5. Chapter 5 - Kaitlyn

The bar was crowded so it took a minute to find a table, but then the bartender, Don, pointed us to one as a group left. We couldn't find enough chairs, so Magnus, James, and Fraoch stood against the wall taking in the scene, while the rest of us took seats at the big round table. Lochie was very nervous. He kept his eyes directed at the table in front of him, until James nudged him. "That her?"

Lochie glanced, our eyes all followed his. He gulped. "Och aye, she is a bonny lass, is she nae?"

She was very pretty. Petite, with strawberry blonde hair, cut in a cute shorter style, pale blue eyes, freckles. I leaned toward Hayley and Emma and said, "She looks like Meg Ryan!"

He was so smitten, whenever he glanced at her his eyes went all soft. Then he would quickly look away, looking in all directions, awkwardly, up at the ceiling, behind us, under the table. He was squirming in his seat looking uncomfortable.

He ran his hand through his hair, a redness rising up his cheeks.

The young woman approached our table. She was wearing an olive green shirt with a star on the front and a long khaki cargo skirt, covered in pockets, with elastic cords pulling up the side. A pair of dark combat boots. She was fit and cute. "Sorry, y'all, we are packed, did someone take your order?"

James said, "Not yet, we can go to the bar?—"

"No, it's fine, just took a hot minute, Jess called in sick, so I'm swamped." She smiled, showing off the dazzling dimples on her cheeks. "What can I get you...?"

I thought Lochie might faint, luckily she didn't notice his reddening cheeks at all.

James ordered for all of us to keep it simple. Then said, "Your name is Ash — you're Jim McNeil's daughter?"

She blew hair off her forehead, then yelled across the table, trying to be heard over the raucous bar. "Yeah, you know my dad?"

"Yeah, I'm a contractor, worked with him a couple of times, he still around?"

"What?"

"Your dad still live here?"

"No, he and mom moved to North Carolina!"

He said, "I'm James Cook, hey, can I introduce you?—?"

"No, sorry, really gotta get the order in!"

James said, "Okay cool, maybe when you get back."

She buzzed off and James said, "Well, someone else needs to try next, or she's going to think I'm hitting on her."

I said, "Got it. When she comes back, I'll talk."

Lochie pulled at the collar of his shirt. "Och nae, I daena ken if I can bear it. What if I wait out in the truck while ye finish yer drinks?"

Fraoch said, "She's going tae come back in a moment — what, ye are not brave enough tae meet her?"

"Ye said we would just come and see if she is here, now we ken. We can go home and come back on another less crowded night?—"

The big table of rowdy hooligans beside us all got up and left, leaving a noticeably emptier bar.

Magnus joked, "And suddenly, tis not so crowded."

Lochie leaned back in his chair looking defeated.

Ash came over carrying a tray with our beers. She blew her hair off her forehead again as she put them all out. "I'm sorry, first chance to breathe since eight."

I stood up to help. "That's fine, let me introduce you while I pass them out. The Coke is for Hayley and Quentin, class of '11. You already met James, he's class of '11 too. How about you?"

She said, "I'm class of '20."

I joked, "Damn, now I feel old." I placed beers in my place and in front of Emma and handed beers to Magnus and Fraoch. Then, the last beer...

I said, noting a thin trail of sweat rolling down the side of Lochie's temple, cold dread on his face, "And this is our friend, Lochinvar." I passed him the beer. "He's visiting from Scotland."

"Pleasure to meet you— wait..." She turned to me. "You're Kaitlyn Sheffield? The Kaitlyn Sheffield who was a YouTuber?"

"Well, yeah, many years ago, I'm Kaitlyn Campbell now. This is my husband, Magnus."

"That was horrible what he did to you."

"Yeah... um?—"

Hayley jumped in, "So, Ash, class of '20, huh? Lochie is younger but?—"

Her eyes narrowed. "How young is he? I didn't card him."

Hayley said, "Oops, not what I meant, fine upstanding citizens, he is old enough to be in a bar." She muttered, "We're pretty sure."

Lochie drew in a deep breath, pushed back his chair, and stood, tipping the chair over. It almost crashed except Fraoch grabbed it just before it hit the ground.

Meanwhile, in the commotion, Lochie's sporran tipped a glass over on the table. Beer splashed everywhere. Hayley quickly righted it, but the front of his kilt was soaked. Lochie said, "Och nae."

Ash rushed away, "Let me grab a rag!"

