Ahead of the Darkness (7 page)

"Sure thing. Mia, don’t let him sign your life away or you’ll end up like Mac,” Jules whispered the latter so she didn’t hear, but I wasn’t sure what he meant and caught up to Drew.

“Don’t mind them. They bicker like siblings, or so I’m told. I never had any to compare.”

“You’re an only child, too?”

“Ye an only child?”
Damn it.

“Yes. Which locker do you want me to put my bag in?”

“Anyone ye want. It’s more a precaution in case any drunkards wander in. Only the office and stage door have a pin code.” He keyed in the code to the office door and opened it wide for me to walk in ahead of him. “It’s seven, six, nine, eight, but I’ll write it down for ye. Take a seat, I’ll find the form.”

I tried to look impassive as I absentmindedly took in the room. I waited for Drew to go through the piles of paper stacked on his desk. I was surprised his office wasn’t more organised. It was clear he didn’t spend a lot of time in here. It didn’t seem to have the same attention to detail as his home. My palms sweat the longer I waited. Even though I had all the right fake information, there was always a chance something could go awry, or that the NIN number will be tracked ...

“Ah! Here we go.”

I wiped my sweaty hand on my black trousers and took the single piece of paper Drew handed me. The quick perusal didn’t relieve any of my nerves.

“I didn’t think to bring in my banking details. Can I fill that in later? Is that an issue? Sorry, Drew, I wasn’t prepared to be starting work so soon, and I was more worried about having the right clothes to wear, and...”
Nicely done Amelia...
I struggled to look at Drew directly.

“Breathe, ye look fine, and it’s nae bother.” He paused a minute, looking at me too intently again. I was really starting to hate how he did that. “I can pay ye in cash, and ye nae have to bother with the paperwork, aye?”
Is he for real? Damn it, how much did he see?
I tried to keep my face as blank as possible, but it was a little late for that. He’d seen straight through me, again.

“Aye it’s settled. Just fill in the next of kin, ye know, in case ye wind up blootered and lost again.”

“I don’t have any.”
Merde, baiser merde!

“Oh, well, that’s easy. If ye die, we can just dump ye body out back.” He smiled a small smile and I relaxed a little.

“Can you not tell the others, please? I hate the pitying looks I usually get.” I would get, if I ever told the truth.

I looked into Drew’s eyes for the first time since I’d walked in his office. There was no pity in them, but... my eyes widened at my detective skills.

“You’re the same, aren’t you?” I wasn’t sure how the same we could be, but the recognition was there. “I mean, you don’t have any family, either.” It explained why he didn’t apologise, or ask any questions, they were the normal responses from anyone who didn’t understand, and pity, always pity.

“Aye. Dinnae worry, I’ll nae say anything.” I smiled. In normal circumstances that would have been odd, if not somewhat morbid, but Drew got it and for a moment, I felt like he got me.

––––––––

“S
o ... now what?”

“Come on, then.” I followed Drew out of the office with a stupid grin on my face. That was ...too easy. Drew caught it, and looked at me with furrowed brows.

“What?”

“If I dinnae know any better, I would think ye were a wee bit excited. That cannae be right.”

“You must have me confused with someone else.” I said it with a dead-pan face, but one side of my mouth refused to conform and I ended up giving away my amusement as I walked past Drew holding the staff door open. He followed me out, laughing, but we both paused when we found Jules and Mac in some argument.

“I want the front side.” Mac whined at Jules.

“No, you get the backside. HA!” Drew sniggered at that, and pumped my shoulder to keep us moving.

“You're such a tosser. You always get the front."

“It’s ‘cause I’m good with me hands.” He wiggled his fingers in Mac’s face.

“You manky git. I bet you can’t even find you bleedin’ co...”

"Bloody hell, Mac. Easy on the language, you trollop, there's a lady present." He winked in our direction, and for a minute I was confused.

"What, Drew?"
Oh, he meant me.
Everyone, including Drew laughed.

"Alright get to work ye lazy sods. Jules, storeroom, Mac ye can clean the tables and check on the bathroom, would ye?”

"Shouldn't that be the newbie role?" She tried to giggle playfully but the scorn was still present.

"And how would she know what to check for? Mia needs to get familiar with the system before everyone starts pouring in."

"I do?"

"Aye, ye do."

