“Not tonight, we’ve got club stuff to discuss,” I replied firmly so that she got the message to leave us alone.  Jodie was well known for harassing club members when they were here, and I didn’t have it in me tonight to deal with her.

Looking at Nash, she said, “Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

It was time to hammer the message home.  “No-one’s changing their mind so I suggest you get back to your pole.  We clear?”

Now she turned her glare to me, and she didn’t look pleased.  “You can be a real asshole sometimes, Scott.”

I stood up, and moved into her space.  “Been told that already today, Jodie, and it’s completely fucking true.  I employ you to shake your ass at our customers, not to throw your self at club members who aren’t interested.  Now, get back to work before I find someone to replace you,” I thundered, letting loose the anger I’d been holding in for hours.

She was visibly shaken at my outburst but that was too fucking bad; I’d had it with people today.  Taking a step back, she hissed, “You’re going to lose your best girls if you talk to them like that.  The sooner you find a new manager the better.”  She blasted me with a foul glare and then turned and stomped back to the stage.

Sitting back down, I placed my hands behind my neck, and stretched my aching back.  “Fuck,” I muttered.

Nash chuckled.  “She’s right, asshole.  You need to rein it in if you’re going to manage this joint till you find someone else to do it.  Dealing with people is not your strong point.”

I scowled at him.  “I know, and I’m fucking trying here, okay,” I retorted, and then grumbled, “Shit.”

Chapter 4

Harlow

I looked up from what I was doing when the door bell sounded.  It was Madison, one of my favourite customers.  A nice way to start the day.

“Hey, Harlow,” she greeted me with a huge smile.  She’d been coming here for a couple of months now and I always looked forward to her daily visits to collect coffee.  Sometimes she came in with her brother, Blade, but he wasn’t with her today.  I was thankful for this; he scared the crap out of me.  They seemed so different to each other.  Madison came across as a warm, fun person, whereas her brother seemed dark and serious.

I smiled at her.  “How’s your day going?”  I was already making her coffee because I knew from memory how she took it; skinny cappuccino, no sugar.

She dumped her huge handbag on the counter and sighed.  “I haven’t been in the last two days because J’s back, finally.  It’s so good to have him home but getting into a routine together is kinda hard.  I’m working some long hours at the dress shop at the moment and J’s busy getting back into his work which is keeping him out at all hours.  So, even though he’s home, I feel like I’ve hardly spent any time with him.”  She paused and gave me a rueful look.  “Sorry to whine.”

From what I could work out, her boyfriend had been away for a couple of months.  Although she’d been upset about it, she’d still seemed upbeat and happy.  I figured Madison was one of those people who made the best out of whatever life handed her; she seemed like a strong person and I really liked that about her.  She didn’t complain about stuff too often so I figured she must really need to vent.  “No, go ahead.  Get it out.”

I placed her coffee in front of her and she rummaged in her bag for some money.  She was always rifling through her huge ass bag and I often wondered why she didn’t replace it with a smaller one.  After she found what she was looking for, she handed the four dollars over to me and I rang the sale up.

Waving her hand at me, she said, “I’ve finished; that was all I had to whine about.”  She drank some of her coffee and a glazed look came over her face.  “Seriously girl, you make the best damn coffee in Brisbane, I swear.”

“Thanks, love.  I just wish more customers thought that too.”  I bent over and leant on the counter.  “Mum’s really struggling to make ends meet and even though we’ve picked up some new orders for cakes, I worry how she’s going to pay her bills.”

Madison contemplated that for a moment.  “Maybe I can get my brother to consider using you to make the cakes for his restaurants.”

“I didn’t know that Blade owned restaurants.”

“No, not Blade.  My other brother.  He runs four restaurants.  I’m sure I can twist his arm to take on your cakes.  If not, I’ll get to him through J,” she said, winking at me.

“Is J close to your brother?”  Her family sounded pretty close although I didn’t really know anything about them.

“God yes, they’re best mates.  Sometimes it irritates the fuck out of me.”

A shot of jealousy ran through me.  I envied people with extended family; my father had died when I was young and it was only my mother and I left after that.  It would have even just been good to have a brother or sister.  “Must be nice though.  I mean, you hear stories about in-laws who hate each other and rip families apart, so for your brother and your boyfriend to get on that well would make it easier.”

She nodded.  “Yeah, you’re right there.  Hey, what you are you doing on Sunday?”