by Anna Vaughn
“I’m on a hen.”
“Really?” Emma asked, looking her up and down. “What’s the theme?”
“All black,” she said with a laugh. “I could easily be standing here in a nurse’s uniform or maybe a cop’s. Thankfully, my friend Vicky is pretty low key.”
“That would have been interesting.”
“So, I snuck away and thought I’d check out Dublin’s gay scene.”
“And do you like what you see?” Emma asked, looking around her.
“I think I got extremely lucky and ran into the only person I was interested in seeing.”
Laura was so close to her. She didn’t know when it happened but they were just inches apart.
Emma brushed a lock of Laura’s silky hair away from her eyes and leaned in to capture her lips.
The noise of the crowded bar seemed to fade away as Emma’s lips parted against Laura’s.
Her hands rested on Laura’s hips as they forgot about everyone else around them, savoring the kiss that neither of them thought would ever happen again.
“Do you think they’d miss you if you didn’t go back?” Emma asked when she broke their kiss.
“What are you suggesting?”
“Come back to my place,” Emma whispered in her ear.
Chapter 28
October 14th
Emma put on her coat and checked her desk to make sure she had everything she needed before she left the office for the evening.
She was happier than she ever remembered being and it showed. Everyone from co-workers to strangers noticed her beaming smile and extra confidence.
She’d had an amazing night with Laura back in August. She still couldn’t believe her luck, that she would just appear like that when Emma was ready to give up.
Emma couldn’t face another blind date or evening with someone she’d met on the internet. No one would have ever lived up to Laura.
And then she just showed up. They’d spent Saturday together before Laura’s flight back in the evening and done something that they should have done months before: talk.
They talked about what they both wanted, about what was realistic… They agreed that it was worth exploring what they had and that it wouldn’t be that difficult to see each other every two or three months.
Emma had started to look at flights. That night was over two months ago and she didn’t think she could go much longer without seeing Laura.
She hoped she’d be able to get away from work for a week next month to go to Malaga. She’d probably go over for Christmas too.
Just as she was about to walk out, her phone rang.
“Hello?”
Her mother’s panicked voice greeted her. “Your fathers had another heart attack. He’s going in for surgery right now.”
Emma told her to stay calm even though her own hand was shaking. She told her mother that she’d be on the next flight.
Chapter 29
Emma arrived in Malaga that night and took a taxi straight to the airport. Her mother was in the lobby waiting for her.
“How is he?” Emma asked, fearing the worst.
“He’s okay. He’s awake.”
“Can I go in and see him?”
“Yes, but before you go in we need to talk,” her mother said, motioning her to sit down on one of the chairs.
“What is it?”
“We’ve known that there was a strong possibility that your father would have more heart problems so we’ve been ready for this.”
“Okay…” Emma wasn’t sure she was following her.
“We’re going to sell the pub. We don’t have health insurance and it’s a bit late for that now at our age. The medical bills are piling up and I don’t think that your father should be running a business anymore. It’s too stressful.”
“What? You’re just going to sell it? What about getting a loan? I can apply for one.”
“Emma. It’s okay. We’ve been talking about it for a few weeks now just in case this happened. We appreciate everything you’ve done for Murray’s but it’s time to sell. The positive turn around should improve the price we get for it.”
“Mum, you can’t sell that place-”
“It’s going up for sale tomorrow morning.”
“What?”
Her mother nodded. “We’ve made our decision. Please don’t bring it up to your father unless he does and please, whatever you do, don’t argue with him. He loves the place but he knows it’s time to retire.”
Emma ran her palm of her hand across her face. She couldn’t believe this was happening. Just when the business was improving, they were going to sell.
“Okay,” Emma said slowly. “I won’t say anything.”
“Let’s go see him.”
Chapter 30
October 16th
Emma woke up to the sun pouring in the window and across her face. She squinted and checked her watch. It was just after ten in the morning. She never usually slept in that late but she’d spent all day yesterday at the hospital and she was drained.
She pushed the duvet back and let her bare feet touch the tiled floor. Her phone rang while she was looking for some clothes to wear. It was Laura.
“Hey.”
“Hi. I could have sworn that I was just dialling a local number. Are you in Spain?”
