Julia Page 5

  “Could you run this out to Billy, honey?” Mrs. Johnson called out from the kitchen. Julia turned around and saw two dinner plates loaded with steaks and mashed potatoes. She carefully picked them up, one in each hand, and headed toward Billy, who was in the middle of taking another table’s order. He looked up when he saw her heading his way.

  “You’re a love. Can you drop those at the table by the window?”

  Two hungry-looking men were seated at the table Billy indicated. Julia set their meals in front of them, and noticed their drinks were almost empty.

  “Can I get you gentleman anything else?”

  “Well, aren’t you the prettiest thing? You new here, sugar? Don’t think I’ve seen you around before.” He was pleasant enough, but the interest in his eyes was obvious.

  “Yes, I am new here. I’m Liam’s wife.”

  “Well, welcome, then. Though I admit to being disappointed to learn that you’re married.”

  “But not at all surprised.” The other man chuckled, before adding, “We probably wouldn’t mind a few more beers.”

  “I’ll be right back with those for you.” Julia picked up the empty glasses and brought them to the far end of the bar, where Liam stood watching.

  “Two more?” he asked when she set the empty ones on the bar.

  She nodded, and he quickly refilled the mugs and gave them back to her. “If anyone bothers you or gets too familiar, let me know. I won’t tolerate it.”

  “I will. They’re fine, though.”

  ###

  Liam watched Julia walk away with the two beers and wondered if having her work in the pub might be a big mistake. He hadn’t liked the way those two men had looked at his wife, as if she might be every bit as tasty as the steaks she’d served them. To their credit, once she returned with their beers, they were nothing but polite. But still. He didn’t like how he’d felt seeing other men ogling his wife. If she kept working at the pub, it was bound to happen again. He supposed he would just have to deal with it and not let jealousy get the best of him.

  “What the hell is he doing here?” Billy was at the bar picking up a few drinks when Rusty Smith, the owner of Rascal’s Saloon, walked in.

  “I have no idea,” Liam muttered.

  They watched as Rusty made his way to the bar and stopped to say hello to a few people along the way. Finally, he was at the bar and sat in one of the only two empty seats.

  “Nice to see you, Rusty. What are you drinking tonight?” Liam asked.

  “I’ll take a whiskey on the rocks—actually, make that two. Ed should be along any minute.” Liam went to pour the drinks and when he turned back around, Ed was settling in the seat next to Rusty.

  “Here you go. Enjoy.” Liam set the drinks down and was about to walk away when Rusty spoke.

  “You’re busy tonight. Steady, it seems. We used to be busy like this.” His tone was pleasant enough, but Liam sensed a darker undertone. He wasn’t sure how to respond to that and was saved by Julia, who was waving at him to get his attention.

  “If you’d excuse me, gentleman. Duty calls.” Liam practically ran to the end of the bar.

  “Who is that?” Julia asked as she set two empty beer mugs on the bar to be refilled again.

  “That’s my main competitor, the owner of Rascal’s. He’s never come in here before and seems annoyed that we’re busy.

  “Does the other guy work there, too?”

  “No, that’s Ed. He’s actually my biggest supplier.” He glanced back over at the two men and frowned as something else occurred to him. “I didn’t realize they were such good friends.”

  “Hmm. Well, that could explain the creative pricing.” Julia looked furious on his behalf. He smiled, loving her passion.

  “It’s not the right time. But I will be having a conversation with him soon about that,” Liam promised.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  A week later, Julia sat in on Liam’s meeting with Ed, who had stopped into the pub to take Liam’s order for the coming week. It was early in the day, a little after ten, and Julia brought coffees to the table for everyone. Ed was cordial enough, until Liam mentioned that they’d uncovered a few errors in recent orders. Ed immediately bristled and looked defensive. Julia jumped in then to try and smooth his ruffled feathers.

  “I’m sure it was an oversight on your part. I just happened to notice that while the total price on several items remained the same, we were sent fewer units. If you see here, I’ve indicated where the discrepancies were.”

