by Alison Mello
“I’ll keep my eyes open and let you know if I see anything shady,” Jonah tells me.
“Thanks, man. On a way better note, what’s up with that hottie Skyler that came in with your girl?”
He bursts out laughing. “Dude, you texted me to hook you up with my girl’s roommate?”
I grin. “Yup.”
“I don’t know. She’s a pretty girl and she’s sweet, but she has serious commitment issues.”
“Maybe she hasn’t found the right man yet.”
“Maybe. I can hook you up and I know Sadie will be stoked. She’s dying to get her a boyfriend, but watch your back.”
He sounds leery, like I’m his little brother, and I can’t help but laugh.
“I’ll ask her out. I just want to know what her deal is. I’m a big boy. I can handle that part.”
He laughs. "I don't know a ton other than she’s from the East Coast, her parents died in a car crash, and since she had no family she moved out here trying to nail a career as a singer."
“How long has she been out here?”
“I’ve been with Sadie about a year and a half, and I know she had already been here a while, so probably at least two years.”
“What does she do besides sing? I assume if she’s hanging in nightclubs she’s not famous and must do something else.”
“Sadie got her a job a Dugan's, so she works there in between gigs.”
“That shitty bar? I should give her a job here.”
He shrugs.
“Alright, listen guy. I want you bouncing in the club tonight and anything shady you come straight to me. Got it?”
“You got it.” Jonah gets up and shakes my hand, then leaves my office.
I send an email out to all of my bar staff saying there is a last minute mandatory meeting that everyone needs to be at by 8:00 pm and they are only excused if they text me and I excuse them. My phone pings a minute later and it’s Kelly, the bartender who called out sick yesterday.
Kelly: Still sick, Logan.
Logan: What is wrong with you?
Kelly: I have a bad head cold and a headache.
Logan: Call me.
My phone rings a second later, which tells me she probably isn’t faking it.
“Hey, Kelly,” I answer, trying not to sound pissed.
“Hey, Logan, what’s up?” She sounds like shit.
“To be honest, there are some issues here and I’m learning who I can trust and who I can’t. Anyone can call out sick over text but it’s hard to fake over the phone. You’ve just earned a little trust.”
She’s coughing and it sounds awful. “Sorry I’m so sick. I promise I’m trying to get better. I can’t afford to miss another shift.”
Kelly’s trying to put herself through college so I understand she can’t afford to miss a shift. Still, college is also the time when kids her age want to party. I think I have confirmed that she actually is sick and not trying to pull a fast one on me.
“I understand. Go rest and I’ll see you in here next week. You’re off until Wednesday night.”
She sighs. “Thanks, Logan.”
“See ya Wednesday,” I say before I cut the call. I really like her. She’s pretty hard working and easy on the eyes for the patrons.
I get no other texts so I go about preparing a sign out sheet. It’ll be mandatory that they’ll use it whenever they go in for fresh bottles. I’ll be checking the inventory before every opening until I find out if someone is stealing and I can trust my staff. Then I’ll be able to back off.
***
I have six bartenders in front of me. I plan to be brutally honest. I want to see their reactions when I tell them I think we may have a thief among us.
“We’re all meeting here tonight because there are going to be some changes in the way we run the two bars in this club. It appears quite a few bottles of liquor have gone missing. If I find out someone is stealing alcohol from my club, you’ll be fired immediately and I’ll be sure to blacklist you from the remaining top clubs in the area. I expect trust and loyalty from my employees. Thieves cannot be trusted and they’ll be dealt with.”
I look around for a minute while everyone is looking at everyone else. My assistant manager is standing at my side with a slight grin on his face. I instantly wonder if it’s him and he’s enjoying that I think it’s one of my bartenders. I’m glad he doesn't realize I’ve caught his grinning.
“Okay, so here’s the deal. Troy and I’ll have keys since one or both of us is here each night of the week. We can run liquor for you. On the busy nights, there will be two bartenders at each bar and one floater. The floater will have a key and will run alcohol, as well as bounce between the two bars to help out whichever is busier. As usual, tips will be split evenly so your runner doesn’t get screwed. Any questions so far?”
I look around the room.
“You all have ear wigs, so if your runner is busy at another bar and you need something or your bar is overloaded and the runner is at the other bar helping, you’ll call for Troy or me. We are both bartender certified and can pitch in. I worked the bar last night in Kelly’s absence with Shane, and I had no issues getting my hands dirty.”
They start grunting and mumbling things to each other. Some are even snickering.
“Guys, he seriously kicked ass,” says Shane. “He didn’t stop all night. I can’t speak for Troy because I haven't worked the bar with him, but Logan held his own and he had some odd requests.” He looks over to Troy. “Sorry, man!” Clearly I still have some respect to earn, as does Troy.
“Starting tonight, there will be this binder in the back room by the door. Anyone with a key that removes alcohol is to sign the bottle out with their name and the bar it’s heading to. If a bottle breaks because you or another bartender dropped it, you’re to sign it out and write down who reported the broken bottle. Do not start breaking too many bottles of alcohol. It’s expensive and we’ll have a whole new set of problems. Am I clear?”