“Yeah I got in late on Wednesday night.”
“Welcome back.”
“My father had a heart attack Wednesday morning. I got here as soon as I could. I’m sorry I didn’t ring you sooner.”
“Is he okay?”
“Yeah. He had surgery but he’s going to be fine. He’s in good form though. Can’t wait to get out.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’ve been better.”
“Do you want to come over tomorrow? I’ll make you some seafood paella…”
“Okay. Yeah. That’d be nice.”
Emma couldn’t help smiling at the sound of Laura’s voice although a part of her was still feeling defeated. The pub was for sale and it was kind of an end to an era. Her parents had been so happy having that place.
Emma needed to help them find something else to do now that they were going to be retired. She knew her father would need something to keep himself busy.
“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow then. Call me if you need anything, okay?”
“Thanks. I will.”
Chapter 31
October 17th
Emma could feel her mood lift as soon as Laura opened the door to greet her. She kissed her lightly on the lips and let Laura wrap her arms around her.
“How’s you Dad?” Laura asked.
“He’s okay. He should be going home soon.”
“That’s good news.”
Emma watched Laura reach for a set of keys on the counter. She reached for Emma’s hand and pushed the small keyring into her hand.
“What’s this?”
“You know the realtor that I’m friends with? He called to tell me that the owner of that pub I was telling you about wanted a fast sale… That he’d had a heart attack and that they didn’t really want to sell but they had no choice…”
Emma could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She blinked them back as Laura continued.
“He told me how the owner’s daughter came over from Ireland to help them out… That the business was improving but they needed the cash. It all fit. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Emma sighed. “I didn’t want to bother you with my problems. We weren’t exactly in a relationship and I didn’t know they were going to sell until I got here on Wednesday…”
“It doesn’t matter now. Those keys are yours.”
“What? I don’t understand…” Emma glanced down at the keys in her hand.
“We’ll work out some arrangement. Your parents can rent it from me or if they want to retire, I’ll take it over but I won’t rebrand it or anything. It’ll still be Murray’s… Or… We could run it together.”
“Laura…”
“I’ve been interested in that pub for months. I love the location but I won’t take it out from under you. And if it wasn’t for that pub we probably never would have met. If you hadn’t come over to help your parents out, we wouldn’t be standing here today.”
Emma swallowed hard, still trying to hold back her tears. “Laura, I don’t know what to say… Thank you…” The first tear fell and before she knew it she was wrapped up in Laura’s arms.
“You don’t have to say anything,” Laura whispered into her ear as she held her close.
Emma pulled away for just a second to meet Laura’s eyes. “I love you,” she whispered before burying her face in Laura’s neck.
“I love you, too,” Laura said as she gently rubbed Emma’s back. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
Chapter 32
8 Months Later
June 6th
Emma wiped the trickle of sweat away from her eyes. She’d only stepped outside the air-conditioned bar for a few minutes to write on the chalkboard what matches were going to be on today and she was already sweating.
She’d have to get used to this heat. It was only the start of summer and the tourist season.
“Don’t forget to say that the Ireland match is going to be on all the big screens,” Laura called from inside Murray’s. They were expecting a massive crowd for the Euro’s tonight.
“Got it.”
Emma couldn’t believe how different her life was now. Even though they ran her parent’s old bar, she was still able to work on what she loved.
When she first came to Malaga three months ago she was working on projects that Damien had sent over from Dublin but now she was thinking about setting up a branch of their company here.
Her parents still lived next door to the pub and she spent time with them almost every day. Her life was finally on track.
Laura was the best thing that ever happened to her and she couldn’t imagine living anywhere else but here.
Chapter 33
9 Months Later
March
Emma sat in the corner of their balcony that had the last bit of shade so that she could still see her laptop screen. She scrolled through the list of properties.
Her search for office space in Malaga continued and she was starting to wonder if she was ever going to find what she was looking for.
She was making connections with local graphic designers and programmers. She’d been doing that for months, knowing that at least she’d be ready to start when she did finally find the property she was looking for.
Emma glanced away from her screen, her eyes falling on the handful of people that were walking on the beach below, wrapped up while they strolled along, some walking their dogs, others going for a jog.
