Smoothing my hands over my hopelessly wild curls, I tried to avoid his intense gaze. There were several things I hadn’t minded about the trip — especially the close quarters. But I’d never spill.
“What is this place?” I looked up at the corrugated steel roof and the dark stained wood siding. Not exactly the kind of place I was used to visiting on a school night. Or ever.
He smiled up at the dilapidated eaves. “It’s only the hottest spot in town on a Thursday night. It’s kind of a hole-in-the-wall, but the barbecue wings are delicious and the girls who run it know their stuff.”
My jaw dropped as I absorbed his words. Was this place was I thought it was? “Ewww, don’t tell me this is a strip club!”
I stepped backwards, already feeling the germs creeping toward me. Collin had said he’d signed us up for a slot. Did he expect me to partake in something like this? Not on his life.
He stared down at me in horror. “What? Audrey, no! It’s a restaurant. They do karaoke at night.” He scratched the back of his head. “I brought you here to sing for an audience. Did you really think I’d take you to a strip club?”
“Oh, I knew that.” I wanted to melt into the ground. Of course he wouldn’t take me to a strip club. That had been a stupid idea. “I was just kidding.”
His unblinking gaze and deep frown said he knew otherwise, but he didn’t further my humiliation. “Come on, Ally’s got you on the list for 8:30. We need to pick your song.”
He headed toward the door with purposeful strides as I jogged to keep up with him.
“Wait, we have to pick a song? For me?” That faint feeling was returning. “I can’t do that.”
“You want to sing an original song for the entire town of Rock Valley but you won’t do karaoke for a roomful of people?” He held the door open for me and arched an eyebrow. “See anything wrong with that?”
I gulped and held my tongue. He was right, of course. If I couldn’t sing a silly karaoke song in front a handful of strangers, then I couldn’t perform at the centennial event. I had to find the strength to do this.
Except it was more than a handful of strangers. The entire restaurant was packed, from the dozen or so tiny round tables to the long bar canvassing the length of the room. There had to be a hundred or so people in attendance. Their attention was all focused on the tiny stage decorated with purple foil streamers on the opposite end of the dingy bar. Two spotlights lit up the curvy blonde currently standing up there and crooning a Whitney H
ouston song into the mic. When she reached the high note, completely and horrifically botching it, everyone cheered madly.
A jolt of fear bolted through me. I grabbed onto Collin’s arm, stopping him from walking past the doorman who nodded like they both knew each other. “I can’t do that.”
“Yes, you can.” He extracted my deathlike grip on his arm and held onto my hand. Even in my panic, I couldn’t help but notice the way his hand in mine sent fire crawling up my skin. “Trust me. When you feel exactly what it’s like to perform for a crowd, your song writing is going to change. This will help you lighten up.”
Yeah, right into an early grave. I wanted no part of that stage. If he hadn’t been holding onto my hand, I think I would sprinted back out that door.
“Collin!” A woman called his name and suddenly a head of long blonde hair pushed past me and pounced on him.
Collin grunted and dropped my hand, wrapping his arms around the attacker. “Ally, how’s it going?”
“Great, as always.” Ally finally released Collin from her death grip and I got my first good look at her. My stomach immediately sank. She was as gorgeous as a model, with high cheek bones, Bambi eyes, and a skinny frame underneath a black dress and matching apron. I wouldn’t put her above the age of nineteen. And her eyes were all over my singing partner. “What brings you here tonight?”
“I’m on a secret mission,” he said, his eyes twinkling as he returned her gorgeous smile. “Don’t tell Gina or Tripp. They’d rip me a new one if they found out I was here bothering you during your shift.”
Wrapping my arms around my abdomen, I felt a sudden blip of grumpiness overcome me. Collin was obviously using our practice as an excuse to see his girlfriend and I doubted very much that he would even remember I existed, standing next to this goddess. The thought made my insides crumble, which was an altogether confusing reaction.
Surely, I didn’t care what Collin thought about me. Or that he had a stunningly beautiful and older girlfriend. The idea was absurd. As previously established, he wasn’t the type of guy who went for a girl like me. His type was a little more wild and tended to not spend their Friday nights at home alone in their bedrooms, strumming on a guitar and talking to a lifeless poster.
“Secret mission?” Ally’s blue eyes lit up and she bounced on her toes, catching the lusty stares of a few guys drinking nearby. “Oh, can I help?”
“Definitely,” Collin said, turning to look at me with a warm smile, catching me completely off guard. I guess he hadn’t forgotten me. “Ally, meet Audrey. She’s our victim tonight.”
Ally’s eyes narrowed as she took in my appearance, from the top of my head to my ankle boots. With an approving nod, she grabbed my hand and yanked me to her side.
“We’re going to have fun tonight, you and I.” She winked at Collin and started pulling me toward the back of the bar. “Just you wait.”
I was pretty sure I should’ve cut and run when I had the chance, because Ally was surprisingly strong for her skinny frame. There was no getting out of this now.
What had I agreed to?
Chapter Twelve