I hear a bunch of grumbles and heads nodding.
“Troy, I want you behind the bar helping out this weekend. Show the team what you’ve got. Unless you have questions, I’m good for tonight. Your shifts for the week are posted, and if you need to, feel free to see me on the side.”
The meeting concludes with everyone talking at once.
“Shane, can I see you a second?” I call.
He walks over right away. “Thanks. I know respect is earned in this business, and you helped me earn some.” I shake his hand. “I owe you one.”
“You earned it just keep the shifts coming, Logan. I think Troy is going to have issues though. I’ve been told he tries to be too much of a hard ass so he’s never going to earn the respect of these people. We all work hard and he tries to call us on stupid shit if he doesn’t like you. Like, ‘That was too much vodka for that drink.’ He told one of the guys who has been bartending for years that he needed to water them down more. It’s your bar. Are we making drinks or serving punch?”
“Thanks for the heads up. We are definitely making drinks. I’ll keep an eye on it and handle it, okay?”
“Cool,” he says as he walks away from me.
After the bartenders who are not working tonight clear out, I head over to Troy, handing him the binder.
“I have an errand to run,” I tell him. “I’ll be back before we open. See this gets put in the back where it belongs and that everyone’s using it.”
He nods. “You got it, man.”
“Oh, and the drawers for the night are set up in the back, so be sure to place them at the bar registers.”
He nods and heads toward the back. My gut tells me it’s my own assistant manager that I can’t trust, and it pisses me off.
I head over to Dugan’s for a beer, hoping Skyler is working. I pull up outside the bar and there are a few cars there but not too many. I wish I knew if one of them was Skyler’s, but I have no idea what she drives. I pull open the door and walk inside. I’ve never been in th
is place before. It’s dark like a typical sports bar, with sports decor all over the walls. There are a few strategically placed TVs playing news on one and sports on the others. I approach the bar, and the bartender turns around and gives me the most beautiful smile. It’s her.
“Hey, Logan, what are you doing here?”
She looks cute in her uniform, but it doesn’t do her justice. It’s a sports polo with the bar logo and snug jeans that hug her amazing ass. The manager should let her pick her own clothes. He would have way more guys in here buying beers so they can drool over her amazing body.
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“No, not to me. You own a club, so clearly you can get beer there.”
I give her a cocky smile. “I guess that means I’m here to see you.”
She blushes, holding up her finger telling me one minute when someone at the other end of the bar needs a drink. She quickly gives him another draft beer and heads back to my end of the bar.
“So did Jonah tell you I work here? And what can I do for you, Logan?”
“To answer your first question yes, and you can start with a scotch on the rocks.”
Once she returns with it I thank her.
“So…what can I do for you?”
“You can have dinner with me Monday night.”
She actually blushes more and looks down at the floor. “I don’t know, Logan, I’m not good at the relationship thing and you seem like a nice guy.”
“So what, you’re afraid you’re going to hurt me? I’m a big boy, Skyler. I can handle it.”
She looks me in the eye. “My friends call me Sky.”
I actually laugh. “Oh good, so we’re friends now. That means we can have dinner as friends, right?”
“Yeah, I guess so. Where do you want to go?” She’s having a hard time looking at me and it’s killing me because she has the most killer brown eyes I have ever seen.
“Do you have your phone on you?” She pulls it from her back pocket and hands it to me. I send myself a text from her phone so I have her number and she has mine.
“I’ll text you and we can decide where we want to go.”
“Hey, Skyler, can I get a beer when you're done flirting with lover boy?” a guy shouts from the other end of the bar.
I shout back, “Sorry, man, can you blame me?”
He laughs. “Not at all. I wish I weren’t double her age or I would flirt too.”
Sky runs to get him another beer, her face fully flushed. I think it looks sexy on her. She knows what everyone is drinking so they must all be regulars.
I tell her I have to go, hand her a twenty for the drink, and leave before she can return with my change. She probably makes shit tips in this bar. I wanted to leave her a hundred but didn’t want to insult her. I wonder if I should do a classy night at the club to go with the wine and I can have her sing. I guess I should find out how well she sings and what kind of music she sings first. Maybe Wednesday nights, I’ll have to come up with a catchy name and figure out how to promote it. Maybe I can do a classy singles night with wine and cheese and cracker trays. Charge a cover fee that would be enough for the food and they would buy the liquor. I walk back to my car with a grin on my face. I would at least be able to see her every Wednesday. I shake my head, realizing how ridiculous I sound.
I walk back into my club, which will be opening soon, so my staff is busy getting things ready for a busy night.
“Hey, Kyle, where’s Troy?”
He shrugs. “I haven’t seen him.”
I walk to the back in search of him and find him in the back room looking over bottles.
“What’s up?”
He jumps. “Nothing, just checking inventory.”
I give him a questioning look. “That’s not your job. Did you do what I asked you to do?”
