Hey everyone My name is Em. As Moon already mentioned this ficcage is a group effort. She has asked us all to do authors notes for it. So this one is mine. I hope you're all enjoying the ficcage. We are having great fun writing it. Story lines are developing well and we end up coming up with new ideas almost everyday. We all play different characters; OC's, original characters from the show and characters from other shows. I know that this is only the 4th chapter but I can assure you things get more intense and exciting. Currently we have written around 347 pages of the fic. This gets added to everyday. And then Moon does the fantastic job of dividing it into chapters and proof reading it so that it makes more sense. However after this chapter we are intending to wait and get more reviews before updating. *DISCLAIMER* we do not own Eastenders or Ashes to Ashes. We just have fun twisting it to what we want to happen. ;) Anyway Enjoy Chapter 4 :)
Chapter 4
Jane sighed and tossed her hair from her face as she turned the key in the lock. The door to the Cafe wouldn't budge. She sighed again, and turned it even further. There was a slight crack as she leant against the door and the hinges began to snap. She fell forwards as the door gave way and ended up on the floor in the darkened café. "Oh, for Christ's SAKE!" She yelled audibly. She quickly got up and brushed herself off.
She headed towards the counter quickly and put on an apron. As she did, she slipped and knocked her elbow on the counter. She scowled as she switched on the lights, ready for the day.
She hated this place. She wanted out as soon as possible.
It was one of those days...
Max spotted a harried-looking Jane going into the Cafe. He paused for a moment then decided to go and see if she was okay, they were basically mates now after all and she was there for him a bit after Tanya left.
He slowly entered the door and looked around for Jane.
"Hello? Jane? You all right in there?"
Jane looked up, exasperated, her hair a mess on her face. "Oh, Max, I'm fine. Do you want a cuppa or something? It's just, this place-I don't have the strength anymore!"
Max looked at Jane in dismay and walked over to pat her on the arm.
"Come on, let me buy you a drink at the Vic. It looks like you need one," he offered as he gently took her arm. "Come on, let's go and you can tell me all about it okay? You can pretend I'm Tanya," he joked and put his hand on a cocked hip in an impression of his estranged wife.
Jane felt herself laugh as she sniffed. "OK, come on-I don't really care if this place hasn't got anyone to run it!" She left the café with Max.
Max made sure Jane locked the door and then made her take his arm as they walked to the pub.
"Now what's got you so upset?" he demanded to know.
Jane looked at him. "It's everything." She tossed her hair. "Ian doesn't even notice I exist-to him, I'm a workforce, not a human. And now, well, what with the salon being free to rent and everything, it got me thinking about...well...a career change...
Max eyed Jane for a moment.
"Sounds to me like you're looking to change more than your career," he commented.
Max dragged Jane into the pub, both of them still laughing. He was surprised to see how quiet it was. There was hardly anybody in the pub.
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Alyssa nodded.
"Your cakes are delicious too, from the little that I have tasted anyway!" she smiled at her friend and then dug in her bag for her purse.
Rowan blushed.
"Thanks," she replied, embarrassed.
Alex watched Peggy serving the other two girls at the bar, another man and woman entered and she looked Roxy.
"Can I get another please?" she asked
Roxy nodded at Alex and handed Amy to Ronnie before picking up the empty glass and moving toward the red wine bottle that had been opened.
Peggy placed the drinks on the bar in front of the girls and took the money Alyssa handed her and gave her back her change.
"You girls new to the area?" Peggy asked with a smile.
Rowan glanced at Alyssa as they both nodded. "We both just got here today. Just met today too and we've ended up roommates," she finished with a chuckle.
"Well, that sounds nice," Peggy replied. "I'm Peggy Mitchell and that's my niece Roxy who owns the pub and my other niece, her sister Ronnie," Peggy introduced with a gesture at Ronnie and Roxy.
"Hi," Ronnie greeted with a nod.
"I'm Rowan. Jane just hired me at the Cafe earlier today."
