AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What’s your regular?” Lucy turns to me, her hazel eyes looking up with interest.
“Whiskey sour,” Charlotte answers for me while running a rag around the inside of a tumbler.
“Not tonight. I’ll have a Coke, thanks,” I say to her. Her eyes widen just slightly at that, before she nods. Not drinking is probably the easiest change I’ve made. In my former life, I only drank on nights I didn’t have work the next day, because hangovers and working in the medical field aren’t the best combo, but on those nights that was my usual drink of choice, and Charlotte knows how to make a good one.
In the background, music starts up, and I look over my shoulder to see two blonde women begin belting out “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood.
“I’ll have a Coke, too,” Lucy yells, her voice straining to be heard over what I can only describe as screeching coming out of the speakers right now.
“I’m on it,” Charlotte says. She makes quick work of getting the drinks for us, and I give her some cash once we have them in hand.
We walk toward our table where Ryan and Morgan are seated toward the back of the crowd, up against the wall, drinks in front of them as well as a song book full of options. They’re both singing and clapping along with the screeching. Ryan looks toward us and gives me a closed-mouth smile. I think he’s decided that whatever he’s heard, he’s okay with me, because he’s no longer making comments about staying away from his sister.
“You look like you’re in pain, Doctor,” Lucy says, leaning into me so her voice can be heard over the loud sounds coming from the speakers.
“I am,” I say with a head nod toward the singers.
“It’s karaoke,” she says. “It’s just supposed to be fun.”
“You do this often?” I ask her.
She shakes her head. “It’s been a long time. Probably years.”
“Me too,” I say. I actually can’t remember the last time I got up and sang in front of anyone like this. I think it was during med school.
“Can we go next so we can get this over with?” I ask. I drove, picking her up from her condo on the way. The sooner we get done, the sooner I can get her out of here. Myself too.
“Afraid you’re going to lose to me, Shackwell?” she asks, a sly grin on her face. She’s never called me by my last name before—that’s usually my thing with her. I shouldn’t like it as much as I do.
“No way, Price,” I say as we take a seat, our chairs close together, so close I can feel her leg pressed up against mine.
She takes a sip of her Coke before looking around the room, like she’s really taking it all in.
“So, this is where Graham Shackwell hangs out,” she says, leaning her head toward me, her warm breath making the hairs on my neck stand up.
I shake my head. “I haven’t been here in months.”
“Why?” she asks.
“I work three jobs,” I say.
She nods, but I can see her thinking. I don’t think it’s meant to be in a judgmental way—more like information she’s using to piece together the story. It’s not the jobs that keep me from coming here. It is an active choice on my part.
“Well done, ladies,” says the MC for the night once the screeching sisters have finished. I recognize him as a bartender named Ed who’s been around here for a long time. “Next up we have Morgan, singing ‘I Will Survive.’”
We all clap as Morgan stands up and Ryan whistles after her. I pick up the book on the table so I can find a song to do and then get us both out of here. The sooner, the better.
The music starts up, and Morgan starts to sing. She’s not half-bad; she can definitely hold a tune. By the time she’s into the second chorus, most of the people here are clapping and singing along with her.
After she finished to loud cheering, a guy named Brett gets up, and it takes me a second to realize it’s the Brett I know from my time hanging out here because he’s got his signature dark curly hair covered by a baseball hat. It’s definitely him, though. He’s the picture of the man I’m trying not to be—still hanging out at The Eagle’s Den, hitting on women like it’s a sport. Or maybe not. Maybe this is his first time back after some time too. Either way, I don’t like him. We’ve never really gotten along, but probably because he always treated me like we were competitors. I wonder if he even noticed my absence over the past several months. He probably appreciated it.
He starts singing a country song I’ve never heard before. I’m the odd man out as the crowd around me, including Lucy, starts singing along.
I hand the song book to Lucy after I make my pick. Grabbing one of the song request forms off the table, I write my choice down quickly, careful to hide the paper from the wandering eyes of the woman next to me. Just in case seeing mine would make her change her song. I think I’ll win this one purely due to the shock value.
We turn our songs in, and now we just have to wait.
I look around the bar, seeing some familiar faces at the pool table in the corner where I’ve played countless games, at the old jukebox in the corner where I’d pay to hear a song I thought would impress the woman I was talking to. What a douche move.
