Secrets at the Loch (Loch Lannick #5) - Hannah Ellis Page 0,23
summer. It was always a nice atmosphere when there was live music.
Having her friends around to chat to made the time go fast. They left after they finished their drinks and Lexie began tidying up the bar. She waited until the place was empty to reply to Craig’s message.
First, she read it again. It really was strange that he’d asked her on a proper date. She had to admit to being a little flattered. It gave her a nice confidence boost.
She tapped out a reply, declining the invitation.
Chapter Eleven
After a lazy day on Thursday, Lexie arrived for her shift at the pub to find Leana behind the bar looking bored out of her mind.
“Thank goodness you’re here,” she said dryly. “Mary and Angus have left me alone to manage this mob.”
“They look pretty rowdy,” Lexie said, smiling at the two older gentlemen chatting away at the table by the window.
“Today felt about three days long,” Leana remarked then moved into the back to get her coat and bag.
“You’re not seriously going to leave me alone here?” Lexie asked. “I’ll never keep up with the orders!”
“I’m sorry to tell you there isn’t any cleaning to do either. I’ve been looking for things to do all day.”
Lexie rolled her eyes. “Maybe it’ll get busy later.”
“Dream on.” Leana called goodbye to the two gentlemen then gave Lexie a quick hug before leaving.
“Can I get either of you a drink?” Lexie called across the room.
“No, thanks,” the bearded one replied. “We’re grand.”
Lexie went behind the bar but Leana was right: there was nothing to do. The fridges were fully stocked and the place was spotless. Over the course of the evening there was only a handful of customers. Every time the door opened Lexie got excited about having something to do. Her parents came down a couple of times but migrated back upstairs when they saw it was all quiet. It was just after ten when the couple who’d been sitting at the bar left, emptying the place. She’d been about to call it a night when a figure walked in. Hunched over with his hood up, he looked slightly menacing.
“Hi,” Lexie said uncertainly as he made a beeline for the fire.
“I’m freezing.” Only when he pushed his hood back did she realise it was Nick.
She let out sigh of relief. “I didn’t recognise you.”
“Sorry.” He met her gaze, then glanced around the room. “Are you still open?”
“Erm … yeah. Just.” She walked around the bar and joined him by the fire. “Are you okay?”
“Aye. I just needed to get out of the house.” He pulled his sleeve up to check his watch. “I didn’t realise how late it was.”
“Do you want a drink?”
“Have you got something warm?”
“Tea, coffee, hot chocolate?”
“Hot chocolate, please.” Nick leaned closer to the fire, pulling his gloves off and rubbing his hands together. “Have you got mini marshmallows for the top?”
“I’ll see what I can do.” She walked back to the bar and put a mug under the coffee machine, then hit the button for a hot chocolate. “How’s the house coming on?” she asked, raising her voice over the whir of the machine.
“Not great. There seems to be a problem with the boiler now on top of everything else.”
“What kind of problem?”
“I’ve no heating or hot water.”
“Oh.” She smiled over at him, then put another mug under the machine when she decided she felt like a hot chocolate too.
“Yeah. It seems like in the time it takes me to fix one thing, two other things break. I wanted a pizza earlier but when I opened the oven door it came off in my hand.”
Lexie turned to look at him. “The oven door?”
“Aye. It smashed into about a million pieces.” He raised his hands to reveal an array of plasters. “I managed to burn one hand and cut the other. Thankfully I ordered a new oven when I ordered the kitchen units.”
Her eyebrows dipped as she took the drinks over to him. “No marshmallows I’m afraid.”
“Shame.” He grinned. “They were going to be my dinner!”
“I can make you a sandwich if you want?”
“I don’t want to put you to any trouble.”
“It’s a pub. I get paid to bring people food and drinks.”
“I know. But the kitchen’s closed, isn’t it?”
“I can manage a sandwich.” She didn’t wait for confirmation but left him alone and went to the kitchen to rifle through the fridge. Quickly, she threw together a ham and salad sandwich.