Beers, Hens, and Irishmen (Warbler's Point Series)

by Meghan Quinn

  He made a quick turn off the main street that eventually led up to Warblers Peak and found the bed and breakfast tucked away in the woods. It was a quaint deep green colonial style house with rocking chairs on a white wrap around porch where an Irish flag flew. Well that could explain the name The Sleeping Potato he thought.

  Grabbing his bags and locking up his car, he headed for the front door. He assumed the cabins were in the back, behind the house. As he walked in what almost seemed like a mini mansion, the atmosphere made him think of his grandparent’s house. It was cozy with a fire place in the living room in full force, quilts and handmade specialties scattered amongst the décor and an aroma that smelled like fresh baked chocolate chip cookies.

  A little, red headed lady with the smoothest whiskey colored eyes he had ever seen appeared at the entry way. She was wearing what looked like a dress form the 1900s and a white frill apron over it.

  “Well, come on in laddie and have ya self a seat. My goodness ya must be chilled to the bone. Here, here sit next to the fire to warm ya up.”

  He wasn’t too cold actually, but he wasn’t about to argue with the lady, she seemed like a fiery little red head that could hold her own if put to the test.

  “Thank you.” He said politely as she shoved a cup of hot chocolate in his hand as well as three fresh baked cookies on a plate.

  “There ya go laddie, just sit back and enjoy. Tis a cold one out today. I’m Mary Margaret O’Leary, I run tis here establishment with my husband Carlin who is out and about toolin’ around with something. That man won’t stop fiddlin with things’. Now you must be Booker?”

  “That’s correct ma’am.”

  “Oh laddie no need to call me ma’am, Mary Margaret is to me likin’. Now, did I say your name right? Book-er?

  “That’s correct.” He chuckled to himself from her attempt at pronunciation.

  He watched her ponder his name and try to understand it. “Well, if it’s not Irish, it’s hard for me to understand.” She said with a chuckle. “Now, ya will be staying with us for quite some time. The longest stay a guest has ever had in tease parts.”

  He just nodded, not wanting to give a reason. He didn’t want people sniffing around his personal life too much. He just wanted to get away without being recognized, which so far was working out great. Not one person had recognized him. He didn’t want to change his name because lying wasn’t one of his favorite things and he was afraid he would slip up and not recognize his fake name. So instead of going by Booker James, his director name, he went by Booker Hall his given name. Well his full name was Booker James Hall, so he technically wasn’t lying to anyone, just cutting out certain parts of his name.

  Topping off the hot chocolate and last cookie he set the plate and the cup down and handed her his credit card for payment.

  “We reserved the nicest cabin for ya since ya will be stayin’ for such a long duration with us. It has one bedroom with a pull out sofa, in case ya have any guests, a fire place in the living room, a wee little kitchenette and bathroom. Linens and towels are provided as well as a daily cleaning service. If ya wish to not have ya room cleaned then just put the little pass on the door knob when ya leave so we don’t bother ya. We serve breakfast every morning from six to nine and here is a calendar of our dinner schedule. If ya’re ever hungry let us know and we will fix ya something up right nice. Any questions?”

  Booker shook his head as he tried to remember the information overload she just delivered. She gathered his suitcases and said, “Follow me, laddie.”

  Feeling bad he tried to grab the suitcases since she was clearly struggling with them but she insisted on carrying them herself.

  “It’s part of the full service we provide laddie.” She said in a strangled voice.

  “I appreciate the service, but please let me help you. I over packed and don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

  She stopped, looked him up and down and said, “Well ya’re a strappin’ young lad, I suppose you could carry this larger one.”

  After taking the suitcase from her that nearly broke her back, he followed her to a little green cabin with black trim that looked across a pond. He instantly fell in love when she led him in. There was a sliding glass door that led out to the pond and gave a picture perfect view. The cabin was quite small but would be perfect for what he needed. He started to think that taking this little trip to Warblers Point was one of the best decisions he ever made.

  ***

  Fiona was three hours into her shift at the pub and was already tired and not in the mood to deal with the usual drunks. She adored working at the pub with her brothers, but she was itching for more out of her life. She really wished she could travel the world and take pictures, refine her photography skills. The only scenery she was able to take pictures of was the Vermont foliage which actually helped her sell a couple of photos to local travel agencies and magazines, but it wasn’t enough for her. She wanted more.

  Fiona was in charge of bartending and waiting tables, she loved interacting with the local crowd. Liam was the chef of the bunch, thanks to spending long days in the kitchen with their ma and Finn dabbled in cooking, serving and bartending. He was the Jack of all Trades. Bradon helped out occasionally when he could free himself from the bed and breakfast. Being the youngest boy he got sucked into helping their da with daily duties around the bed and breakfast. Bradon didn’t mind much because when their parents passed, he hoped to take over the business.

  Fiona had tables tonight, while Finn was bartending and like always Liam was in the kitchen. They had their regulars mixed in with a few tourists who must be in town for the holiday weekend. Warblers Point put on an exciting Halloween weekend, full of hay rides, haunted houses and parties. The biggest party was at their pub of course. It got to the point where they had to start handing out tickets to be allowed in because it became too crowded over the years. They only had a few tickets left so they were looking at a full house this Saturday night.