Lochie said, "She will think me an imbecile. We ought tae go, I hae ruined m'chance." He ducked his head and tried to escape, but Fraoch yanked him around and clasped his arms, keeping him from leaving. It was Fraoch style, gentle enough, but because he and Lochie were both so big and as one struggled and the other grabbed, it seemed a wee-bit violent — chairs made scraping noises on the floor. Magnus, also big, had to back to the wall to get out of the way. All eyes turned to us, and Emma, Hayley, and I had to jump from our chairs to clear some room.

Ash rushed back, "I have the rag... but... the table over there needs their tab closed out."Her eyes swept over our table's disorder and that we were all awkwardly standing around. Magnus and Zach stepped together to block her view of Fraoch forcefully holding Lochie.

I grabbed the rag. "No worries, sorry, we didn't mean to make a mess..."

I mopped the beer up while James and Quentin both kind of waved at the remaining customers, mumbling, "No worries... just a friendly disagreement, sorry, didn't mean to bother you..."

While Fraoch sternly held Lochie near the wall, reprimanding him in a whisper, "Ye canna leave, I winna allow it."

"Ye saw her, she is the most bonny lass I hae ever laid eyes upon, and I was made a fool."

"Ye arna made a fool, Og Lochie, but och, ye are a coward!"

"I am nae!"

"Ye are, ye will fight in an arena but ye winna look a lass in the eye?"

"I looked foolish in front of?—"

"Ye made a mess — tis just a spill. Ye simply mop it up. I hae seen ye mop the back deck, ye are capable enough."

Lochie's mouth turned up on the side. "Ye hae seen me do much more than mop a deck, ye hae seen me beat yer arse in the arena."

Fraoch put his hands on Lochie's shoulders. "That's a good lad, ye are insultin' me, ye are almost yerself again. I canna abide by a weak and cowardly Og Lochie, that is not the usual way of things."

Lochie straightened his back and stood taller.

We all resumed our seats and tried not to watch, but it was fascinating. Fraoch said, "She is going tae come back over here and what are ye going tae say tae her? Ye hae tae say something good."

Lochie gulped. "I daena ken, I suppose I will ask her if I might speak tae her father about a marriage cont?—"

I exclaimed, "Oh no, that's not—!" I winced at Emma.

Hayley bit her lip to suppress her laughter.

But Fraoch straightened the collar on Lochie's shirt. "Nae, ye winna ask tae speak tae her father or about marriage. Ye will ask her if ye can talk tae her after she is done workin'."

Lochie ran both hands through his hair. "What will we talk about?"

"I daena ken — while we wait for her tae finish workin' we will come up with some ideas." He clapped his hands on Lochie's shoulders. "Dost ye understand? Ye are goin' tae behave with wisdom, I ken twill be difficult for ye, but with bravery ye can handle yerself. Can ye? Because we arna leavin' until we see ye talk tae the maiden. I canna go home after witnessin' this sorry business, I hae tae see ye be brave or m'opinion on ye might be irredeemable."

"Ye would think me cowardly?"

"Aye, I would think ye a coward and all the brave things ye hae done will be overwritten by this moment, daena let it happen, Og Lochie, ye hae a reputation ye must uphold in m'eyes. Daena disappoint me."

"Aye." Lochie's Adam's apple went up and down in his throat with his gulp. "Aye, I will."

Fraoch passed him his beer. "Good, now stand here with yer beer in yer hand and look competent or I will take all the cookies from ye for a full week."

Lochie mock-gasped, "Ye are goin' tae threaten a grown man with nae cookies?"

"Aye, if the grown man is gonna act like a bairn, then aye."

"I winna. I will speak tae the maiden."

"Good."

They both stood shoulder to shoulder.

Magnus grinned at me.

Did you see Fraoch father him...?

Aye, he is an auld softie.

Ash returned to our table, blew at her hair on her head, dazzled us with another smile and asked, "Where was I? Your table is clean — I am so sorry! Usually I'm much better than this, but my shift is almost done, what a night..." Her eyes, for really the first time, scanned the men, and settled on Lochie. "I don't think we met yet, I'm Ash." She put her hand forward.

He took it and bowed over it, a red curl brushing her wrist, his lips hovering above her knuckle. "Pleasure tae meet ye." He kissed it and raised his head.

She said, "Oh, shoot, that was... wow."

He said, "M'apologies, mistress, I am Lochinvar, brother of Magnus the First."

"Oh.. double wow, and you're from Scotland? I've never been to..."

"Aye."

She fanned herself, not in mockery, but because she had been working. But it was also clear that his steamy swoony brogue had caused her to heat up more.

