Whiskey, On The Rocks

three

When I got to the bar, I was fifteen minutes early, which I was proud of myself for. I'd never been the most punctual person, but this job was more important than my bad time keeping, so I'd made an effort.

Grabbing my purse, I slung it over my shoulder and got out of my car. Locking it, I shoved the keys into my purse and walked around from the staff carpark to the side entrance that we had to use. My steps faltered when I saw Travis leaning against the wall by the door, talking on the phone, a cigarette between his fingers. Awkward, I paused for a moment, and that motion made him look up and spot me. 

A little timidly, I waved a hand in sort of a weird wave, and he nodded. Travis said something else to whoever he was talking to and then hung up, sliding his phone into his pocket as I awkwardly walked over to the door. 

"Nice to know you know how to be on time." He murmured, lifting his cigarette to his mouth. 

"Well I know what's important." I said, hooking my purse higher over my shoulder. Travis smiled, well, as much of a smile as I'd ever seen from him. He offered me the cigarette and I stepped a little closer, taking it between my fingers.

"So." Travis folded his arms as I lifted it to my lips. "You'll be working for four hours, hosting a small conference group. Dylan is on standby to help if you really need it, but I'm looking for how you can handle all areas of the bar by yourself with this many people."

"Okay." I nodded, blowing smoke from between my lips as I passed the cigarette back.

"You don't need to be nervous." Travis assured me. "It's supposed to be hard, and I'm not expecting you to be perfect. All I'm looking for is your mindset and what we can help you work on to make sure you feel good working here." I felt a little less nervous as he spoke, relaxing slightly. "Is there anything you want to mention before we start?"

"No, I think I'm good." I nodded. "I'm just really excited to have a chance here."

Travis smiled a little more, and we lapsed into comfortable silence as we finished the rest of the cigarette. He wasn't as scary as I'd first imagined, and he was only three or four years older than me. It was all about his authority, but I could tell he just wanted his workplace to be safe and welcoming. I felt good about it.

I put my purse in the staffroom where Dylan was hanging out just in case, and he wished me luck before I went out into the bar. Nothing had been set up and Travis was standing on the other side of the bar waiting for me, so I quickly moved to start getting the bar ready for service. My training kicked in and I got everything set up. Travis just stood there, and I was a little nervous knowing his eyes were on me as I moved. I had no idea why.

"Good." Travis murmured once I'd set everything up. "You're quick, ready for the customers?"

"Always." I said confidently, and Travis chuckled before moving off.

A few minutes later, people started trickling in. They came in two or three at a time until where was about thirty of them, milling around, chatting, some of them looking over the drink menus. I greeted them cheerily, offering my help if they didn't seem sure, and soon the drink orders started coming in a few at a time. Quickly but carefully, I made drink after drink, making sure everything was topped up and there were enough glasses cleaned as I did so. Travis leaned against the end of the bar as he watched me, and I was very aware of that still. 

Time both flew and dragged as I worked, taking glasses back to clean and keeping up with orders as well. It was a little rushed but not hard, and I thrived under the amount of things I had to do at once. I had a lot of fun, chatting with a few of the customers when they hung around, and soon enough the four hours were up.