I apologize, again, for the loooong delay! I've been super busy with school and work and life! I am seriously so excited to be writing this new series for you. The title is from a song I was listening to whilst thinking of the story, so please, don't mind it. Seriously though, I just started writing and I loved the way it turned out. I never really thought I would ever get around to writing about Sean's daughter, Sophia, but she finally backed me into a corner and demanded her story be written. Well, not really. But I hope you all enjoy and more stories, I swear and promise, are on the way! Enjoy.
Yours truly,
E~
Sophia True McCauley nervously bit her nails as the plane landed in Ireland.
She had developed her fear of flying from her mother and she had never been on a plane before, so that didn't help.
Oh hell, what was she doing? She had never even left America before and now her father expected her to run his other pub while her grandfather was sick? Was he seriously that fucked up or just plain old stupid? Sure, she'd agreed to it but she didn't think they were actually going to make her go through with this.
Oh Jesus, Mary, and Joseph she wasn't sure how this was going to work. Fresh out of college and never having run anything in her entire life, she didn't know what to expect. Yeah, she had the credentials, internships, and certifications behind her name but not
experience
. And poor Grandpa Sean suffering from emphysema, he was stressed enough with the pub not doing well.
Blasting some Avenged Sevenfold, she stood and waited near the baggage claim for her grandfather's caretaker to come pick her up.
She was humming the lyrics to "Bat Country" when a woman about her mother's age, around fifty or so, walked up to her all smiles and light making the music she was listening to seem like the Devil's music.
Great
, she thought. She had her father to thank for that one.
"Hello, Sophia?" The woman greeted, taking Sophia in a bear hug.
She nodded while trying to breathe. "Yes, Mrs. ...?"
The older lady let go, realizing she was crushing Sophia with her grip. "Oh!
Ms.
Ingrid Farrell. I've been taking care of your grandfather," she grinned and the laugh lines were evident on her aged skin. Sophia noted the tell-tale sign of her thick accent that she had grown accustomed to while growing up.
The gratefulness that Sophia portrayed was genuine and heartfelt at someone devoting her time and effort to making sure her grandfather peaceful at all times. "Nice to meet you and thank you for everything you've done. Seriously, my family can't thank you enough."
Ingrid nodded and they chatted a bit before it got too late.
Sophia was eager to see her grandfather and anxious to check on the bar. So, they loaded everything, only a carry-on and two suitcases, into a small taxi that took them to the edge of town.
Sophia had never been to visit her kin in Ireland but they had made a few trips to the melting pot country a time or two. So, when she was brought up to an older house that looked like it belonged in a storybook down a grassy lane with stone walls, she was quite in awe. After packing her things in and settling in the guest room, she wasn't sure if her grandfather was able to see her but she opted to go ahead and say hi.
The resemblance between her dad and his dad was striking; same strong jawline, straight nose, bright blue eyes, and dark hair, all of which she inherited, well, except for the nose and jaw. Her mandible was softer with a gently sloping nose matching that of her mother's. Sophia's dark red hair was a little lighter due to highlights she thought would give her an edgier look. But upon seeing her grandfather, she second guessed her body modifications and decisions.
Grandpa Sean didn't miss the silver hoop in her left nostril nor the stretched earlobes that barely surpassed six millimeters. Yeah, they weren't large but they were noticeable. She also had several earrings in each ear including an industrial in her right and a tragus in her left. He must be thinking she was some sort of delinquent, a ne'er do well raised up by her father, who had somehow received several more tattoos as she'd gotten older. It was obvious the older man disapproved but she was young and no longer a child.
But judging by the way his eyes lit up when they fell upon hers he didn't care about any of that.
"Sophia! My dear, so good to see you! It's been, what, four years now?" His accent was hindered by the gruffness of his voice.
"Grandpa!" She eagerly collapsed into his open arms.
It had been a few years since she'd last seen him. When she graduated high school, at the same time Robbie, her older brother, finished college, he had made the trip to the states to witness this mile stone. But when she got her degree in Marketing, he was unable to make the plane ride due to his illness. Then, he was healthy and fit with tanned skin that matched his son's and her own but now, now he was thinner, gaunter in the face. His once blue-green eyes were now a dull cobalt, barely shining in the dim sunlight that filtered in through the large banked window near his bed. Her heart lurched at the sight of him, so helpless and weak.
Sophia sat next to him while Ingrid lingered in the doorway, unsure of what she should do.
"It's okay, Ingrid. I'm fine," Sean, Sr. smiled and nodded to his caretaker who hesitated for a moment before giving him an odd look.
