Hold Me Close

Chapter 3-1

Chapter 3

Maggie spent the next two days visiting old friends and trying to figure out how to talk to Ryan. If she had a choice, she’d ask another sibling, but Ryan still ran the bar. Colin could probably hire her, but if they went behind Ryan’s back, it would cause more tension between Colin and Ryan. The two of them finally seemed to have worked things out, and she didn’t want to be the cause of fresh problems. So it had to be Ryan.

Her friend from the neighborhood, Olivia, offered to meet her for lunch at the bar. Maggie figured having a friend with her would be a good buffer.

She sat in her car in the parking lot of O’Leary’s and stared at the oak doors. She took a deep breath and felt the inside of her car cooling off since she’d cut the engine. The air outside was bitter cold, icing over all the piles of snow. Maybe she should’ve waited until spring to come home.

Spring in Chicago was happy and warm and fun. Winter? Not so much.

She took another deep breath. If she couldn’t even do this much, how could she expect to work here?

It’s just a door. Just a bar, like any other bar. She’d been to plenty of pubs while in Ireland. She could do this. She opened the door of her car and almost crept back in her seat when a blast of frigid air hit her.

A sudden knock on the window her made her jump. Olivia.

Maggie looked through the open door, and Olivia asked, “You okay?”

She nodded and climbed out of the car.

“Come on. It’s freezing out here.” She slipped her arm around Maggie’s elbow and tugged her toward the bar. “I missed you so much. I want to hear all about Europe. I’m sure the pictures you sent didn’t do anything justice.”

Before she knew it, Olivia was swinging them through the heavy wood doors and into the bar. The interior was dimmer than she remembered, but the sounds and the smells reminded her of her childhood. The lunch crowd filled much of the bar space, but the conversation remained quiet.

Maggie took a moment and stared at the surrounding dark wood and waited for the bad feelings to wash over her, for something to trigger the panic. But it didn’t.

Olivia ran her hand up and down Maggie’s arm. “Good?” she whispered.

Maggie nodded and said, “Yeah, I think so.” She walked to the bar and sat on a stool. The woman behind the counter wasn’t someone she recognized, not that she should since she hadn’t been there in so long, but she hoped to see Mary, the manager. This woman’s name tag said Jenna.

Jenna faced Maggie and Olivia. “Hi. What can I get you?”

“Hi. I’m Maggie O’Leary. Is my brother Ryan here?”

Jenna’s eyebrows wrinkled. “Uh…yeah. I’ll go get him.” She backed away from the bar and went to get Ryan.

“What was that about?” Olivia asked.

“She probably didn’t know Ryan had another sister. If she’s been here any length of time she’s probably met all the O’Learys. Except me.” She took off her jacket and hung it on the back of her stool.

Olivia reached a little farther down the bar and picked up a menu. “So what’s good?”

Maggie leaned closer. “To tell you the truth, I have no idea. Even when I worked here, I hardly ate anything. We’ll ask Ryan.”

While Olivia scanned the menu, Maggie looked around, trying to see what had changed. She saw nothing different. Was it possible that nothing had changed in five years?

“Maggie?”

At the sound of Ryan’s voice, she spun in her chair. “Hey.”

His face filled with worry. “You’re here.”

“Yeah. I thought it was about time.”

His mouth opened and then closed. “Are you okay?”

She hopped off her stool. “I’m good. I thought it would be harder, but it’s kind of like walking into any other bar. Except this one has some great memories.”

“And some not great ones.”

“You know, I still don’t remember much from that night. I thought walking in here might trigger something, but as I’m sitting here, I’m remembering good times.” She turned and pointed toward the back room. “Like the time Shane played darts with Michael after work and they’d both had too much to drink. Shane’s dart flew across the room and nailed Michael in the arm.”

Remembering that night made Maggie smile. Michael had been cursing a blue streak, and Shane had doubled over laughing. Maggie had to yank the dart from Michael’s arm. She remembered it wobbling as Michael yelled at Shane for his poor aim.

Then she turned to the end of the bar. “Or the time Shane and I played beer pong and busted the mirror.”

Ryan crossed his arms. “When exactly did that happen?”

Maggie smiled and kissed his cheek. “Sorry. Thought you knew.”

“So what brings you here? Other than to tell me all the juvenile things you’ve done in my bar.”

“Olivia and I came for lunch. What’s good?”

“Everything’s good, of course.”

“Spoken like a true business owner.” She sat back on the stool.

Ryan nodded to Olivia. “Hi, Olivia. How are you? I don’t think I’ve seen you since the block party.”

“I’m good. Finally moved out and into my own apartment. Still bring my laundry home, though.”

“Well, I have work to do, but you two enjoy lunch on me.” He bent over and kissed Maggie’s head. “Come find me if you need me.”

“I’ll be okay.” She watched Ryan walk away. Jenna returned to take their order.

“Can I start you off with a drink?”

“Just a Coke for me,” Maggie said.

“Me too,” Olivia added.

When Jenna left to pour their drinks, Olivia asked, “So you’re really okay?”

“Yeah. It’s weird because I feel totally normal. Like I keep waiting for it to hit, but nothing. Like I told Ryan, I’m just remembering the good times.”

Jenna returned with their Cokes, and both Maggie and Olivia ordered burgers. For the next couple of hours, Maggie sat in her family’s bar and hung out with an old friend. They laughed and shared stories and caught up.

By the time they were ready to put on their coats and brave the cold again, Maggie finally felt as if she had come home. Only the nagging feelings about why she’d stayed away remained.