“Okay.” She said the word into his chest.
“So how did you do?” Ryan asked when Noah released her.
“I won, actually.”
“No shit!” Noah hooted. “My sister the star.”
“And we have the special guest appearance tonight of one of our own business owners, Faith Harris. She is going to sing with Branna McBride,” Mr. Hope said.
“This is silly. We’ve never sung together before; it could go terrible. Maybe Branna doesn’t want me to sing with her.”
“I do!” Branna appeared with Jake. “I’m really pissed you didn’t tell me you sang, Faith.”
Faith shrugged, feeling cornered.
“She doesn’t put herself out there unless she’s a hundred percent sure she’s going to succeed,” Noah said, holding her gaze. “But seeing as she won the state karaoke champs, I guess we know she’s pretty darn good at singing.”
“No way!” Branna clapped her hands. “The talent in those events is huge.”
“I’ve never sung with a group before.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. Annabelle will play the wrong key constantly,” Branna said.
“I heard that.”
“Faith won the state karaoke champs,” Branna told her friend.
“No way! Now I’m the one who is nervous,” Annabelle said.
“Up you all come!” Mr. Hope said.
Ryan took one of her arms, and Branna the other, and they started walking.
“You can’t make me do this. It’s not right to push me into it.”
“If you really don’t want to, we won’t push you,” Branna said, still walking. “But if it’s nerves stopping you but you really do want to, then we’ll have fun. It’s our town, Faith. They love you anyway. Plus, you’re like this karaoke star.”
Did she want to? Hadn’t she often watched the school band and longed to join? She hadn’t because she didn’t want to make a fool of herself. Didn’t want to be less than perfect. What if she didn’t fit?
Ryan held her hand now and had slipped her fingers through his. It felt good, comforting, and yet anything but. It was a big, warm hand, and she liked being tethered to him.
“We’ll put you at the back. No one will see you,” Ryan said.
“I don’t know how you do this,” Faith whispered.
“I still get nervous.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Okay, that makes me feel better.”
“So let’s do this because this is our hometown and we owe the people in it a lot,” he said. “I don’t mind raising money for a good cause.”
“A cause your mother hates.”
“There is that added bonus to it.” He laughed. “Just kidding, but I think she’s coming around now.”