Sophia crossed her brows but elected to drop the question as she left the room to leave granddaughter and grandfather alone.
"I've missed you," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Sophia half expected tubes to be up his nose and inserted in his elbows and wrists but there were none. She guessed he was doing far better than they thought. "I've missed you, too, Granddad."
He sighed and ran a hand through his thinning hair. He was eighty-three, only twenty years older than her father due to having him at a young age, but he was still looking good. That was just the McCauley genes. "I've been well, but the pub, your father's pub has seen better days. I tried, Sophia, I really did, but I'm not capable of running something like that. And with your father so far away, it's hard."
Their glances met and she could see her father in his eyes. Though, these eyes were weary and old, hardened with the burden and stress of being alone for so long with no help. "That's why I'm here. So, you can relax and enjoy-." What? The rest of his life? Which wasn't much longer due to his worsening condition but what else could he do? She didn't want him, in his old age to spend what little time he had left worrying about something that was out of his hands. "Do you have any of your retirement left?"
He nodded slowly, wondering where she was going with this, she presumed. "Enough to last a year, maybe two if the pub picks up."
Sean, Sr. was once a profitable and successful musician but, in his old age, he settled down and took over his son's second pub.
Sophia shook her head. "No, I want you to take that money and go on vacation. Go see dad and mom, just forget about the pub and everything here and have fun."
Grandpa Sean started to protest when Ingrid walked in then. "She's right, hon. I know you're in pain and will have a hard time travelling but please, I want to make this as peace- ah- I want you to enjoy yourself. Please?"
As peaceful as possible
, Sophia finished mentally. "Grandpa, dad misses you and it would do him and you a lot of good if you went to America. Plus, Robbie's about to graduate law school and I'd like for you to be there." She gave him a toothy smile.
Granted, Robbie's graduation was about three months away but that should give her enough time to sort this whole mess out or shut it down. Depending on which half of the glass she was looking at.
After much consideration, tense words, and strange glances between Ms. Farrell and her grandfather, he finally acquiesced before inserting the supplemental oxygen he needed through his nostrils. It pained Sophia to see him like this. Granted she wasn't that close to the man but still, this was her flesh and blood. And that's why she was here, so he wouldn't have this burden any longer. Though, her father's friends helped out as much as they could they had lives of their own couldn't always drop everything especially once the bar started heading south.
Yawning, Sophia decided it was time for her to get some rest. After all, she did cross over a timeline or two and she was super jetlagged. After biding her grandfather and Ingrid goodnight, she waltzed off to the guest bedroom, not really looking forward to the coming weeks. The possible firing of employees and redecoration. Talk about money.
Oh fuck, what had she agreed to?
~~~~~~~~~~~
Morning came all too quickly and Sophia found herself stretching lazily the covers slipping below her breasts that were hidden beneath her sheer camisole.
They weren't overly large but they were full and plump. She was at about a thirty-six C and often found trouble buying clothes that fit her properly given her slim waist thanks to weekly visits at the gym. Her hips were womanly and jeans often hugged them promiscuously without her even trying. Yes, she was shaped like her mother but she resembled her father in looks, which wasn't a bad thing considering he could have been a male model in his younger days. Yep, every man she came across wanted her body but not her personality. Sad, really, considering she was laid back, didn't give a fuck about her image other than working out, which it was a stress relief.
Considering she's only been with two guys in her whole twenty-two year life span, she was proud of herself for not whoring around, like most of her friends and coeds. Plus, both those guys were relationships but the one time she had sex with them, they gave her the boot and wanted out. But one had hurt really badly; the first one, Jake, who "loved" her but then cheated on her. Guess all men really do have one thing on their minds. Sighing, she rolled over and stared out the window, looking at the sloping hills behind the house. They were soft and green, just the right color for late Spring and early Summer.
She decided to take a shower, get ready, and then head down to McCauley's Chamber.
Dressed in some tattered jeans and a black, quarter-length V-neck band tee, Sophia said goodbye to Ingrid and her grandpa before making her way to the bar. Her black combat boots clicked on the walkway making her feel like a badass and even less nervous. She was here to straighten shit out.
As she entered the cab, she thought about all that had happened in the past year with the pub. An older employee had been caught stealing money from the register each night, a barhop girl. Safe to say, she was lucky she was fired because there was no telling what all Sophia might do to her. Two bartenders now practically ran the place: Lorcan and Liam Callaghan. Of course they had to be brothers but how old or what they looked like, she couldn't say. But now, ever since that little fiasco, and not to mention the quaint little café that opened up down the street, business had gotten slow and almost moot altogether.
