“You’re not obligated to take anything but the check,” Gray said in his deep voice. “That money is yours either way, because even with insurance….” He shrugged as he trailed off.
“I… we don’t know what to say,” Yolanda finally managed, tears streaming down her face.
“Other than thank you,” Drea murmured, her eyes too bright with unshed tears. “Most of you know we don’t have much family outside the Hare, so… thank you. Truly.”
“We know, dear girl, we know,” Hannah said and came to hug Drea in a grandmotherly way.
She looked shocked for a few seconds, then melted into the embrace.
There were a lot of hugs—mostly for Yolanda, as people understood Drea’s limits—and then Gray sat on the barstool on stage with a guitar on his lap.
“I think we need a couple of songs. So before we get to ‘Parting Glass’, as always”—the crowd cheered, making everyone at the bar chuckle—“I thought I’d sing another Irish traditional song before that. Some of you might know the Thin Lizzy version of this, or maybe the Metallica one. The latest one I’ve heard was from Bryan Adams.” Gray smiled a little and kept his attention on the guitar instead of his audience. “And this is mine. This one is called ‘Whiskey in the Jar’.”
There were some whoops, and Gray began to play the guitar.
The melody was familiar and the lyrics came to Josiah, as they seemed to some others, too. People were singing along, which Josiah thought might be the exact reason Gray liked these Irish folk songs so much. People singing along seemed to take some of the pressure off him.
“I fucking hate and love him so much,” Denny grumbled.
Alfie chuckled and turned to Denny. “I think he has very good reasons why he won’t sing elsewhere.”
Something in Alfie’s gaze was so piercing it jolted Josiah a little. For an easygoing young man like Alfie, the change was drastic. He seemed protective and ready to fight if needed.
Denny was clearly taken aback, and he lifted his hands up. “All right, I will respect that.”
Alfie seemed to search his expression, then beamed at him. “Awesome, now buy me a beer.”
Josiah went to get the beer and shook his head. Whatever was brewing between Gray and Alfie was sure to be interesting to witness in the long run.
Before he and Denny left that night—Denny had taken an Uber to the bar—Yolanda, Drea, and Nelson gathered at the bar with them.
“This was you, wasn’t it?” Drea accused Nelson, tapping her fingers on the envelope.
“Somewhat, but it wasn’t my idea, I swear!”
“There’s about ten times the tips too in the jar,” Yolanda announced as she counted them out.
“I think that’s probably the people who weren’t in on the fundraiser,” Denny pointed out.
“The check is for nearly two thousand dollars,” Drea said, tears welling in her eyes again. “That’s an insane amount of money.”
“Everyone loves you guys here.” Josiah didn’t know what else to say.
Yolanda came to hug him, and to everyone’s surprise, Drea let Nelson fold her into a hug.
“All right, I feel a bit left out now,” Denny snarked, and got a tackle hug from Yolanda who almost made him fall off the bar stool.
Josiah chuckled, and they finished the cleaning together before the twins kicked everyone else out. As Josiah carried his laptop bag and clothes to the car, Denny tagged along.
Denny was quiet during the drive to his place.
“What’s going on?” Josiah asked about halfway there, because he couldn’t take the silence anymore.
Denny sighed and watched at the streetlights passing by. “Have I been that bad? About Gray?”
Josiah held his wince. “Not really.”
He felt Denny turn his head to look at him. “How bad?” The vulnerability in his tone was killing Josiah.
