Free Prove Me Right by Anna Brooks Page B

home!” The people close to us know our plan, so I finish her thought.
    “Holy crap, this is so exciting!” She bounces with me and when she pulls back, she wipes her eyes.
    “Don’t cry. Why the hell are you crying?” I reach behind her, grab a small square napkin with the Kelly’s Pub logo on it, and hand it to her.
    “I don’t know. It’s just you’ve … you’ve waited so long for this and you look so happy.”
    “I’m always happy.”
    “I know, but this is different. Ignore me, I’m overly emotional.” She sniffles and starts laughing as she wipes her eyes.
    “Can you come with me on Monday? We can bring Caroline with us.”
    “Of course, I’ll go, but I’d rather leave her with a sitter since Travis is working. I don’t want her breaking stuff and getting in the way. Your parents might be able to.”
    “You know they will.”
    “Let me call them real quick just to make sure.”
    I pour another for the guy who has the same hat as Liam. He’s come in at least once a week since then and is always quiet but polite. I apologize to the customer who had to wait for her drink through that ordeal. Her blond hair is in perfect waves and she has a friendly smile on her face.
    “Sweetie, it’s fine. It sounds like your man is coming home. Is he in the service?”
    “No, he’s in a band, actually.” She tries to hand me money, but I shake my head. “No, keep it. You had to wait way too long.”
    “Well, thanks.” She leaves a dollar as a tip on the bar and puts the rest in her purse. “My husband was in the Army. I got excited just like that when I knew he was coming home.”
    “Oh, I bet. Is he still?”
    Her face falls and I feel mine do the same. “No. He passed away.”
    “I’m so sorry.”
    “Thank you. It’s been a rough time, that’s for sure.”
    “I can’t even imagine. You look so young, too.”
    “We were only twenty when we got married.”
    “Wow.” Watching this woman brave enough to talk about her husband, imagining what she went through, really puts my ass into perspective. I’ve no right to complain about being apart from Liam when so many other women don’t even know when their husband is coming home. “I don’t know what to say.”
    “Please. Don’t say anything. Except …”
    “What?”
    She waves me off and shakes her head. “Never mind.”
    “No. What were you going to say?”
    “You don’t have any clue if they’re hiring, do you? I just moved here … I needed to get away from the memories, the house, the mistakes I was making.”
    I prop a hip against the counter and cross my arms. I like this woman. She’s tough. She might not look it, but having gone through what she did so young, and having the courage to start over somewhere else, I have to give her credit. Big time. And I really could use some help around here. It’d be nice to have someone else who could close for me.
    “I think they are, actually.”
    “Really?” She sits up straighter. “Do you have an application or anything?”
    “No. But if you want, I can introduce you to the manager.”
    “That would be awesome. You have no idea how much I appreciate this. I promise I’m a really hard worker and I can work whenever, I’m totally flexible.”
    “That’s great.”
    I stick my hand out and she raises an eyebrow.
    “I’m Meara Kelly.”
    She places her hand in mine and tilts her head. Her eyes look over my shoulder and widen when I know they found the plaque of the bar along with a family picture.
    “You’re …”
    “The manager slash soon-to-be owner. And I’d like to hire you.”
    Her smile is somehow even wider now, and she laughs. “I’d love to work for you. I’m Lisa.”
    * * *
    “This is the one.”
    “I knew you’d love it. It just came on the market yesterday.”
    I walk around the old farmhouse and run my fingers across the stained glass on the staircase-landing window. I haven’t even been upstairs yet, but there’s just a feeling in my gut. I’ve been