Mabe's Burden (3 page)

“
Thanks,” she mumbled
through the manly scented cloth.

Gavin kept his arm around her, pushing
the swing into motion with his foot. Mabe dried her tears and
rested her head in the crook of his arm.

“
Better?” he
asked.

She nodded. “I’m sorry. I thought I was
over the crying part, but seeing you with those flowers…I just came
unglued. Thanks by the way, they’re beautiful.”

“
If I’d known I’d get such a
reaction, I’d have left them at the florist’s.”

She managed a tiny laugh. “I’m sorry,”
she repeated. “You were so close to Da, and it just hit me I’d
never see you two together again. It made me sad.”

Gavin squeezed her to him. “Aye, I
know. I’ve been thinking that myself. From the time we first
immigrated to New York, and he got the itch for the Florida sun,
I’ve been with him. He was a buggering bastard, mean as Satan most
days, but I loved him.” He tipped her chin up with a finger.
“How’re you doing, darlin’?”

She stared into those leprechaun eyes
and smiled. “I’m okay, Gavin. A little concerned I haven’t heard
from Meg or Mara yet, but otherwise I’m okay.”

“
Don’t worry. I’m sure
they’ll call you soon enough. When do they release his body from
the autopsy?”

“
Some time tomorrow was what
Brent told me. He stopped by earlier this morning. He’d run into
Andy down at the Chief’s office. Cause of death is officially a
heart attack, but we all know what really put him in the
grave.”

“
Aye. Once he lost his
Sherrie, he was good for nothing. It was good of you to sacrifice
so much for him. Although I love your sisters, it was wrong what
they did to him.”

“
No, no…don’t say that,
Gavin. You don’t know what he put them through. I’m not sure what
he said to Meg to make her run off. I’ll probably never know, but
Mara put up with more than you can possibly imagine. It fell to her
to raise us, and Da was never often kind. I was just lucky to be
the apple of his eye. It eased things for me some.”

Gavin nodded. “I guess you’re right.
After the cancer took your mom something snapped in him. He could
be a stubborn old goat, and with our Mara’s looking different from
the rest of you, it set him off some. Although anyone could look at
her, see your ma’s blue eyes and Shane’s stubbornness in her. I
never knew why Sherrie loved him the way she did, but I guess it’s
not my place to know.”

“
I’m thinking of having a
wake at the pub after the service. What do you think?”

“
Oh, I don’t know. Wouldn’t
it be a lot of work for you?”

“
I don’t think so. I was
going to close the day of the funeral anyway, so it would just be
for those who want to stop by. I’ll only be open for a few hours or
so.”

“
Okay, I’ll come help you.
Will Jake be there?”

“
Of course. He’s been a huge
help already, running things while I dealt with everything
here.”

Gavin nodded. “He’s a good man. You
should marry him.”

Mabe laughed. She smacked Gavin on the
chest. “Ew, gross. He’s ten years older than me. He’s more like a
brother than an employee.”

“
You need someone to look
after you. He’d be good choice,” Gavin stated.

She stared. “You’re
serious?”

When Gavin nodded, she burst into
another fit of laughter. “Gavin,” she gasped. “You’re a mess. I’ve
really been on my own for years. Da was always way too drunk to
care for me. Who do you think kept him fed, kept the pub running?”
She smacked his chest playfully a second time. “God, the last thing
I need is a man around here mucking things up.”

Gavin smiled. “Okay, okay. Are you up
for discussing some business?”

Mabe nodded. “Do you want to go inside?
It’s starting to get hot out here. I swear you’d think in the
middle of September it would start to cool down just a little, but
no. I’ve got some coffee made and some of those cinnamon buns you
like. Let’s go into the kitchen.”

She held the screen door for him. Gavin
followed her to the kitchen glancing around. “House seems bigger
without him,” he commented.

She whirled around. “I was just
thinking the same thing this morning. I hope I get used to rattling
around in this old house by myself, although I could swear I heard
him singing just as the sun came up today.”

