Chapter 6 #2
“Liora!”
“Hiya, Graham.” I smiled. It was impossible not to.
The handsome pub owner had a wicked grin that broke the hearts of women of all ages.
Endlessly charming, he was a notorious bachelor, and the town’s golden boy.
I wasn’t sure if he’d remember me, as I hadn’t been in the pub all that much, and hoped he only remembered good things.
“What brings you back to Loren Brae? I saw your sister is working at the vet’s office now.”
Graham reached over and offered his hand and I shook it, blinded a bit by his bright smile and cheerful countenance.
“Aye, she is. That’s kind of why I’m back.” No need to fill him in on any astrology drama, grabbing on to the lifeline he’d thrown me. “I wanted to be closer to Zara and Mitch.”
“Are they doing all right then? They seem well enough.” Graham’s face creased with concern.
“Och, aye, they are. Just missing family, I guess.” I shrugged one shoulder and glanced around the pub. “Say, Graham. Is there any possibility you’re looking to hire servers? I … I could dearly use the work.” I hated admitting the last part, but there was no other way around it. I needed a job.
“Well now, let me have a think.” Graham’s eyes studied the expression on my face and I tried to appear like a hardworking, resourceful individual, and not someone desperate for a place to work. Any place to work. “Have you worked in the service industry before?”
“Aye, for years now.” I smiled brightly at him. “Off and on, that is. But I’ve worked in everything from fine dining to a coffee shop. I never miss a shift and I make friends with everyone.”
“I don’t doubt it.” Graham’s smile widened. “You’ve always been a cheerful sort if I recall. You used to do readings too, didn’t you? Astrology, was it?”
“Och, well, I did that a bit. Here and there.” I hated dismissing my career like it was of no importance, but I’d learned that not everyone viewed astrology in the best light.
Which was silly, considering how helpful it could be to others, but I’d grown used to the way people’s faces would take on a knowing look when I told them what I did for a living.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but things have been a bit … quieter around Loren Brae the last few years,” Graham said, moving back behind the bar. “I’m not sure I’d even have enough for full-time work.”
“Part-time works too,” I rushed out, moving to the side of the bar and leaning against it, a plea in my voice. “Anything you could give me, really.”
Graham’s eyes met mine again, his gaze carefully assessing.
“I promise, I’m a hard worker,” I whispered, as close to pleading as I could allow myself to get.
“I can take you on for the weekends. We still get a few tour buses through to see the castle, and they often stop by for a pint if they’re not having a meal at Grasshopper.”
I blinked at him, confused.
“Grasshopper is the new restaurant at MacAlpine Castle. You could also ask there for work, to make up for extra hours I cannae give you,” Graham explained.
“Ah, right. I didn’t know they’d opened a restaurant.” Last I’d been in Loren Brae, the castle had been suffering, with interest in tours falling off and a potentially new owner on the horizon.
“There’s been a few changes since you were last here.” Graham held up a hand. “Hold on a second, while I go grab the application form.”
Sighing in relief, as it sounded like he’d be willing to give me work, if even for a few days a week, I settled onto a bar stool and closed my eyes.
Taking in a deep breath, I dropped my guards, and let myself listen and feel the vibe of the pub.
It had always been a friendly and welcoming spot, but I’d never been inside when it was almost empty before.
Now, I felt like I could get a read on the energy of the place.
The building, much like many of the places in Loren Brae, was several hundred years old and as far as I was concerned, every place held energy.
Not getting any bad vibes, I opened my eyes to find Graham staring at me, a bemused look on his face, a form in his hand.
“Sorry.” I flushed. “Just taking in the space.”
“And? How did it rate for you?” Graham asked, sliding the form across the bar to me.
“It feels good in here,” I answered honestly, taking the pen he handed me. “A place for community.”
“That’s why I’ve always loved owning it,” Graham admitted. “It can be a home away from home.”
“Which is exactly what I’m looking for,” I blurted out, and flushed again when Graham raised an eyebrow at me. “Sorry, I just meant, you know, in work. I like working at places that actually care about their clientele, their product, and the space they create.”
“I can’t offer more than minimum wage, at the moment, I’m afraid.”
“That’s fine, I’m happy to have the work.”
“You’ll get some tips, depending on whether tourists come through. Those are yours to keep. The weekend shifts are long, if you get here before lunch to help set up. Food’s done around nine at night, so that’ll be about ten to twelve hours a shift. You reckon you’re up for that?”
“No problem. I’ve got a good pair of trainers.
They’ll suit long days on my feet.” I beamed up at him, doing a quick mental calculation.
Three shifts a week at minimum wage should be just enough to cover rent and groceries for the month.
It wouldn’t leave much extra for literally anything else, but I knew how to work with a lean budget.
I could walk to work, I had enough clothes, and I was excellent at making dried beans and lentils stretch into many meals.
“Your meals are covered while you’re working. Lunch and dinner,” Graham added, seeming to read my mind as I filled in my information on the form.
“Oh really? That’s generous of you.” I amended my mental calculation for my food budget. “I promise not to eat you out of the pub.”