  Finn tapped her shoulder and pointed to a guy who just sat down in a booth next to her favorite stain glass window of a Celtic cross. The bar was simply decorated. They had a few stain glass windows in the front, deep mahogany woodwork with Irish green walls and twinkle lights lining the ceiling. They had booths set up along the walls and bar height tables in the middle of the floor. Their bar was a huge wrap around bar that spanned the establishment with liquor lined up behind, separated by type. On the two big walls in the back of the pub were photographic murals she took of some sheep in meadowlands. Everyone always raved about the Irish atmosphere they bestowed upon their pub, they were all very proud of what they accomplished together.

  She walked over to the man in the booth and as she got closer she noticed her body heat started to rise. He was one gorgeous man. He filled the booth with his height and strong build, not too muscular, just right. He had short blonde hair, styled in a messy but perfected way and he had piercing blue eyes that shot right through her soul. She turned off her libido so she could focus and not embarrass herself.

  “Hello, welcome to O’Leary’s, can I get you a drink?”

  “Uh, yea.” He said while looking at a menu. “Can I get a martini, stirred please?”

  Fiona cringed at the order because she knew exactly what was going to happen when she put the order in. Maybe she should just make it herself, to spare the man embarrassment.

  She was about to turn around when he said, “Your eyes, they are impeccable.”

  Impeccable? Was he serious? She had plain old brown eyes, thanks to her ma. Her and Finn both were stuck with brown eyes whereas Liam and Bradon lucked out with their da’s bright blue eyes.

  “They are just brown, but thanks.”

  She went to run his order when he placed his hand on her arm and said, “No they’re not, they’re the color of whiskey with gold flecks.” He studied her a little longer and said, “Are you related to the owners of The Sleeping Potato?’

  Shocked that he made the connection s
he said, “Yes, they are my parents.”

  “I knew it.” He slapped the table with his palm. “You look just like your mother, minus the white ruffle apron.” He smiled an incredibly gorgeous smile at her.

  All of a sudden feeling shy, she replied, “Yea, I get that a lot. My hair is a little darker than hers though.” Fiona refrained from fidgeting in place.

  He just sat there and studied her. She was starting to feel uncomfortable so she told him she would get his drink and be right back for his order.

  ***

  Booker felt like an idiot for just staring at the waitress but he couldn’t help himself, she was breathtaking. She was nothing like the blonde bimbos back home, she was pure and natural. She had the creamiest white skin, not fake tan leather skin and her hair was a beautiful auburn color and those eyes mesmerized him. He couldn’t look away, they spoke to him. She was shorter than normal girls, but then again she wasn’t wearing heels like all the other girls he had been with.

  He watched her interact with the bar tender and wondered if they were related, they looked like each other and had a sibling connection about them. Remembering she was going to come back to take his order, he tore his eyes off her and looked at his menu. The wording was something he was not used to, all Irish food. Thankfully there were descriptions that accompanied the odd names. Deciding on a traditional fish and chips meal, he was just about to put the menu down when from the corner of his eye he saw the bartender get on top of the bar and start shaking a bell that was hanging from the wall.

  “Attention all ya buckled block heads, we have a Sheila in the house. That’s right lads and lassies, we have a certified Sheila amongst us.”

  Looking around the pub, Booker felt incredibly confused. The bar patrons hooted and hollered. Booker scanned the crowd and looked for someone who might resemble a Sheila, whatever that was. When he was scanning the crowd he made eye contact with his waitress and saw sympathy in her eyes and that’s when he realized, he must be the Sheila.

  “Where?” a drunk man shouted.

  “What did he order?” another one added.

  “Tis here Sheila, is a pretty one folks. He ordered an extremely pretty drink to match his Sheila appearance. So he only deserves the prettiest of chapeaus, don’t you all agree?”

  The pub erupted with agreement. The bar tender went under the bar and pulled out a very flamboyant bonnet, with pink feathers coming off the side and glitter encrusted on the fabric. The bar tender walked around the room and then stopped right in front of him, placing the bonnet on Booker’s head.

  “Tis, young Lad ordered a Martini.” The pub booed. “What do we say to that?”

  The pub erupted in unison saying, “Don’t be a Sheila, order a brew!”

  Booker just nodded his head in agreement and lifted the bonnet out of his eye sight. Looking at the bartender he said, “I will take a Guinness.”

  The bartender slapped him on the back and said, “That a boy.” He shook his hand and went back to his duties, filling humans with alcoholic content.

  The waitress came back with his Guinness and placed it in front of him on a small white napkin.

  “You could have warned me, you know.” He said with a smile.

  “And where’s the fun in that?”

  “That your brother?” He nodded toward the bartender.

  “Yea, that’s Finn. He loves pulling people’s legs.”

  “He does a good job at it. So how do I look?” He fiddled with the bonnet on his head.

  “Pink is very becoming of you.”

