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Kate nodded, but said nothing, so I squeezed her hand.
“Two shots of Anisovaya,” I said and Colin nodded, reaching behind the bar for a couple of shot glasses, which he placed on the bar in front of us. Then he bent down to the bar fridge and took out the bottle of chilled Anisovaya.
“Here you go.” He poured two shots and then nodded. “Bottoms up.”
“Relax,” I said quietly to Kate, and we pulled up a stool and sat at the bar. We each took a glass and clinked them together, then shot them back. The chilled Anisovaya had a nice bite to it, and I smacked my lips when I was finished. Kate made a small face but smiled at me.
“One more for good measure,” I said to Colin and he complied. We shot another glass down and Kate wiped her mouth and forced a smile. She still wasn’t quite used to the bite but I knew it would loosen her up, relax her. Not too much, but enough so that she could enjoy herself without feeling so self-conscious. I put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer then kissed her, my tongue finding hers and sucking briefly.
I smiled at her and she finally smiled back, the smile reaching her eyes for the first time.
“Don’t worry,” I said and squeezed her shoulder. “They already love you because I do.”
“You gotta know that we’re all really happy to meet you,” Colin said while he mopped the bar top.
“Thanks,” Kate said. “Nice to meet everyone. Drake thinks of all of you like his second family.”
“We are. Drake's kept you hidden but Ken finally convinced him to bring you, since Ken’s going to stand up for Drake. He wanted to at least meet you before the wedding.”
Kate nodded. “I’ve been hoping to meet everyone,” she said and settled in on her stool beside me.
“What’s on the menu?” I asked while Colin finished wiping down the bar.
“Robin did something with pork tenderloin,” he said and shook his head. “Don’t ask me what. It’ll taste good, no matter what he does.”
I turned to Kate. “Robin is the chef. He’s really good.”
Kate nodded. “Mrs. O’Riley doesn’t cook?”
“Mom supervises,” Colin replied. “It’s still her kitchen even if Robin makes the dishes.”
While Colin finished closing the bar, we chatted for a while. We both drank some soda water with lime instead of anything alcoholic. Mrs. O always had a good choice of wine for the meal and I wanted to be able to have at least one glass to please her. I wasn’t a heavy drinker, preferring to remain sober so I could drive, but over the course of the evening, I could have a drink or two.
Sarah returned with Mrs. O, who had her half-eye reading glasses on a chain around her neck and looked every inch the head of the family. An older woman with grey hair, she was matronly, with a thick middle and a cream cashmere sweater over a brightly colored sundress.
“There you two are,” she said and came over, her arms open. She hugged me first and then turned to Kate. “Kate McDermott,” she said, her arms extended. “Come give me a hug and kiss.”
“You must be Mrs. O’Riley,” Kate said and stood up, opening her arms to return the embrace.
“I am,” she said and hugged Kate tightly and then pulled back, her hands on Kate’s arms as she gave Kate the once over. “You’re a sight for sore eyes. As soon as Drake said he met someone, and when I saw the way he smiled when he talked about you, I knew you were special. I’ve been bugging Drake to bring you to Sunday dinner for a while now, so I hope this means you’ll come on a regular basis.”
Kate smiled back. “I’d be very happy to come as often as you’ll have us.”
“Good,” she said and made Kate turn around in a circle. “Aren’t you a pretty little thing? Drake was right when he said you were beautiful.”
Then, Ken came out of the door to the kitchen. “Kate,” he said and extended his hand. “Ken O’Riley. So nice to meet you.”
Kate shook his hand and he leaned in to kiss her cheek. “Nice to meet you, too.”
“Isn’t she just the prettiest thing?” Mrs. O said. “Drake, she’s so beautiful. What a cute figure.”
Kate blushed profusely and smiled. “Thank you,” she said. “I was so looking forward to tonight.”
“I’m sure you were regretting you ever agreed but don’t worry, dear. We’ll be on our best behavior.” She winked at Kate and then me and waved us to follow her.
I took Kate’s hand and led her into the private dining room at the back of the restaurant. Separated from the main dining room by a wall with a large entry, the room had a private feel to it. A long table that seated thirty filled the room. Landscapes from the Irish countryside, pastoral scenes of rural life and posters from Dublin lined the walls.
Ken was busy talking to a couple of waiters who would serve the meal, but he nodded to me when he saw us. We found our chairs and took our seats while Mrs. O went over to speak with the chef, who was dressed in a black tunic and chef’s cap, and was fussing over some chafing dishes on a huge wooden sideboard. She lifted a cover off a chafing dish and leaned in to check the food. Then she patted the chef on the back and smiled.
