Chapter 1: Surprise
It was a familiar rainy day in Boston that found Amanda MacNabb on her way to open up the pub for Doc. She wasn't sure what had happened with Doc – he usually called her in the mornings when he reached the Pub – so she decided to head down early to check on him.
Doc was her grandfather, and after had Da had died she had started taking care of him. Truthfully, the old man didn't need much taking care of – he was a hardcore Irishman and could deal with a lot on his own, as he had for most of his life. But he was also pretty much her only companion in this world these days, so she kept a careful eye out for him while she helped tend bar at the pub that he had owned for more than sixty years.
When she reached the familiar wooden doors, with their circular plates of glass etched with figures of Irish harps, she inserted her key and turned it in the lock. She was surprised to find the lights already on, but no sign of Doc.
She looked around – clearly, the old man had been entertaining some guests the other night. There were several shot glasses sitting on the bar, and the chairs were all pulled out. Other than that, there wasn't much of a mess. She was relieved. Often, when Doc's rowdy Irish friends came around, there was some heavy carpentry that had to be done the next day to repair the damage.
"Doc?" she called out. No answer.
Stacking the shot glasses, she held them against her chest and headed for the back.
She heard the water running, and figured that Doc must be washing more dishes. Tossing her purse on the table in the back, she knocked the door open with her foot.
"Doc, why the hell didn't you call? I was worr-"
She stopped short at the scene before her. A naked, heavily tattooed man seemed to be bathing himself in the pub's industrial sink.
The shot glasses fell to the floor, shattering into a million pieces. His head whipped around to identify the noise, but she was already running, screaming, from the room.