by Alison Mello
Kelly comes over just then. “Hey, Skyler. I know you aren’t scheduled tonight, but Shawna is out back puking her brains out. Can you jump in?”
“Sure.” Skyler follows Kelly behind the bar, where Kelly quickly shows her the register and how to set up a tab.
In minutes Skyler is going to town making drinks and running the bar with Kelly. I’m so proud of her. I walk over to bar two and ask if they need any help. The bartender informs me they are low on Sam Adams bottles. I run to the back, sign out a case and then head to the main bar to see what they need. I don’t know why but this place is jamming tonight and I don’t mind helping out one bit.
“Do you ladies need anything?” I ask.
“I need a bottle of Malibu and a bottle of Absolut!” Skyler yells and then Kelly says, “I need more Bud.”
I head to the back again to get what they need and take it back to the main bar. Skyler is wiping down the bar while Kelly runs glasses through the washer. I make a mental note that they’re a good team. I’ll have to pair them up more. I walk to the entrance and see there’s a line down the street to get into the club and I’m thrilled. It’s only 11:00 and the club is packed with many others clamoring to get in.
“Hey, Nick,” I ask, “did you let Troy into the club?”
“Yeah, sorry. I didn’t know what to do. I knew you weren’t on a walkie yet because your limo only pulled up about fifteen minutes before he got here and I hadn’t heard you check in. I didn’t know what to do. He was threatening to call the cops and I didn’t want trouble at the club.”
“It’s fine, but listen; next time he shows up here, you tell him to call the cops and then you call either me, Shane, or Jonah. Do not let him in the club.”
“Got it. Sorry, Logan, it won’t happen again.”
I find Shane behind the main bar helping Kelly and Skyler. I head to the back to get Sky an ear wig since she’s on the clock.
***
The night has finally come to an end and the bar is empty. Skyler and Kelly make everyone their one drink on me so they can unwind after a busy night. Pretty much everyone has stuck around. They’re all laughing and having a good time.
“Yo!” Kelly shouts out. “If you were worried about this chick holding her own, you can stop. She kicked ass tonight.” She gives Skyler a high five and hugs her. “She wasn’t even scheduled to work, but we were hurting and she jumped in and owned it. Thanks for covering, girl!”
Skyler blushes slightly as she smiles at her new friend. “Any time. Glad I was here to help.”
Shane tells Skyler, “Nice job tonight. I jumped behind the bar to make sure you weren’t screwing up or getting behind and you did great!”
From the smile on her face, I bet her confidence increased tenfold.
Chapter 10
Logan
Tonight is opening night for the singles event. Skyler is in my office changing into her dress for the night and she’s a nervous wreck. I keep trying to tell her she’ll be fine but it’s hard to sing in front of people you know hoping they are going to like you. At this point I’m glad I didn’t tell her that my friend Mikey will be here to watch her for a possible gig in between singing at Thrive. Although she said she had fun behind the bar the other night, I think she could care less at this point.
I knock on the door because I want her to do a mic check before we open the club. She opens the door.
“Sweetie, you look amazing.”
“Thanks!”
“Are you ready to do a sound check?” I ask, and she follows me out to the floor.
Shane sees her first. “Looking good, Sky. You’re going to kill it tonight.”
She smiles shyly at him and gives a quick thanks as she continues toward the stage. She walks up, clips her ear bud into her ear, and takes the mic. After speaking into it, she asks me to turn it down a few notches. I do and she tries again. She sings into the mic and I swear everyone in the club stops to listen to her because she’s that good.
“Logan, I think it’s still a bit loud for the crowd you’re going to have. What do you think?”
I turn down the speakers a bit more. She sings a few notes and stops. “That’s better, no?” she asks, and I give her thumbs up.
She walks over the bar. “Kelly, can I have two waters with lemon, one for now and one for the stage?”
“You got it.” Kelly hands her the two glasses.
Jonah takes the glass for the stage from the bar and puts it up on the stool we have set up for her.
“Okay everyone, listen up. This is our first ever singles night. We have no idea how this is going to go, but there is a line out the door and the VIP sections are all booked so it seems like it’s going to go pretty well so far. The food is out, Skyler is ready to go. Bouncers, you know your positions right?” They all nod. “Good. Make sure you keep an eye out. No one gets on the stage and make sure that tip vase doesn’t disappear. Now let’s get this place opened!”
Nick heads to the door with a few other team members to open the club doors. People start flowing in and Skyler is up on stage singing away. There are menus on all the tables offering wine with their prices. Kelly is walking around with a small bar tray and a pad to write down what people would like to order. I’ve informed the bouncers I want all VIPs escorted to their tables and to call me when one arrives.
I’m in a daze watching Skyler sing when I hear in my ear, “Logan, you there?”
I press my button to respond. “Yeah. What’s up?”
“There is a guy named Mikey here to see you. He says he has a VIP section reserved.”
I smile. It’s time for my girl to shine. “I’ll be right there.”
When I reach the front door, I see my friend. “Mikey, my man. How’s it going?” We man hug and I welcome him into my club. “Come on, I’ll show you to your table and your drinks are on me tonight.”
