Twelve
Jenny opened the swinging door of the pub and slid her sunglasses onto the top of her head. The now-familiar scent of beer mixed with new-carpet smell and food cooking hit her as she stepped inside.
There was the merry tinkle of a poker machine playing in the distance, its electronic-sounding whirl and bells ringing indicating someone had just had a win. Jenny noted there were no customers sitting in the bar area, the tables all empty in this time between lunch and dinner service. She’d never been here during the day on a weekday before.
A loud crash behind a set of white doors was followed by a string of foul language that echoed through the quiet pub. Jenny raised her eyebrows in surprise.
‘You’re useless! Less than useless!’ a man practically screamed, with more swearing—some so violent that Jenny felt herself straighten with indignation. Who spoke like that?Seconds later the doors swung open and a young woman rushed out, covering her face with her hands, just as a tall figure came down the staircase nearby and stepped into her path, holding her by the arms, until she looked up and started crying harder.
‘Go out to the staff room and I’ll be there in a minute,’ Nick instructed, before walking past Jenny to push through the swinging doors of the kitchen with such force they hit the wall behind them and slammed shut. Jenny watched the young woman head out to the rear of the hotel, but her attention was once again drawn to whatever was going on behind the twin doors.
There was a crash and a bang and the sound of something spinning on a hard floor.
‘Look what the stupid bitch did! She dropped the whole tray—there’s no time to make a new batch before tonight’s service—’
‘I don’t care what happened. You do not speak to staff like that.’
‘The kitchen is my domain. Don’t tell me how to run it.’
‘I’m not telling you anything. I’m promising. If I hear you speak to anyone like that again, youwon’tbe able to speak—ever again. Understand?’
‘You’re just the hired help like me. And don’t you forget it. I don’t take orders from you.’
‘After I put in a report about the Dylan situation, you’ll be looking for a new career.’
‘It isn’t my fault the kid is a bloody halfwit.’
‘It was your responsibility to make sure he was trained and supervised. He was an apprentice,’ Nick said, his voice low and controlled.
‘I’m not takin’ the fall for this.’
‘If they find out you didn’t follow that bloody OHS training you were told to do—’
‘I told ya, I did.’
‘Yeah, well, they’ll be interviewing Dylan when he’s up to it, so you wanna hope you did.’
‘Like I said—I’m not takin’ the fall. I’ll take everyone else here down with me.’
‘Try it.’
‘Get out of my kitchen.’
‘If I hear you speaking that way to another employee again, you’ll answer to me. You understand?’
Jenny heard the other man mutter something unintelligible seconds before the doors swung open and Nick came out, halting as he spotted her standing at the bar.
‘Jenny.’
‘Hi. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overhear … I walked in and …’
Nick glanced over his shoulder at the closed kitchen door before crossing to her. ‘Sorry about that.’
‘No, I’m sorry. I don’t want to interrupt.’
‘What can I get you?’ he asked.
‘Oh. Nothing,’ Jenny said, shaking her head. ‘I actually just dropped by to see how you were doing.’
