Page 48 of Single Girl in the City
“You’ll get it.” And that was the truth. Nora might not have much experience with scheduling and inventory, but she was a quick learner. And Abi had streamlined and worked out most of the kinks in Owen’s process. She didn’t know if he was happy about it, but he gave her the leeway she needed to make a real change.
“It’s like trying to empty the Puget Sound with a straw.”
“We’re only a week in. You’ll get it.”
“I hate to interrupt, but Cindy’s back,” Mandy, the hostess, said. Everyone around Abi groaned.
“Who’s Cindy?”
Mandy pointed to a partially naked woman on one of the high tops in the center of the bar, then to a photo of Cindy under abanned for lifesign.
Abi groaned. “I let her in.”
Nora, Mandy, and Dale, the bouncer, all looked at each other and said, “Not it.” Then three sets of eyes homed in on her, not to mention the eyes of everyone within hearing distance.
“This is your job,” she said to Dale.
“Nope. Bar rules. Whoever lets Cindy in has to get Cindy out before the cops come,” Dale explained, then mysteriously disappeared. Nora and Mandy were busying themselves with more important matters—like reapplying lipstick. So much for sticking together.
“Fine.” Abi tossed her apron beneath the bar and put on her manager in charge smile. She walked under the bar gate and through the crowd. It was a waving sea of jerseys and sports enthusiasts. And tonight, they were enthused because it was the start of basketball season and the Trail Blazers were facing off against their rivals the Los Angeles Lakers.
Even on her tiptoes Abi could barely see over the crowd. Jumping up she caught a glimpse of Cindy and settled on a direction. Ducking beneath people’s arms wasn’t hard for the five-foot-one substitute-bouncer. She made it in record time, getting there just as Cindy lost her cami top, only leaving her bra and pants. Neither of which Abi wanted to see float through the air.
“Ma’am,” Abi said, putting her hands on her hips and standing firm. Cindy didn’t even glance her way. Abi cupped her hands over her mouth. “Ma’am, excuse me but you need to come down.”
Ma’am didn’t give two shits. She reached for her waistband and that’s when Abi put her fingers in her lips and blew a whistle loud enough to silence the bar. Even Cindy looked down.
“Ma’am, you have two seconds to decide the direction of your evening. Either you come off the table or I come up.”
Cindy welcomed her up, with her middle finger.
“Bless your troublemaking heart.” Abi grabbed the back of the chair and climbed up onto the table getting nose to nose with Cindy, which was difficult since the woman had a good five inches on Abi.
She held uncomfortably intense eye contact until Cindy began to squirm a little. Now that she had the woman’s attention, Abi said, “Every employee in here is trying hard to do their job and people like you only make it harder. Take me for instance. Tonight is my first night running the bar with my friend Nora over there. We’re in a little over our heads, but you don’t see me pitchin’ a fit.”
“You could be in over your head in a kiddie pool.”
Abi stretched up to her full height of five-one. “You don’t have the market on being the center of attention, you’re looking at a champion auctioneer who can outyell you without moving my lips. As for being rude, I have a list for rude people and all you have to do is ask one of my students and they’ll tell you it is a list you do not want to be on.”
“Ma’am,” Cindy purposefully drawled in her best Redneck Abi voice. “Your list can kiss my ass.”
“Your choice.” Abi looked at the discarded jersey on the floor, then snapped her fingers at Clive, the assistant manager who was afraid of his own shadow. “Can you please hand me that jersey, sir?”
“Um, yes, ma’am.”
Clive fetched the jersey and handed it to Abi. She turned to the crowd that had gathered to watch the spectacle that was Cindy. “Show’s over, y’all. Go back to your own business.” When every single head turned toward the jumbo screens, Abi held up the jersey toward Cindy. “Now, if you don’t get off this table and put your clothes back on like a respectable woman, then I will be forced to burn your jersey and mail the ashes back to you in a Ducks box.”
Cindy froze. “You can’t do that. I’ll sue.”
“Fine with me. I’ll give you all seventy-six dollars that is sitting in my bank account. I bet this jersey cost more.”
“It’s signed by the last three quarterbacks,” Cindy whispered.
“Then maybe you should treat it with better care. Now, it’s your call, how is this going to play out, Cindy?” Cindy looked at the rapt crowd and Abi snapped her fingers in front of Cindy’s face. “Eyes right here. What’s it going to be?”
Cindy looked at her jersey. “I’ll get down.”
“Ma’am. I’ll get down,ma’am,” Abi corrected.
