Under New Management (7 page)

Mollie sighs. In time, hopefully, she will be happy again. However tonight she isn’t going to worry about anything other than having a good time. Dragging Lou away from the mirror they leave the warmth of the toilets to get the party started.

Tottering back down the walkway the girls enter the barn and stand admiring the decor. As promised, Florrie had spent the afternoon dressing the staff for the evening. She had brought in a plethora of outfits with a Western theme. The barmaids are dressed as saloon girls, the bar staff in matching red waistcoats and flouncy shirts. Even Eddy the local DJ and the entire cast of the band ‘The Mismatches’ were kitted out in cowboy costumes. They looked fab. As Florrie had also promised, none of the costumes were tacky they were all very authentic.

There aren’t many guests this early and the girls make the most of the empty bar to get in a couple of cocktails.

Lou immediately sets her sights on one of the barmen who is particularly dishy and makes mouth watering cocktails to boot. Mollie smirks at their flirting and catches the eye of another barman who winks at her. Unperturbed and determined to enjoy herself, she winks back at him. He smiles and starts towards her but gets called away as new guests arrive.

Mollie watches the door as guests suddenly start pouring in.
Blimey did they all come by coach?
She smiles brightly as her parents enter, followed by Dan and his wife, Julie. She can hear Lindy “Oohing” and “Aahhing” at the decor and smiles again.

As she is already at the bar, Mollie turns in the hopes of catching her barman but no joy. Instead, Amber a local girl who Mollie recruited for the day comes over to take the order.

“Hi Moll, thanks for this, it’s great ain’t it? What do you think of the outfit?” She asks as she gives a twirl in her bright green dress.

“You look lush Amber, colour’s great on you. Can I grab some drinks for the family please?”

“Course that’s what I’m here for. What can I get you?”

Just as they join her at the bar, Mollie starts the order with lagers for the men. “Hi you lot! Mum, Julie what do you want? The cocktails are awesome.”

Lindy lets out a squeal, “Cocktails oooh lovely! Is there a menu?”

Mollie hands it over and asks Julie for her choice, “I’ll have wine please Moll, I know where I am with that. Well, at least for the first couple of hours!” Julie tells her with a snort.

Mollie laughs with her, “Yea well, try and refrain from throwing up in the flower beds this time, Ju.”

Mollie is referring to a night out last year. They had managed to get horrifically drunk at a wedding reception and Julie had ended up falling into the flower bed outside the hotel. She’d managed to pick herself up into a position where she was on her hands and knees, then just before help arrived to get her to her feet, she’d suddenly projectile vomited spectacularly. This would not normally have been a problem, but the Bride and Groom were taking their leave at the time, and this ensured Julie had a large audience for her misdemeanour. Members of said audience rarely miss an opportunity to remind her.

Julie squirms and gives Mollie a look that says, ‘leave it.’

Mollie laughs at her, “Don’t worry about it. The way I’m feeling tonight I may actually beat you to it.” They snigger together.

Dan moves over behind his wife and puts his arms around her waist whilst nuzzling her neck. Looking up, he asks, “What’s so funny you two?” Before returning to his nuzzling with relish.

“Flippin ‘eck you two, get a room will you?” Mollie laughs at them.

Dan looks up at his sister, a big smile on his handsome face. “You’re only jealous our Molls.” He teases her.

“Yea, whatever.” Mollie snorts at him.

She smiles at the pair of them, still head over heels after five years together, and four married. Mollie feels a stab of jealousy at their happiness. Wouldn’t it be lovely to have that?

They suit each other. Julie is tiny, only about 5ft 5ins. She is perfectly formed, with short bobbed brunette hair and is pretty in an unobvious way. She is naturally pretty and doesn’t require trowels of makeup to enhance it. She has dancing conker brown eyes and is always smiling.

Dan is as tall as their father but much broader. He keeps his head shaved and has a ‘Grant Mitchell from Eastenders’ thing going on. He manages to frighten people without meaning to. However, when he does mean it he really frightens them! Mollie adores him. He has always looked after her, and Julie has calmed him right down.

Amber brings Mollie back from her thoughts as she hands her a bright orange concoction for Lindy, Mollie isn’t too sure about it and eyes it distrustfully. But hey ho it’s free, they may as well make the most of it. They have a minibus booked for one thirty in the morning, as it’s nearly a two mile walk home and walking is not really in the plan for any of them.

