Page 17 of Surrender
The magpies kept up their raspy chatter, ignoring him completely.
“Yeah, well, how about one of you bring me a girl instead of ruining my morning peace with all your racket?” he grumbled, raising his mug in mock toast. “Feck off.”
Fair play to them, though—they were more punctual than his part-time staff. Still, he wouldn’t be opposed to tossing the obnoxious birds into the game pie.
He shook his head and took another sip from his cup—then heard the front door open.
A smile curled at his lips.
His sister was back.
Sophie unlocked the front door of the pub and breathed in, then exhaled. She paused just past the threshold, letting the familiar scent of wood polish, malt, and roasted coffee hit her like a welcome-home hug.
It was good to be back.
Her honeymoon with Liam had been a dream, of course. No honeymoon had ever been more romantic or more meaningful. But there was something about this place—its creaky floors, and years of laughter soaked into the walls—that wrapped itself around her heart.
She crossed the floor and laid her hand on the bar.
“Hello, old girl. Did you miss me?” Great. Now she was talking to the place like Keefe did.
“About damn time!”
She turned just in time to see her twin pass through the kitchen door, a dish towel slung over one shoulder and a grin stretching across his face. He didn’t slow down before wrapping her in a bear hug that lifted her off the ground.
“I missed you,” he said into her hair. “It’s been dead boring without you here.”
Sophie laughed, squeezing him just as tight. “You mean you missed someone telling you what to do.”
Smiling wide, he pulled back to look at her. “No. I just missed my sister. But don’t let it go to your head.”
Keefe set her back down and took a step back, giving her an exaggerated once-over. It had been ages since he’d seen that look on her face—pure, unfiltered contentment.
“Being Mrs. Gallagher agrees with you,” he said. “You look great. Must be all that artist sex and Greek sunshine.”
Without missing a beat, “Why thank you,” she said fluffing her hair. She dug into her bag and pulled out a squat bottle with a dark blue label and a crooked cork. “I brought you something. Don’t ask me to pronounce it, but it’s from a tiny shop in Santorini where the shopkeeper insisted it would either bless your liver or destroy it entirely.”
Keefe took the bottle reverently, holding it up to the light. “Now that’s a proper honeymoon souvenir.”
“Figured you deserved it. You held down the fort.” She glanced around the pub, and her chest tightened with affection. “It’s good to be home.”
“It’s good to have you back. Where’s Liam?”
“He’s back at the house. His mother ambushed us the moment we stepped off the plane. He kept her busy while I made a break for it. So, how did it go here without me? Was it chaos?”
“Not at all. Ginny and I handled everything with grace and style.” His voice was much too confident.
“That doesn’t sound comforting.” It sounded like a line made up to veil the truth. “Did something happen? What did you and Ginny get up to?”
“Do I hear my name taken in vain?” said Ginny from the stairway. She appeared with a smile on her face and when she saw Sophie, rushed to her, and tripped over her own two feet. She would have landed face flat on the floor but Keefe caught her. “Thank you,” she said to Keefe looking fondly up into his eyes. “I swear it’s like some days I can’t even walk and chew gum at the same time.” Then she turned her attention back to Sophie. “You’re back! I’m so excited!” Before Sophie got a word in edgeways Ginny continued. “Keefe showed me the pictures you sent. Greece looks so beautiful! Oh my god that sunrise you took a picture of! I hope I go there someday. Was it hot? I bet it was hot. How was the food? Was it good? I bet it was good. How’s Liam? Is he here too? Did you have any of that drink they have there? You know, that disgusting stuff that tastes like ass?”
“Anise,” Keefe corrected.
“I know what I said.” Ginny playfully nudged Keefe with her elbow and he chuckled.
If Keefe hadn’t interrupted, Ginny would’ve bombarded Sophie with questions until her ears fell off. For that, she was grateful. But just what the actual hell was that flirty moment between them?
“I’ll have breakfast ready for us in a jiffy,” said Keefe. “We just need to set the table.”
