“I hope you never do.”
An hour later, party in full swing, Zach eyed the teens belting out the Christmas song along with the karaoke machine. “You’d think they’d have gotten enough singing earlier.”
“They appear to be enjoying this more,” Isabelle mused, sipping her drink.
Leaning back in his chair, Zach nodded. “It’ll be a long time before I enjoy a performance more than I did Rosie’s.”
Isabelle snorted. “She was something else with how she sashayed around the stage, twirling her tail, wasn’t she?”
Zach had never encountered anything quite like the Butterflies, particularly Rosie. “The choir was great, but my money is on her being the reason that number got a standing ovation.”
Tracing her fingertip over the rim of her glass, Isabelle smiled. “She was eating it up.”
“Even Maybelle was clapping,” he pointed out.
After the way they’d practically been at each other’s throats, he’d been surprised by how genuinely proud the older woman had appeared.
Isabelle nodded. “Don’t let their bickering fool you. They’re the best of friends and have been longer than we’ve been alive. It’s just what they do. How they express their affection for one another, I guess.”
“They’re definitely entertaining.”
“Always.” Isabelle smiled, then nudged him with her elbow. “Thank you for helping tonight.”
Liking the softness to her face and the happiness that shone in her eyes, Zach shrugged. “You didn’t give me much choice.”
She arched her brow. “You shouldn’t have tossed out your condition if you weren’t serious.”
“I was serious.”
Smiling, she poked her finger at his chest. “Then quit your whining, Joseph.”
Starting at where her finger touched him and spreading, shock waves rumbled through Zach. “I wasn’t whining, Mary.”
Isabelle rolled her eyes. “Blondie, Cinderella, Mary… what will you be calling me next?”
Mine. No, he’d never call Isabelle that. At least, not accurately. Feeling antsy, he took her hand. “Let’s sing.”
Isabelle’s eyes widened. “Um, no.”
He laced his fingers with hers. “Pretty sure if I was in a high school choir concert for you, then you can sing one karaoke song with me.”
“Fine. One song.” Frowning, Isabelle allowed him to lead her to where the karaoke had been set up in a corner of Lou’s.
“Pick a song.”
She shook her head. “This was your brilliant idea. You pick.”
Zach skimmed the selection, then punched in a number. “Remember that I gave you the option of choosing and you declined.”
She glanced down at what he’d chosen and rolled her eyes. “The guy who never wears a coat picks a song about being cold? Seriously.”
“You wanted to know what I was going to call you next. Now you know.”
“I’m not the kind of girl who appreciates being called baby, and I’ve never liked this song.”
“Work with me here, Blondie.”
“Fine.” She sighed. “Let’s get this over with, since half the room is watching us.”
