- Isabel -
Chapter 16
The El Flamingo: One week later…
Sitting in at a table in the far corner, Max and his friends (Alex and Kyle) caught up on business issues waiting for Michael to finish his shift. A flirtatious waitress wearing a tight, low cut white top and short, black mini skirt arrived with a tray of food and beverages. “Hello, gentlemen… Michael made lunch for all of you…” Leaning over the table giving everyone an ample view of her voluptuous chest she set the plates of food in front of each of the men. Turning from the table, she reached for the drinks as her skirt hiked up her long, slender legs displaying her white thong.
Setting the drinks in front of Max and his friends, she turned colliding into Michael. “Oops. Sorry…”
“Yeah, I bet…” Lifting the tray from the collapsible stand, Michael handed both to the waitress. “You can leave now… And take these back with you.”
“Yes, Mr. Guerin….”
Joining his friends, Michael sighed. “Sorry about that… She’s new.”
Max smiled. He was used to it. Women threw themselves at him constantly… All except for his friends and of course Liz Parker. He could understand his friends; they were after all childhood friends, but why not Liz Parker? What was up with that?
Liz Parker… Successful theater actress and professional dancer with flawless, creamy white skin, deep almond shaped hazel eyes, lush kissable lips and a well-proportioned body…
“Max… Did you just hear what I said?” Kyle asked.
“Huh… What? Sorry, I was just thinking…”
Michael smiled. “Thinking of a certain someone are you?”
Max blushed. Kyle and Alex laughed. “I asked how things were going living with Liz,” Kyle repeated his question.
“Things seem to be going okay…”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “Just okay? According to Isabel you’ve been helping her rub ointment on and bandaging those tattoos you gave her last week…”
Kyle and Michael looked over at Max. Max sighed. Nothing was sacred anymore. “Look, there’s no way she for her to reach the two on her back… So, being the fact that we’re housemates, she asked me to help her. No big deal…”
“Uh-huh… Yeah right. You might as well admit that you have feelings for her,” Kyle commented.
“Why not put Liz out of her misery and ask her out,” Alex suggested.
Forks dropped as eyes turned to Alex. “What did you just say?” Max questioned.
Oh, shit… Liz is going to kill me. “What? All I meant is that if you have feelings for her, you should ask her out.”
“No… What did you just say?” Max repeated his question.
Alex sighed. He was in a bind and had no choice. Liz is going to kill me if she finds out. “This does not leave this table…” he started. The guys nodded in agreement. “Liz has had a crush on you since high school… Nobody knew except for Maria and me and she made us promise never to tell anyone.”
Michael grinned. “Wow, who would’ve guessed Maria could keep a secret that long?” he thought out loud. Knowing Maria, the guys laughed.
Max thought back to his conversation with Liz that night in the Viper Room. She mentioned she was asked ‘who her first crush was’ during a game of ‘Truth or Dare’ and chose not to answer the question knowing Maria would keep her secret. Yet, Isabel must have figured it out because she was the one that called the Viper Room. “So, that’s why she was so embarrassed when I asked her why she chose not to answer the question…”
Alex continued. “At the time, she had no idea Isabel would dare her to go down to the Viper Room and have you give her a tattoo...”
Kyle chuckled. “Obviously, it backfired on her. I can only imagine how she must have felt.”
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Meanwhile in Cloud 9…… Liz stood behind the bar listening as Serena and Courtney explained and demonstrated how to make the house drinks. “The cheat sheets are located on the wall above the sink…” Serena stated. Liz nodded.
“Ready to give it a try,” Courtney asked.
“Um… Sure. But, isn’t that wasting alcohol?”
“Not at all… I’ve taken the liberty of inviting Maria, Isabel, Ava, Pam and Tess up here to join us,” Serena stated. “We’re going to role play… You’re going to be the bartender and we’re going to be your customers,” she added.
“It’s the best way to practice,” Courtney added. “That’s how we’ve all learned. It’ll be fun,” she promised.