“
Shut up. That’s all we’d
need, to be haunted by his ghost!”

“
I know, right? I’m sure I
was dreaming. You know how it is when you’re in the land just
between sleep and awake.” She gestured to the kitchen table. “Help
yourself. I’ll get us some coffee.

Gavin dug a thickly iced cinnamon roll
out of the pan. He licked his fingers. “I don’t know how you do it,
but these things are just straight from Heaven’s own
gates.”

She grinned, placing two cups of coffee
on the table. “I know. Ma’s recipe passed down through the ages. I
have to bake them at least once a month.”

He wolfed down his roll then reached
for a napkin, wiping his sticky fingers. “Whoa there,” Mabe
cautioned, her eyes wide. “You act like you haven’t eaten in a
month.”

Gavin laughed. “It’s been a least two
hours, but I won’t tell if you won’t.” He reached for
another.

“
Be careful or you’ll lose
your girlish figure.”

He patted the paunch at his waist. “Too
late, I’m afraid.”

“
So, what have you got in
that leather satchel of yours?” She stood to refill their coffee
mugs while Gavin made quick work of the second cinnamon
roll.

Licking his fingers, he commented, “I
have to be honest, darlin’. I’m afraid it’s not very good
news.”

She set the mugs on the table and
rejoined her longtime family friend. “I’m not surprised. I’m sure
Da let the life insurance lapse or something equally
irresponsible.”

Gavin removed a legal pad along with a
large manila envelope from the briefcase, placing them on the
table. He caught her gaze. “I’m afraid its worse.” He dumped some
documents out of the envelope, spreading them out before
her.

“
What’s that?”

“
This is a record of your
father’s gambling debts—”

“
What?
” Her hand flew to her heart. “Oh, no. Oh, God…please tell me
he didn’t gamble away Shenanigans.” Tears pricked her eyes, but she
struggled to remain brave. She would not let her father, even in
death, defeat her.

Gavin glanced away, cleared his throat.
“Mabe, he was my best friend and I loved him like a brother. I
tried multiple times to pull him away from that thug of a bookie,
but you know Shane. It was always, ‘This one’s going to be the
winner, Gavin, my boy’, he’d say. I tried to explain to him he’d
soon reach a point of no return and lose the pub altogether. I
thought I was finally starting to get through to him when this
happened. I’m just devastated by all this.”

Her eyes narrowed. “How long have you
known about this debt? And why didn’t you come to me when you first
learned about it?”

Again, he avoided her gaze. “Shane made
me swear not to say anything. He told me he had a plan to take care
of it. Like a fool I believed him.”

“
How much?” she
demanded.

“
It’s quite a bit, I’m
afraid. Close to two hundred thousand.”

Mabe dropped her coffee mug on the
table, tipping it over. Hot liquid spilled in her lap.
“Shit!”

She jumped up, dashing to
the sink for a towel. She swiped at her jeans and then wiped down
the table. More tears threatened to escape, but she fought them
back.
What an idiot I was to believe Da
had stopped his gambling. He’s cost me Shenanigans. Son of a
bitch.

She plopped into the chair, guilt
immediately washing over her for thinking ill of the dead. She
sighed and put her head down on the table. “What am I going to do?
I don’t have that kind of money, anywhere. I can’t lose the pub.
It’s the only thing I know how to do. It’s our heritage…Meg,
Mara’s, mine. How could Da have been so stupid?”

Gavin sighed. “I know, darlin’. I’m so
sorry to have to tell you about this. There is some good news
though.”

She looked up, expectantly. “There’s
life insurance?” At the shake of Gavin’s head her hopes
fell.

“
There’s a man who came to
me the other day. His name is Aaron Shaw. He’s a commercial real
estate broker out of Atlanta. He wants to expand his businesses
here in Monticello and inquired about buying Shenanigans. It might
be your way out. The bar’s worth at least five times what your da
owed those thugs. Aaron’s offer might be just what you need to help
you out.”