"I was in the café earlier tried one of those buttermilk biscuits. It was quite good. Bianca said you baked them," Ronnie complimented.
"Yes, thank you," Rowan blushed again. "Old family recipe. I'm thinking about making sausage gravy tomorrow morning to go with them for breakfast," she finished and took a sip of her drink.
Alyssa sipped her drink quietly whilst standing next to Rowan, watching with amusement as her friend blushed at the compliments
"I'm Alyssa," Alyssa said nodding at the other two girls down the other end of the bar.
The smile gradually stretching until she had an expression 'like the cat that got the cream' her mum would have said. She was going to enjoy living in Walford; she was going to enjoy it a lot
Ronnie smiled a greeting back at Alyssa.
Rowan slightly raised an eyebrow at the odd smile she saw cross Alyssa's face. What was that about? She wondered but said nothing.
"Welcome to Walford girls. Hope you like it here," Peggy welcomed politely. She then looked at Roxy.
"Would you like me to take Amy back upstairs so you can get back to work?" she asked as Ronnie passed the little girl back across the bar to Roxy.
Roxy turned to her aunt after placing the new glass of wine in front of Alex and placing the money into the till.
"If you wouldn't mind Aunty Peg. Just put her back into her bed, she should go straight to sleep, if she starts crying again give her a bottle" Roxy smiled in thanks at her aunt.
She turned to her sister again chewing her lip.
"Come on little darlin," Peggy cooed at Amy as she took the baby from Roxy. She gave a quick wave to the girls before heading for the door to the stairs.
Ronnie noted the expression on Roxy's face and leaned on the bar. "What's up?" she asked her sister quietly.
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Rowan returned Peggy's wave, picked up her drink and turned to go back to the table. She looked to see if Alyssa was going back too.
Alyssa took one more sweeping glance around the pub before following Rowan.
"Who's cooking tonight then?"
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Roxy shook her head at her sister slightly.
"What time at yours tonight then?"
Ronnie shrugged. "Since Amy's just going down for bed I could bring it over here if you want, be a bit easier I think," she offered.
Roxy shook her head. "No I'll come over to you; Danny can take care of Amy for one night"
A frown quickly crossed Ronnie's face at the mention of Danny's name. She did not trust that boy. She quickly smiled; hopefully Roxy hadn't seen her dislike of him.
"Well, that works out perfect then. I better go get it started. Come on over in say, an hour?" she asked with a glance at her watch.
Ronnie gave her sister's hand a quick squeeze before heading out of the pub to go home and get dinner going.
Roxy nodded at her sister. She had missed Ronnie. More than she thought possible. She watched Ronnie leave and stood for a few seconds her eyes on the door.
Alex swirled her drink around her glass, she was seriously considering getting bladdered.
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Rowan smiled sheepishly at Alyssa.
"Erm, I ate when I got here. I was so hungry and it had been so long since that sandwich at lunch," she explained.
Alyssa sipped her drink
"Okay no worries. I'll grab something when I get in"
"They have pretty good food here and it's not too expensive either," Rowan commented.
Syed gave the girls a wave as they returned to the table.
"Is Amira here yet?" Rowan asked Syed.
Alyssa looked over at Syed too and smiled at him.
She picked up a menu from the rack behind her head and flicked through it contemplatively biting her tongue as she did.
Syed turned to Rowan and flipped his phone shut.
"Good news," he said as he stuffed his phone back in his pocket. "Mum says she'll give you a try. She said if your cakes are as good as I say they are you can help out with making some for a meeting she's making coffee, tea and cakes for on Saturday," he grinned boyishly at her. "If you're up for it."
Rowan put her drink on the table, gave her hands a quiet clap as she bounced with joy.
"Thank you!" she chirped with happiness and grabbed him into a hug.
Just then, Amira walked in the door and stopped cold at the sight of her husband in the arms of some strange woman. Her face like thunder she strode furiously across the pub.
"What do you think you are doing? Get your bloody hands off my husband," she snapped coldly as she shoved her hands between Rowan and Syed, giving Rowan a slight push away as she did so.
