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I searched the yellowing piece of paper taped to the wall with a bunch of faded phone numbers on it. I could call Babs and see if she was free but I hated calling people at the last minute. Still, it had to be better than facing Holden on my own. I tried her number. It rang and rang with no answer.
Sally had said she was going to her Mum's for the night so she wasn't available and Mark had given me the shits so much lately that I'd rather work on my own.
You'd think it'd be a lot easier to find people to work. I never remembered it being this bad. It made me think there was one common factor and that factor was me. I knew nothing about being a manager. I didn't know why Alex had even given me the job. If I said anything to Alex though, that would mean admitting that I couldn't control the staff.
I tried Babs again just to be doubly sure. As the phone rang, I tapped my pen against the wall.
If I worked the bar on my own, I'd have no escape route from Holden.
I'd play it cool when Holden came in. I didn't need to prove my point, I just needed to avoid him. That might be hard with the bar mostly empty but he'd be upstairs. If he came down, I could busy myself. I had to avoid talking to him, being close to him and looking him in the eyes. And his voice, best to avoid that too, even if he wasn't talking to me.
The next two weeks couldn't go fast enough for me. After the reopening gig, he'd have no reason to stay in town. He might say he'd stick around to win me back but he had a short attention span. It was all just talk.
"You're nervous, girl. Just admit it." Jackson had to have his say.
While it was true, I didn't appreciate everyone in the bar getting involved in my business. I sure as hell wasn't going to discuss my emotional state with him so I just gave him a dirty look.
He didn't care, he just nodded for another drink.
"I haven't seen Gina for a few days," I said to him. "Do you know what she's up to?"
"How would I know? She'll come in if she wants to." The words were fired at me like shotgun blasts.
I handed him his whiskey, hoping that would shut him up. If he was going to bring up my private life, he could expect the same. He took the drink and went back to reading his book.
When Holden actually came in, it was a bit of an anticlimax. He didn't even stop to say hello, just followed Alex upstairs but somehow, having him in the building, made me super aware of everything I did. I was skittish as a kitten. Every sound grated on my nerves and I even turned the music down. Usually, I liked it loud enough to give me energy while I worked.
"Should I stack the glasses in the dishwasher?" Drew asked.
"Are they dirty? Well then, of course you bloody should. How long have you been doing this job now? Long enough to know that the dirty glasses go in the dishwasher, surely."
I usually made an effort to be patient with Drew. He tried hard, even if he wasn't always the sharpest knife in the drawer but I couldn't stop myself from snapping at him.
"Whoa, sorry for asking." He started stacking the dishwasher.
"And that's another thing, Drew. I'm the bar manager here now. I'm your boss. You can stop with the backchat. Is it too much to ask for you to do your job with an iota of competence?"
I glared at him and he didn't look at me. That was fine with me. He could show a bit of initiative once in a while. Stacking the dishwasher wasn't really a decision you needed to consult on.
"You're being a bit tough on him, aren't you?" Jackson said.
"You lay off too. You're a customer, you don't even work here. So keep your nose out of it."
After that, the bar became silent. No joking around and no gossip. Suited me fine. An occasional customer came to the bar but otherwise, I played around with my phone and tried to pretend it was just another night at the bar. The music coming from upstairs was just normal music from a regular band. The air in the bar was the same as usual and my heart didn't race like a bandit.
Drew gave a few wistful glances at the stairs. If I wasn't in such a bad mood, I'd have told him to go up and watch them jam. He'd have been happy sitting there watching and he had hardly anything to do. But I didn't say it and he didn't ask.
When they finished upstairs, Alex and Holden came down to the bar. I tried to ignore them until Alex made a snappy remark about the lack of service. He knew what going on but he still had Holden in there. Of course, I wouldn't be jumping up and down to serve them. What did he expect?
"Two beers, when you're ready," he added.
He could've come behind the bar and helped himself but he wanted me to serve him. It was a power trip for him. I knew that it was my job but surely, I got a free pass when things were this uncomfortable.
I poured the beers and sat them down in front of Alex. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to charge Holden or not but figured it was better not to.
“Can you get a copy of the guest list sent off to my management in the next couple of days?” Holden said to Alex. Not that I was listening in or anything.
“I guess. Is that necessary?”