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Minutes later, everyone strolled in walking up to the bar. “I don’t think you’ve met Tess, Liz…” Serena stated glancing over at Isabel who glared back.“Okay, everyone… Liz here is studying for her liquor license and I thought it would be fun to do a little role playing. Liz is going to be the bartender and we’re going to be her customers,” Serena explained.
Eying Tess, Maria looked worried but said nothing. What is Tess going to pull? “So, where do you want us to sit?” Maria asked Serena.
“At the bar, stupid… We’re customers,” Tess replied before Serena could give further instruction.
Maria was pissed. Nobody referred to her as ‘stupid’ and got away with it. She’d have to remember to tell Max. “Gee, Tess. Who put you in charge? If I recall, Serena is the bar manager,” she replied smugly.
“Knock it off you two…” Serena ordered. “We’re here to help Liz out. Okay, Liz… We’re going to sit at the bar, so whenever you’re ready.”
Liz smiled. It had been years since she last mixed a drink. You can do this. It’s just like bartending at Ivanhoe’s in New York. Silently, she pulled the small notebook and pen from her back pocket, looking up past her friends towards the doors. Max, Alex, Michael and Kyle were walking in and heading over to the bar. Oh, God… Suddenly, she felt nauseous. Not only did she have to serve the ladies, she now had to serve the guys as well. Breathe… Just breathe. Everything’s going to be okay.
Maintaining her role as bartender, Liz silently stood behind the bar waiting for her new customers to get situated. “Hey, everyone… What’s going on?” Michael asked giving Maria a peck on the cheek.
“We’re role playing…” Maria started.
“Yeah, Liz is our bartender and we’re her customers,” Tess added cutting Maria off in mid-sentence.
Michael glared at Tess. “I was talking to Maria, not you.”
“That’s enough, guys… We’ve kept Liz waiting long enough. Why don’t you take a seat?” Serena invited.
“Come, sit by me, Max.” Tess cooed. Pam rolled her eyes. When would Tess get a clue that he wasn’t interested?
Max looked around the bar. All the other stools were taken except for the two at the far end of the bar away from the others. Not wanting to cause a scene, he sat by Tess.
“Okay, Liz… Whenever you’re ready,” Serena instructed carefully watching Liz’s every move.
Walking to the far left end of the bar, she nervously approached Alex and Isabel. Welcoming them to Cloud 9, she took their drink orders.
“A Tequila Sunrise for me and a Cosmopolitan for Isabel,” Alex ordered. Liz nodded writing down their order; noting names after each drink.
“I’ll have a White Russian…” Courtney ordered.
“And I’ll have a Peach Margarita,” Ava added. Liz nodded and continued on down the bar towards Serena and Kyle.
“I’ll have a Gin & Tonic and Serena will have a Long Island Iced Tea.” Adding the drinks to her list, Liz continued on to where Michael and Maria were sitting.
Michael and Maria gave her an encouraging smile. “I’ll have a Mai Tai, and Maria will have a Hurricane.” Liz nodded moving on to where Tess was sitting by Max.
Eying Liz, Tess reached over resting a hand on Max’s thigh slowly gliding her fingers up and down flirtatiously. “I’ll have a Pousse-Café…”
All eyes turned to Tess. “Liz is just learning to mix drinks, Tess… We didn’t cover layering drinks yet…” Serena was quick to point out ready to call an end to the exercise but Liz interrupted her.
“No, it’s okay, Serena…” Liz wrote down the drink order. She approached Max and smiled.
Reaching down, he pushed Tess’s hand off his thigh. Smiling at Liz, he winked. “I’ll have a Mojito and you’ll have a Beautiful.” All eyes turned from Max to Liz. Tess frowned. Liz blushed.
“Excuse me?”
“What? Can’t a guy buy a girl a drink?”
“Um... Thank you,” she whispered writing down her drink order.
Glancing down at her drink orders, Liz searched the shelves of liqueurs and began removing bottles from the shelves lining them up in a neat row. Starting at the top of the list, she grabbed a cocktail shaker and began mixing drinks one by one lining them up to one side; saving Tess’s drink for last while Serena, Isabel and Max watched her every move.
