Page 30 of Trying Sophie

I wasn’t sure how my grandparents would feel about him waltzing in and making himself at home behind their bar. They were fine when Cian did it, but he also worked here. A few free beers for an employee wouldn’t make or break them, but how would it look if everyone they knew helped themselves to a pint whenever they felt like it? Hell, maybe that’s where they were losing cash.

“Oh, sure,” he said as he pulled the tap to fill his glass. “I’ve been back here a ton. A couple years back my mate Cian and I did a charity event where we pulled pints for a few hours. A ton of rugby fans came from all over the county and we made a lot of money that day.”

He let the liquid settle and put another glass under the tap. “You met Cian yet?”

“Oh, I’ve met Cian all right,” I answered, keeping my voice flat.

I was still feeling weird about him almost kissing me. I hadn’t seen him since which I was happy about.

Now I found it odd Cian hadn’t mentioned he was still friends with Declan. He’d had the perfect opportunity to do so that first day when we’d talked about their childhood teasing. For some reason, though, he’d kept quiet. I wondered now why that was.

“Cian Kelly—your childhood shadow—and I have worked a couple of shifts together.”

“Don’t let him hear you call him that.” His face grew serious.

Ah, I thought, the plot thickens.

When we were kids, everywhere Declan went, Cian followed. Had there been some sort of rift between the two since the night Declan just recalled? Was that why Cian hadn’t mentioned their friendship?

“Why’s that?”

“About him being my shadow.”

“Not what. Why?” I clarified, wondering if he’d intentionally misunderstood. “It’s the truth, isn’t it?”

He was quiet for a few moments and then, eyeing me as he inhaled deeply, came to a decision. “Cian used to play rugby, professional like me. We came up through the system at the same time, billed as the next wave of future superstars.” He made air quotes with his fingers.

“We were the youngest starting players until the day he was carted off on a stretcher. He never played again.” He shook his head solemnly. “He’s my best friend, but he’s touchy as fuck about comparisons between us.”

He fell silent while his eyes scanned mine from across the room. “He’ll never admit it, but he resents I’m where I am and he’s where he is. Hence, the no shadow thing.”

Well, that certainly explained some things about Cian. Like why he was so moody and always looked slightly pissed off at the world.

“I won’t bring it up,” I promised. “But otherwise, things are good between you two?” I asked, curious to hear how he’d answer.

Declan shrugged and I didn’t have trouble interpreting the gesture. They were dudes who didn’t spend a lot of time discussing their feelings.

Right.

Switching subjects, I brought up the charity event he’d participated in, interested in knowing more about the types of organization he lent his name to.

“It wasn’t much, but we made a few grand for the Temple Street Foundation so all in all it was a good night.”

“And what do they do?”

“They’re tied to Temple Street Children’s University Hospital which treats critically ill kids.” Shrugging his shoulder like it was no big deal, he added, “Anyhow, since then I’ve stepped behind the bar a couple of times when I’m here visiting my mam and Colm needs extra hands.”

His humble admission surprised me. Every day I became more and more convinced Declan was actually a really good guy only trying to be a bad boy. I also decided my grandparents were lucky to have someone like him around. He couldn’t unburden them, but it made me happy to know they had people they could count when I left.

Taking a good, long look at Declan behind the bar, his hands spread wide across the copper surface, an idea struck.

“Hey,” I said, unsure how to proceed.

“Hey yourself,” he answered, carrying two dark pints back to our booth.

Setting them down, he slid into his seat and cocked his head, waiting for me to continue.

I clasped the beer between my palms and twirled the cold glass, the condensation making it slippery in my grip. Before I accidentally knocked it over, I set it aside and leaned back.

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