The sun was high in the sky but the temperature was still cool, maybe seventeen degrees Celsius or sixty-two degrees Fahrenheit.
She smiled to herself. Not that long ago, that would have been considered a warm spring day in Ireland but now that she’d been living in Malaga for a year it seemed chilly.
Emma didn’t know where the last year had gone. She’d been back and forth to Dublin a few times since she’d left, just to meet with clients and keep the appointments that she’d scheduled with them months prior.
“I better get going,” Laura said as she slid open the balcony door. “I’ll see you tonight?”
“Yeah. I’ll be here,” Emma said with a smile as Laura leaned in to kiss her, their lips meeting in a light kiss as Emma cupped her cheek. “See you later,” she called after Laura as she went back inside.
Laura had bought Murray’s almost a year and a half ago from her parents and it was doing well. She stayed true to her word and didn’t rebrand the bar, leaving it as close to a traditional Irish pub as her parents had tried to create.
Laura had asked her to run the bar with her but Emma decided to focus on building a Spanish office for the marketing company that she’d started with Damien in Dublin.
Damien would handle the business there and she would expand here. Even though her Spanish was improving, she was still only focusing on the English and Irish businesses that were here. There were so many expats living here that she didn’t think she was narrowing her market down at all by only focusing on them.
Emma’s phone rang and she swept her finger across the screen to answer it.
“Hi Damien. How are you?”
“Hi…”
“You there?”
“Yeah… Things aren’t great, Em.”
“What’s wrong?”
Emma closed the lid of her laptop to give her brother her full attention.
“Catherine’s left me.”
“What? Why?”
“I don’t know… We had a huge fight last night. She said that I’ve put everything else before her. Work, spending time with Mum and Dad in Spain even though she couldn’t get the time off work to come with me.”
“Okay, well that’s a little bit unreasonable. Dad was sick… Are you okay?”
“No… I’m in shock. When I woke up this morning I thought it was all a dream but I was sleeping on the couch.”
“Is it a break?”
“I don’t think so… She sounded like she had her mind made up. She wants me out of the house by the end of the month.”
“Jesus.”
“Yeah.”
“Have you told Mum and Dad?”
“No… Not yet. I’ll wait until I’ve moved out… Then it’ll be definite.”
“Do you need some time off? I can come back and give you guys a hand.”
“No, I think work is exactly what I need right now. It’ll keep me busy. But thanks though.”
“Okay… Call me if you want to talk or if I can do anything.”
“I will… Thanks Emma.”
“Take care of yourself,” Emma said as she hung up.
Damien always seemed to have it all figured out. She couldn’t believe that this was happening to them.
Emma sighed and stood up, stretching her arms above her head. She took off her shades and went inside in search of her running gear.
Chapter 34
Laura cleared the tables outside Murray’s and came back with a cloth to wipe them down. She’d been working long hours for the last year and a half but things were improving and she was confident going into tourist season this year that the worst days were behind her.
Laura was lucky that she got along well with Emma’s parents. She saw them almost every day when they were walking past the bar or if they came in for a drink.
They seemed happy that she was running the place even though Laura sensed that Charlie’s dad, Sean, would rather it was still him behind the bar. He knew he had to look after his health though so retirement was the only option.
Emma was handling the marketing though and she was creating an improved online presence for the bar.
Laura had just hired a new chef and redid the menu with him, including more tapas and Spanish dishes.
She wanted to be able to spend more time with Emma but right now things were crazy. They’d both been so busy.
It was hard to believe that Emma had been living with her for a year now. Time was flying.
Chapter 35
Emma adjusted the strap of her handbag as she walked back home, the lights of the port on her right. She’d spent the rest of the day in Malaga, working on her website and marketing plan.
She needed the distraction. She kept replaying her conversation with Damien over and over in her head, wondering how he must feel and what he could have done differently.
When she turned the key in the door she was surprised to see that Laura wasn’t home yet. Emma left her bag down on the sofa and went into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of merlot.
She found a hoody to put on and brought her glass out onto the balcony. She found it relaxing to sit out there and listen to the ocean.
Emma took a sip of wine and closed her eyes, trying to stop her mind from going into over
drive and worrying about Damien, their business back in Dublin, and the future of hers here.