Incidental Happenstance (8 page)

            They made their way to the door and stepped out into the cool May night. “Let’s walk,” Dylan suggested.

            He took her hand casually, intertwining their fingers, and Tia’s breath caught in her chest. Incredible how it felt, just that, the feeling of someone’s hand wrapped up around her own, and it made her stomach roll in delicious little swirls. He had big hands, with calloused fingers from so many years of playing guitar. The rough pads of his fingertips caressed the back of her hand as they made their way down the street.

            “So tell me,” Dylan asked, “what is it you do, Tia, when you aren’t getting moonshine cowboys all hot and bothered in dive bars?”

            Tia had to laugh. “Well, that is my primary occupation,” she teased back, “but my hobby is teaching—I teach fifth grade.”

            “Really?” he said. “A very noble profession. Do you like it?”

            “I love it,” she answered sincerely. “The kids are great, and I love the people I work with.” She smiled to herself, thinking of Lilly. “There’s a girl I work with, Lilly, who’s our secretary. I just love her to death—she’s the best person—and she is so in love with you.” Dylan looked at her with one eyebrow raised. “She calls you her ‘real husband.’”

            “Does she now?” he asked, obviously amused.

            “She’ll be at Sunday’s show, I think,” she said. “We’ll be comparing notes on Tuesday.”

            “That’s right, Memorial Day weekend, huh?”

            “Yeah, my job has some perks too. Summers off, breaks during the year…it’s not a bad gig.”

            Dylan stroked the soft hand that he cradled in his own. It had just felt natural to reach for her, and he was completely comfortable walking with her hand in hand. In his mind, however, he fought to keep his thoughts focused. It wasn’t an easy task. She was pretty amazing, this woman. He’d just met her, but already he was feeling things he hadn’t felt in a long time. He’d dated Hollywood A-listers, top models, sports stars; and none of them had ever had the effect on him that this woman was having in just a few short hours. Maybe that was it. Although he found it hard to believe that his famous girlfriends, the ones who had it all, wanted more from him than this woman he’d picked up in a crappy bar, he thought that it just might be true. He’d been used and abused by celebrities, and he was long past being naïve about the dangers of entering into any sort of relationship. But Tia was so real, and natural, and fun; and she honestly seemed to like him for who he was, not
who he was
. It elated him and scared the hell out of him at the same time.

            Tia stiffened when she realized they were approaching the pub. She’d been so wrapped up in Dylan—literally and figuratively—as they talked that she’d paid no attention to where they were going. Once she saw where they were headed she hoped to guide him right past the door, and hoped that no one she knew would come out while she was strolling past. The memorial would be in full swing by now, and she didn’t know how she’d explain her reluctance to join the gathering to either Dylan or her old friends. She tried to keep the conversation light, and to keep him walking, but to her horror, Dylan started heading for the entrance. “Let’s check this place out, then. This is the place you said was pretty decent, right?
Paddy’s
?”

            Tia’s knees suddenly went weak and she felt her stomach sink like a rock. She opened her mouth to speak, but found she’d suddenly lost the power of speech. She was powerless as he put a hand on her lower back and eased her toward the entrance. As he opened the door, she croaked out an inaudible “I don’t know…” but by then it was already too late, and she’d have no choice but to face the music. Who was she kidding, anyway? She wasn’t some Hollywood diva who dated guys like Dylan Miller. This was her reality and she couldn’t hide from it; not for long. One night out with a celebrity didn’t change who she was or what she’d been through. Dylan would find out more than he ever wanted to know about her now, and no doubt he’d go running for the hills once he found out the real reason they ran into each other tonight. Who wanted to deal with that kind of baggage? She certainly didn’t want to deal with it, and it was her cross to bear. Her heart started pounding as she stepped into the pub and the familiar sounds and smells of the place wafted over her.
Paddy’s
had pretty much been her second home for five years, but it had been twelve full months since she’d stepped through its huge wooden doors, and part of her feared that she’d no longer be welcome.