Rowan gaped open-mouthed in surprise.
"I didn't mean anything. I just got over-excited at a bit of work and was thanking him," Rowan explained to Syed's lovely, but angry, wife.
Amira folded her arms and glared at Rowan. She sniffed and then noticed Alyssa there. Her eyes narrowed again.
"And what's your story?" Amira challenged, still standing between her husband and these two hussies.
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A finger quietly tapped Alex's shoulder and a male throat cleared behind her.
"Ma'am?" a familiar voice said quietly near her ear, "the Guv sent me to find you. He wants you to call him," Chris finished nervously as he slid onto the stool next to Alex.
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"Besides," Rowan said quickly, "I have a date." She smiled nervously as her eyes scanned the surprisingly empty pub, and caught on the young man who had entered the pub just before Amira.
"There he is," she said with a shaky giggle and a gesture in the direction of the bar and rushed over leaving Amira scowling at Rowan's back while also giving her husband dark glances.
"Amira look, Rowan was already going to be meeting up with her roommate here," he quickly explained as his angry wife divided her glares between Alyssa, himself and Rowan's back. He put his hand on her cheek to make her look into his eyes.
"She helped me out when I nearly dropped mum's food all over the sidewalk when I was loading the van. I offered to buy her a drink and that's it. She's just a friend," he pleaded, as he gazed into her eyes.
Amira frowned and folded her arms, not willing to forgive just yet.
Chris was just getting ready to say something else to Alex when he felt a hand on his arm and heard a woman's voice say, "There you are!"
He was turned to face a pretty, but clearly bonkers, woman.
"Play along, please," she hissed at him through the clenched teeth of her smile. He could only stare at her slightly confused as she grabbed the collar of his jacket and kissed him.
Chris was torn between pulling away and enjoying himself.
Rowan felt her knees going slightly weak and broke the kiss off.
"Come meet my friends," Rowan said. Chris noticed the look in this woman's eyes was a bit desperate. He'd only been half-aware of someone shouting "get your hands off my husband" but could see this woman needed help.
He allowed her to keep hold of his arm and lead him over to the tense group of people in the corner.
"This is my roommate Alyssa and this is my friend Syed and his wife Amira," Rowan introduced. She turned to Chris. "And this is," she began.
"Chris, hiya," Chris broke in to avoid the awkward pause of her not knowing his name and stuck his hand out.
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Max looked at Jane, chuckling.
"Who needs the tele?" he asked with a grin, nodding his head in the direction of the confrontation on the other side of the pub.
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Alex had been startled at Chris's sudden appearance but couldn't help but laugh at the other woman obviously desperate pretending they were together. She snorted into her wine, but was pleased that Chris had played along. Quietly she stood up and moved around the bar further away from the little group but stayed where Chris was still in her eye line. She wasn't ready to call Gene. Not yet
Alex sat sadly at the bar; she tipped her head back and let out a long yet silent sigh.
'No!' she thought! She wasn't going to be like this. She wasn't going to sit here feeling sorry for herself. She sipped her wine again and scanned the bar once more.
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Alyssa looked up from the menu in confusion at Amira, she had to contain her giggles though as Rowan had jumped up and grabbed the nearest man. Personally Alyssa would have said that she was a lesbian and had no interest in Syed. Not that being straight meant that she had the cosmic horn for any man that stood anywhere near her. She smiled at her own messed up thoughts and then casually watched the woman at the bar slowly slink further away from them.
Amira barely touched Chris' outstretched hand, sticking like glue to Syed's side and keeping her still narrowed gaze on both Rowan and Alyssa.
Syed shook Chris' hand and took a firm grip on Amira's arm to let her know he wasn't going to put up with any more funny business. He was sure Christian was back there behind the bar having a right good laugh.
"I apologize for our rocky start," Syed said with an apologetic smile. "Rowan, Alyssa I'd like to formally introduce you to my wife Amira." He gently squeezed Amira's arm.
"I had rather hoped you might enjoy meeting each other," he continued, glancing at his wife out of the corner of his eye.
