’t call me ‘your highness.’ I’m not a queen!” I said through clenched teeth, trying my hardest to wrench the sprayer from his ha
nds.
“Trust me, I know that. You’d make a good scullery maid though,” he said, grunting, surprise registering on his face at how strong I was. About then the sprayer head snapped off at the hose attachment and slipped out of our hands, whipping around the sink spraying both of us like a water pistol.
We both lunged for the hose, grabbing it at the same time. “What the devil is going on in here?” Of course, Tommy had chosen that moment to walk into the kitchen.
I immediately let go of the hose leaving it in Sean’s hands, water still pouring out of it, and stepped back, leaving Sean to be totally implicated as the starter of the mess. And a mess it was. Water dripped from the shelves, ceiling, and countertops onto the floor. Sheepishly, Sean reached over and shut off the tap.
Tommy took one look at us and I knew he didn’t buy my innocence. “Sean, come with me. I have a more enjoyable job for you.” Sean growled at me as he walked by me and I blew him a kiss.
Tommy stopped in the doorway and without looking back, said, “All of this will be clean and dry.” He continued walking through the doorway with Sean.
I spent the next two hours finishing the dishes and drying and mopping everything in sight. The kitchen was neat to begin with, so I knew how exacting Tommy would be were it not up to his standards.
It was well past midnight by the time I went to bed. I had no idea what time Sean left, or even if he had. I actually took great pleasure in hoping he got some slimy, disgusting job to do. It was a nice way to fall asleep.
I didn’t see Sean for the next two days. I didn’t realize I missed seeing him until he came in and sat at the bar for lunch. I even started to smile at him but I caught myself. What was I thinking?
Lunch was unusually brisk and I was deep into a debate about baseball with another customer. He and Sean apparently knew each other but I was too busy to pay attention to what they started talking about.
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