He nods toward the binder on the shelf by the door. “I thought I would help with making sure everything is here.”
“Did you put the cash drawers out yet?” He shakes his head. “Get on it.”
I walk over to the log to see what has been signed out and by whom, then I head off to question that they actually took it, making sure they realize I’m doing it for reasons other than lack of trusting them. I also tell them to count their cash drawer before we open and be sure everything is there. I want to be sure he’s not taking cash from me too. We have only had one drawer come up short and the bartender admitted to fucking up, so I let it go since it was only twenty bucks.
The night goes smoothly. I’m walking around while my staff is cleaning up and getting ready to close. I’m waiting to see if anyone complains about Troy helping at the bar. Everyone seemed to have the correct amount in their drawers and I’ll double check the inventory tomorrow to make sure it matches where we should be for a Saturday night. I only had to come out and help a few times, which is a good thing because it gave me time to think about my plan for Singles Night. I’m torn over doing it on a Wednesday or a Sunday. They’re both slow nights and could use some beefing up. Maybe I’ll give my staff a chance to give me their input and see what they think. We’re closed Mondays and Tuesdays, and right now I want to keep it that way a little longer. I think being a club versus a bar we don’t need to open those nights; maybe in the future I can use those nights to rent it out for parties. Wednesday is 18+ night during the summer months, but since summer is coming to an end, I’ll need something else to sustain us through the winter.
Everyone is sitting around having their drink on me for the night.
“Nice job tonight, everyone! I was able to get some work done in my office because you all busted tail and worked hard. I only had to come out a couple of times to help out and I appreciate it.” They all cheer, hoot and holler. I laugh. “Okay, listen up. I have a question for you all before I kick you out so I can lock up and go home.” There is more laughter. “I’m thinking about doing a Singles Night to replace the 18+ crowd as summer comes to an end. We will still have a cover charge but it will be a little higher and I’ll have a fruit, cheese and cracker table that will be included and we will have wine available soon so customers can purchase that in place of other alcohol.” I see a lot of nodding.
“I want us to be known as a classy place as well as a fun place to hang. I’m also thinking of having some classy live entertainment in place of a DJ. The problem is I can’t decide if I should do Wednesday night or Sunday night. I’m thinking Wednesday night from 7:00-11:00 so it isn’t too late for those who have to work early the next day but still gives us an event on that night. If you agree raise your hand.”
I see a bunch of hands go in the air, and everyone looks excited.
“So you know, the staff will be required to wear button down shirts on that night with nicer pants, no jeans or polo shirts. Ladies, we can talk about what will work for you behind the bar, but we will have to look the part. If you do not want to be a part of this because of dress code or any other reason let me know and I’ll schedule you accordingly. If Singles Night takes off, I’ll move 18+ night to Sundays when summer rolls around again. I would like an email from anyone who doesn't want to work the Singles Night, and if I don’t hear from you I’ll assume you all want to be a part of it and will rotate you through. Now, everyone go home and I’ll finish cleaning up. Great job tonight everyone!”
They all clear out while I clean up the remainder of the bar and put the glasses in the dishwasher. I throw the dishtowel on the bar and start thinking of Skyler, so I text her. I have no idea how late she had to work but it’s totally possible she’s still up.
Logan: Hey are you awake?
A minute later my phone pings.
Skyler: Yeah I just got home. Are you still at work?
Logan: Yeah. I’m getting ready to lock up and was thinking about dinner with you on Monday.
Skyler: :-) Where do you want to go?
Logan: Somewhere that we can talk and have conversation but that the food is still good.
Skyler: I like Trisha’s diner, it�
��s quiet and she has good food.
I stop and think for a second. I wanted to take her somewhere nicer but I want her to be comfortable too.
Logan: Okay Trisha’s it is. How’s 6:00?
Skyler: Six is fine with me. I’m off so I have no plans.
Logan: Cool, see you then, have a good night.
Skyler: You too!
I lock up and head home to get some sleep.
Chapter 3
Skyler
Sadie climbs on my bed.
“Hey, sleepy head, I know you worked last night but you might want to get up. You have a hot date tonight!”
I stretch, looking at my best friend lying on the side of me. I’m so tired. I didn't get home until two o’clock this morning and it always takes me a little while to fall asleep.
“You know you’re the only female I would allow to lay in my bed with me, right?”
She bursts into laughter. “I feel so privileged.”
“Oh shut up, and it’s not a date. We’re going out as friends.”
She gives me a look that screams ‘really?’ “Logan wants you. He’s thinking of this as a date even if you aren’t.”
“Well he was the one who said something like since we are friends, then we can have dinner because friends do dinner.”
“Sky, I love you, but you have a lot to learn about men. He said that so you would agree to dinner. He wants to date you, and I don’t know what your problem is. He’s hot as hell, he owns his own club, and he’s incredibly smart.” She props herself up on her elbow.
“I told him I’m not good at relationships.” I shake my head. “I’m hopeless. I swear I’ll be single forever.”