Amira huffed, tossed her hair and gave her shoulders a shake. She grudgingly approached Alyssa and held out her hand.
"Nice to meet you," Amira said, trying very hard to sound civil in order to please her husband.
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Max was still chuckling over the scene at the other side of the pub and nudging Jane to see if she was laughing too.
He was momentarily distracted though by the furtive movement at the bar of that lovely dark haired woman he'd noticed when he and Jane had come in sliding further down the bar.
Between her and that other one across the pub with the amazing hair he was quite enjoying his evening. He smiled to himself and wondered where the hunt should begin.
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"Lovely to meet you."
Alyssa shook Amira's hand lightly before taking the menu back up and scanning it again for something she might find appetizing.
She sneaked a glance over the menu at Rowan and Chris, before hiding her chuckle with the menu which she pulled over her face.
Amira then turned to Rowan who grabbed Amira's hand and shook it.
"I'm really sorry there was any misunderstanding, really," she began to twist her bracelet as her nerves overtook her.
"Honestly he's done nothing but talk about you since we got here," she continued breathlessly in an attempt to placate Amira.
Amira glanced at Syed who smiled and nodded encouragingly. She turned back to Rowan's pleading face and sighed.
"All right, but you better not let it happen again," Amira warned. She meant it but smiled a little to take the full sting out of the words.
Rowan, only sparing a passing thought for remembering why she did not usually drink, enfolded Amira into a hug. Amira's eyes went wide but she relented enough to pat Rowan's back before extracting herself gently from the hug.
Were all Americans this insane? Amira wondered.
Rowan quickly sat back down next to Chris and wished she was at home, even though she was quite enjoying looking at his profile out of the corner of her eye. And that kiss had been something else.
She attempted to rein herself in. It had been a long time since she'd let herself become involved. Daffyd, that lovely Welsh boy, had had the same rugged sort of features this Chris had. But she'd ended up staying in Wales longer than she'd meant to because of him.
She knew he'd just leave her for someone else soon enough and had run before it could happen. She mentally cursed her ex-husband again and decided she'd better make this drink be her last.
Chris felt the envelope he had in his pocket poke at him again. Still pretending to be Rowan's date, he was finding her to be quite nice if a bit odd and that kiss had stunned him considerably, he placed his hand on her arm and leaned over.
"I need to go and give a message to my old DI; she's sitting over there at the bar. I'll be right back," he said in a low tone in her ear.
Rowan could only nod. For some reason, she found herself shaking.
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Max sipped his drink and chatted with Jane, trying to keep her spirits up. He wondered if he should ask her advice and then thought better of it. They were mates yes, but he wasn't sure if that was the sort of subject they could have for conversation currently with Jane's state of mind.
Instead, he kept part of his attention on the conversation while his eyes moved from one side of the pub to the other.
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Chris got up and walked back over to the bar where Alex was sitting. He took the envelope from his pocket and held it out to her.
"The Guv asked me to give you this when I found you, in case you weren't ready to call him yet," Chris explained.
"He's not the same without you ma'am," he continued awkwardly.
Alex looked up at Chris and gave him a weak smile. She looked at the envelope in his hand apprehensively, but she took it anyway and placed it on the bar in front of her.
"Look after him Chris, don't let him do anything stupid."
"I'll try ma'am," Chris replied, "but you know the Guv," he shrugged.
Chris wished once again that the Guv hadn't driven Alex away. She was a good copper and he looked up to her, almost as much as he had looked up to Sam.
"Oh, Ray says hi and Shaz sends her love," he added, blushing a bit.
He reached into his jacket pocket again and pulled out another envelope. "She wanted me to give you this," he finished. "I feel like a postman," he joked quietly as he handed Shaz' letter to Alex.
He involuntarily glanced back over to where Rowan was sitting and then turned his attention back to Alex.
"I shouldn't be telling you this, but the three of us didn't really like the way the Guv treated you ma'am. We've all been talking about putting in for transfers," he explained quietly, his tone cautious and uneasy. "Like I said, he's not the same without you around."