"Fine, fine,” Mac said in a sing-song, voice but it seemed to be anything but fine, as she huffed off, bumping Jules’ on the way out of the bar.

“I’ll be out in a jiffy if he gives you any trouble Mi.”
Mi?

“On with ye, and stop pissin’ Mac off would ye? I’ll have to listen to her bitch and moan all night.”

“I’ll do me best.” The unspoken
not
came through loud and clear.

“Aye...”

The front door swung open, and in walked our first patron. The man was in his late fifties, easily, and not what I’d been expecting on a Saturday night, but it was only 6pm.

“Alright, Drew?”

“Angus, ye late old man.”

“Got caught up, din I? Where’s the rest of the lazy sods? Oh who’s this then, you got yourself a lass?” His eyes lit up as he came closer to the bar.

“Aye.” What? “First day, mind. Go easy on her.”

“Is that so? Ya work ‘ere then, she ain’t yas after all, aye Drew?”
Oh...
He winked and smiled at me. The few missing teeth really added to the creep factor. Drew frowned for a spilt second before he straightened out his features.

“Ye cannae have her either, ye dirty bastard. She’s young enough to be ye granddaughter and too good for the likes of us.”
I’m what?

“Too right ya are, son. Too right. So what’s ya story, little miss?” He stretched out his hand towards me, and I internally shuddered. He seemed harmless enough but I detested shaking hands with people. “The name’s Angus Wilkinson.”

“Mia. Mia Green.” I tentatively shook his hand with a strained smile in return. Angus didn’t notice anything amiss but Drew did. I could hear him trying not to laugh. Bastard

“I’ve not seen the likes of ya around here before. Where’d ya come from, lass?”

“A town not much different to this one, just further inland.” I smiled at him sweetly. That was all he was getting, the nosy codger. I looked to Drew in the hope he’d get my subtle hint. We should have been working, or at least he should have been teaching me the till. He got the hint, threw the dishtowel at me and pointed the spray bottle behind me.
You son of a ...

“Ya got a fella, one back home, maybe?” I scoffed at the thought. Drew looked at me, perplexed, with a little too much interest I thought.

“I never leave anything behind, especially not men.”

“Is that right? I have a feeling ya’ve left a few fellas in ya path. Maybe ya just don’t know it.” He winked again at me.

“Mia’s already broken my heart.” Jules emerged from the store room with a crate in his hands. It was an impressive display of strength, and I couldn’t help but admire the way his arms flexed with the effort as he carried it to the bar. “She didn’t bat an eyelid at me. I’m losing my touch.” He winked as he entered the bar, and begun restocking the other side.

“Mia?” Drew sounded gruff.

“Yes?”

“Ye think ye can ask Angus what he wants to drink?”

“Oh ...”

“Don’t worry lass, I was distracting ya. Besides, I don’t normally have to be asked. Ya slacking there, Drew.”

“Sorry Angus, what can I get you?”

“Make me whatever ya want, darling.”

“Well, if I had to guess, I would say you look like a Scottish whisky kind of man.”

“Well, I’ll be damned. Ya hit it on the head. Scotch and Coke if ya would, lass.”

I turned to the wall of liquor and groaned. There was no rhyme or reason to it: it just looked aesthetically pleasing.

“Here.” I frowned at Drew as he passed the single malt. “Blame Mac. She likes to keep it purdy. Ye’ll get used to it.”

I found a rocks glass from underneath the beer taps and made his drink. After, I took his fiver and went to cash it up, but Drew beat me to it handing Angus his 50p change.

“Drew?”

“Aye, sorry. I should have let ye do that.”

“No kidding. Can you show me the till now?”

It was one of the newer high-tech tills with the square touch panel. Each liquor had its own icon and individual cocktail listing. This was one of the most accurate and easy machines to use, and I smiled with relief.

“So, ye’ve seen these before, I take it?”

“Yeah, each drink has its own button. Easy.”

“Aye, but each liquor has sub-categories, ‘ere.” He moved me in front of him so I could see what he was doing, and his sweet scent overwhelmed my senses. I took a deep breath of the heady mix. He smelt like fresh linen, and woodsy cologne.

“Don’t fret, it’s nae difficult to pick up.” I bit my lip in amusement. Better he think I was sighing rather than smelling him.

“Ye just press scotch and up pops the options of what ye want with it. It’s a little much, but ye get used to it, like.”

