Page 44 of Temporarily in Love

“Dad, that’s why I came here, to help the bar in any way I can. You got any extra Sullivan’s shirts?”

Good thing I had worn black jeans today, not that Dad would care if I wasn’t wearing the standard dress pants that were the server uniforms. Thank god my parents didn’t go for that short plaid skirt thing a lot of Irish bars did. Someone suggested that one time and Dad got heated and said, ‘We’re not the Tilted Kilt!’

Dad got up and went into the closet. He pulled out an old black polo shirt with the Sullivan’s Bar lettering on the front. Declan was right to ask Felix to come up with a new logo. Ours was just lettering with our name and nothing more. It was so boring.

Dad looked stressed, but I went into the bathroom and got changed. When I came back into the office, I got an idea. “Dad, take a photo of me in uniform at the bar.”

“Why?”

“Just do it. I have an idea.”

We walked out to the front, and I got behind the bar. My mom was wiping down the bar, and her smile went ear-to-ear when she saw me. “Oh, it’s just like old times!”

I pretended to pour a beer from one of the taps while Dad took my photo with my phone. I stopped what I was doing and took my phone back from him. “Mom, do you have the login info for the Instagram account?”

“It’s in the office.”

I rolled my eyes. Yes, let’s leave our password info out in the open. Because that is so smart!

I went into the office and found the sticky note on the computer. I logged into the account and posted the photo with a caption that read, It’s not Throwback Thursday, but this Monday, get a blast from the past as our very own Lila Sullivan will be serving you at Sullivan’s bar. Come get a pint with us today and sample our new traditional Irish specials. #SullivansBar #Drakesville #DrinkLocal #IrishBar

I put my phone back in my pocket and went out onto the floor. We had just opened, and only a few customers had trickled in so far, but the late lunch crowd would start to come in. I went over to the chalkboard and started writing the new specials. If we started putting the Shepard’s pie and potato pasties onto the specials board, it wouldn’t be a shock when we released the new menu.

Brian was behind the bar with his brother, Killian, one of our bartenders. I went to the seating chart to check which section Sarah was supposed to be in, and found that none of my tables were seated yet.

“Do you even remember how to wait tables?” Killian asked when I sat at the bar and rolled silverware.

I glared at him. “I’ve been working in this place a lot longer than you.”

He crossed his big arms over his chest. “Yeah, but aren’t you like a hotshot lawyer now?”

“Sure. But I still know how to wait tables.”

Brian nudged his younger brother. “Ignore him. He’s an asshole.”

“Oh, I’m aware. He used to pull my hair in the fourth grade,” I said.

“You liked it,” Killian teased.

I felt my face get hot because I did like that, but I didn’t want them to know that.

Luckily, a few more parties came into the bar, so I didn’t have to entertain the Murphy Brothers anymore. The bar got busy as I rushed around waiting tables. I messed up a few things, but waiting tables was like riding a bike. As soon as I got used to it, it was like second nature. Like I had been born for it. In some ways, I guessed I had been.

By the time we had another lull in customers, I was bussing all the tables and making sure everyone was cashed out. Mom told me to take a break, but I ended up shoving a grilled cheese into my face while I monitored our social media. There were a lot of comments on the post I put up this morning.

I saw we were tagged in something from the brewery’s profile. I clicked on it and saw an image of Nolan and one of the other brewers hard at work in the tank room. The comment read, We’re partnering up with Sullivan’s Bar to bring you an exclusive new beer. ONLY available at Sullivan’s Bar and the MacGregor Brothers Brewing Company Brew Pub. More details soon. #MacGregorBrothersBrewingCompany #SullivansBar #Drakesville #DrinkLocal #PABeer

There were a lot of comments on that post. Gemma was great at this stuff. I wished I could be as good at it as she was. I still didn’t know how long I’d be in town helping my parents. The beer would take a while, but I wanted to make sure my dad didn’t sell by the time I left. I also wanted to make sure Declan finished the website.

That reminded me of something.

I threw away my trash and went out into the front to find Brian. He was talking to one of the locals at the bar, but Killian was standing there pretending to clean. My mom was back in the kitchen while Dad was in the office doing inventory.

“Lila Sullivan, I can’t believe that’s you!” the customer talking to Brian exclaimed. I realized he was my high school history teacher, Mr. Davies. He had a soft spot for me.

“Hi, Mr. Davies, how are you?”

“Good. Enjoying retirement.”