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"All I know is that he has some secret plan for the reopening. You'd think he'd tell me on account of me being the band booker and it being my job to organize this stuff but he's not saying a word."
Alex wanted a super sensational opening night for the band room after the renovations. Something people wouldn't be able to shut up about. The biggest thing to hit this town in years. He'd been talking it up in the staff meeting but he hadn't given away any details. Violet sure was getting frustrated that he hadn’t filled her in.
"I need to know. I have to organize things around it."
"You just do what you do. It's not going to interfere with your work," he'd told her. That did not go down well.
"He's going to screw up my whole schedule. I just know it."
It didn't really concern me except in the way that I was super curious and needed to know.
"He'll probably just book himself," said Jackson. "He's that kind of guy. Total wanker."
I didn't think so, though. Sure, Alex could be a bit full of himself but he had a great business mind and him playing in his own bar wasn't that newsworthy. Any kind of secrecy in this place led to wild speculation. People loved to talk and make up stories. It gave them something to do.
My time to spend on speculating about Alex's plans was limited. He'd been right about more responsibility. I had to roster the staff which ended up being a nightmare because already people were bitching about their shifts or canceling them at the last moment. I'd had to fill in two shifts already on top of my own workload. When Chuck had run the bar, he didn't care. If we were short-staffed, he'd just expect everyone else to work harder.
I couldn't be like that, though. I knew how hard it was on the staff left working. Babs and Sally were the only ones who could be counted on and they worked upstairs most of the time.
Part of me wondered if it was me. They thought it was okay to dick me around because they didn't really see me as a tough boss, or else they thought I would be on their side when they slacked off. If I had to make a tough call, I'd have to do it soon so that they knew I was serious. Otherwise, they'd think they could flake any time they liked.
Violet checked the messages on her phone and smiled in that sickly sweet, love-radiating way.
"Aren't you super busy with all this love stuff? I thought that would be all-consuming."
She sighed. "Razer's old boss wanted him to come in and do some work for the next few weeks. It means he's earning the bucks but a lot less time together. And he's super tired after work."
Wow, no wonder she was so edgy. Not only no work but no sex. Well, less sex. Still more than me, though. Because nuns had more sex than I did.
"The extra money must help."
"Yeah, he's talking about going up the coast when the job finishes. Combining a holiday with some touring for the band. The guys have been offered a spot on a festival line-up and, if we're headed that way anyway, he figures playing some pubs while they’re there will help. Making the most of summer before it ends. Once we get the dates sorted, at least I can organize that. I can ring places and book some definite gigs. Alex should give me the time off since I'm so super bored."
She leaned on the bar, twirling the glass in her hands. The break-in conversation worried me. She was building up to something and no prizes for guessing what that something was.
"So, Holden King?" she said. Subtle. Real subtle.
"Holden King is not a topic of conversation in this bar."
I knew she couldn't hold back forever. The curiosity must've been killing her. I should give her some of the details, not the whole awful story. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, it was far too dreary, but there were blanks I could fill in. Before I could say anything, Drew popped up from nowhere. Like some kind of creepy rodent.
"You were really mean to him, Carlie. That poor guy. You punched him. Not just a punch on the arm like you punch me but a proper punch. That could've really hurt him, even killed him. That's not nice at all."
"Shut up, Drew. You don't know a thing about the situation so keep your trap shut."
"It's not like you're a normal girl, either. You work out a lot and have muscles. You do boxing training."
"Drew!"
I glared at him in the way that normally made him quiver and run away but he was impervious to that for once. I hoped he realized I had the power to fire him now. Not that I would. No one would run around doing the shit jobs like Drew did.
"No matter what he did, you should give him a second chance. Everyone in this world deserves a second chance. People can change and become better."
What the hell was going on with Drew? Had he found religion or been reading those inspirational quotes on Facebook? Or maybe he had a crush on Holden instead of Alex now.
"What about Hitler? Would you give Hitler a second chance?"
Ha, that would shut him up.
