As Essie neared The Crow’s Nest, a sense of relief washed over her. She’d had a trying day at work, to say the least—and wanted a drink; or to see Luke. Definitely both, she thought to herself. Upon reaching the bar, she heard the pulse of loud music through the door and shook her head. Quinn always had the most interesting taste in music, and somehow, no matter how much she listened to her favorite songs on the way home, the songs she’d hear at the bar would always get stuck in her head.
Pushing the heavy door open, smiling at the bouncers just outside—they inclined their heads in reply—Essie entered the bar. It was absolutely brimming with patrons, some of whom she was familiar with as regulars, and she pushed through them until she got to the bar. One of the patrons—another regular—spotted her and offered her his seat. She thanked him with a bright smile and sat down.
Meanwhile, Luke was down at the other end of the bar serving drinks, unaware of her arrival. She took up conversation with the man who’d just given up his seat for her, and they shared a few laughs. One of the bartenders sidled up to her and set down her usual drink with a grin. She thanked him and took a sip of the gin and tonic. When Luke finally came down to her end of the bar, she waved at him. He stopped in his tracks, a confused smile on his lips.
“Ess! What are you doing here?”
She smiled tiredly. “Today’s been a long day, and there have been two things I wanted when I finished work: a drink, and to see you. In no particular order,” she added. Those around her that heard it let out a slightly mocking aww and Essie laughed. Pushing herself up onto her knees on the barstool, she leaned over the bar and pressed a kiss to Luke’s lips. This garnered an unnecessary round of applause from the guests around them. When Essie sat back down, Luke shook his head and leaned against the bar.
“I thought you were going home,” he said as he poured a few drinks for the ladies that had sidled up to the bar a few seconds ago. They giggled and made a few comments about Luke—particularly how handsome he was—and Essie just snorted.
“I was, but I thought I’d come and see you first. It’s Friday, and I know you won’t be home for a while, so I wanted to see how you were doing before I head back home.”
He smiled. “You didn’t have t’do tha’.”
“Yet here I am,” she replied with a grin.
The other manager came up beside Luke and told him he was going to take a quick fifteen, and Luke nodded. Just as he turned back to continue talking with Essie, a few customers called from the other side of the bar. He smiled apologetically, but she waved him off. He made his way over to the end of the bar, and Essie leaned back against the chair, taking a few sips of her drink. She turned her head and listened as two patrons shared stories about their day and smiled. They engaged her, and she responded whenever appropriate.
Esselyn liked the Nest—she felt comfortable here, and everyone knew everyone. Plus, she loved watching Luke work. It’s only fair, she thought in amusement.
A few moments later, Essie was nearly pushed out of her chair by a burly-looking drunk. The alcohol in her glass spilled out over her lap and all over her left arm. She looked up at the clumsy patron: he was nearly twice her size and covered in sweat. She frowned in disgust. The man she’d been talking with told him to watch where he was going, but the newcomer paid him no heed. Essie frowned, taking a few cocktail napkins from behind the bar and wiping the spilled alcohol from her hands and lap.
Setting her drink down on the bar, Essie placed a firm hand on the sweaty man’s forearm. “Thanks for being considerate,” she said dryly. His glazed over eyes fell upon her, and his eyebrows drew together.
“Fuck off, ya mick,” he slurred, before returning to his active search for Luke. The patrons around her expressed their discontent for his attitude, but she waved them off. Temper flaring, she grabbed the man’s arm once again and forced him to face her.
“I’d like an apology, before you’re too drunk to remember who you even are,” she bit out, bright eyes growing sharp. He looked down at her once again, his drunken stupor giving way to anger.
“Do you not know the meaning of ‘fuck off’? Get your hands off of me, stupid bitch.”
That was all it took before Essie’s palm connected with his face with a resounding crack. The surrounding customers gasped, backing away from them. The man who’d given up his seat for Esselyn tried to pull her back, but she shook him off easily.
“You had better watch your mouth before I knock a few of your teeth loose,” she warned tersely.