She said, "My friends call me Ash, and um... yeah, I live um, here, grew up here."

He asked, "Are ye named for the exalted Ash tree?"

She shook her head. "The Ash tree? No, that's interesting, no one has ever asked that before, they usually mention ash, like from a fire."

He chuckled. "Dost ye mean the ash from a fire would come tae mind first and not the noble tree, renowned for its protection? The Ash Tree is the Tree of Life! Ye canna tell me that is not the first thought?"

"It's true, I've never had someone mention the tree first. My real name is Ashley McNeil."

"Och nae, I winna understand modern man." Then he added, "M'friends call me Lochie."

"Like Lucky?"

"Aye, like lucky, I am the luckiest man tae be speakin' tae ye."

Hayley dropped her head to the table.

Zach sprayed his drink. He was laughing so hard he had to leave to go to the bar.

She said, again, "Wow."

Emma nudged him, "You had a question for her...?"

He drew his eyes away from Ash's face. "Och, I did... the one about her father?"

Fraoch said, "Nae, Og Lochie, ye were going tae ask if ye could stay after tae speak tae her."

Lochie ran his hands through his hair. "Och, aye, Mistress Ash, would it be permissible for me tae wait for ye tae finish yer work. We could... um speak with one another...?"

She watched his face intently then glanced at all of us. We all averted our eyes as if we weren't hanging on her decision. She checked her watch. "I was early shift, the bar is still open, but I finish in twenty minutes. Would you want to wait? You could wait out front."

"Aye, I will wait."

She smiled her dazzling smile, and said, "Great, but I have to get back to it." She asked James, "You need anything else?"

He said, "Just the check."

She wandered off and we all played it cool until she was in the back, out of earshot, then Fraoch clapped him on the back. "I knew ye could do it!"

Lochie was even paler than usual. "Did I do it? I canna remember a moment of it, I think it all went black."

Magnus said, "Ye must remember tae breathe, and yer statement about bein' lucky was verra good."

Lochie said, "Good, I felt twas a good thing tae say. Dost ye think she liked me?"

Zach said, "If the girl you're talking to says ‘Wow' like that over and over, that's a pretty good sign."

James got the check and paid for our drinks.

And we divided up, Quentin driving Zach, Emma, and James home. Magnus and I waited with Fraoch and Hayley in the truck parked a few spots down. We had a view of the front of the Palace Saloon, even with the fog rolling in off the river.

There were park benches, a lone tree sprouting up beside the sidewalk, and Lochie sat on a wall, his feet on the bench, his elbows on his knees, nervously watching the door.

Hayley joked, "Our boy is growing up."

Magnus and I were sitting in the back seat of his truck, he held my hand on his knee. I said, "I can't believe he was going to ask to speak to her father — we need to give him way more instructions. Is that how he thought they were going to date?" I said to Fraoch, "I'm glad you convinced him to talk to her."

Magnus said, "I forgot tae tell him something." He climbed from the truck and approached Lochie, stood beside him and they talked for a few moments, mostly Magnus speaking, with Lochie nodding.

Magnus returned to the truck, climbed in, and took up my hand again.

"What did you say?"

"I reminded him he shouldna brag about killin' in the arena, or that I am a king, that he needed tae act as if he is from this time and tae not tell her about time travel."

My eyes went wide. "Oh no, would he do that?"

"Aye, it came tae me that he would try tae win her by tellin' her he fought in the arena, and he was plannin' tae — when I told him ‘nae' he asked, ‘Then what will we talk about?' I told him he ought tae think of somethin'."

Fraoch groaned and opened his door.

Magnus said, "Where are ye goin'?"

"Tae go give him some ideas. He canna think on this himself or he will be talking about cookies or video games the entire time. He will be lost." He strode over and spoke to Lochie at length.

When Fraoch returned to the front seat, Hayley asked, "What did you tell him?"

"I told him tae ask her questions, tae listen more than he speaks, and if she asks him about himself tae tell her about living in Maine with all of us, and when she asks about Scotland tae tell her about the landscape and how much he likes fishing and hunting. Lassies love it when men speak about how they will provide for them."

Hayley sighed. "You are almost completely correct, my love."

"I ken I am, I won ye over by feedin' ye, tis the one truth of the world, practiced through the centuries. I will provide ye food. Tis what love is, tis romantic."

We went back to watching Lochie, his shirt stretched across his shoulders, rounded as he hunched, his red curls on his collar, his knee jiggling from nervousness, waiting.