Boosted Pt. 01

He rounded the corner. He loved the entrance. It was the building's original door, but it had been completely reconditioned. The contractor had straightened the jamb, so the door didn't drag on the floor anymore, and then removed dozens of layers of old paint before staining the oak a rich brown. A heavy, polished brass handle, and new glazing with the pub's logo etched into the glass, completed the look. Even though the pub wasn't open for business, the door was unlocked. He pulled the door open and stepped inside.

The transformation inside was even more stark than the outside. He paused just to take it all in, like he did nearly every time he stepped into the place. The building had been a hardware store for many years, and they'd saved and repurposed as much of the original fixtures as they could. The massive wooden sales counter had been reworked to serve as the bar, a large wood cabinet that once held nuts, bolts, and screws in dozens of small drawers had been overhauled to serve as a holder for utensils, menus, and napkins, and the heavy wood shelving had been converted into tables. The floors had been sanded and polished until they glowed, and though the original tin ceiling was too far gone to save, the contractor had found an almost exact match for the original pattern. Brass, polished wood, and brick were abundant, while the tin ceiling, directional lighting, and large windows gave the space an open feeling that was still cozy. The renovation had gone late and over budget, but Loch and Castle had turned out better than he dreamed possible.

"Sean!" Laura called as the door slowly swung closed behind him. "I was going to call you later."

Laura Fisher was the wife of one of his officers, Thomas Fisher, or Fish to everyone who knew him. She was working as an assistant manager at Mangia when he began looking for someone to run his pub for him. When Fish had suggested Laura would be interested in the position, he'd interviewed her and hired her on the spot. She was cute in the girl next door way with her short brown hair, large brown eyes, and a faint band of freckles across the bridge of her small nose. She also appeared to relish the challenge of getting his pub off the ground. Not only did she seem like the kind of person he was looking for, having her running his pub would give Fish another reason to stay with the Brunswick PD. He knew Fish had been looking for another position, but with Laura's new job, the rumor around the station was he'd stopped.

"About what?"

"I think we're ready."

"Really?" He wasn't sure if he was relieved or terrified.

"Yeah, I think so. Also, Brick found another coddle recipe. We're trying it out tonight. Want to taste it and see what you think?"

Loch and Castle was going to have traditional Irish pub fare, and he and Brick had built the menu together. Under Brick's expert touch, everything had been delicious except for the coddle, which had been only average.

"Sure."

"Brick! The boss wants to try your coddle!" Laura yelled. Sean smiled. With the name Larry Brickman, what else would your nickname be?

"It's not done yet!" Brick called from the kitchen before appearing in the door. "It needs another thirty minutes."

Laura had hired the staff without input from him. What he knew about running a restaurant could be written on the sharp end of a needle. Brick had to be pushing seventy, and three hundred pounds, but he was someone Laura knew from working at Mangia, and she swore he was exactly the man he needed.

"I can wait," Sean said as the door opened and Kenneth Hunnicutt, their bartender, walked in.

Ken wasn't much older than Laura, but he had a quick smile, a personable manner, and he knew how to pour a Guinness. Sean wasn't a good judge of male beauty, but Ken was tall and dark, and he'd noticed more than one of their waitstaff checking him out on his random visits.

"Sean," Ken said in greeting. "Did Laura tell you she wants to open Friday?"

"She said we were ready. How about you? Are you ready?"

"Depends. Did my order come in?"

Laura jerked her head. "In the back."

Ken smiled. "Then I'll be ready. I'll start stocking the shelves."

After he was hired, Ken had asked to speak to Sean, and they'd spent an hour or so talking about what Sean envisioned for Loch and Castle. When they'd finished Ken had ordered accordingly to stock the bar. Guinness was on tap, of course, but he'd also made sure they had all the traditional Irish standby's, such as Bailey's, Jameson, and Bushmills, along with other more common selections.

"Listen," Laura said after Ken left to start stocking his shelves behind the bar, "I'd like to do a soft open on Friday."