“Yeah, these systems are better to keep track of the expenditures. It also makes stocktake and tax stuff easier.”

“Aye.” He looked at me with his head cocked to the side, brows draw together.

“Yeah, I’ve worked at a few different bars. I know a reasonable amount of useless stuff.”

“Aye, the rest should be easy enough, then. What other useless stuff do ye know?”

“That’s for me to know and you to find out.” I winked at him. I actually winked.

“Oh, I like this one. She’s a keeper, and she doesn’t seem to wanna crawl up ya arse like someone we know.”

Angus sniggered at Jules.

“Hiya Angus, old chum.”

“Get back to work ye lazy git.” Drew was fighting his own grin.

“Oh, look, it’s playtime. It’ll start to fill up pretty quick now, Mi, ya gonna love it,” Jules said.

––––––––

I
n walked a small group of girls, laughing. Mac finished off the tables and came round behind the bar to turn up the music, and Jules started to move towards the front of the bar to serve them but Drew cut him off.

“Easy, Jules, let Mia get some practice in. Ye can get the next purdy lot.”

“Ya such a killjoy sometimes, mate. All yours, Mi. I’ll disappear downstairs.” He winked and took the remainder of the crates down into the cellar.

“I’ll leave ye in the capable hands of Angus. Don’t use them though, Angus,” Drew said and Angus laughed heartily. “I have to finish some paperwork. I’ll be back in a wee bit, aye?”

“I’m good.”

“Aye, good luck wid dat.” He gestured with his head to the approaching giggling girls, and disappeared out the back into the office.

“Hi ladies, what can I get you?”

“Oh, hi. You must be new?”
Is everyone a regular?

“Sure. First day, so go hard on me.” They giggled at that.

“Alright then, are you any good at making cocktails?”

I smiled to myself. I was better than good.

“Hit me with your best shot.”

“Oh goodie, make mine Sex on the Beach. They don’t really make cocktails here, but the boys sure are pretty like them.” The loudest of the three giggled at her own joke.

“I’ve always wanted a Martini.”

“Apple?” One of the others nodded enthusiastically “And you?” The quieter one had yet to speak.

“Do you have a blender?” I looked to Mac who’d started chatting to Angus while watching me. She shook her head with a certain amount of pleasure. I wondered how pleased she would be when a blender turned up tomorrow. I’m sure if I asked Drew he’d get one.

“What about a Cosmo?”

“I’ll see what I can do about next time. I love a good daiquiri.”

“How’d you know?”

“It’s one of the best things you can make with a blender in a bar.”

She laughed. “I guess so.”

“Give me a minute while I find all the things, but ID’s first, ladies, can’t be getting fired on the first day now, can I?” They smiled, pulled out their ID’s, none were above the age of 20— and began gossiping amongst themselves.

The bar wasn’t set up to be a cocktail bar, even with the impressive wall of alcohol it more like a pub. I was going to have to do something about that. The best part of working in a bar was making elaborate drinks.

I found most of what I needed except olives, pineapple and apple slices, but was sure the girls would overlook that small detail.

I set a highball glass and two shakers in front of me and filled each with ice. I put two cocktail glasses in the fridge to chill while I mixed the drinks. This was where the girls stopped and paid attention, their gaze were glued to my hands as I poured first the vodka. Two shots in each, three in the Martini. A shot of triple sec in the Cosmo, a shot and a half of peach schnapps in the Sex and half a shot of apple liquor in the martini. I added equal parts of cranberry and pineapple juice to one, and a splash cranberry and a squeeze of lime to the other.

I placed the slightly cooler cocktail glasses from the fridge in front of the girls. I shook both shakers, strained them into the glasses, gave a little stir with a straw to the highball glass and placed it between the two.

“Voila, just minus the fresh garnishes.” They stared at me, open-mouthed. The most vocal of the three recovered first.

“Wow, just wow! Where’d you learn to do that?”

“That was fantastic!”

“Well bugger me!”

“I’ve worked in a few bars. You pick up a few things.” I’d done a lot of classes with my excess free time.

“So that’s a tenner each.”

“Oh ...”

“Yeah.”

“Sorry ...”

They handed me their cash and took big swigs of their drinks, moaning in delight. I hoped they’d had big meals earlier, otherwise I was predicting a messy night.