            “Dylan, I…” she began, feeling slightly woozy.

            He turned to look at her and saw that the color had drained out of her face.  “Are you OK?” he asked, his voice filled with concern.

            “It’s just that…I know a lot of people here. Probably all of them.”

            “Is that a problem?”

            “Well…I really should explain…”

            But that wasn’t going to happen. They hadn’t taken two steps into the pub before Siobhan saw her and came running to her side.

            “Oh Tia! I just knew you would come. I’m so glad you came!” The large red haired woman pulled her into a bear hug and swayed with her slowly back and forth. Tia’s heart lifted immediately in the warm embrace and she sighed into the woman, returning the affection and breaking into a relieved smile. She could actually feel the blood rushing back to her face. The woman pulled back and held her at arm’s length, looking her up and down. “You look good, sweetheart,” she said, planting a kiss on Tia’s cheek. “Everyone’s been asking about you. I told them that you would make it if you felt you could, but in my heart, I knew you wouldn’t miss it. Oh, do come and say hello to Paddy; he’ll be so glad to see you! He’s tending, of course—you think the man would let anyone else work tonight?” she said sarcastically. Her voice dropped to a whisper and she leaned against Tia. “Nick is here with us tonight too sweetheart, I can feel him everywhere. He’s at peace, you know, and you should be too.”

            Dylan watched the exchange with curiosity. As he followed the women toward the bar, he quickly observed that this was no ordinary evening at the pub. The entryway was set up like a shrine; a small table was set up and it was covered with flowers, full bottles of beer, guitar picks and handwritten notes, most of which read, “RIP” or “We miss you, Nick.” There were pictures hanging on the walls around the table of a young man who had apparently passed away—this was obviously a memorial of some sort for him. When he took a few steps into the pub, he noticed some of the patrons wore t-shirts with the man’s photo emblazoned on the front with RIP printed beneath the likeness. He suddenly felt like an intruder; he knew he didn’t belong here, but it sure looked like Tia did. He watched as the bartender, a friendly-looking and obviously Irish man came from behind the bar to envelope her in a familiar hug. She must have known this Nick. Was that the reason she was looking for solitude tonight? It would certainly explain why she looked like she was about to faint when they first walked in here.

            He glanced around the homey little pub and watched as the patrons rushed over to greet Tia with obvious affection. There were lots of hugs, and soon it seemed that everyone in the place had left their tables or their pool games to come over and welcome her warmly. In his mind, subtle clues started connecting. Was this the pub where she performed his songs? Was Nick the guitar player she mentioned? And had it been his imagination, or had one of her references to singing been made in the past tense? Could that be the reason she hadn’t sung in front of a crowd in a long time?

            He wondered if he should just sneak out right now, and leave Tia to her friends. She was at home here, in the hands of people who obviously loved her. He was pretty confident that there weren’t any Buds in this place tonight, and that she’d get home safely. She didn’t need him tagging along at an evenas obviously very personal to her, although he wondered why she hadn’t been here in the first place and had all but passed out when he suggested they come in.
She’s a mystery wrapped in an enigma
, he thought, and his curiosity piqued even more.

            But, if he left now, he’d likely never see her again. He didn’t know her last name, her phone number, and if he just slipped out, the only connection he’d have with her would be a song dedication at tomorrow night’s concert. Most of the time they’d spent together so far had been chaotic, and they hadn’t really had much of an opportunity to get to know each other on a personal level. He realized he wanted to know more—their conversation thus far had been so easy and natural, and they’d already shared a couple of very unique experiences—the kinds of experiences that bonded people.  They hadn’t had many chances to just talk—their first initial encounter had been intense, and the karaoke bar was loud and not conducive to conversation. They were involved in the competition, of course, and it seemed like someone was stopping by their table every couple minutes. Easily, he decided that wasn’t enough—he was enjoying her company more than he thought possible, and wanted more of it.             