Slowly adding the last liqueur to Tess’s drink, Liz set it aside. Reaching for a drink tray, Liz set the first half of drinks on the tray walking over to where Alex and Isabel were sitting. “One Tequila Sunrise and Cosmopolitan…” Setting the drinks in front of her customers (friends), she continued down the bar until her tray was empty. Setting the remainder of the drinks on the tray, she continued on distributing drinks careful not to ruin Tess’s drink. Reaching Max, she eyed Tess. “Mojito for you… And a Pousse-Café for you,” she smirked carefully setting Tess’s drink in front of her.
Everybody looked over at Tess’s drink. The liqueurs were perfectly layered in the glass. “Can I get anybody anything else?” Liz asked.
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Finishing their drinks, everyone gradually drifted out of Cloud 9 leaving Serena, Courtney and Liz to clean up the bar. “You did a great job despite the circumstances,” Courtney started putting the bottles of liqueur back on the shelves.“Yeah… Except what Tess did was uncalled for. She knew you were just learning…” Serena added loading the last glass into the dishwasher.
“It was nothing... I made the drink hundreds of times bartending at Ivanhoe’s years ago, so it was no big deal.” Wiping down the counter with a damp cloth, Liz took a seat on a bar stool.
“But still uncalled for… She deliberately put you on the spot ordering that drink.”
Liz shrugged her shoulders. “I suppose.”
“I gotta know though, what’s going on with you and Max?” Serena asked.
“We’re friends who are housemates, nothing more. Why?”
“We’re just wondering that’s all because Max doesn’t make it a habit of buying drinks for ladies,” Courtney stated.
“I think he likes you,” Serena added with a smile. “… And I think you like him back.” Liz blushed.
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Meanwhile in Condo #4: Tess / Pam’s condo…“How could you do that, Tess?” Pam asked her housemate.
“Do what? All I did was participate in some lame role playing exercise and order a drink.” Tess retorted.
“You knew Liz was just learning how to mix drinks, yet you ordered one of the most difficult drinks to mix…” Pam pointed out.
“Yeah, so… That’s what I was in the mood for.”
“That’s not the point. We were supposed to be helping Liz out…”
“I was. I ordered a drink and she made it for me.” Hello, captain obvious.
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Isabel’s office…… Max sat across from Isabel at her desk. “We’ve got to figure out a way to convince Liz to bartend here at the Safe House once she gets her license, Max. Did you see that drink she made for Tess? It was perfect…”
“I know. I saw it. The Pousse-Café is one of the most difficult drinks to mix yet she pulled it off flawlessly. I’m still trying to figure out how she pulled it off having only bartended while in college years ago... Most bartenders struggle with layering the liqueurs.”
“She’d be a real asset bartending in Cloud 9 with Serena and Courtney…” Isabel pointed out the obvious.
“I agree.”
“But, what about Tess?”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, come on, Max… It’s obvious you have feelings for Liz. And Tess is jealous of Liz…”
Max sighed. “I know… Alex let it slip earlier that Liz has feelings for me too.” He paused. “God, Isabel what am I going to do? I can’t just ask her out on a date… Not after all that Sean did to her. She’s not ready for another relationship.”
“You’re going to love her from a distance and romance her. That’s what you’re going to do…” Opening her planner, Isabel looked at the event calendar. “You know, Mardi Gras is coming up in a few weeks…”
“Yeah, so?”
“Hello… Mardi Gras Masquerade. Everyone wears a mask. You could hook up with her early in the evening and spend the night partying together. You’d just have to be sure she doesn’t follow you back upstairs or see your mask lying around somewhere.”
“I don’t know, Isabel…”
“Oh, come on Max. You know you want to ask her out. But, like you said she’s not ready for another relationship yet. So, start slow… Flirt with her. Spend time with her as a friend. Express an interest in what she’s doing. Talk to her and in time she’ll come around.”