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Well spotted, dumbass. This group was going to be a real treat to serve.
Sophie didn’t have time to split hairs about where this particular American was from, but if she had to take an educated guess, she’d say California. She’d dealt with enough customers at her parents’ pub to be right most of the time. Her time there also taught her that the customer is always right—no matter how much they irritate the ever-living hell out of you, you still have to be nice.
She plastered on a smile. “I’m half Irish. My father married an American.”
“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be wherever you’re from?”
“I could ask you the same question,” replied Sophie with a screwed-on smile and she moved on to the next table.
The next table was a double and filled with tourists waving their phones in the air like magic wands looking for a signal and complaining. “Do you have somewhere to plug in my phone?” A middle-aged woman asked. Then another. And another. And another. Until practically every person in the room wanted an outlet for their phone.
Why, yes! Yes, yes, we do. Right up your—Okay, Sophie didn’t actually say that, but she sure wanted to.
Put the phones away! You’re on vacation in one of the most magical places in the world. That dumbass video of a dog on a skateboard can wait.
Sophie and Emma shared a look, both fighting the urge to roll their eyes and give them an earful because that wouldn’t be very hospitable now, would it?
As Sophie poured water, one tourist—a sweet, bubbly woman named Ginny with a thick Southern accent—offered to help serve. She was adorable, if a bit clumsy, nearly tripping over her coat that had fallen from the back of her chair onto the floor. But with the pub bustling, Sophie couldn’t turn down an extra set of hands.
Once everyone had a glass of water Sophie, Emma, and Ginny made their way back to the kitchen to make a plan.
“These tourists are peculiar,” whispered Emma, so as not to offend Ginny. “One of them was fascinated that I’m Irish.” Emma helped herself to a cup of coffee. She was going to need a lot of caffeine to deal with this crowd.
Sophie shook her head. Whatever she had done to deserve this she was more than sorry and would never ever do it again. “Zombies! All of them. Present company excluded.” Unlike Emma, Sophie did not whisper. This was her pub and if someone didn’t like what she said then they knew where the door was.
Ginny covered her mouth and giggled. “Try spending a week on a bus with them.”
“No, thanks,” Emma and Sophie said together.
“They’re not all bad, though. That couple at the table in the back by the window? That’s Lacy Ruser and her husband Jason. They’re newlyweds. Isn’t that sweet? They’re actually from Canada—very nice people. And you know, I bet this colder weather doesn’t bother them a bit. And then there’s Dani and Danny. Dani Varney—that’s Dani with an I, and her husband Danny with a Y—isn’t that just so adorable? Oh! And there’s Julie Camino—I just love her name. It makes me think of the car. I had a boyfriend, Jake, back in high school. He drove a black El Camino. We’d go driving all over?—”
Sophie suspected if allowed, Ginny would list each and every name of the passengers with a bio. She couldn’t decide if this woman was adorable or obnoxious. Since she was helping, she decided adorable, but Sophie had to make her stop. As it was, she didn’t need to interrupt.
“Sorry, was I talking too much? I do that sometimes. My daddy’s always telling me I talk too much, but he doesn’t mind, really. But you just tell me when to shut my mouth.” Ginny picked up her glass of water and took a drink.
Deciding that Ginny was adorable, Sophie laughed in her throat. Then she pressed her palm against her forehead for a moment pushing back a headache. This wasn’t her first crowd. She had worked in a pub her whole life but it had been a while and this lot… ugh! Talk about trial by fire.
She prayed this wasn’t an omen of what owning this place would be like. She huffed out a breath and started laying out a game plan. Emma, bless her soul, was the clumsiest woman she knew. That they’d managed to pour each glass of water without spilling—or worse—was nothing short of a miracle. Liam would arrive shortly, and Keefe too. The best Sophie could figure, the safest place for Emma, would be behind the bar. They weren’t fully stocked yet, but they had enough to keep the crowd happy. Ginny could help in the dining room, and Liam could assist Keefe in the kitchen to get these people fed as quickly as possible. In the meantime, the bar would be open, and that should keep them satisfied.
“How long do you think they will be here?” Emma asked.
Sophie shook her head. “Their tour guide, Benjamin?—”
“The nice one with the glasses?”
“That’s the one. He said there’s another bus coming to get them but it will be about four hours.”
“Oh, boy…”
“Ye-p,” said Sophie with a popping P. “Thanks for staying, Em.” Sophie crossed the floor to her friend and hugged her tight. “God, I’ve missed you!”
“Me too! But there’s time for that later. What’s your plan? Where do you want me?”
“And me,” Liam appeared inside the kitchen from the back door with a smile. “Hello, Emma. I wasn’t expecting to see you here. What a nice surprise.”
“Liam!” Emma went to Liam and hugged him. “It’s good to see you again.” Emma whispered in his ear before breaking their embrace, “I’m so excited that you and Soph are back together!”
Liam smiled and winked at her before kissing Sophie quickly. Then there was the quick introduction of Ginny. Sophie handled that herself or they were likely to get Ginny’s life story. “Right, what’s the plan, Boss?”