  Ed leaned forward, pushed his glasses up his nose a bit and took a closer look.

  “Hmmm,” he muttered.

  “So we were thinking we could just apply a credit for the missing units to this week’s order. Sound good?” Liam said cheerfully.

  Ed was silent for a moment, and then sighed and said, “Sure, okay.” Then he turned to Julia and said, “Did you say you found this?” Julia nodded, and Liam proudly added, “She used to work as an accountant.”

  Ed raised an eyebrow at that. “Well, aren’t you a clever little thing.”

  Liam ran through the rest of the week’s order then and confirmed every detail of each quantity and item ordered. Ed left soon after, his coffee mostly untouched in his haste to leave.

  “Well, that went well enough,” Julia said with a chuckle.

  “I suppose,” Liam said. “Though if he’s really that tight with Rusty, it will probably get back to him and he’ll be even more unhappy with us.”

  “Too bad. He should just worry about his own business,” Julia said. She had zero sympathy for Rusty, considering the type of establishment he ran. “It’s his choice to do things the way he does. And it’s not your fault if some of his former customers prefer to come here now.”

  “You’re right. I know you’re right.” Liam still looked a bit concerned but smiled at Julia. “I’m glad you decided to work with me here. This past week has been good.”

  “I’m happy to do it.” The week had flown by and Julia was glad to have something to do, and to feel like she was contributing. She was much more comfortable with the work now, too, and was able to handle her own tables and act as a hostess as well, welcoming customers and getting to know them. She also was getting to know the people who worked there better, as well. Billy was about Liam’s age and had two small children and a very sweet wife, who dropped in occasionally to say hello.

  Mrs. Johnson in the kitchen was a doll. They’d become great friends within a day, and Isaac Thomas, who was in his late forties maybe, did odd jobs around the pub—whatever Liam needed help with, from washing dishes to helping Mrs. Johnson with prep work to handling repairs. Liam had known Isaac all his life, and explained that while he had some issues with alcohol, he was a good person and Liam was happy to help by giving him work. He let Isaac sleep out back in the storage room off the kitchen and said it worked out well, that he liked having someone there when they weren’t.

  Liam insisted on driving her home later that afternoon. When Julia protested, saying she was happy to stay through the dinner shift, he was adamant.

  “You came in with me this morning. I do not expect my wife to work the same hours that I do. You should relax and enjoy a peaceful night off.” Julia had worked every night that week with him so far.

  “Okay, but I think you should take some time off, too. It will be good for you.” He looked exhausted. She knew that confronting Ed earlier hadn’t been easy for him.

  “It’s different for me. It’s my business. I need to be there.” But then a few minutes later, he added, “But maybe I can work something out with Billy so he closes a night or two a week.

  “That’s a great idea.”

  ###

  Julia and Liam fell into a routine of sorts over the next few weeks. Liam would come for her every afternoon, a little before four, and then they’d work the evening shift. Though he’d mentioned having Billy cover a shift or two at night, it hadn’t happened yet and Julia guessed he just wasn’t comfortable enou
gh with the idea of having someone else close up. The pub closed most nights sometime between nine and ten, depending on how busy it was. Once everything was cleaned up, Liam usually poured an after work drink for everyone and they relaxed at the bar themselves before heading home for the evening. Usually, it was just one drink and they were on their way, but this past week, Liam had had a second beer while Julia was still sipping her small glass of wine. But, he never had more than two and then they’d be on their way.

  They still hadn’t progressed past that initial first kiss, either. Though they seemed even more comfortable with each other, they had fallen into a routine as well where they’d get home around eleven, say a quick goodnight and both fall into bed, exhausted. Julia sometimes caught Liam looking at her as if he was thinking about kissing her, but then the moment would pass or she might get a quick peck on the cheek. The first week, she’d been happy with that, relieved even. But now, after nearly a month, she was admittedly feeling a bit frustrated. Liam was growing ever more attractive to her, and she realized that she both admired and really cared for him. Yet something seemed to be holding him back. She sighed as once again, when they arrived home and he threw a few logs on the fire, Liam did pull her close, but then kissed her sweetly her on her forehead and wished her a good night.