“
Sell Shenanigans? Gavin,
are you nuts?” She paced the kitchen. “I’m sure he’s just another
shark trying to get his hands on my bar. Did Da at least leave it
to me in his will?”

Gavin rooted through the satchel
pulling out another envelope. “Here’s the will. He left the pub to
all three of you girls, you owning the biggest piece. I’ll read the
whole thing when your sisters get here.”

This revelation took all the breath
from her body. She collapsed in the chair. Not only had her father
gambled away a huge chunk of the equity in their formerly debt-free
bar, but he hadn’t even had the balls to leave the business to the
one girl who’d stuck by him all this time. The one daughter who’d
put up with his abusive drunkenness while the other two had tucked
tail and ran. She bet her sisters would give any benefit of the
sale of the business to some shark of a commercial real estate
broker who would probably turn the property into some seedy antique
mall. The tears she’d fought back earlier won, sliding down her
cheeks.

Frustrated, she grabbed a napkin,
scrubbed at her face. “How do you know they’ll even
come?”

He placed a hand on her arm. “They’ll
come, Mabe. I know they will. When they do, you three can start to
put the pieces of your family back together again.”

“
There’s way too much water
under the bridge to put us back together. I’m sure neither of my
sisters will be interested in hanging around this tiny town after
they’ve seen so much of the world. I was the only stupid
one.”

“
You are anything but
stupid. Listen, I’ve put Shaw off till after the wake. Will you at
least talk to him after? We’ll have time to inform your sisters of
what’s going on, and together you all can make a decision about
what you want to do. He has a great reputation. I’m sure he’ll give
you a fair market price.”

Mabe slammed her fist down
on the table, causing all the dishes to jump. Gavin jumped, too.
She leaned forward, glaring into the man’s green eyes. “I will not
sell my pub. Do I make myself perfectly clear? I don’t know how
yet, but I’ll find a way to pay off Da’s debt and keep Shenanigans.
No one, I mean
no one
is going to cheat me out of the damn bar I’ve slaved half my
life in.”

Gavin swallowed hard. He stuffed the
envelopes back into his leather case and rose. “Obviously, I’ve
upset you. I’m truly sorry. You really should at least hear out the
man’s proposal though. I’m not sure you’re going to have much
choice.” He walked to the back door. He opened it, looked over his
shoulder. “Those men your father borrowed money from aren’t nice
men, Mabe. They want their money, and they want it soon. I’d give
that some serious thought.”

“
Go home, Gavin. Just go
home.”

The door clicked shut behind him. She
covered her face with her hands and cried.

Chapter Four

The phone rang, startling Mabe out of
her crying jag. Grabbing a napkin, she reached for the cordless
phone on the table.

“
Hello?”

“
Mabe?” a tentative woman’s
voice asked. “Is that you? It’s me Meg.”

She jumped to her feet. “Is it really
you? I was getting so worried you hadn’t gotten my
message.”

“
I got it. I’m sorry about
Da. Are you okay?”

“
It was all so sudden. One
day he was here and then poof, gone the next. Are you coming
home?”

“
I’m already here. I’m
sitting out in the driveway.”

She dashed to the front door, dropping
the phone on the table. She flung it open. A brown Ford Explorer
was parked at the edge of her driveway. She thought she spotted two
people in the truck. She ran to the driver’s side.

Meg was just climbing out of the
vehicle when Mabe reached her. She grabbed her sister in a fierce
bear hug. “I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve missed you so
much.”

Meg returned her sister’s hug,
squeezing her tight. “I’m sorry I never came home sooner, but I
just couldn’t with Da. He wouldn’t have understood.”

Mabe pushed her back but kept her hands
on her shoulders. She studied her sister’s cropped hair, blue eyes,
pale face. She never remembered Meg looking so frail, but it had
been a long time. “Why did you leave? I never understood why you
just took off the night before Rod left for the Army. I was so
worried about you. Da went nuts calling around, sending out half
the patrons at Shenanigans to look for you.”