The man growled and swung at her, but she dodged it easily and decked him across the face. He reeled back, falling against a few patrons before rushing at her again. He lumbered across the space separating them, fists up, but Essie was too quick for him. She dodged his punches and landed a few of her own.
Luke, caught off guard by the commotion, ran from where he stood at one end of the bar to where the crowd had gathered. His heart dropped as he witnessed Essie facing a drunken man twice her size, avoiding his attacks. Anger surged within him, and his fists clenched.
“Esselyn!” he roared. Her head whipped around at the sound of his voice, her bright eyes blazing in fury.
That was the opportunity the man seized to land a fist squarely on her jaw.
The blow sent her reeling, knocking her clear off her feet. Luke growled and jumped over the bar, putting himself between the drunken bastard and Esselyn. He punched the man in the gut, forcing him to keel over, and connected his knee with his nose. The man cursed, spitting out profanities and derogatory names.
“You come into my bar and dare cause trouble? How dare you lay a hand on anyone--especially her,” he seethed, hauling the man up by the collar. “Get out of here, you filthy bastard.”
The man, sufficiently terrified in his drunken state, stumbled toward the door, Luke just behind him. One of the bouncers, looking between their infuriated employer and the man struggling to gain his footing on his way out of the door, stepped forward and grabbed the latter by the shoulders and shoved him into an off-duty cab.
Though the music still played loudly, most of the noise had dwindled down to uneasy conversation as the guests speculated about what just transpired. Luke stalked back through the crowd, the patrons clearing out of his way, and came to stand in front of Essie. She was back on her feet now, one of the regulars supporting her from behind. Her fingers pressed against her jaw as she assessed the potential damage. The other manager returned from his break early to see what all the commotion was about, and he stared in confusion from behind the bar. Luke grabbed a hold of Esselyn’s arm and pushed her gently through the crowd to the stock room in the back.
“Watch th’ bar,” he said in a clipped tone to the other manager before leaving. Once they were in the stock room, Luke pointed to a stack of wooden cases.
“Sit,” he instructed flatly. Essie, knowing better, did as she was told. Luke gingerly felt along her jawbone for any breaks or swelling. He turned and disappeared, returning a few minutes later with ice and a cool rag. She took it and pressed it to her jaw, trying to avoid moving it. Adrenaline still pumped through her veins, so the pain didn’t feel as bad as she knew it would later.
“What happened?” he demanded.
“He nearly knocked me out of my seat. I asked for an apology, and he told me to ‘fuck off’,” she replied.
Luke furrowed his eyebrows in irritation. “Tha’s it?”
“No. He called me a few names too.”
Luke’s jaw worked as he struggled to reign in his temper. “What were they?”
“Doesn’t really matter now, does it?”
Essie sighed in resignation. “He called me a mick and a stupid bitch.”
“Where else did he hit you?” Luke proceeded, eyes darting to arms, stomach, chest, and anywhere else he thought she might have been injured.
She shook her head. “He didn’t get the chance to. Except for when you shouted my name.”
Luke mentally kicked himself. “You shouldn’t have said anything. You should have told me first.”
Essie removed the ice from her jaw and tilted her head to the side. “Mo rún, you were busy. I can take care of myself.”
“I know tha’,” he said in exasperation. “Doesn’t mean tha’ I don’t worry about you.”
Essie gave him a sweet smile. “I know. I’m a headache.”
“Not true,” he argued. She raised an eyebrow.
“You’re not a very good liar,” she replied with a laugh. Luke shook his head and stepped closer to her. Dropping down to his knees, he looked up at her, anger slowly ebbing. He rested his palms on her knees and stroked her skin with his thumbs.
Essie winced. “I’m sorry, Lu. I should have just gone home.”
Luke shook his head. “Don’t be sorry, mo ghrá. You didn’t know this was going t’happen.”
He stood up slowly, and Essie followed. “I’ll head back home, love,” she declared with a tired smile.
“Like hell you are. You’re t’stay here where I can keep an eye on you.”
Essie laughed. “Fine then. But I’d like another drink.”