  And his mood seemed to shift a bit during the following week. The usually cheerful Liam was somewhat subdued and withdrawn, though Julia recognized that she was probably one of the only people who noticed. He still turned on the charm for his customers, joking playfully with them, as usual, so they didn’t see the tired look in his eyes when he turned away to make their drinks. But Julia did, and wondered if he might be coming down with something, or was just plain exhausted. Once again, she urged him to have Billy take over a shift or two.

  “This week isn’t good, maybe next week. I still need to talk to him about that.”

  “Talk to me about what?” Billy had come around the corner in time to hear his name mentioned.

  “I was just suggesting to Liam that he have you cover a shift or two for him and close up so he can have a night or two off.” Julia said.

  “I could do that, no problem. Just let me know when,” Billy agreed.

  “I’ll let you know. Maybe in a week or two.” Liam said as he turned back to take another drink order.”

  Later that night, after the last customer left, Julia helped Liam to count the money that had come in that evening and make up a deposit that would go to the bank in the morning. Each night, they put the day’s take in the office safe.

  As usual, when they arrived home, Liam threw a few logs on the fire and they headed to bed. There was no goodnight kiss, as Julia guessed he didn’t have the energy for it. He looked utterly exhausted.

  ###

  The next morning, she woke around the same time as usual, and went downstairs to start the coffee and throw another log on the fire. Liam usually was up either a little before or after her, but this morning, she’d set the water to boiling for the coffee, milked the cows, fed the animals and was on her second cup of coffee—and still no sign of Liam. That wasn’t like him at all, and she wondered if her suspicion that he was coming down with something might be right.

  She went upstairs to check on him and tapped lightly on his door. There was no answer, so she slowly opened the door a crack and peeked in. The room was dark—the shades were drawn, so it was like a cave in its blackness and she could just make out the top of Liam’s head under the covers.

  “Liam?” she called out softly. There was no answer, so she tried again, “Liam?” Still nothing. He was sleeping like the dead. She closed the door, went back downstairs and decided to wait a bit before trying to wake him again. An hour later, she went up again. He would normally be leaving in about a half-hour for the day shift at the pub.

  She called his name again twice and still no response. Now she was concerned, and walked into the room, turning his covers down so his face was exposed. Good, he was still breathing, that was a relief. She pressed her hand against his forehead, feeling for a fever, but it was cool to the touch, so that was good.

  “Liam, are you okay? Are you feeling sick?” she asked gently. Slowly, he opened his eyes, and it looked like the effort pained him.

  “I can’t do it today. I just can’t,” he managed to say.

  “What’s wrong? Should I get the doctor?” His words alarmed her.

  “No doctor. I just need to sleep.” He closed his eyes again and rolled over so his back was facing her. It was clear that he wasn’t going anywhere that day.

  Julia went downstairs, had a third cup of coffee and then went out to hitch the horse to the buggy. Someone had to go open the pub. Looked like it would be her.

  ###

  Julia arrived a little earlier than Liam usually did so that she could make sure she had a handle on everything that needed to be done before they opened for the day. She was glad that she’d always paid close attention when Liam had explained how he did things and what needed to happen when. First thing she did was to get the deposit from the safe and walk down the street to the bank. She had made the slip out the evening before, so all she had to do was hand it to the teller, who immediately asked after Liam.

  “You must be Liam’s wife. You look exactly as he described.”

  “Yes, he’s taking the day off today,” Julia explained.

  “Oh, how nice for him!”

  When Julia arrived back at the pub, Mrs. Johnson was waiting at the front door. Julia let them both in and she immediately asked after Liam.

