Trying Not To Love You

Part Seventy Three

Chapter Seventy Three

A/N As some of you hinted so nicely!! An extra chapter. 

Three groups of people had entered the pub by seven o’clock and looked intent on having a good night. Sonny smiled, being busy was exactly what he wanted, and definitely what he needed. Smiling at the woman stood in front of him holding a wad of notes and wearing a “Hen Party” banner and tiara, he asked, “what can I do for you?”

                “Ooh, a lot!” Said the woman to her left, “you could do a lot for all of us, couldn’t he Ange?” The lewd comment was accompanied by an elbow to the ribs.

The woman who he presumed was the bride-to-be in this situation smiled awkwardly, “sorry, they’re not always like this!”

Sonny grinned, “you’re having fun, if you can’t on your hen night when can you?” He reached for a bottle of some wondrous green liqueur, “have a shot...on the house.”

He filled a dozen small plastic glasses with the green apple smelling liquid and the women all gushed excitedly, tossing the drinks down their throats.

                “We’ll have champagne, two bottles,” the bride offered with a grin, “thanks.”

Sonny pulled a couple of forty pound bottle of fizz from the fridge and smiled, you had to speculate to accumulate, and he’d just given a couple of free shots and a little flirtation and was about to reap the rewards. Life was good.

It was at that moment that he sensed someone entering the room, when he looked up he saw Martha, he almost had extrasensory perception when it came to her. He didn’t believe in ghosts, but for a moment he wondered if she’d seen one. She looked dreadful, she’d been pale, tired when she left, but she looked horrendous, deathly pale, wide dark eyes terrified, and if he wasn’t mistaken, she was shaking, like a leaf. Ethan looked bewildered, his hand clamped in hers, he was clearly confused and something quite obviously had happened. Glancing around he wondered where his staff were, and rued the busyness of the early evening at that moment. Giving an apologetic smile at a man waiting in the other side of the bar for a drink, he rushed over to her, taking her shoulder in his hand.

                “What’s happened? Are you ok?”

She gave her head a shake, her wide eyes dry of either emotion or tears, he’d never seen her so exposed, so raw, so defeated.

Someone tapped the bar behind him, and he turned to see three people waiting for drinks, Where was Pam? She was due to start at seven. He glanced at the clock, it was ten to.

                “Go upstairs, ok? I’ll come up as soon as I can.” He reached in his pocket and handed her a key.

She nodded mutely before finally speaking, “don’t tell anyone I’m here.”

He nodded, “of course. I’ll be as quick as I can.”

Pam did arrive, but they were both inundated for half an hour as the pub filled far earlier than he’d ever noticed in the times he’d frequented as a punter. As he finally had a moment, he turned to the older experienced bar maid and nodded towards the door to the living quarters.

                “I need to dive upstairs; I’ll be as quick as I can. Buzz me if it’s too hectic?”

As she nodded he noticed Carl and Stephanie at the door, both looked...well he could only describe it as frazzled, they’d done something to her. Turning back to the Pam he added insistently, “NO one comes upstairs, ok?”