“Okay. Okay. I’m sorry. That was probably out of line, too.” Daniel carefully approached her. “Can we sit down and talk for a minute? Or can you at least let me explain myself? You can go right back to being pissed and hating me. I just want to talk.” He sat down at one of the bar stools near where she had been wiping spilled beer and food crumbs off of a countertop.
Caitlin rolled her eyes yet again, shaking her head but eventually relenting to his request. She washed her hands at the sink and sat down on the bar stool beside him. “Talk,” she said flatly, glaring at him in annoyance.
“I was in the back office, and I heard something crashing and someone screaming. It’s hard to think before reacting when I hear something like that, you know?” Daniel sighed, his voice becoming tender and calm. “When I walked out of the office, I saw you standing between those two dicks and Rose looking scared out of her mind.” He ran a hand through his tousled hair and swallowed nervously.
“And you just had to come save us, huh? Because we obviously can’t take care of ourselves?” Caitlin scoffed, her arms folded defiantly.
“No. I mean, I wasn’t consciously thinking that, at least. Maybe that was part of it subconsciously or something, and I probably need to think about why that is. But I just jumped into action because I didn’t want either of you to get hurt.” He threw up his hands and shrugged. “I mean, really, what would you have done, Cait? Imagine it was your dad out there or Sophie and some drunk pieces of shit were trying to hurt them. Wouldn’t you have done the same thing I did?”
Caitlin sighed, unfolding her arms and twiddling her thumbs as she stared down at her hands. “I don’t know...probably, yeah.” She sighed, thinking of how quickly she would fly into a blind rage at the idea of someone hurting anyone she loved. But did that mean Daniel actually cared about her?
Daniel relaxed somewhat, nodding at her answer. Good, he thought, that meant he was managing to get through to her. “We’ve been fighting like this for as long as I can remember, Caitlin. Isn’t it getting tiring?” He propped an elbow up on the counter and rested his chin in his hand. “I know you see me as the sole aggressor here, but I also think that you know deep down that you’ve contributed to it, too.”
“Oh, boy.” Caitlin sighed. She got up for a moment and poured herself a shot of whiskey, quickly downing it before sitting back down. “What?” she asked bluntly, noticing Daniel’s amused yet puzzled expression. “If we’re going into therapy mode here, I’m going to need some liquid courage to make it a little easier.”
Daniel shrugged. “You mind pouring me one, too, then?”
Chuckling softly, Caitlin grabbed another shot glass and poured Daniel a shot of the pub’s signature whiskey. He gratefully took it from her and offered her a warm, pleasant smile, to which Caitlin quickly averted her gaze. She blushed, a telling shade of pink creeping across her embarrassed face.
“Anyway, I mean, I just think...we’re adults now. We don’t have to fight like teenagers anymore,” Daniel said softly, quickly becoming aware of his own face turning hot and flushing red at the rather intimate discussion. “Our families go back generations and have this rich history, yet we avoid each other like the plague. It doesn’t have to be like this...is all I’m saying.” He idly tapped his shot glass in a rhythmic pattern against the bar counter. “We could try to get along like them.”
Caitlin finally looked up and locked eyes with Daniel, and took in the handsome lines of his face, something she fought against for years, “You could be right. Maybe I’m just exhausted and tipsy at this point, but maybe you’re onto something here.” She allowed herself to laugh a little, smiling in relief.
“So you’re agreeing with me?” Daniel blinked in amazement, his lips curling into a delighted smirk. “After all these years, Caitlin Murphy is genuinely agreeing to a truce? Can I get that in writing?” he chortled.
“Okay, okay, don’t get too excited,” Caitlin huffed, but she couldn’t stop smiling. “Fine. That’s my official answer: fine.” She sighed as her lips parted as if she were preparing to say something else, but she abruptly closed them as Daniel spoke over her.
“I’ll take it!” Daniel grinned; seeing him smile was another rarity for Caitlin. The tension between them had been palpable ever since their passionate kiss in the hallway earlier that night—in fact, it was probably only about twenty minutes before the fight broke out. “So, um, can we talk about--” Daniel briefly considered addressing the kiss and what it meant, but paused upon noticing the scared and nervous look on Caitlin’s face. “Actually, never mind. It’s nothing.”
Caitlin’s wide-eyed expression softened as Daniel pushed the thought out of his mind. She definitely wasn’t ready to talk about that yet, especially after dealing with the boisterous patrons and nearly getting punched in the face mere minutes ago. “I’m kind of glad we had this talk,” she admitted, her voice soft and relieved. “I know I’m always sarcastic and blunt and kind of mean to you, but...it’s kind of a self-defense thing. I think I built up this sort of rough exterior over the years, and it’s really hard to let it down...even when it makes sense to do so.” She anxiously ran a hand through her messy, fiery red hair.
“It’s okay,” Daniel said, also letting his guard drop. It was an unfamiliar feeling, to be sure, but it was also comforting being able to finally see eye to eye with Caitlin and get through to her past her façade. A silence fell over them, which was a welcome change for two people who had been constantly at each other’s necks for decades.
“So, um, you can head on home now if you want. You can take out the trash bags if you feel like it, and I’ll finish wiping down the tables here.” Caitlin finally spoke up again, standing up from the stool and grabbing a washcloth to clean the rest of the pub’s tables.
Daniel nodded, standing up and shoving his hands in his pockets, resisting the urge to kiss her again. “Of course. No problem.” He stood there for a second; every cell in his body screamed at him to touch her, embrace her, kiss her, but he refused, hoping there would eventually be a better time and place for such a gesture. “Well, then, goodnight, Caitlin.”
“Goodnight, Daniel.” Caitlin said softly, watching Daniel disappear into the night.
10
Caitlin
Caitlin continuedto watch through the stained-glass window. The September rain competed with the harsh winds against the walls of her beloved pub.
Unsure what to do with herself, she turned slowly and looked around the empty pub.
It was probably best that she was alone right now. She thought best when she was alone and busy. With that thought in mind she marched toward the bar and began mopping up the spilled Guinness from the brawl that had taken place only moments before.
There had been a time, many years ago, when she would have dreamt about the day that handsome older Daniel Kelly would swoop in and save her from bad men, like all good knights in shining armor would do. That dream had long since faded. Now that it had come to reality at a time when she didn't want it, it felt strange. The whole world did.
Tossing the wet rag into the sink, she turned off the pub lights and locked the door behind her. She had no idea what they were or what to make of them.
“Nothing has changed, not really,” she whispered as she tugged her coat tighter around her chest and made her way to her little car parked on the corner. He had kissed her, that was all- and it meant nothing. It was just a moment of lapsed sanity. What they needed now was space, she thought, as she turned the ignition of her tired old car and it sputtered to life underneath her. Yes, time and space would put everything back the way it was supposed to be.
Except she wasn't going to get any space now, was she? Not with her father hiring him as an apprentice; she’d probably be seeing him tomorrow. Slowing for a red light, with her windshield wipers on high, Caitlin narrowed her eyes and squinted into the darkness.
“What is that?” she whispered to her empty car as the fog slowly cleared, and a large delivery truck sat on the side of the road with its hazard lights on. It was nearing 10 o'clock at night, and the storm was awful. Maybe they were stranded?