  “He wasn’t feeling well this morning, so I suggested he take the day off.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. The day off should do him good. He works too hard.” Mrs. Johnson immediately got busy in the kitchen. Julia went to the bar and started cutting fruit, making sure the bar was stocked with everything they needed.

  “I hear Liam’s feeling poorly?” Isaac stopped by the bar on his way out the door with the trash.

  “Yeah, he’s home in bed. I’m not sure what is wrong with him. He’s not running a fever, but he couldn’t get out of bed this morning.”

  “How much did he have to drink last night?”

  Julia thought about that. Liam wasn’t much of a drinker. “Two beers, maybe? He usually has one or two after work, never more than that.”

  Isaac looked thoughtful for a moment as if he was about to say something, then decided against it.

  “That’s too bad. Hopefully, he’ll be back at it tomorrow. A day in bed might be just what he needs.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be fine tomorrow,” Julia assured him. She did think that, but when she went home later that afternoon to check on him, she grew a bit more concerned. Liam looked like he hadn’t budged from his bed all day, and now had a dark shadow on his face that she found both attractive and concerning.

  “Liam? Are you awake?” she called out softly. There was no response. She reached out to touch his shoulder and gently shake him. “Liam?”

  He grunted and reluctantly opened his eyes.

  “Are you feeling any better? Have you eaten anything?” She didn’t think he had.

  “Not hungry,” he mumbled and shut his eyes again.

  “I’m going to bring you some food.” He didn’t respond at all.

  Julia left his room and went downstairs. She’d brought home a container of soup from the pub. Mrs. Johnson had made a big pot of chicken and rice soup, and she thought that might be something he could get down even if he wasn’t particularly hungry. She heated it up quickly on the stove, poured it into a bowl and put a few crackers on the side. She poured him a tall glass of water and brought it up to him with the soup, set it on the small table by his bed.

  “There’s soup for your dinner. I’m heading back to the pub. I’ll check on you later tonight.” Julia wasn’t sure, but she thought maybe she heard a grunt of some sort. She left then and shut the door behind her. She wasn’t at all sure what was ailing Liam but was starting to
worry that he might not be back to normal as quickly as she’d hoped.

  That evening, she and Billy took turns waiting on tables and keeping an eye on the bar. Not long before closing time, Julia was surprised to see Rusty Smith walk in again. This time, he was by himself and had his pick of seats at the bar.

  “Hello, Rusty. What would you like?” Julia asked.

  “Just a whiskey neat, I think. Liam around?” He glanced around the pub looking for him.

  “No, he’s not in tonight.” Julia set his drink down, then turned to walk away.

  “Oh? Hope everything is okay.” Julia felt a twinge of irritation as Rusty sounded anything but sincere.

  “Oh, everything is fine. Liam’s great. I just insisted he have a night off. He works too hard,” she said with a smile.

  “Don’t we all? Looks like things are slowing down maybe for you? Funny that. We had our busiest night in a long time tonight.” He smiled and downed his drink in one sip. Then he drew some money from his wallet and slapped it down on the bar.

  “Give Liam my regards, would you.” With that, he left and Julia was left wondering what she had missed. They had been unusually slow that night, but she figured it was just the natural ebb and flow of the restaurant business. Rusty seemed to imply that customers were coming back his way, and he seemed pleased as punch about it. Obviously, he wanted Liam to know he’d had a great night and to rub his face in it, which Julia thought was silly. What was one night anyway?

  ###

  She closed up the pub after putting the night’s deposit in the safe and saying goodnight to Billy, Mrs. Johnson and Isaac. Admittedly, she was a little nervous driving home after dark, but soon enough she arrived home and immediately went upstairs to check on Liam. The soup was still there, mostly untouched, but the crackers were gone and the glass of water empty. She called out softly to Liam twice, but his only response was to roll over. She brought the empty glass and soup bowl downstairs, threw another log on the fire and soon after, fell into bed herself.