            Maybe he’d go hang around outside, give her a chance to catch up with the friends who were still queuing up to grab some of her attention, and then come back in to have a moment with her before making his exit. He could get her number and call her tomorrow, he thought. He was turning to do just that when a big meaty hand landed firmly on his shoulder. When he turned, he looked into the open and friendly face of the man who’d been behind the bar.

            “Welcome, stranger! Name’s Paddy, Paddy Shaugnessy,” he said enthusiastically, gripping Dylan’s hand in a firm and friendly handshake.

            “I’m Dylan. It’s a pleasure.”

            “Listen, I’m sorry for stealin’ Tia away from ya like that when ya just walked in and all, but she’s like part of the family and we haven’t seen her in a while, ya know?” His voice contained just enough Irish lilt to let you know he was from the old country.

            “That’s OK. I can see that she’s got a lot of friends here.”

            “Ah, that she does, that she does. She doesn’t always know it, but we love her like one of our own.”

            “I’m…uh…sorry about Nick.”

            Paddy looked down and shook his head slowly. “He was such a good lad. A huge loss—to all of us.” He dropped his shoulders as his mind wandered for just a moment. “I can’t believe he’s been gone a year. Sometimes it seems like just yesterday he was sittin’ right here on this stage, and sometimes I can’t seem to pull up his face from my memory. But,” he said with a thoughtful smile, patting Dylan on the back as if they were long-time friends, “tonight is not about mournin’. Tonight is a celebration of his life, and I’m so glad you could join us for it.”

            “Actually,” Dylan said, “I was thinking that maybe I shouldn’t stay. I’m sure Tia doesn’t need me hanging around such a…”

            Just then, a good-looking guy with jet black hair and light eyes jumped onto the bar and called the place to attenion in a raucous voice. “HERE HERE!!” he cried, to which the crowd replied “WHERE’S HERE?” They raised their glasses in unison, and waited for the toast.

            “We are now as complete as we can be,” he said happily, “because we have our family together. Tia, I’m so glad to see you back among the living!” Again, cheers from the crowd. “We’ve missed you something awful, and let me just say, right off, that we forgive you for all the things going through your little head that you think we’re mad about. You will always be part of us—time and distance won’t do anything to change that! TO TIA!”

            “TO TIA!”

            Watching the exchange and the glow that had returned to Tia’s face, Dylan barely noticed that Paddy had left his side. The man was quick, Dylan thought, because before the glasses were raised and the final toast to Tia called, Paddy had pressed a perfectly poured; ice cold Guinness into his hands. He raised the glass with the rest of them, and felt even more intrigued by this mysterious woman, who was obviously loved by all these people.

            “Now about your leavin’,” Paddy said, his arm around Dylan’s shoulder, “I won’t hear of it. Any friend of Tia’s is a friend of ours. And I owe you, my new friend Dylan. I didn’t think she’d show tonight, and I was afraid she’d be sorry later if she didn’t. I want to thank you for bringing her here, for looking after her, and for bringing the happy back into her face. She looks real good, doesn’t she?”

            Dylan looked over at Tia and saw her laughing with a group of girls. “She certainly does,” he answered without taking his eyes off her.

            Tia’s eyes spanned the room and she noticed Dylan standing with Paddy and broke away from the group. As she made her way to him, she felt lighter and happier than she had in a long time. She was already glad that she came. Instead of the sad memorial atmosphere she expected, it was a happy feeling, an air of peace and acceptance. These people wouldn’t show her pity, she should have known that from the start. They were mourning just as much as she was; or nearly as much at least, and despite the fact that she’d virtually ignored them all for the past year, they welcomed her back into the fold with open arms. This was shaping up to be an incredible evening—much more than she could ever have dared to hope for. Even Dylan looked at ease, sipping a Guinness with Paddy and smiling at her as she made her way toward him. She figured she’d explain the situation, and let him make up his own mind about leaving or hanging around. She felt as if she was ready to talk about it here, now, with all the support of her friends behind her, and she owed him at least that much. He had to be a little freaked out right now, she figured.