As the barn fills up they make their way to a large round table near the dance floor and take their seats. Lou keeps sending flirtatious looks at her barman and flicking her hair about.

“You’re wasting your time, babe, he’s working tonight. You’d be better off getting his number and saving it for another time.” Mollie tells her.

Lou gives her a look. Leaning in and keeping her voice down, she says, “Yea, whatever. I saw you winking at the other one. What if we just save them for later, period? At least we’re covered if nothing better comes along before then. You’re staying at mine anyway, so who’s to know?” She says with a wicked glint in her eye.

Mollie gives it some thought for about two seconds, “Good plan, it’s been that long since I got any, I think I might actually be a virgin again! I’ll take anything I can get.” They both laugh even though it strictly isn’t that funny.

Two hours later they are all having a great time and consuming the free alcohol at an alarming rate of knots. Luckily all the guests are tucking in equally well and so the volume of noise coming from their table is lost in the general roar of the room. The band has just started their first set and the atmosphere is electric. Mollie feels slightly hysterical and her desire to enjoy herself has grown wings. She is rotating between laughing madly, talking animatedly and singing loudly.

Lou is keeping up admirably and they are having a fabulous time. They are spending a large amount of time at the bar in order to flirt with their respective barmen. Perhaps this may not seem the best idea in the morning, as they are both drinking much faster than usual.

Mollie has been chatting up Andy the barman, who is very charming. Not quite as good looking as Lou’s barman, another Dan, but he is nice and adequately shaggable.
He’ll do.

Dan and Andy are more than happy to participate in the flirting, and more. After all, the girls are stunners and what both their wives don’t know won’t hurt them.

Mollie is glad that Lou’s chosen Dan as that would just be weird.
Who wants to have random sex with someone sporting the same name as your brother?

Mollie has just returned from yet another visit to the luxury toilet, and the band are playing Black Eyed Peas’, ‘Tonight’s Gonna be a Good Night’. She dances towards Lou who has now taken up residence on a bar stool right at the bar hatch.

Heading to the bar, her ample assets swinging, she is drawing admiring glances and knows it. She feels like she did BD (before David). It’s been a long time but each drink frees her a little more and she intends to enjoy the feeling.

David and Kevin have stayed away.
Probably scared of Jim and Dan,
Mollie hopes it stays that way.

As she reaches Lou, she sees that she is smirking, “What? What are you smirking at?” she asks her.

Lou laughs loudly, “You complete tart! I was watching you dancing over here. You nearly made Mr Cleaver choke on his beer, you Jessica Rabbit you.”

Mollie snorts, “Serves him right, bloody old perv.” They laugh loudly.

Kieran is at the bar in close proximity to the girls. He hears their conversation and had watched Mollie dance over. Jessica Rabbit is a perfectly good description of her. She is gorgeous up close and instantly recognisable from last week, but he still hasn’t copped a proper look at those eyes.

He turns to see where she is. She now has her back to him, and is up against the bar, her elbow on the top of it, her chin resting in her hand as she laughs with her mate. Leaning in close he whispers over her shoulder just to the side of her ear.

“Is there any man that you actually like?”

Mollie nearly jumps out of her skin. She spins round and comes face to face with Mr Buff from the tree the other night. She’d recognise him anywhere, even though it had been dark.

She catches her breath. He’s very good looking up close. She sways slightly and not just from the alcohol. He has an aura about him and it is playing havoc with her senses.
Wow!

She stares at him without speaking while she tries to form a suitably witty reply.

“Blue,” he states as he gazes at her.

“Um, what?” She stutters, confused.
What’s he on about, her dress?

“Your eyes. They’re blue, azure blue in fact. I thought they might be but I didn’t expect them to be quite so breathtaking.” He says earnestly. He means it. He actually took a sharp breath when she turned round and stared. She has the most extraordinary eyes.

Mollie is flustered to say the least and it doesn’t help that Lou is poking her urgently in the ribs and hissing, “Fuck me! He’s hot, you jammy cow.”

Gathering her thoughts she tries to find a calm facial expression. This situation definitely calls for cool.

“Oh yes I recognise you. Is there actually any conversation that you don’t listen in on? Don’t you have any friends to talk to?”

