Catherine Miller - Christmas at the Gin Shack

They waited another ten minutes for the next candidate to arrive and in that time mulled over which cocktails they would produce to impress at an interview. A Negroni was the popular choice and one that would definitely win Olive over, especially if someone managed to give their own twist on a classic.

The next interviewee was a woman, and having a woman at the helm was something Olive fully supported.

Esme brought her through to the bar and, like last time, introduced all of them by name. ‘Right, Helen, if you’d like to make your cocktail.’

At the name, Olive immediately paid more attention. It couldn’t be. She was a blonde for starters.

This Helen was busy gathering all the things she wanted to create her cocktail and hadn’t turned to face Olive. Leaning forward, she tried to gain Randy and Veronica’s attention, but they were busy chatting to each other, possibly having the same moment of recognition Olive thought she was having.

Surely she wouldn’t have the audacity? But when she turned around with her array of spirits and mixers, Olive drew in her breath sharply. ‘You can’t even be in here. You’re barred.’

Sure enough, it was Matron. The woman who’d been in charge of Oakley West and made the residents’ lives a misery, all while turning a blind eye to the fact that her stepdaughter had been breaking the law in the rafters of the building. She’d been arrested, but never charged, as there wasn’t enough evidence to point to her involvement. She’d lost her job and the living quarters as a result, though, but showing up here after everything she’d done, and given how she’d never liked Olive, was just rude. Or desperate. Whichever, she was never going to be welcome here.

‘That was before. I was hoping, now Tony’s gone, it could all be water under the bridge.’ The woman in front of them didn’t look like Matron. She’d dyed her hair and it was cut into a cropped bob. She was a sixty-year-old trying to be thirty, and while Olive was all for not letting age define a person, she did think looking in the mirror to work out what suited always helped.

‘You really do have a screw loose.’ Randy got up from his stool, obviously getting ready to escort her from the premises. Hopefully they wouldn’t need to involve the police this time.

‘Too right.’

Olive heard a familiar voice followed by coughing from Aiden. Clearly Tony had forgotten that he wasn’t supposed to talk during the video chat. Hopefully Esme hadn’t noticed and there was some way of muting him without her noticing.

‘Time to go.’ Paul also stood up, in solidarity with Randy.

This was the woman who’d effectively stopped them from coming and going freely when she’d been in charge of Oakley West. All under the guise of caring for the residents, when really she’d been helping (not that it had been proven) with underhand criminal activities. She really must be a little bit out of her mind if she thought they were going to welcome her with open arms and put her in charge.

‘I’m going, okay. There’s no need to get the heavies involved.’ Matron moved from behind the bar, leering at Randy and Paul as she passed them. It was fortunate their old Matron had enough sense to realise that staying would only get her in trouble.

‘And don’t come back,’ Esme said. ‘You are barred from the premises. Just because Tony isn’t here, doesn’t mean it doesn’t still apply.’

Leaving, Matron closed the door with such a thwack it left the whole premises rattling, possibly even a few of Olive’s bones.

‘Please tell me we have some better prospects than that coming to interview,’ Skylar said.

It really wasn’t going well if this was all the advert had come up with.

‘There’s one more candidate. But they didn’t give all the correct details on the application so that’s not very hopeful. If they haven’t managed that, I’m not sure they’ll even turn up.’

Olive was pretty sure she heard some mutterings coming from Aiden’s phone, but she figured it was better not to pay it any extra attention and risk getting Tony and his son into a whole heap of trouble.

There was another twenty minutes to wait until the next interviewee arrived and Skylar set to making them all teas and coffees. It really was a disappointing substitute when Olive thought she’d have tried twenty cocktails by the end of the day.

Aiden fiddled with his phone while Esme was in the toilet and hopefully he’d muted any further outbursts from his father.

Before everyone had returned, the door that had been shut so violently creaked open as if the woodwork itself was letting out a sigh of relief at being better handled.

‘Hello, Richard. Would you like a coffee?’ Skylar offered.

It was Olive’s son arriving for his extended weekend stay. He looked so much more relaxed than he had. Even in the last few weeks there’d been a difference. No longer did he always turn up in his formal shirt and tie – a lawyer unable to switch off from his daytime job to the point it ran twenty-four-seven. These days he seemed to enjoy his weekends down here among their friends. And they were their friends. They may have started off as Olive’s, but Richard had been such a support all during the whole Oakley West fiasco, and since Tony had been poorly everyone had warmed to him. He had a well-deserved hero status among them after everything he’d done to help save Tony’s life.

‘Yes, please, that would be lovely.’ Richard offered Skylar a smile, and who could blame him when a beautiful woman had offered to make him a drink as soon as he entered the building?

Olive got up from her stool to give her son a hug. She couldn’t have him forgetting his own mother, not that he would. ‘But hang on…’ The cogs in Olive’s brain really were slower to function of late. ‘Why are you here this early? I thought you had to work today.’

He wasn’t due until the evening. Or at least that’s what Olive had thought. Was Olive getting confused again?

‘I am early. You’re right.’ Richard checked his watch. ‘Ten minutes early by the looks of things.’

It didn’t take much to confuse Olive. ‘About eight hours more like it.’

Esme returned from the loo and broke into a broad smile at seeing Richard. ‘You’re early.’

‘I’m glad everyone’s noticing,’ Richard said.

The pair embraced while Olive returned to the bar, wishing she could openly talk to Tony and ask him if he had a clue what was going on.

‘You’ll never believe who turned up to interview for the job before you arrived,’ Skylar said when she handed Richard his cup of tea.

They filled Richard in on the cheek of the woman they all knew as Matron. She was a blast from the past none of them had ever expected to encounter again, least of all with her waltzing through the doors like nothing had ever happened. Knowing she was still local made Olive wonder if she might have been responsible for the bottom craft-fiti. She’d certainly have the time on her hands and reason to cause upset.

‘Time for our last interview, if they even turn up,’ Esme said, also joining everyone at the bar.

‘Well, they’re late, so that’s not exactly a good start,’ Randy said, glancing towards the door.

‘There I was thinking I was early. You lot even said I was,’ Richard said from his position at the bar with the rest of them.

‘What? So you’re here to interview?’ Skylar asked.

Olive had reached the point in life when sometimes it hurt her brain to put two and two together.

‘Of course.’

Olive furrowed her brow in a way she knew would be most displeasing to her permanent wrinkles. They didn’t need temporary ones joining the fold. ‘But what about your business? The Gin Shack won’t manage when you’re only here at the weekends.’