Page 35 of Very Special Forces

"True,but all the same, you need to fit in." Lily motioned for me tofollow her. I stepped into the room as she reached for a hanger,which she offered to me.

"Oh,that's okay," I said, looking at the black short-sleeved t-shirtwith Lily's Bar emblazoned across the front, and smart shorts witha cute, little, turned-up cuff on the leg.

"Heels,"said Lily, handing me a pair of high black heels.

"Theseare mine," I said.

"I know.Good thing I hung onto them. They'll look great with the uniform.You can change in here or in the bathroom. I have to run out andmake sure the private room is ready for the party." With that, shewas gone, leaving me alone. I nudged the door shut and wriggled outof my jeans and blouse before pulling on the uniform. It was alittle snug and clung to all the right places and not too badly inthe wrong ones. Thankfully, my body image was perfectly fine and Ididn't care if someone else thought I had the "wrong" bits so longas I thought I was the bomb. Also, in my years of temping, Ilearned to perfect the death stare, which I reserved for any giversof inappropriate comments.

Fortunately, I was wearing trainer socks so I didn't have anyelastic impressions to rub off my ankles as I slid on the heels. Ifolded my clothes onto the chair in the corner, brushed my hair andadded a fresh swipe of lipstick. Tips might not be the mainobjective, but if they came along with the information, I was sureI could put the cash to good use.

"Allgood with the party room?" I asked when Lily returned with a camerain hand.

"Itlooks very chic. I had to take a few photos for the events page ofthe website. The more people see stuff like this, the more they'llwant to book parties here too," she beamed. "Bryce came by earlierwith all the decorations and helped us set up. He said he wanted itto look perfect for Julia and their guests and it does!"

"Thatwas nice of him."

"Ithought so too. Often the client just shoves a box of stuff at usand leaves us to it. And you know what else? He brought a drillwith him and fixed those wobbly shelves," she said pointing to theshelves behind her desk, "and he fixed my desk chair so the armstops falling off. I was so pleased."

"Thatisnice," I agreed.

“I hope this investigation you’re doing turns out okay. So far,he’s been a really nice guy. I would hate to think there’s anyissues for him with Julia.”

“I’m sure I’ll find out tonight. Did Bryce say who wascoming?”

"He gaveme a copy of the guest list and it looks like everyone they invitedcan still come even though the venue change was on short notice.There's his family, her family, a bunch of their friends and someco-workers. We'll be at full capacity in the private room. Then abunch of the booths and tables in the main bar are reserved forother groups too. I know you're here primarily to investigate butwe're going to be busy serving tonight."

"I canhandle it. This is not my first bar job." It wasn't even my tenthbut if we went into that, Lily might remind me how many bars hadfired me. "Hey, have you heard anything weird lately?"

Sheraised an eyebrow. "I'm a bartender. Sixty percent of what I hearis weird."

"Does itinvolve tanks?"

"Is thata sex thing?"

Ifrowned. "No. Is it?"

"I hopenot!"

"I meanan actual tank. The kind the Army uses."

"Then,no, I haven't heard anything about a tank. If you want to hear astory about a chipmunk, a family-sized bottle of ketchup, and anaked guy, I have one of those stories."

Ithought about it, seriously considered it, then replied, "No,thanks."

"Whatabout the one with three socks, an eggplant and a bunch of fratguys?"

Iblinked. "Nooo."

"Whatabout..."

"No!"

"Thenno," said Lily, shaking her head. "I have no stories foryou."

That wasa relief, although there was the strong possibility I would want toknow all about those stories later. Sometimes, curiosity got thebest of me and made me hear things I couldn't unhear but by then itwas too late. I'm filled with unwanted knowledge. "Where do youwant me?" I asked. "I can help with the set-up."

"Can yougrab snacks from the stockroom and put them on the tables in theprivate room? I'm going to put out the ice buckets and glasses forthe champagne toasts."

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