"Soft open?"

"Yeah. You, Maggie, and a few others. Maybe twenty or thirty people in all, but people we know. It'll give us a chance to operate and not worry about bad word of mouth. I'd also like to discount the meals as a thank you for helping us out."

Sean began nodding. "Makes sense. Maggie and I will be here, of course. I'm sure I can talk a few more into giving us a try."

"That'll be great. I don't expect any problems, but everything and everyone is brand new. This will give us a chance to shake out any bugs, like when the fire suppression went off over the stove, remember?"

He grinned in memory. It was nothing more serious than a defective head, but it had created a hell of a mess. "Yeah. I remember. Anything else?"

"No, I don't think so. Brick swears this coddle will be better than the original recipe you had, but this is his first time making it."

"I guess we'll find out, huh?"

"I guess," she agreed.

He wandered around, slowly dragging his fingers over the wood and brass. He hoped, maybe prayed was a better word, Loch and Castle would do well. He'd created the type of pub he'd want to spend time in, a traditional pub, complete with a dart board, table football, a single television tucked into the corner, and a small raised stage for live music, but the focus was on companionship and conversation.

"Here you go," Brick said, placing a bowl and spoon on the table nearest Sean.

Sean sat and picked up the spoon. The coddle, a dish of potatoes and sausage, smelled wonderful. He dipped up some of the broth and blew it cool as Brick hovered, waiting for his verdict. He carefully sipped the liquid.

He chuckled briefly. "Oh, that's good," he said, cutting off a piece of potato before scooping it up with a chunk of sausage. He again blew it cool and popped it into his mouth. "This," he said, repeatedly pointing at the bowl with his spoon. "This is the recipe."

Brick beamed. "I thought you'd like it better."

"Where'd you find it?"

"Google knows all. I spent a couple of hours looking up recipes and comparing them, and then took what I thought was the best parts of each of them to get this one."

"You did good, Brick. This is as good as any coddle I've had. Make sure you write it down and give me a copy."

"You got it. You know, I could get to like Irish food. Meat and potatoes," he said, as he pushed out and rubbed his belly. "What's not to like?"

"Amen," Sean said, taking another bite of the coddle before pushing the bowl away. "That's really good, but I have to stop or I'll ruin my dinner."

"How is it?" Laura asked, as she approached.

"Terrific. You should try it."

Laura retrieved another spoon from the supply and dipped some of the coddle into her mouth. "Oh my God that's good!" she moaned. "Hey, Ken! Come try this!"

Ken paused his stocking, took a taste, and gave his approval.

Sean hung around for another fifteen minutes, listening as Laura and Brick discussed the soft open. Laura had given Brick complete authority over the kitchen, the carrot it took to draw him out of retirement, while she took care of the rest. They agreed they were ready for Friday.

"Okay," Sean concurred. "Thirty people is what you want?"

"Twenty to thirty," Laura said as Brick nodded in agreement. "No more than that or we might not have enough food prepared."

"Thirty it is," Sean said. "Would it surprise you if I said I was a little nervous?"

Brick grinned. "No. It would surprise me if you weren't, but we're going to be fine. You didn't rush us into opening before we're ready, I've whipped those jacklegs I hired in the kitchen into shape, and Laura knows how to run a place like this. We'll be good."

"From your lips to God's ear," Sean murmured, causing Laura and Brick to snicker.

"Don't worry, Boss-man, we got this," Laura said. "If all goes well, you'll be officially open for business on Saturday."

"And the grand opening?" Sean asked.

"Say a week after that? That'll give us some time to build some buzz. I'll put a fishbowl at the front and people can drop in their contact information. We can draw, say, ten names and give each of them a free meal as a thank you for finding us early and spreading the word."

Sean nodded. He'd spent so much money getting to this point, blowing through his business loan, and then some, the cost of ten free meals was nothing. "Sounds like a plan."

"Terrific! I'll see you and Maggie Friday."