Chris quickly snapped his mouth shut worried he'd said too much.
Alex looked at Chris curiously and took Shaz' letter; she would probably open it before she opened the Guv's.
She placed it next to Gene's and made sure it was parallel and smiled at his postman reference.
She raised her eyebrows at Chris' last sentence.
Not the same? She wondered. Bad different or good different?
She was pleased she had the team's support but didn't want them to lose loyalty to Gene because of her, that would drive the wedge even further between them and she would get the blame.
She was touched by their concern too, especially Ray, he would jump off Tower Bridge for the Guv so taking her side was a big deal.
"What do you mean not the same?" she asked worriedly. The last thing she wanted was for the Team and the Guv to split over this mess
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Alyssa stood up and eased her way through the couples surrounding her, she walked up to the bar with the menu still clutched in her hand. Her attention flickered to the man and woman sitting down the other end of the pub before she concentrated on getting the attention of the barmaids.
Max eyes followed Alyssa as she walked up to the bar. She was even more enjoyable to look at when standing up. He noticed the young man who'd been kissed by that odd woman earlier was in earnest conversation with the looker at the bar, so he focused his attention in on Alyssa and smiled.
Alyssa smiled back briefly at the man who was looking at her before looking up at Roxy as she approached.
"Can I have a bowl of chips please?" She asked licking her lips at the prospect of being fed. She couldn't remember the last time she had a decent bowl of chips.
Alyssa leant against the bar, her attention flicking from the conversation at their table to the man and woman sitting in the corner.
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Chris looked at Alex's worried face. He hadn't meant to say anything but he just couldn't take it anymore, none of them could.
"He's, dark ma'am, that's how Shaz describes it anyways. Ray is always off "investigating" or "questioning suspects" just to avoid being in the same room with him. He's scaring us all ma'am. He's drinking all the time and he's...well...mean and violent," Chris trailed off, unable to find the words to explain.
He glanced over in Rowan's direction again and then looked back at Alex.
"I'd better get back over there, ma'am," he handed her a card. "Here's my number and Shaz put her number in her letter. The Guv really wants you to call him, that's why he sent me to find you and I was glad to get away. Be careful when you do. I won't tell him where you are," he added.
He patted Alex's shoulder awkwardly and stood up to leave.
Rowan kept glancing over at Chris where he was talking with the woman at the bar. His DI? So that meant he was police. How had she missed that, she wondered? She's spotted "police" on that man Jack that she'd met in the Cafe earlier that day very quickly.
She quickly turned her attention back to Amira, who had asked her a question.
"I just started working at the Cafe today," she answered, taking a sip of her drink and willing her hands to stop shaking.
"Is that where you met Chris?" Amira wanted to know.
Rowan took a sip of her drink to delay answering and wondered yet again, what had she been thinking?
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Max's eyes lit up when he saw Alyssa smile at him.
Well. Well, well, well, well.
He knocked back the rest of his drink and looked at Jane.
"Fancy another?"
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Alyssa decided to wait at the bar for her chips to arrive.
She picked up a small sachet of ketchup and squeezed it gently between her thumb and forefinger.
Her tummy rumbled and she placed her other hand over it self-consciously.
Her eyes scanned the rows of exotic drinks with a smile as fond memories of better days flooded back.
The sachet popped and she licked the ketchup off her finger hungrily.
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Alex was startled by Chris's words. The Gene Genie, dark?
Alex was worried. Ray avoiding the Guv and Chris and Shaz staying out of his way too?
She knew he had a temper but he was never aggressive with his team, not in a sinister way.
Alex watched Chris go sadly; the smile crept back onto her face as she watched him sit back down next to Rowan.
She was glad Chris wouldn't tell where she was. 'Hang on!' her mind interrupted, how had Chris worked out where she was. Her heart leapt. If Chris could find her, and let's face it Chris is a bit of a div, then Gene surely wouldn't be far behind.
Alex drained her wine in a single gulp and debated going to Ask Chris how he knew where she was. She twirled the card between her fingers nervously.
