I made my way back into the main bar. I wanted to avoid Matt, even though I was absolutely infuriated to see him. I didn’t want him to think that he was getting to me. I couldn’t help but remember the look he gave me when I accused him of taking the money. This day was starting to seriously suck and I wished the Onslow Boys were here already. But they weren’t. I had to play it cool, had to appear in control, and that was exactly what I did.
I begrudgingly swept up the shards of glass with Matt, the smug bastard, looking over my shoulder with glee. A surge of tourists and locals flooded the pub and all of a sudden I didn’t have time to worry about Matt and his snivelling sidekicks. With the shattered shards of broken bottles carefully discarded, I was run off my feet, focusing solely on filling up glasses, and keeping my head above water. I stole a moment to do a quick glass run when I was abruptly halted by a hand gently but firmly grabbing my elbow. I spun around in surprise, my eyes widening when I looked up into the eyes of Sean, a grimness to his face that made me worried. Before I could ask what was wrong, he guided me into the alcove that linked the bar and the empty restaurant. A thirsty patron called out in dismay as he waved money at the bar.
“Pipe down, she’ll be a sec,” Sean yelled angrily.
We were pressed into the tiny space, hidden, not to be seen by anyone. My heart thudded, his grasp still on my arm, his breath flowing down on me. I was all of a sudden very aware that I hadn’t checked my appearance for a while. I must have been a mess. I licked my bottom lip, a testament to my un-glossed, neglected lips, and I suddenly would have given anything for my coconut cream lip balm.
He squeezed my arm as if to bring me back from the brink of my daydream.
“Amy.”
Oh yeah, right … the present.
“What? What is it?” I gave him my full attention.
“Amy, there’s something written on the men’s room wall.” Sean’s voice was low and soft, his look grim as his brows creased down.
My stomach plummeted. “How bad?”
“It’s bad. Do you know who would have done it?”
I didn’t have to think too hard to come up with one, and one only, suspect. I glared towards the laughter that echoed out from the poolroom. I spotted Matt gyrating astride a pool cue as if it was a pony, his friends bending over in fits of laughter … idiots!
“One guess,” I said.
Sean’s jaw visibly clenched, his anger evident as he followed my gaze.
Toby sidled up next to us, his stern look matching Sean’s. “Hey, Amy,” he said. “Do you want us to get rid of them?”
“It’s okay, I’ll deal with it,” I said.
Sean didn’t let go of my arm. “Bad idea.”
My eyes rested on his hand on my arm, unable to hide my annoyance.
“What choice do I have? He’s done enough damage to this place. Enough is enough.” I pulled my arm away from Sean.
I weaved my way through the bar and ran straight into Tess.
“Queue’s building up. Hey, is everything all right?”
I sighed and looked over at a trail of empty glasses aligning the bar top and tables, evidence of an escalation of rowdy pub-goers.
“What are you like at pouring beer?”
Tess’s eyes widened. “It’s been a while …” She sounded unconvinced, but offered a final nod. “But it’s fine, I can do it.”
“Thanks, you’re a life saver.”
Tess put her game face on and took over the bar to deal with the ever-increasing crowd of thirsty patrons. I made my way towards the poolroom where Matt was now dangerously spinning the pool cue in an arc in front of him, making hooting noises like he was Bruce Lee or something.
It was an unsettling sight, but it was nothing compared to what was about to unfold. A new song started on the jukebox and Matt discarded the pool cue and pumped his fists in the air.
“I freakin’ love this song!”
Everyone in the room exchanged disturbed glances as Matt hoisted himself on top of the pool table, scattering the balls. The two locals in the middle of a game swore at him, but he didn’t care. In a high-pitched whine, Matt started to sing the Bee Gees’ ‘More Than a Woman.’ Everyone looked on in confused horror before breaking out in laughter.
He flailed his arms around in the air and knocked his head on the overhead lampshade. It swung, light jumping about and casting shadows over the room like the disco ball from hell.
I didn’t know about anyone else, but I’d had enough. I pushed my way over to the jukebox, squeezed my arm around the back and got it! Mercifully, I pulled the plug.
A chorus of outrage filled the room, but no one protested louder than Matt.