  He liked the twinkle he saw in her eye when she was joking around with him. She seemed serious at first when she came up to his table but he could tell she had a light spirit about her, a free spirit. He found it very attractive, he found her very attractive.

  “Well thank you.” He held out his hand. “Booker Hall.”

  She took it, sending waves of pleasure up his arm. Her hand was so small in his, but soft and inviting. Good God, he needed to control himself, it was just a hand!

  “Fiona O’Leary. Nice to meet you.”

  “Same to you. Fiona is a beautiful name.”

  “Thank you, Irish of course.” Pausing for a second she said, “What can I get you?”

  “I think I will have the fish and chips.”

  “Good choice. I will put that in for you, in the meantime enjoy the atmosphere.”

  He couldn’t help himself, he had to ask. “Hey, do you go on a break soon?”

  She eyed him suspiciously and said, “I have a fifteen minute one coming up.”

  “Would you mind sitting with me? I will share my food.” He tried to give his most devilish grin. He really wanted to spend some more time getting to know this girl. She was very intriguing, well and gorgeous.

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

  Slightly upset he was about to say that’s ok when she added, “But you are here by yourself and what kind of host would I be if I let you sit all alone?”

  He felt his smile stretch from cheek to cheek. “Fantastic.”

  ***

  What the hell was she thinking? She chastised herself when she was in the kitchen giving Liam the order. She couldn’t help herself, he had bright blue puppy dog eyes that called out to her and by God he was handsome, almost pretty, which startled her. She never was attracted to pretty boys, always the ruggedly handsome type like Murphy. Ugh, Murphy. What was she doing talking to this random guy when she should be focusing on her relationship with Murphy? But it’s not like they were completely exclusive or really talked about their relationship. No they just had sex, like always. So it was ok to talk to a random stranger. It’s not like she was sleeping with him or anything, no she was just being a polite hostess.

  She waited in the kitchen while Liam put together Booker’s meal. What kind of name was Booker anyway? Definitely not Irish. She giggled over the fact of what her parents would say if she brought home a man named Booker. She could see the quizzical look in her ma’s eyes now.That was crazy thinking thought because it wasn’t like she would bring him home anyway, she was getting way ahead of herself. If only he wasn’t so damn charming and good looking. He even looked good in that stupid bonnet Finn made him wear. Damn good bone structure, blonde hair and blue eyes.

  Liam put Booker’s plate under the warmer and she told him she was taking a break, she already informed Finn. She grabbed a water for herself, she didn’t like drinking on the job and headed for Booker’s table. He finally took the bonnet off and had it sitting next to him in the booth. He looked up, found her eyes and smiled. Her insides melted as if she just met her high school crush for the first time. This was not a good idea.

  “Here you are, careful its hot.” She placed the plate in front of Booker and took the seat from across him.

  “Thanks. I don’t want to be called a Sheila again or anything so is it alright to use ketchup?”

  Chuckling, she nodded. He was too cute for his own good.

  “So where are you from?” she asked.

  She saw a moment of weakness slip past his put together exterior but it was gone in a flash. He looked up at her, smiled with that heart breaking grin and said, “California, what about you?”

  “I’m jealous. I have always wanted to go there. Born and raised right her in Warblers Point.”

  “A native, huh? Well Vermont has done you well.” He said looking her up and down.

  Feeling uncomfortable from his gaze, she tried to change the subject but he beat her to it. “California is beautiful, but expensive as hell to live in. This is my first time to Vermont, I like it a lot.”

  “You came a week or two late, you missed all the fall foliage.”

  “So I heard.” He said, while taking a bite of a fry. She helped herself and grabbed a fry off his plate causing him to flash that sexy grin of his again. “So tell me, where have you been if you haven’t been to California?”

  He was going to think she was a total loser, but he was a stranger
so in reality it probably didn’t matter what he thought since he would be leaving in a week or two anyway.

  “I really haven’t ventured out of Vermont. I have been to New York briefly and New Hampshire once but that’s about it.”

  She saw his jaw drop in surprise but he quickly retracted it. Heat flushed her face and she felt embarrassed. She always wanted to travel but growing up her parents didn’t have the means for it and now she ran a business with her brothers that barely gave her time to do anything.

  He cleared his throat, took a sip of his beer and said, “Well, we will have to change that won’t we?”

  We? Alright, this was getting a little strange. Her break was about over anyway, time to say her good byes.

  She went to get up when he put his hand on her arm. “I didn’t upset you, did I?”

  She just shook her head in embarrassment. “What is it?” he asked.

  She let out a long breath of air. “You are going to think I’m some country bumpkin, which I guess I am but I just never had the means to travel even though it’s my dream to travel around the world and photograph my adventures. I love photography and would love for it to be my job but it’s just not practical. Anyway, it will never happen. Maybe I will go to a place here and there but being a photographer for a living is a pipe dream.” She shook her head. “That’s too much information, sorry.” She got up and brushed off her pants. “The meal’s on the house. Come back again.”

  She got out of his booth and turned toward the bar but was grabbed by the shoulder and turned around. She looked straight up into Booker’s caring and kind eyes. She almost lost it. Why was she so emotional right now?