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Rowan felt her heart leap when Chris sat down next to her again. The drink must be making her giddy.
"Chris and I met on the tube earlier today," Rowan quickly answered.
Chris nodded and smiled mischievously. "She was creating a ruckus," Chris added.
Rowan looked at Chris in surprise and Amira smirked. She gazed into Chris' eyes a moment before speaking.
"I still say that guy had a gun in his jacket," she said with a slightly huffy tone and mock-glared at Chris. He grinned at her. Rowan couldn't help but smile back.
No! She was not going to fall for this man! She dragged her eyes away and looked at Syed and Amira.
"So, what time Saturday morning do you think? And where?" she asked Syed after a quick, slightly nervous glance at Amira.
"I'll check with mum," Syed answered.
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Max took his glass and picked up Jane's as well and sauntered up to the bar and stood next to Alyssa, but not too close. He had to play this just right.
"Same again Rox when you've got a minute," he said, placing the glasses and the money on the bar. He glanced at Alyssa, looking her over as she licked ketchup from her fingers.
Alyssa looked up at the man next to her and nodded at him as she cleaned her fingers of the last bit of ketchup.
Her stomach emitted a huge grumble and she felt her cheeks turn warm as she blushed.
She turned her attention away from him and looked back at Rowan and Chris, for two people who had just met they were getting on remarkably well
Alyssa raised her eyebrows at her friend. 'yes' she thought, 'there is definitely some chemistry there.
She smiled at the fact that Rowan was happy and had maybe... Found someone?
Max moved his gaze to the empty glasses he'd placed on the bar and he allowed himself a grin when he heard her stomach rumble and saw her blush from the corner of his eye.
He noticed that she had turned her attention to the group in the corner, most likely her friends he guessed.
He looked her over again while her attention was diverted and unconsciously smoothed his tie.
"So," he said in a light, conversational tone, "when did you get into town? I don't remember seeing you around here before."
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Rowan's tension was slowly draining as Chris' jokes were helping to ease the situation at the table. She noticed that Amira seemed to be calming down and possibly even enjoying herself, Rowan wasn't close enough to her to tell.
Syed was smiling and talking too.
She sneaked a glance at her watch and noticed it was still relatively early in the evening. She sighed quietly; glad the evening wasn't close to ending just yet.
She really could not believe how nice Chris, this person who was basically a stranger, was, being so kind to her. Maybe he liked her? Her heart beat a bit faster at the prospect.
He had slung an arm around her shoulder and she found herself nearly unable to move. She realized suddenly that she needed to go to the bathroom and was frozen in place.
Where was Alyssa? She wondered frantically and glanced at the bar. She must be ordering some food, Rowan thought. And there was a man, clearly a tomcat type, standing next to Alyssa. Rowan was sure he was probably trying to pick Alyssa up-chat her up, Rowan corrected herself.
She resisted snuggling closer to Chris, began to unthinkingly twist her bracelet and tried to ignore the call of nature.
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Alyssa felt her blush subside and moved her attention to the man in front of her.
"Today actually got off the train this morning and have been job hunting and flat hunting since then," Alyssa replied casually.
"I'm Alyssa," she added as an afterthought.
She smiled at him shyly from under lock of hair that had fallen across her face. She moved one hand and looped it behind her ear.
He has nice eyes she thought to herself and only withdrew her gaze from his face when the bowl of chips was placed in front of her.
Alyssa thanked the barmaid and reached for another sachet of ketchup from the small box in front of Max.
"Max Branning," he supplied and offered his hand, switching from his regular smile what he thought of as his charming smile.
"I've been here a few years, not a bad place really," he commented. He watched Roxy making the fresh drinks he ordered and then looked back at Alyssa.
"So, job hunting," he began, his expression contemplative as he gazed at Alyssa speculatively.
"I could use some help at my car lot," he finished. "You any good with a computer and typing and your basic office type work?" he asked in a bantering tone. He idly tapped the bar as he stood there.
