Page 32 of Trying Sophie

“Sure?” I asked, making sure I’d heard correctly.

“Yeah, why not?” He shrugged and took another drink of his beer.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry over how relieved I was.

“I could probably get a few of the guys to come as well. One of the younger lads is from here too, and my closest friends on the team have all met Colm. I’m sure they’d be up for it. Hell, Aidan might even volunteer to do it shirtless.”

His smirk said he was joking but maybe he was on to something. If I could manage to pull off an event where a bunch of shirtless rugby players served beer all day, I could ensure both male and female fans driving all the way out here. Not wanting to press my luck, I decided to save that request for later.

“That’d be amazing! I can’t thank you enough, Declan. This probably isn’t the way you’d want to spend your night off, so it means that much more you’re willing to do this for me.”

“Eat your lunch Sophie,” he said, avoiding my praise. “Maureen and Colm have been good to me. If I can help them by pouring pints, I’m happy to repay their kindness.”

“Thank you. I’m glad to know my grandparents have people like you looking out for their well-being.”

As I spoke he chewed and since he couldn’t respond with a mouth full of food, I kept on talking.

“I’ve been worried people have been taking advantage of them, but maybe I was overreacting.” I shrugged. “Anyhow, I bet you never thought you’d hear me say this, but you’re a good man Declan O’Shaughnessy.”

“I’m not a good man, Sophie,” he responded, shocking me. Rubbing his hand across his shadowed chin, he held my gaze. “You don’t really know me.”

“Oh please, you and I both know that’s a bald faced lie,” I remarked nervously, trying to ignore his ominous tone and heated stare. “You treat my grandparents well and even though I was a bitch to you, you’ve been a friend to me so that makes you a good guy in my book. I don’t know why you don’t give yourself more credit.”

“Never mind,” he said, downing the last of his beer. “You wouldn’t understand.”

The clench of his jaw paired with the finality of his words said the subject wasn’t open for discussion. That was fine by me because while I liked Declan, I wasn’t ready to take on his problems on top of my own.

Wanting to lighten the mood, I decided a little light flirting was in order.

“Anyhow, it turns out I’m shit at pouring Guinness and you seem to have it down pat. Maybe I can get you to show me how to do it perfectly?” I raised a coquettish eyebrow, daring him to decline. “I don’t want to run off any more regulars than I already have.”

“Yeah, that’ll never happen.”

When Declan joined me in a warm chuckle, I knew we’d moved on from that strange moment a few minutes earlier.

“I think old Mr. O’Connor wants to be buried out back. And there ain’t no way you’re running off those who wouldn’t be caught dead going anywhere else. They might take the piss out of you, but that’s only because you’re family.”

Sliding out of the booth, he extended his hand. “But come on, let’s see what you’ve got.”

Once I’d proven to be only somewhat inept, Declan slid a perfectly poured pint across the smooth copper surface and I took a sip. When I set it down, his eyes twinkled and it looked like he was stifling a laugh.

“What?” I demanded.

“You have a little foam—” he rubbed his thumb across the tip of my nose “—right there.” Licking his finger, he motioned to the area between his eyebrows. “And there.”

My hand flew up to encounter a line of foam cutting across the bridge of my nose.

“Ah Christ.” I grabbed a napkin and rubbed it roughly across my face. “This is why I should stick to pouring whiskey.”

He laughed. “Yeah, probably. When’s your next shift anyway?”

“Tonight, actually, although my schedule isn’t really a formal arrangement, you know? I told my grandparents I’d help out while we figured out a way to staunch the loss of cash flow and then hire someone to do all the things my grandpa can’t anymore.”

“A new manager? Or were you were thinking something more drastic?”

Should I tell him what I really thought? I trusted him not to break my confidence, but this was family business.

“I don’t know,” I responded hesitantly. “I haven’t figured it out yet. There are still a lot of options to explore. At the rate I’m going, I won’t have a clear recommendation until well after Christmas.”

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