Baile Siochanta (Southern Vampire Mysteries)

Chapter 7 - Through the Looking Glass

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Of course, her mother was enthusiastic about Sookie's date, every time Sookie reminded her. It was frustrating. Sookie would walk out of her bedroom with a dress in hand and Michele would ask, "Where are you going?"

"I have a date tonight," Sookie would tell her again. Michele immediately got happy and offered to help. If they were together, Michele was engaged, but then Michele would offer to go get makeup, or she offered to make them both tea and when Sookie went to find her, Michele would have a blank expression on her face and Sookie would have to go through the story all over again.

After several false starts, Sookie landed on a simple dress with a floral print. It had a soft neckline and showed a little more cleavage than Sookie felt she should, but her mother insisted she looked wonderful. Because of how the apartment door was situated, it was agreed that Amelia would text her when they were out front to pick her up. That way there was no reason for Sam to answer the door first, a situation Sookie was anxious to avoid.

When Sookie's phone buzzed, she practically jumped out of her skin. "You look beautiful, Sweetheart," her Mother assured her. "Have a good time!"

Sookie tried not to rush down the stairs, but she hopelessly failed. She pulled open the door to find Breandan O'Hara standing on her front porch. He was dressed in nice slacks and another button-down shirt that was open at the neck. His almost too-handsome face lit up and smiled directly at her before he said, "I am the luckiest man I know." Sookie's eyes widened and she felt her breath catch a little, but then Breandan said, "I know Amelia said we should wait in the car, but I was just that anxious to see you." Sookie couldn't speak. She knew he was handsome, but somehow, under the porch light with his hair pulled back he looked more like a movie star than a real person. "Shall we?" he said, breaking into her daydream, and Breandan turned a little and offered his arm. Sookie linked hers through his and all the way down the walk she wondered when she'd awaken.

They went to a local family restaurant. The menu wasn't fancy, but everything was good. The waitress asked for their drink orders and Sookie asked for a glass of white wine. When it was Breandan's turn, he ordered an imported beer. When the waitress dropped off their drink orders, Sookie noticed the logo. "I see people order that all the time," she mentioned. "Do people in Ireland really drink it? I mean, there's plenty of imported beers you find out are basically just for tourists."

Breandan pointed to the logo, a stylized crown, "I can tell you for a fact it's very popular in Ireland. My family manufactures this, so I'm pretty pleased to see it being offered in a place like this."

Sean grinned, "I figured your family had connections, after all, you do have the best view in the building. I didn't know you were that rich, though."

Breandan smiled broadly, but then he sensed Sookie move. She sat back and shifted just a little, so she was further away from him. Breandan covered his preening with a quick shrug, "It's my family, like I said. I'm just one in a mob. Not like the profits go directly into my bank account." It wasn't a lie. The profits went into the family trust first, and then Breandan turned so he could ask Sookie, "Would it be a problem with you, if I did have a little cash of my own?"

"I've never been rich," Sookie stammered. She knew Amelia and Sean came from families who were more than comfortable, but it wasn't anything she talked about and she was starting to feel like a fish out of water. "I guess I never thought about it."