Chapter Thirteen
Alicia
By the time I’ve composed myself and return to the table, Rowan has everyone there rolling with laughter. They don’t even notice my arrival until I stop next to him and clear my throat.
“Here’s your bottle of Barefoot Rosé, Mr. Gallagher.” I present the bottle of cheap wine with a flourish.
I almost lose it when his eyes become as wide as saucers. He didn’t specify a price range, just that it had to be something not behind the bar in this room. He hates rosé.
“I’m so sorry it took so long to find. It’s not highly sought after in this establishment, but thankfully, a recent bridal party requested a few cases and this one was leftover.”
His teammates chuckle around him, and the look he gives me promises retribution. Since I’m standing close enough to him, and his back is to the wall, no one sees when his hand slides up the back of my thigh and pinches my ass. I cough to cover the squeak I almost let out.
“Shall I pour it for you, sir, or would you like the honors?” I ask, giving him a sweet smile.
Clearing his throat, he sits up a little taller and straightens his jacket. “Right. You can pour, love.”
I pour the glass then look at him expectantly. “Please let me know if it’s to your liking, Mr. Gallagher.”
He doesn’t break eye contact as he plucks the glass by the stem and raises it to his lips. With a wink, he takes a healthy sip.
“Delicious, love. Reminds me of a lass I once had the pleasure of…kissing.”
“Wonderful.” I turn abruptly to face the other men at the table, who are smirking at their teammate. “Now, is everyone ready to order or do I need to go over the specials?”
I make my way around the table, writing down every order and request. I can feel Rowan’s eyes on me the entire time, but I don’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me flustered.
I’ve been a bartender long enough that I know how to play the game.
He finishes his first glass of wine then pours a second, which he sips slowly throughout their meal.
When I come to refill his water, he touches my wrist lightly, catching my attention.
“Could you re-cork this bottle and bag it up for me, darlin’? I’d hate for it to go to waste.”
I smirk at him. “Of course, sir. I’ll do that right away.”
“And please put it on a separate tab,” he murmurs quietly. “There’s no way I’m letting the owner pay for this shite.”
After they’ve all completed their meal, I bring Rowan his bill and circle the table to give Tenner his.
When I return, Ro hands the small folder to me, telling me to keep the change.
That bottle of wine would cost next to nothing at the grocery store, but here the price has been quadrupled, which still makes it relatively cheap.
When I take the tickets back to the register, I realize that he put a one hundred dollar bill in there, with a note on the receipt.
Li,
Call me when you get off work. My number is still the same.
Yours,
Ro
I glance up at their table, but he’s already striding through the door to the exit.
* * *
Rowan: You didn’t call.
Alicia: Got off work late. Headed to O’Nelly’s now.
Rowan: A heads up would have been nice.
Alicia: I’m telling you now.
Rowan: *eye roll emoji*
Rowan: What if I had something time sensitive to talk about?
Alicia: You could have called me. *shrugging emoji*
Rowan: Li…
Alicia: Ro…
Alicia: I’ll be at the pub all night.
Rowan: I can’t come tonight.
Alicia: Sounds like a personal problem, Gallagher.
Rowan: Fucks sake.
Alicia: Gotta go. Good luck with all that.
* * *
“Lower.”
“I am lower.”
“You’re not low enough!”
I turn to throw a glare over my shoulder at Paddy who’s been directing me on how to hang this stupid Saint Patrick’s Day garland over the bar for ten minutes now.
Offering to stay after my shift to help set the pub up for the upcoming holiday didn’t seem like a bad idea at the time. I should have known better.
Then I see it.
“Pat!” I point at the chair he’s leaning on. “It’s never going to look right while you’re not standing up straight!”
At least he has the decency to look sheepish.
“Ach, sorry, Alicia , love,” he apologizes. “The hip’s been botherin’ me something fierce.”
My brows furrow in concern. I know he’s no longer a spring chicken, but any sign of him slowing down makes a lump form in my throat.
“What did you do?”
His cheeks turn bright red and he refuses to meet my eyes. “Nothin’ you need to be concerned about, lass.”
Oh. My. God.
I tilt my head to the side while giving him a scrutinizing look. “Patrick O’Nelly, are you telling me there’s a special someone you’ve been spending your time away from the pub with?”
I laugh when his face becomes impossibly redder and he pulls the collar of his shirt away from his neck like it’s fitting a little too tight.
“You dog! Who’s the lucky lady? Or I guess it could be a lucky man.” I’ll give him hell every day, but I’m completely thrilled for him.
“Ya think yer clever, don’t ya?” His hands rest on his hips as he tilts his head down to look at me over the top of his glasses.
Giving him my best smile, I hop down from the stepladder, garland forgotten, and say, “I don’t think it, I know it. Now ‘fess up. Who is it? Do I know them? How’d you meet?”
“Hold yer horses,” Pat grumbles. “One question at a time. And this information goes nowhere, ya hear? This is a…newer…development.”
I cross my hand over my chest. “Cross my heart. I won’t tell a soul.”
He gives me a hard look, but then his lips start to tip up in a smile. Next thing I know, he’s positively beaming at me.
“Her name is Sondra, and she’s my next door neighbor. She moved here from Indiana last month, and I s’pose ya could say we’ve hit it off rather well, so we have.”
“I’d say! Especially if just the mention of her makes you blush like a school girl!”
I’ve never seen Paddy so flustered and yet, so happy. He deserves it.
“When can I meet her? She knows we’re practically family, right?” The look I give him implies that she had better know.
Pat chuckles and turns to shuffle back toward the bar. “Aye, she knows. And they’ll be in this next week.”
“They?”
“Sondra’s grandson is coming to visit her,” he informs me, hoisting himself onto a bar stool. “I asked her to bring him by some evenin’ so I could meet the lad. They’re very close. I’m going to ask Norah and Eamon to swing by as well.”
Pat claimed Eamon, Norah, and me as his own from the very beginning, always calling us his kids. Despite what he says, this must be serious, or moving in that direction, if he wants to introduce us to his lady love.
“I’m happy for you, Paddy,” I tell him with a soft smile, which he returns before casting a glance at the picture of him and late wife, Ellie, hung above the bar.
“Ach, I know she’d want me to be happy too. But I can’t tell ya how many times I’ve almost ended things with Sondra outta fear of disrespecting my sweet Ellie’s memory.” He pulls a handkerchief from his pocket to dab at his eyes.
Stepping up behind him, I throw my arms around his neck, hugging him tight and resting my cheek to the top of his head.
His weathered hand lifts to rest on my forearm.
Paddy loved Ellie more than life itself.
She passed away in Ireland, and he left for the States just a few years later to be nearer to their two sons that came over for med school.
Eamon and Norah’s wedding was the first time he’d set foot in Ireland since.
The day he decided to visit her grave, I offered to go with him, but he wanted to make the trek alone. I can’t say that I blame him. I imagine it would feel almost like a reunion. The thought gets me choked up just thinking about it.
Ireland is special, I’ll admit it. While the people play a huge part, it’s more than that.
The land itself is magic. You can feel it in the briny sea air, hear it pass through the tall grass in an open field, and smell it in the ever present rain.
I’ve only been one time, but the moment I stepped out of the airport, I knew I’d keep a part of it, however small, with me for the rest of my life.