Lou squeals at her and Kieran bursts out laughing.

When he stops he says, “Beautiful eyes and witty too. Is there no end to your talents?”

It’s Mollie’s turn to laugh. “Perhaps we should actually introduce ourselves. I am Mollie Pratt, I mean Brown.” She corrects herself quickly.

Kieran stands up straight and smiles admiringly, “I take it the first is the married name and the second the maiden. Am I right?”

She smiles, “Yes sorry, it’s going to take a while to get used to, I suppose.”

“Don’t worry about it, and to be honest I prefer Brown, just so you know, for more than one reason. I am Kieran McLaren by the way. Nice to meet you Mollie Brown.” Kieran holds out his hand and Mollie raises her eyebrows at the name.
Maybe not the chauffeur after all.
She takes his hand and enjoys the warmth as it closes around hers.

Pulling her hand away, as it seems to have been held a little too long, she covers the awkwardness by introducing Lou. “This person making the strange noises is my friend Louise Carter. Say hello to Kieran, Lou.”

Lou leans forward to take his outstretched hand and slips off the bar stool in the process. “Oooops sorry, bit pissed to be honest,” she tells him as she keeps hold of his hand and rights herself.

“No probs. It is a free bar after all. I have every intention of getting slaughtered myself later,” he says as he waits for her to let go of his hand, but Lou keeps on holding and shaking.

“Lou, will you put him down,” Mollie hisses at her.

Lou stops peering at him with a dopey look and reluctantly lets go of his hand. She sits back up on the stool and grins at them both. “Lovely, this is just lovely,” she says knowingly. Mollie belts her on the leg.

“Sorry about that. Can’t take her anywhere. They don’t let her out that often, so you have to make allowances.” She throws Lou a warning glance and smiles awkwardly at Kieran. He really is dishy. Tall, buff, nice suit, deep blue eyes and stylishly cut short, dark hair.
He would look hot in a roman centurion outfit. Oh yes, like one of those beautiful fit men in ‘300’, a film well worth watching.
She shakes her head quickly and gives him a flustered grin as her cheeks colour.

Andy the barman is glancing over clearly worried that his sure thing may not be so sure after all. Typical, he thinks, thought it was too good to be true. He never seems to score like Dan. Dan manages a strike every sodding time.

“Mollie, would you like another drink and maybe we can sit and have a chat?” Kieran eyes her hopefully.

Mollie feels her heart speed up dramatically,
oh you bet your gorgeous ass I want to sit and chat!
“Yes why not? That sounds great, I’ll have another slow comfortable screw please,” she tells him with a sincere smile.

He raises an eyebrow and his lip slightly curves on one side, but other than that he doesn’t acknowledge her comment. He orders the drink from a clearly disgruntled Andy and makes small talk with Mollie about the decor while they wait for it.

Andy sets the drink down on the bar a little louder than is strictly necessary and throws Mollie a hard done by look which Kieran notices. He smiles to himself and says to Andy, “Bad luck, mate.”

Andy just scowls at him. Lou and Mollie snort and Kieran smirks at them all. “Shall we?” he says as he picks up their drinks and turns towards a table in the corner.

“Let’s,” she says as she prepares to follow.

“Kieran, mate, there you are. Dude I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Got talking to that Evelyn bird. Jesus she is something else.”

Kieran sighs loudly,
Jack How typical!
Well, he could bugger off back and talk to Evelyn. “Jack, sorry I’ve found a new friend. I’ll have to catch up with you later. Mollie this is my annoying cousin, Jack. Jack, this is my new friend, Mollie Brown.” The smile that Kieran is wearing slowly disappears as he takes in the shock on their two faces.

“How are you, Jack?” Mollie asks.

“Mollie? God, I don’t believe it! Bloody hell, how are you?” Jack jumps forward and grabs Mollie in a bear hug. She hugs him back, although a little less exuberantly and Kieran’s heart sinks.

In the vain hope that he will get a good answer, he asks, “So how do you two know each other?”

“Mate, me and Mollie were uni lovers, weren’t we Molls? How long was it, three years?”

Kieran’s heart plummets to his designer shoes. He turns and puts the drinks back down on the bar, giving himself a few seconds to control his facial features.
Not in a million years, bloody Jack!