He pats my back. “This club looks awesome, Logan. You did a great job, and I love the idea of this singles night.”
I’m showing him to his seat, and halfway there I hear in my ear that there is another VIP at the door. I notice Mikey is looking up at the stage. “Excuse me one minute.” I hit the button on my ear bud. “Shane, there is a VIP at the door. Can you escort them in?”
“You got it. On my way.”
“Is that her?” Mikey asks with a huge smile on his face.
“That’s her,” I respond, looking so proud. My girl looks beautiful and sounds fantastic.
Mikey looks at me, back at her, then back to me. “Damn, bro, she’s hot! How the hell did you find her?”
“She came walking into my club with a friend of hers one night. Remember, you can have her to sing in your club but that is it. She’s mine, so hands off.”
He laughs. “She’s good. I’d love to put her into rotation at my club.”
“You’ve hardly heard her sing.”
“I’ve been in the music business long enough to know talent when I see it. She’s in.” We shake hands and walk the rest of the way to his VIP section, where he takes a seat and orders a drink. I had each VIP section set up with their own cheese and cracker station so they don’t have to get up and fight with the rest of the club, and I informed Kelly that he’s a special guest and to give me the bill for his drinks for the night.
***
Skyler
It’s finally time for me to take a break. I have been singing on stage for almost two hours, and I need to drink some water and give my voice a rest.
“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. I’ll be back with more shortly.” I walk off the stage and Logan is there to meet me. He gives me a kiss and tells me I’m doing an amazing job. The vase he left is filling up with tips and people look like they are having a great time.
“Come with me. I have someone I want you to meet.” He takes my hand and leads me to the VIP section. Kelly is there serving them their drinks and I ask her for a tall glass of water with lemon as we cross paths. She nods on her way out the room and heads st
raight to the bar.
“Mikey, this is my girlfriend Skyler. Skyler, my friend Mikey. Honey, this is the club owner I was telling you about and he would like to add you to the live entertainment rotation at his club.”
I have a huge smile on my face. “Are you serious?”
He shakes her hand and says, “Very serious. I can’t believe someone hasn’t scooped you up for a better deal. You have a fantastic voice.” Kelly returns with my water, and we relax and talk about music and my background, which to be honest isn’t much other than I enjoy singing and have done it all my life.
“I would like to bring you into my club right away. What is your schedule like?”
“The other gig I work is a crappy one that I’ll give up in a heartbeat to work for you. The only night I’m not free is every other Wednesday because I’ll be singing here.”
“Good,” Mikey says enthusiastically, “because I want you on Thursday nights starting a week from tomorrow.”
I’m beaming at this point. “That sounds good to me. I’ll add it to my calendar as soon as I’m done working. What time do you need me at the club?”
“Eight-thirty will be fine. We have pretty much the same equipment as here so I’ll need you to do a quick sound check and then start singing when we open.”
“Great! Well, it was nice meeting you, but I need to get back on stage.” I stand and shake his hand. Logan takes my hand and walks me back to the stage.
He has a huge smile on his face when he says, “Told you he would love you.”
“I’m so excited. Thank you so much for everything you have done for me.” I start to head back on stage and I stop short when I see who is in the crowd. It’s Billy from the bar and I don’t know what to do. I don’t have an ear wig to quietly report him to Logan and the rest of the team, and clearly they do not recognize him because they haven’t moved in to remove him. I sing my first song, keeping an eye on him without making eye contact with him because I do not want him to know that I know he’s there.
I start singing the next song, and while I do I’m trying to remain calm but think of how I can warn Logan that he’s here. He hasn’t left his spot. He’s standing there drooling, staring at me like I’m a piece of meat. I’m doing my best to continue singing without giving it away that I’m scared, but the way he’s standing there staring at me is giving me the creeps.
I need to take a break after the next song, because if I don’t I’m going to blow my career right here and now. I refuse to do that. Looking around, I don’t see Logan anywhere. I wish I could make eye contact with him so I could try to signal him but I can’t, and Jonah’s back is to me so he won’t see me. I don’t want patrons to panic when I don’t know what Billy’s intentions are. After I finish the song I’m singing, there is a round of applause and I again thank everyone.
“Thank you very much. I apologize, but I need to take one more quick break and I’ll be back with you to finish the night off. I hope you’re all enjoying yourselves.” I walk down the few stairs of the stage and Jonah is by my side, then Logan is running toward me.
“What’s wrong, Skyler?” Jonah asks.
“He was here.”
“Who was here?” Logan asks with concern.
“Billy. The guy who attacked me. I saw him in the crowd and I couldn’t get anyone’s attention. He was just standing there staring at me. It was freaking me out.”
“Let’s take a break out back for a second and I’ll scan the tapes to see if we can spot him.” We head to Logan’s office and I show him who Billy is, but he’s no longer standing there. Logan quickly texts each of the bouncers his picture and says be on the lookout for him, that if he’s spotted to call Logan immediately. He gets thumbs up emojis from each bouncer and we head back out to the stage.
I’m finally singing the last song of the night, and I give the crowd a big smile and thank them all for coming. I receive a huge round of applause and it feels great.
