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“Yeah. He walked me home from the pub,” I offered.
“And?” she pressed excitedly.
“And I went upstairs to take care of Emma. She wasn’t feeling well, but she’s doing better today,” I smiled.
“Can I have my muffin, Irma?” Emma interrupted. She had been standing patiently next to me, but she’d apparently reached her limit.
“Of course! I’ve got a special one for you today,” Irma said. She dashed over to the counter with a small box. It had a bow on it.
“Oh, that’s sweet. Say thank you, Emma,” I grinned.
“Thanks, Irma!” she exclaimed, reaching out and taking the box from the kind elderly woman. Irma looked at her warmly and my heart swelled.
I was really beginning to like it here.
“Now, you tell me more about you and Kieran,” Irma pressed, her curiosity written all over her face.
“He was the perfect gentleman. He just wanted to make sure I made it home safely last night. That’s all,” I answered.
She handed me a steaming cup of coffee, leaving room for cream the way she knew I liked.
“Do you know him well?” I asked.
“I’ve known Kieran for a long time, ever since he moved here from Dublin,” she replied.
“It seems like everyone knows of him…”
“Kieran’s made a name for himself since he left Ireland,” she replied. I wanted to dig for more information, but when I glanced at the clock, I saw that I didn’t have time.
“I’m sorry. I need to go. I can’t be late again this week,” I gasped. I put the coffee down so that I could run to the back and get my stroller out of the rear closet. I pushed it to the front, loaded up Emma, and loaded up my coffee with cream and sugar.
“Have a great day, Leah! You too, Emma!” Irma called out.
“You, too!” I shouted.
Luckily for me, my first cleaning job was only a few blocks away. I ran to the home office first so that I could pick up the keys for each job I was assigned to do today. I was both excited and a little leery to find that I only had one set for the day.
It was either going to be an easy job or it was going to be a rough clean that would take me all day.
I hoped it was the first. I really didn’t have the energy for the second.
I made it just in time with only seconds to spare. I paused outside for the briefest of moments to take it all in. It was a building set up similarly to mine, except instead of a coffee shop, there was another Irish pub. This one seemed even grander than Sean’s. I glanced up to the sign, taking note of the name of the place.
Murphy’s Grill and Pub.
Something clicked in my head.
I’d heard of this place before. It was well liked, and I knew it was one of the biggest sources of competition to Sean’s Pub. They were both Irish, but Murphy’s had a fully stocked kitchen whereas Sean’s only had a tiny one with enough room for a griddle and a fryer.
Was this connected to Kieran? Did his family run it or something? If it was his, it would explain why a bunch of people knew him at least. It would also explain his money. Murphy’s must make him a decent amount.
I felt like there was more to the story than that though.
I took my first sip of coffee as I walked into the side alley where I’d been told there was a separate door outside the pub that led to the apartment upstairs. I found and unlocked it, before lifting Emma out of the stroller. I had her stand beside me as I folded it up and put it on the stairs on the bottom landing for safekeeping.
I grabbed my bin of cleaning supplies, took her hand, and headed upstairs to my first job. There was another door to unlock at the top of the stairs and I had to juggle a few things to unlock it, but eventually I made it inside the apartment.
It was much ritzier than I expected.