"We'll be here," Sean agreed.

He took one last look around before shaking his head in wonderment. He was really doing it. Heart pounding, he walked out and returned to his car. The Mills at Brunswick had a big sign up on the property that said they were accepting leases for July move in. He hoped The Mills, as the locals called it, went like the clappers because he was counting on them to help make his pub a success. As he drove to his apartment, he tried not to fall into the stereotypical view of southerners, but if he was honest with himself, he couldn't see the Loch and Castle being a rousing success without the upscale clientele the luxury apartments of The Mills at Brunswick was expected to draw. If The Mills succeeded, he would probably flourish. If The Mills failed, Wallace Barns probably wouldn't be the only person to lose his shirt.

He refused to think about failure. He had a grand pub, one that any Irishman would feel comfortable in, one that could compete successfully even in places like Boston or New York. The Loch and Castle was going to be a success, and maybe, just maybe, that would be enough to jumpstart the revitalization of Tilley's downtown. Being first was great, but only so long as it led to more businesses following his lead. Tilley needed more than his one little pub for people to want to come to the town, and he needed people to want to come to town so they could discover his pub. The first business that made the leap of faith in Brunswick's downtown probably had the same qualms he was having, but Brunswick had managed to pull it off, so maybe Tilley could too. He pulled into his parking space at his building and shoved his doubts aside. He was going to succeed, and that was all there was to it. He unlocked the door and stepped inside.

"Marmalade?" he called. Normally the cat met him at the door. "There you are," he smiled as the cat appeared from his bedroom. "Did I sneak up on you? Some watchcat you are." The cat weaved around his ankles and purred. "Ready to eat?"

He opened the cabinet and pulled out the can on top without checking the contents. He was running a little late getting to Maggie's and he didn't have time to fool around. Even if he left now they wouldn't have time to complete their normal run this evening. He opened the can and plopped the goop into one of Marmalade's bowls before setting it on the floor. The cat glanced at the food and then looked up at him and meowed.

"That's what there is," Sean scolded gently. The cat meowed again. "Sorry. Eat it or don't, I'm not the one who's going hungry," he continued as he stepped around the cat on the way to his bedroom.

Marmalade raced down the hall ahead of him and jumped on the bed. He scratched the cat quickly between his ears as he passed. He grabbed a change of clothes and cleaned the litterbox, frowning at the untouched food as he hurried out to his car. Marmalade would eat when he got hungry enough. He tossed the litter into the dumpster and then threw himself under the steering wheel of his car.

When he arrived at Maggie's, he pressed the button on the opener clipped to the visor, pulling his car into the garage beside Maggie's blue Civic. The door was still rumbling down when he stepped into the kitchen.

"There you are," Maggie said in greeting. "I was starting to wonder where you were."

He kissed her quickly. "Sorry. I ran by the pub. How about dinner there Friday? Laura wants to do a run through with a small crowd."

She grinned. "I'd love to!"

"Can you pass the word around your place? I'd like to get twenty or thirty people there if I can. I'll do the same at the station."

"Sure. What time?"

"Anytime between, say, five and eight?"

She turned away and opened the oven. "I'll pass the word. Dinner's ready."

"What are we having?"

She pulled out a dish. "Chicken and Cheese Tortilla Pie."

He thought it looked tasty. "Okay. Haven't had that before."

She smiled over her shoulder as she carried the bubbling dish to the table. "Me either, but it was quick, and I wasn't in the mood to spend a lot of time in the kitchen."

"Sounds good to me. Movie later?"

"Of course."

"What?" he asked as he pulled a beer from the refrigerator. Chicken and Cheese Tortilla Pie sounded like beer food. "Want one?" he asked holding his bottle up.

"Uh... sure. I don't know about the movie. I'm not sure what I'm in the mood for. I'll have to see what's on my list."

He cracked open the two bottles and set them on the table, along with two forks. He didn't care what movie she picked to watch. He was almost willing to watch paint dry, so long as he was watching it with her.