Page 21 of Dreaming of Dawson

I’ve noticed how often the male customers in here tonight have wanted to be served by Macy, and not me. They’ve even waited for her, instead of letting me fetch their drinks. I can’t say I blame them for that. Unlike me, she smiles at them. She talks to them. Although she does so without getting too personal.

“I don’t think we’ve seen you in here before, have we?” Jim Holland leans forward slightly, making sure to keep her attention while Macy takes his order. He’s here with a few friends… all of whom seem to have left their wives at home for the evening, which I guess is why Jim feels at liberty to flirt a little.

“No,” Macy replies, but doesn’t give him anything more, other than a smile.

“Do you live locally?” he asks, not giving up. “Only I can’t believe I wouldn’t have noticed someone as beautiful as you.”

“And I’ll bet you say that to everyone who pours you a beer, don’t you?” Macy says, making him laugh, and although she seems quite comfortable, I step forward.

“He’s never said it to me,” I say, and Jim shakes his head.

“And you’re surprised by that?”

“Not in the slightest.”

Macy turns, looking up at me, her smile widening and a sparkle touching at her eyes. I wonder if she welcomes my interference, or whether she’s offended and is doing her best to hide it. Maybe she thinks I’ve stepped in because I think she can’t handle the situation, when the reality is, nothing could be further from the truth. She was handling it perfectly. I only came over because…

To be honest, I’m not sure why I came over. It just felt like the right thing to do.

It’s not something I’ve ever had to do before, even though I can remember men who used to flirt with Stevie. All the time. It never used to worry me, though. Like Macy, she was good at making light of their advances.

Which makes even less sense of why I’m standing here, feeling the need to protect a woman I barely know.

Whatever the reason, Jim gets the message and the moment Macy’s completed his order, he walks over to the table he and his friends have been occupying for the last forty-five minutes. I can tell they’re talking about her. A couple of them even glance in her direction, smiling and nodding their heads, but she’s blissfully unaware, having already moved on to the next customer.

She’s in the process of pouring a glass of white wine when her phone rings. I wonder what she’ll do, and am surprised when she ignores it, seeing to the customer first, and only then pulling it from her back pocket, her brow furrowing when she glances at the screen. She looks up at me and steps closer.

“I’m really sorry,” she says, lowering her voice so I have to bend down to hear her. “That was my aunt. Would it be okay if I called her back? It’s just I don’t think she’d call if it wasn’t something important.”

“Sure. Go into the break room, if you like. You’ll never hear a word out here.”

She nods her head, and dips behind me, our shoulders touching as she departs, and I watch her rush to the back of the bar and disappear through the door marked ‘Private’, her phone already clutched to her ear.

I take advantage of Macy’s absence to top up my glass, which hasn’t been so easy for the last couple of hours. Macy’s been watching me. Not checking up, but looking for my approval, I think, and that’s made it kinda hard to sneak straight vodka into my glass. I’ve settled for adding tonic water for the last hour, but as the bar’s quiet for a moment, I turn my back and ensure that the balance of vodka is closer to where I like it.

“Sorry about that,” Macy says, making me jump as I take a long sip.

“Is everything okay?”

“Not really. Aunt Bernie’s car’s broken down. She’s at her friend’s place in Willmont Vale, so she’s gonna stay there tonight and get the man who owns the garage here to drive over there tomorrow.”

“You mean Levi?”

“Probably,” she says, smiling.

“Are you okay to get home?” I ask, although I’m not sure what I think I can do about it.

“Sure. My aunt wasn’t picking me up, anyway. She’s always in bed by ten.”

I nod my head, regretting it the moment I do, and I reach for my drink, as Macy moves further down the bar to serve someone else.

“How do you think it went?” she asks, as I lock the door behind the last of our customers.

“Well enough that I’d like to offer you the job,” I say, turning to face her. She smiles, nodding her head with such enthusiasm, I’m almost tempted to smile myself. Almost. “Can you start tomorrow night?” I ask, stepping around the bar so I can pick up my drink and take a long gulp.

“Of course. If that’s what you need.” She’s so accommodating, I can’t believe my luck. “Would you like me to stay behind and help clear up?” That’s beyond accommodating, and while I’m tempted to accept her offer, I’d like to be alone. I haven’t been able to refill my glass with anything but tonic water since Macy took her call from Bernice… and I’m getting desperate.

“No, it’s fine. You’ve done more than enough. Thanks.”

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