Chapter Sixteen
Parker
I walk into Whiskey Joe’s and find Audrey standing behind a woman who’s looking at a slip of paper as she mixes what looks to be an old-fashioned.
“It says three dashes of bitters. What’s a dash?” she asks.
“I just take the bottle and give it three quick shakes. Imagine you’re making dinner at home, and the recipe calls for three dashes of Worcestershire or soy sauce,” Audrey instructs.
“Got it.”
I take a seat at the bar, and their attention snaps to me.
“Leena, this is Parker. He’s one of the bartenders you’ll be working with,” Audrey introduces.
“It’s nice to meet you, Parker.”
“Likewise.”
“Okay, garnish it with an orange swath,” Audrey says as Leena finishes the drink. “Perfect. Now, for the taste test.”
She slides the glass to me with a cocktail straw.
I take a sip. “It’s good.”
“Really?” Leena asks.
“Really. It could use a touch more simple syrup, but it has all the notes of a classic old-fashioned.”
“You’re catching on fast. You can perfect the subtle nuances once you get all the recipes down,” Audrey praises. “And in the meantime, just ask me or Parker if you get lost. We’ll both be behind the bar with you all week.”
“Thank you. Can I take this list to the break room and study until we open?” Leena asks her.
“Sure. And stop in the kitchen, and Calvin will make you something to eat.”
When Leena disappears behind the swinging doors, Audrey takes the glass from me, takes a tiny sip, and mutters, “Not bad,” before dumping it in the sink.
We haven’t spoken since I dropped her and Heather off on Sunday. I knew something was wrong during the drive across the island, but she wouldn’t open up. However, Anson enlightened me when he got back to the truck. Heather had told him that Audrey saw me speaking to Eden’s baby and seized up.
I felt like a jackass.
Eden has been referring to all of us as uncles since she found out she was pregnant, and I wasn’t thinking when I told the baby good night. I made a mental note to be more conscious of my actions when Audrey was present.
If she’ll ever let herself be around me and my friends again.
I texted her the next morning to ask how she was feeling and if she had gotten a good night’s sleep, but I didn’t receive a response. The only communication since Sunday has been through Whiskey Joe’s app, where she sent out this week’s schedule.
We made good progress last week, but now, I feel like I’m back to square one. I go behind the bar and tuck my keys and wallet into the cubby.
“Are you speaking to me yet?” I ask.
She turns and raises an eyebrow. “I’m speaking to you now.”
“I texted you several times, but you didn’t respond.”
“You did? They must not have come through. I think cell service has been a bit spotty since the storm,” she lies.
“Must be.”
“Was it anything urgent?” she asks, her face a mask of disinterest.
“Nah, nothing important.”
“Good. Leonard is coming in to run the beer bar upstairs. I figure he can use the hours since we were closed last week. You and I will both work the main bar with Leena. As long as we aren’t slammed, let her get as much practice as possible, but stay close and talk her through it. I’ll handle all the orders from the waitstaff and jump in when you guys need me,” she says. I nod, and she begins to wipe down the bar where Leena was working as she continues, “I’m expecting it’ll be a steady crowd tonight. Everyone’s antsy to get out after being cooped up for a week.”
I walk up behind her and whisper into her hair, “I’m sorry.”
She stills. “For what?”
“The other night.”
I don’t offer specifics, but I can tell by her body language that she knows I know.
She turns and pats my chest.
“We’re good,” she says and slides past me.
I grasp her wrist.
“Audi,” I say, waiting until she looks up. “Don’t pull away from me now.”
The employee door swings open at that moment, and Leonard walks in.
“Hey, guys. Looks like it’s going to be a good night. There’s already a line out front.”
“Told you,” Audrey says as she tugs herself free. “I’m going to go warn Calvin and the guys.”
The night is indeed busy. Leena gets plenty of on-the-job training, and the patrons are surprisingly patient with her. I think once she gains a little confidence, she will be great.
Audrey is the true rock star though. She breezes from one side of the bar to the other. Mixing cocktails and topping off mugs of draft with precision while filling every ticket entered by the servers on the floor.
Every man in the place is enamored with her, and most of them are respectful, but I clock a guy at the end of the bar who’s getting handsy. Each time she sets down a tray for the waitstaff to pick up, he slides the back of his hand up her arm. The first time, she smiled sweetly at him and moved away quickly, but the last time, he wrapped his hand around her biceps, and I could tell that it startled her.
As I move closer, I can hear her politely answering his questions about her tattoos.
“I’ve never liked tattoos on a woman before, but yours are sexy,” he says as he fingers her ink.
I walk up behind her, and his eyes snap up to mine.
“Can I get you anything, buddy?” I ask, a little louder than necessary.
He pulls his hand back. “No. Audrey here is taking care of me.”
I look down at her. “I’ll get him, baby.”
She narrows her eyes at me.
“Leena has a question for you.”
She turns back to him. “Sorry, Tony, she’s in training. Parker here will get you anything you need.”
She glares at me as she walks to the bar’s other side, leaving me alone with the sleazeball. I lean over, resting my elbows on the bar before him.
“You need to keep your hands to yourself,” I tell him.
“I didn’t see her complaining,” he says.
He obviously has too much liquid courage to use good judgment.
“That’s because she’s too polite. I’m not. You don’t get in a woman’s personal space unless she wants you there.”
“Maybe she does.”
I grab the empty mug from in front of him. “What are you drinking?”
“Stella Artois.”
I grab a fresh mug and fill it from the Stella tap. I set it down in front of him.
“Here’s a fresh one. I suggest you take it and sit at a table and behave because if I see you pawing one of my bartenders or servers again, I’ll escort you out the door myself.”
We’re locked in a stare down for a few beats before he finally takes the beer and disappears into the crowd.
The whole thing has me on edge, and when she returns, I hover, ensuring he doesn’t come back to harass her.
“Do you mind walking away? Your presence is affecting my customers,” Audrey snaps over her shoulder.
“Just making sure your stalker doesn’t return.”
“He’s harmless.”
“That guy’s a drunk prick. And you shouldn’t be encouraging him,” I say.
“Yeah, well, flirting with drunk pricks is what fills the tip jar, jackass.”
“Flirting is one thing. I didn’t like him grabbing you.”
She turns and faces me. “Like I said, he’s harmless. He comes in here all the time. If I were scared or bothered, I’d handle it.”
“All right, Tiger.”
She points to the other side of the bar and growls, “Go.”
I do as she asks, but I keep one eye on her for the rest of the night.