After finishing the interior shots, Ace took in every angle of the transformed front yard. There should be more than enough photos to keep Tanner off his back.
“All right, let’s hit the road,” Steven announced behind him. “David says it’s time to clear out.”
“I’m riding with Ace, sweetie,” Holly said. “And don’t you need to get gas in your car, too?”
“Right as always,” Steven said, kissing her cheek. “See you guys at the Gaf.”
“What is a gaf?” Ace asked.
“The best Irish pub in town,” Steven said. “Babe, get our usual table, okay?”
With Holly buckled into the seat next to him, Ace turned onto Wornall Avenue. He turned to her to speak, but she beat him to it.
“So, my future brother-in-law is gay,” Holly said conversationally.
Ace twisted the steering wheel sharply, earning an angry honk from a car in the next lane. “Whoa! What? That’s your opening?”
“What?” she said, all innocent. “We have limited time here. And am I wrong? Do you have proof otherwise?”
“Do you have proof in the first place?” Ace countered.
“My world-class gaydar.”
“Really,” he said flatly. “Your gaydar has been rated and everything?”
“Yep.”
“Huh. How wasted on you.”
“I consider it a valuable resource.”
“Of course. Terribly valuable for a straight woman to be able to identify gay men instantly.”
“You know I’m right,” she insisted.
“Fine. I concede the point. Your gaydar is invaluable.”
“Not that,” she said. “Though, yes. About Paul, I mean. He’s gay.”
“If that’s what your gaydar says, who am I to argue?” She was not going to trick him into giving away Paul’s secret.
Holly looked at him, while he kept his eyes on the traffic. “That’s it? That’s your only comment? My wickedly hot brother-in-law plays for your team, and this is all I get?”
“Yup.”
Holly huffed out a breath and scowled comically. “Okay, fine. It’s more than my gaydar. I know for a fact.”
“He told you? Or did you guess?”
“I guessed, and then he told me.” She crossed her arms loudly. “You could have been nicer about my instincts.”
Well, it’s a start. He’s told someone. Although Ace doubted Paul would have broached the subject if Holly hadn’t been pulling it out of him tooth by tooth.
“What else did he tell you?” Ace asked carefully.
“I know about you, too. About the two of you.”
“How much detail did he use?”
“Not nearly enough. I had to fill in all the yummy parts on my own.”
“Poor you.”
“He also said he feels terrible about how he left things.”
“Uh-huh.” Ace was unconvinced. “I could tell how bad he feels. Dozens of phone calls, forgive-me flowers, all sincere and apologetic. I’ve been overwhelmed, really.”
“I know, he’s doing it wrong. He knows it too.” Holly grimaced and looked out the window. “I wish this didn’t have to be such a big damn secret. But he’s pretty adamant about it.”
“Tell me about it,” Ace muttered. “How much farther is it to this place?”
“About six long blocks.”
They rode in silence for a while.
“It’s just that ” Ace paused, searching for the right words. “I’m not a hider. Never have been. Once I was sure I was gay, I let people know, even if it hurt in the short term. And now I’m supposed to hide an essential part of me for this guy?”
“Be patient with him,” she said softly. “He’s such a wonderful man with this big, beautiful heart. You haven’t known him as long as I have. He’s worth it. Trust me.”
“Closet cases, in my experience, are not worth the heartache,” Ace said, his voice tightening with bitterness. “I’ve survived that ride already, thanks. I don’t want to deal with another one.” He pulled into a space in the small parking lot next to the Gaf and hopped out of his truck.
Holly jogged around the truck to take Ace’s arm. “Look, you know we can’t talk about this around Steven,” she said, “but don’t give up on Paul. He’s like a house with good bones. I’m sure you could make a big difference with him.”
“Just what I need, another fixer-upper,” Ace said. “I just finished my house, and now I need to work on Paul.”
“Oooh, tell me about your house!” Holly’s serious, imploring demeanor changed instantly into giddy excitement. “I can just imagine how much fun it must be!”
Ace held open the heavy wooden door for her. “Just what poor Steven wants to hear. More design talk.”
From the bright early June Sunday afternoon, they stepped into a different country, even a different climate. The Gaf looked like it was imported directly from Ireland, fully built, every nail authentic. Deep cherry wood lined the floors, the walls, the booths, even the barstools, and faces of long-dead Irishmen stared down at them from the artwork on the walls. A brick fireplace in the center of room crackled with a welcoming fire that was out of place with the warmth of the season outside, but perfectly at home in this space.
Around the bar, old men monitored both the Gaelic hurling game on the television and their world-altering conversations with each other. Ace could tell without asking that those customers were as much a part of the fixtures here as the light bulbs and the Guinness, and just as necessary to the Gaf’s charm.
“Good afternoon to you, my lovely!” A white-haired, ruddy-faced man with a thick Irish accent swept Holly into a hug as soon as she stepped into the room. “And who’s this strapping lad?”
“John, this is my friend Ace,” she said. “This is his first time to the Gaf, so you must make him love it.”
“Sure and that’s the only option, isn’t it?” John shook Ace’s hand firmly. “If you’re friends with this one, you’ll not have much choice about coming here, I’ll wager.”
“Sounds good to me,” Ace said happily. “I officially already love this place.”
“And you haven’t even had the loaded pub chips yet,” Holly said.
“I’ll go fetch you an order straight away,” John said. “You’ll be taking your regular booth?”
“Steven would never know where to find us if we didn’t,” Holly said.
“Ah, there’s truth in that. I’ll pour him a stout while I’m at it.” With that, John scampered to the kitchen.
Ace turned to Holly. “No kidding, I love this place. He’s fantastic. Those walls are fantastic. That fire is fantastic!”
“I’m so glad,” she said. “One of the perks of marrying a McDonnell is that I’m marrying the Gaf as well.”
They settled into a tall, comfortable booth, and they both let out a satisfied sigh simultaneously.
“I could live here,” Holly sighed.
“If I hadn’t just finished my house, I’d drag all my stuff here today,” Ace said.
“Your house!” Holly exclaimed. “That’s right! Tell me all about your fabulous house!”