Page 15 of Irish Fire and Forbidden Love
Back at the pub,Rory went to work, checking the water pressure and pipes while I focused on the fundraiser. I’d called up local news on radio and TV, with surprising success. Apparently, people wanted more “feel-good” stories, and this could be one of them— if I reached our goal, of course, which only added to the pressure.
When Eliza opened the bar, she tried to walk past me, but I stopped her. I pulled out an extra fifty from my wallet. “For staying later.”
“I thought you weren’t going to pay me for that extra work.”
“You knew I was always going to,” I said.
She took the fifty and shrugged. “Well, I didn’t do this for the money.” Her eyes shifted to Rory who rounded the corner.
He wiped his hands with a dirty rag I’d given him early. He’d been working for the last hour, and his shirt and face glistened with sweat. It made him all the more appealing. With or without a shower.
“I know,” I said to Eliza and then turned to Rory. “How’s it looking?
“Looks good. You’ve got some old cast iron pipes. Those are going to need to be replaced eventually. Could be expensive.”
“Could be, but that’s not exactly something I need to focus on. At least right now. Got a few other things on my mind.”
“Right,” he said. “The fundraiser, huh?”
“We need something else. Some treat for them— or a prize. I don’t know. We need to keep most of the money, though.”
“Then don’t make the prize about money. Make it about you. What if you performed when you hit your goal?” Rory asked.
“That’s not going to happen,” I said quickly.
“All the more reason why you’d probably get a whole lot more money. People asked about you, haven’t they? I’m sure they wonder why you haven’t done any performances. People would pay good money to see that.”
“Yeah, and then they’ll be glad they never heard me before,” I said.
“I mean, whether or not people like you, if it’s a way to get money, then why not try it?” he said.
“He’s kind of got a point,” Eliza said.
“Wouldn’t you do anything to save your pub?” Rory asked.
“Yes, but—” I started, then stopped myself because he was right. I would do anything to save this place, and people had asked, more out of curiosity than anything. I doubted it would be enough to make us the money we need, but we also didn’t have a whole lot of options. We didn’t have the money to get a prize, unless we used some of the fundraiser money to pay for something like that. No, it would be better to use most, if not all money on the pub. So, I agreed. Something I never thought I’d ever agree to do again.
I’d spent many hours with my guitar since I gave up the spotlight, but those moments were when I was alone and sure that no one else could hear or see me. Those were precious moments to myself. While I sometimes wished I could be up on stage again, I’d never actually thought I’d have the opportunity,and so I had cherished those moments because they were all I had.
“Alright, but it’s going to suck.”
“If it sucks, it sucks. At least it’ll save your pub,” Rory said.
“Besides, maybe we’ll still fail the fundraiser, then you won’t have to do anything!” Eliza added.
“Thanks. That makes me feel a whole lot better,” I said dryly.
“Well, last time, we got some attention last time, but even if we got twice as many, that’s still a far reach from fifty thousand dollars. Are you sure a fundraiser is the right course of action?”
“You’ve got a better idea?” The pair was silent, so I said, “Look, it doesn’t really matter. None of this matters. The fundraiser is probably one big waste of time, but it also is the one thing in my power that I can do. I’m not going to be like Old Bill and just lay down when everything happens.”
“Old Bill?” Rory asked.
“It’s the old owner of one of the most popular bars in town,” I said.
“He really was such a sweetie pie. Always coming in with treats. If he wasn’t all smiles, I’d have thought he was doing market research whenever he came in,” Eliza said, counting the till money.
“He didn’t have a mean bone in his body,” I said softly. “He made you feel like you were part of his family. He went to your place, you went to his. He created a community of people, which ultimately inspired me to start the open mic and create a community of artists.”
