Christmas at the Gin Shack. Catherine Miller

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.’

      ‘I wasn’t proposing on being here just at the weekends. I figured, if I got the job, I’d take some time off from my business, which can pretty much run itself without me, to make sure this one stays afloat.’

      ‘Job’s yours then. That was easy. Couldn’t think of anyone better,’ Randy said, raising his mug in a toast.

      ‘Hold your horses,’ Veronica said from the furthest position on the bar. ‘He hasn’t had his interview yet.’

      ‘We know he can do the job,’ Randy said

      ‘Yes, but can he make a cocktail?’ Aiden said.

      Olive wondered if it was Tony who really wanted to know if Richard could make one. It wasn’t like the entertainment programme he was watching had provided him with much cocktail-making so far. And as her son had been a teetotaller until the opening of the Gin Shack, was it possible for him to mix cocktails without the knowledge most would have? Had he managed to learn that quickly?

      ‘What do you say, Esme?’ Veronica prompted.

      Esme placed her mug down and stared at it for a moment. ‘I guess it’s only fair Richard should interview like everyone else.’

      ‘Of course I should. Besides, I’ve come prepared. Don’t let me waste my efforts.’

      Olive was just about catching up now she knew she was right about him being here earlier than he was due to be. She wasn’t sure how she felt about Richard coming here to take over, though. There was no doubt he