Chapter 2
Three nights later, Duncan and Richie stood outside P3. The bass of the music inside could be felt through the sidewalk.
"I don't know about this," Duncan said looking at the entrance with misgivings.
"If I have to buy the beers, I get to select the place," Richie said enjoying his friend's slight discomfort. "The flyer at the gym said this place just opened. It's new in town. We're new in town. It's practically fate. C'mon, isn't Amanda always telling you to be more spontaneous?"
"Yeah, and the last time she was spontaneous, it cost me 50,000 euros in bail money," Duncan said cringing at the wave of noise that washed over him as they entered the club. Joe's, it's not, he thought thinking of his friend's Seacouver blues bar. He looked around and was surprised to find a familiar face. "Isn't that Phoebe?" he asked.
"Hey, yeah," Richie confirmed. "She must have seen the flyer too."
Phoebe sat at the bar and surveyed the night's crowd. Pretty decent turnout, she thought optimistically as she turned to find her sister muttering something about more swizzle sticks. Tapping Piper on the shoulder, she said, "Behind you."
Piper spun around almost knocking the box over. She thanked her sister smiling distractedly and hurried to the other end of the bar muttering something about napkins. Phoebe chuckled shaking her head knowing that Piper could always find something to fret about. Her smile grew as she spotted two men coming toward her.
"Richie, Duncan, hi!" she greeted.
"I guess you saw the flyer at the gym, too," Richie said.
"Not exactly. I'm the one who put it there," she explained. "I own this place. Well, actually my two sisters and I own it. What do you think?"
"It's great," Richie said turning to Duncan.
"It's, uh, very energetic," Duncan said looking at the dance floor.
"But not your cup of tea?" Phoebe asked smiling up at him.
"Mac's trying to be spontaneous," Richie enlightened Phoebe as he ordered two beers.
Phoebe saw Prue help Piper put some supplies in a cabinet behind the bar and motioned for them to come over.
"Richie, Duncan, these are my sisters Prue and Piper," she said introducing the newcomers. "Prue, Piper, this is Richie Ryan, my self-defense instructor, and his friend Duncan MacLeod. They saw one of the flyers I put up. I told you they would work."
The men shook their hands then picked up the beers.
"Why don't we sit down?" Phoebe suggested gesturing to a corner that had a plush couch and armchairs.
"I better not," Piper said hesitantly looking back at the bar.
Placing her hands on her sister's shoulders, Phoebe said, "Piper. Repeat after me. 'I'm the manager. I can take a break if I want to.'"
"I'm the manager. I can take a break if I want to," Piper repeated obediently as Prue gently pushed her toward the couch. Richie and Duncan followed grinning.
"So, what do you think of San Francisco?" Phoebe asked the men as they sat down.
"It's really nice," Richie said, "though, ask me again after my first earthquake. How's business here?"
"Okay, I guess," Piper replied, "now that the renovations are finished, the supplies are arriving a few days late rather than a few weeks late, and some people, besides the city's inspectors, actually come back more than once."
"The joys of small business," Duncan said.
"What do you do?" Prue asked.
"I sell antiques," he answered.
Prue's blue-grey eyes widened slightly as Piper and Phoebe stole a quick glance at each other. Prue had been "between positions" ever since quitting her job at Buckland's after disagreeing with the new management's ethics.
"Oh, I love this song," Phoebe said. "C'mon, Richie, lets dance."
Not waiting for a response, she grabbed his hand and dragged the unsuspecting man to the dance floor leaving Duncan with her sisters.
The sound of crashing glass took Piper's attention away from the departing twosome.
"Break's over," she groaned excusing herself. "It was nice to meet you, Mr. MacLeod."
"Please call me Duncan," he said smiling. "It was a pleasure to meet you."
He watched the sweet brunette hurried back to the bar leaving him alone with Prue.
"So," Duncan said in the awkward silence.
"So," Prue repeated.
"Prue," he said slowly, "Halliwell. Did you by any chance work for Buckland's Auction House?"
"How did you know?" she asked in astonishment.
"The antique world here is not that big, and it's worth knowing who the players are. If it's any consolation, I think you did the right thing by leaving Buckland's."
"Why's that?" she asked in spite of herself.
"Let's just say I have a feeling that Buckland's won't be a leading force in
San Francisco's antique community for much longer. Finding work with a tarnished reputation could be problematic. However, from what I've learned, your professional reputation is unassailable. Do you plan on remaining in the field?"
Prue was momentarily taken aback by how much Duncan knew about her. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "Although for the most part I enjoyed my work at Buckland's, I actually just sort of fell into it. I'm thinking of trying something different."
Duncan looked at her and made a decision. "Would it be too much of an imposition to ask you to stop by the shop sometime? I would be very grateful to get your impression of the set-up."
"Well..." Prue began not quite sure what to say.
"No pressure," he reassured her, "it's just I could really use a second opinion on what I've done, and I don't know anyone else in town that could give me an honest, objective point of view. Please?"
Flattered, Prue said, "Okay, I'll try to stop by sometime."