“Are you staying with Zara then? Or do you need a line on a place to rent?” Graham asked, and I froze. This was the first real test of my new “fake” dating situation I’d set out for Torin and me, and I needed to just pull the plaster off fast and get on with it.
“I’m staying at Torin’s actually,” I said, realizing it would be weird if I said I was renting from Torin, but also his supposed girlfriend.
Though couples split rent, didn’t they? I wouldn’t know, I’d never moved in with a boyfriend before, but my thoughts were scrambling too fast to come up with the best answer in this moment other than to say that I was staying at his house.
It answered the question without elaborating too much.
“Torin’s?” Graham’s eyes sharpened, and my spirits fell. It wasn’t likely that Graham would have forgotten. Not when it had been the hot gossip for a while. “I haven’t seen him in a while. How’s he getting on?”
“Oh, um, he’s grand.” I blew out a small sigh of relief that it seemed that Graham was going to give me some grace and not poke too much into my personal life.
“Tell him I said hello, would you? And bring him in for a pint sometime. He’s a nice lad.”
“Aye, he is.” That much was the truth at least. I quickly finished filling out the form and passed it back over to Graham. He took his time reading it over, nodding once or twice, and then looked up at me over the paper.
“I’ll get this sorted and add you to payroll. See you Friday at half ten in the morning.”
“Thank you, Graham.” I hopped up and held my hand out. He shook it, his grip confident, and I smiled, relieved that something was going well in my life. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”
“Nae bother, hen. I could use some help around here. I’ve just been stubborn about adding anyone else on. You popped in at a good time. The holidays always pick up a bit.”
“Great. Really looking forward to it. I’ll see you on Friday.” Waving goodbye, I almost ran from the pub before he could change his mind.
Thank you, new moon. I nodded my head to the sky, sending up a quick thanks, and then hustled down the street to see if I could poke my head into the vet’s and tell Zara my good news. If it wasn’t too busy, that was.
Rounding the corner of where the main street met the loch, I stopped in front of the vet’s office. With a wide front window that looked into the practice, I could see Zara at her desk, Mitch laying on his dog bed in front of the counter. The waiting room appeared empty, so I decided to pop in.
A bell sounded my arrival, and Zara immediately stopped talking into the recorder she held in her hand. She had many tools to transcribe her voice into text, and I assumed this one would help with her notes on charts. Mitch popped his head up, and his tail wagged when he spied me.
“It’s me, Zara,” I said, before she could speak. “Can I greet Mitch?”
“Aye, he’s off work.”
“Hey, boy,” I said, and Mitch jumped up and ran over to me, his butt wiggling as I rubbed my hands through his shaggy fur. Thinking about Bracken, I decided to see if I could talk to him. “Can you say hi back? Speak?”
Mitch barked, but nothing came into my mind.
Hmm, maybe I could only just hear Bracken then.
“I come to you with good news,” I said, glancing around the office. It was clean, but with warm touches like a vase with flowers on the waiting room table.
And a fox sitting in the open doorway that led to the rooms behind Zara.
I gasped.
“Um, Z,” I whispered, and Z stiffened, hearing the warning in my voice.
“What’s wrong?” Z hissed, not moving.
“There’s a fox sitting in your hallway.”
“Oh.” My sister visibly relaxed. “That’s fine, then. That’s Gloam.”
“Hello, Liora.”
I froze, staring as the fox prowled closer to me. Had I really just heard his voice? Glancing from my sister to the fox, and back again, I swallowed. Had I imagined his voice in my head? Were the threads of reality unraveling for me?
“Zara, is someone here? I didn’t think we had any more appointments this morning.
” A pretty woman with dark hair and a confident air, dressed in green scrubs, poked her head out of the doorway behind the fox.
“Oh, hello.” An unreadable look crossed her face when she looked down at the fox and then back up at where I stood, frozen, in the waiting room.
“Oh, the fox? He’s harmless. Just a patient we’re treating. You don’t have to be scared.”
“I’m not. It was just a surprise is all.” Who had a pet fox? Was that even legal? Tilting my head, I tried to figure out how to attempt to communicate with it without the other two women questioning what I was doing. “He’s very handsome. Aren’t you? I wonder if you know how handsome you are?”
Gloam’s eyes slitted, and his mouth fell open like he was laughing. “Aye, I well know how handsome I am.”
My eyes widened. He’d really spoken. I’d heard his voice, clear as a bell, in my mind. Unsure of what to do, and not wanting to freak out in front of Zara’s boss, I planted a bland smile on my face.
“Liora, this is Dr. Faelan Fletcher. Faelan, this is my sister, Liora.”
“Oh, Liora! Of course, it’s lovely to meet you.” Faelan stepped forward, her hand out, when Gloam intercepted her. He wove himself between her legs, almost like a cat, and Faelan faltered, glancing down from him to me. “What do you mean…”
“She’s one of us.”
“Um.” I looked desperately between the fox and Faelan, unsure of what to do. My sister’s head bobbed between the two of us, a faint line forming on her forehead as she tried to figure out what was happening that she couldn’t see.
“Welcome, Liora.” Faelan stepped forward and reached out a hand. “I think you’re just the person we’ve been waiting for.”