“Thank you, everyone! Have a great night and drive safely!” I head off stage and Logan is there again to meet me.
“He isn’t here, sweetie. We scoured the club. He must have left when he saw you come off stage for the second time.”
“Thank you for looking out for me.” I’m freaking out inside, but I don’t want to tell Logan that because he won’t want me to sing at Mikey’s club. He walks me back to his office so I can change into my more comfortable clothes, and when we get back out front the cleanup has begun.
Both Logan and I chip in getting things squared away so the staff can have their drink and we can head home. It has been a long, busy night and we are all pretty tired. After we get things ready for tomorrow, Logan calls everyone around the bar. He and I make everyone’s drinks and hand them out.
“You guys did a kick ass job tonight,” Logan says. “We were slammed and I’m glad I went on the heavier side with staff because we could have been screwed. That said, we will not be going lighter on staff next week, so I’ll see you all back here. Our entertainment will be different, but Skyler will be here with me so if you need back up you’ll have it. The crowd clearly loved her so we’ll have her back the following week to sing again and I’ll have a different backup plan if need be.”
Everyone is hooting and hollering for me, and I start to blush as usual. “Thanks, guys.” I try to sound as confident as possible, though I’m not sure I succeed.
“Alright, everyone, let’s finish up so we can all get out of here. Tomorrow night is Thirsty Thursday and another busy night for us.”
“It was pumping in here tonight, huh?” I ask Logan.
“We were busier tonight than we have been on 18+ night in a long time. Now we have to see if it stays that way.”
“I’m proud of you. You did an amazing job at planning and promoting this event. It’s a success because of your hard work.”
“Thanks, sweetie. Now let’s kick all the staff out so we can get home.”
I laugh. “Okay.”
“Everyone, it’s time to get out of here!” he shouts to his crew. They all hand their glasses to Kelly or toss the bottles in the trash. Everyone heads out, and Logan and I grab the last trash bag and head out the door. After locking up, we walk to his car, and the sight we find isn’t what we expect.
His car has been trashed, and I mean totally smashed up. Windows are broken, headlights shattered, taillights broken, dents everywhere, like someone took a bat to his car. He calls the police from his cell phone. While we wait he calls his limo driver to come back to the club to pick us up.
We head back into the club to wait for the police, heading straight to Logan’s office to check out the security footage. He finds the camera covering his car and he can see the figure walking around it. He’s definitely carrying some sort of metal object, probably a bat. He’s bashing the shit out of the car, but because it’s dark and he’s wearing a hoodie, you can’t make out who it is.
I feel bad, like this is my fault. “I’m sorry, Logan. I hope this wasn’t that ass from the bar.”
Logan shakes his head. “He wouldn’t know my car unless he has been watching us. I think it was Troy. He wanted me to drop the charges against him so he could get another job and I threw him out.”
I start pacing because my gut somehow says this was Billy.
“Troy wasn’t wearing a hoodie when he came in; was Billy?”
Skyler shrugs. “No.”
“That doesn’t mean he didn’t ditch it before he came in.” Logan makes a copy of the tape to hand over to the police, and when we walk outside with it they’re arriving, as is our limo. I head to the car to wait while he deals with the police. It only takes him about five minutes before he joins me and we’re on our way home.
Chapter 11
Skyler
I’m meeting up for lunch with Sadie today, and I’m so excited. I haven’t seen her much since the art show and while I was there I didn’t even get to talk to her. It feels like forever since I have seen her. So much has happened since
then. I can’t wait to catch up and I miss my friend. I’m sitting in our favorite diner waiting for her, and she’s running late. I sip my diet soda and watch out the window for her when I see her finally pull in and hustle into the diner.
“I’m so sorry I’m late. There’s a major accident and it has everything backed up for miles.”
I stand to hug her. “No worries. I was sipping some soda waiting for you. I miss you so much, Sadie. I don’t get to see you now that you moved in with Jonah.”
“I know. Things with Jonah and me are great, but now that we’re planning the wedding it’s even crazier.” She rolls her eyes as she shows me the binder of wedding stuff she wants to talk about later. “How are things with Logan going?”
“Great. But first I want to know all about the art show.”
She glows as she tells me how wonderful it was. “We had the best night. All of my paintings have sold and I’ve had people contact me to find out when I’ll have more up at the gallery.”
“That is so awesome! I’m so happy for you!”
“Did you know Logan bought one of my paintings?”
“I did. We were looking at them together and talking about them and he really liked the one he picked. As a matter of fact, the guy behind him in line wanted it too, but Logan beat him to it so the other guy bought his second favorite of your paintings.”
“How cool is that!” she squeals.
The waitress comes over to take her drink order and hands Sadie a menu. I already know what I want, and if I know Sadie she’ll be getting a bacon cheeseburger and fries.
“I’m so happy for you, Sadie. Have you been busy painting?”
“Yeah, but I also pulled some of my art from the smaller galleries and put them in the bigger one until I can get some more work done. There’ll be another show in two months and they want me to have more pieces ready so I have to stay focused. So what’s going on with you and Logan?”