Page 16 of Nick & Nora Martinis

“Why? I'm nineteen.”

“Yeah and me, well nearly twenty,” the other girl says with an attitude.

“Sorry girls, no ID no drinks, management orders I'm afraid.”

“Well, I want to speak to the manager, you can't do this,” the one with attitude says.

“Well ladies, I can and I have. As I said, no ID no drink. Management rules.”

“Problem?”, Jayne asks, looking at the two girls and then at me as I smirk at her half laughing.

“Yes, there's a problem. Who are you?”

“The manager,” she tells them, looking at me.

I smile and look at Owen.

“My friend and I have come in here to have a drink now it's back open and he won't serve us. Asking for ID and that,” she says as she puts the menu back on the bar.

“Well as you don't look old enough, it's company policy and we would like to keep our licence so I must insist.”

As the one girl turns she spots Rob coming through the door, “He knows me,” she shouts as she points towards him. Rob looks up and smiles.

“Hi Louise, Sara, how are you both?”

“Help us out Rob, I'm good but trying to get a drink around here is near impossible, can you vouch for us that we are of age? I'll bring my ID with me next time,” she tells him.

He looks between me and Jayne with a smile. I can see Owen out of the corner of my eye, making the drinks up.

“Okay girls, but bring your ID in next time. Once we all get to know you, you won't have to show it again,” Jayne says to them. The girls pick up their drinks and go and sit down at one of the tables. Jayne turns to Owen, giving him a high five. Then she grabs ahold of Rob's arm walking towards the piano. Now I know he's not due to play so what are they up to? They go through to the toilets.

I stand not far from where the girls are seated, and I can hear them talking about how much the place has changed and that it looks better. I smile to myself.

I hear Owen call me so I turn to face him, “You handled that extremely well - you can never tell with young girls these days.”

“No you're right, but I thought I'd have a bit of fun.”

“What do you mean?”

“I knew that they were old enough. I went to see my sister at her college and I told her you were running a special on any cocktail at five pounds each and to only tell her friends that are of age. I saw them two sitting in the canteen.”

He starts to laugh. I just stand there looking at him as a few more people walk in. “I'll get Jayne to thank me later,” winking at me.

I give him a sarcastic smile just as he starts to walk to the end of the bar and says to a guy: “What can I get you?”

Chapter Nine

Ican't believe a month has passed already. Time does fly when you're having fun. I can hear the shouting and laughing from downstairs. I get up to make myself a cuppa tea. While I'm waiting for the kettle I look back over to the sofa covered in papers, receipts, a book, a pen and my laptop. I make the tea and return to the sofa, picking up my laptop and placing it on my legs. I take a few sips of my tea and then put it on the table to cool a bit. I have a glance at the time and crack on with the accounts.

The piano music floats up and relaxes me. People have taken to Rob playing the piano and it seems we have our regulars. I'm over the moon with how it's turned out. I carry on adding, timesing and dividing and the time gets away with me. I look at the little clock on my laptop. “Blimey, three hours,” I say out loud. I close the laptop, placing it beside me trying to contain myself. I jump up squealing, laughing and dancing about the room. It seems I'm doing better than I thought I would. It's about time I had more faith in myself.

After I've calmed down I clear all the stuff away and get myself in the shower. Once washed I walk over to the wardrobe, picking out a straight black skirt with the hem just above the knee and with a small split at the side, a white cami top and black heels.

Makeup and hair done, I get dressed, looking at myself in the full-length mirror. “You scrub up quite nicely,” I say out loud, smiling to myself. I walk out of the flat and down the stairs, feeling cool and collected.

As soon as I walk through the doors, Jayne is at my side.

“Well?”

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