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Since we’ve met, faith I’ve known no repose.
She is dearer by far than the world’s brightest star,
And I call her my wild Irish Rose.
I blushed hard. I’d never had anyone sing me a song before, especially not like this. He continued on a while longer, his voice radiating across the pub. The crowd hushed, listening intently to his words as he serenaded me. Feeling bashful, I sank in the booth a little, but I couldn’t break my gaze from the man standing there in front of me.
My wild Irish Rose, the sweetest flower that grows.
You may search everywhere, but none can compare
With my wild Irish Rose.
My wild Irish Rose, the dearest flower that grows,
And some day for my sake, she may let me take
The bloom from my wild Irish Rose.
He sang several more verses and I reached forward, grabbing what looked to be one of the tastiest sweet potato fries that I’d ever seen. I popped the hot morsel into my mouth, chewing slowly as a warm cascade of emotion swirled around me. By the time that he finished, I felt like I was floating on air.
“That was beautiful,” I murmured shyly.
“Eat up. I think you’ll like that,” he winked. I nodded quickly and he spirited away to serve another table. His light mood was contagious and all around the bar more songs were sung as the crowd ate, drank, and enjoyed the night altogether.
The plate in front of me had a fried chicken sandwich complete with all the fixings. There was perfectly melted pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and a slice of avocado complete with this rich jalapeño mayo that simmered with flavor on my tongue. The fries were just as good as he promised. I ate one bite after another before I’d cleared the plate. I’d been hungrier than I thought. When Kieran returned, I stammered out something imperceptible, suddenly very self-conscious of what he might think of me after seeing that I had eaten everything.
Trevor had always made fun of me if I ever did anything like that around him.
“I’m so glad to see you eat. You looked like you needed a full meal,” he said warmly, and my worries seemed to run away with the wind.
“What do I owe you?” I asked tentatively.
“It’s on the house,” he said firmly.
“I can’t ask you to do that. You already gifted me the wine,” I argued.
“You’re not asking me to do anything, Leah. It’s my treat,” he insisted.
“Is this enough?” I dug into my purse and pulled out the forty dollars. I held it out to him, and he pressed lightly back on my hand. He didn’t take it.
I didn’t want his charity. I knew I wasn’t well off or anything like that, but I could at least afford to pay for a meal every once in a while. His face hardened almost imperceptibly, and I was left with the sudden worry that he might scold me. Instead, he laughed and turned toward the crowd that was seemingly watching the two of us very closely.
“I demand a vote!” he exclaimed.
“Hear! Hear!” the bar called back.
“My fine guests,” he began.
“Don’t patronize me. I’m no better than a scoundrel!” one of them called back.
“That you are, Declan,” Kieran laughed. He shook his head and then proceeded to continue. “I bring to you a vote!”
I sank in my chair in a little bit, feeling shyer than ever.
“I’d like to ask you if this pretty girl’s meal should be on the house.” His voice echoed throughout the room as he pointed at me. Immediately, the bar erupted in cheers. With a resounding yes, several patrons slammed their mugs onto the table while several others held their high up into the air.
Kieran turned back to me, and I could have sworn my face caught fire. I tried to hand him the money one more time, but he shook his head.
