“Girl!” Miriam scolded, smacking June lightly on the shoulder. That gesture wasentirelyundone by the effect of the coat. “Look at all the new romances springing up around here recently. You can’t believe that there’s no chance of making new connections, not after knowing Eleanor. And Diana!AndWinnie.”
“Okay, okay,” June grumbled. “You make a good point.”
“Besides,” Miriam went on, undaunted by June’s protests, “I just met a handsome young man this very week at the diner! So there.”
June stuck out her tongue at her friend. “Oh, so this conversation is really aboutyouconsidering opening your heart again?”
Miriam scoffed without any real censure in it. “Now you’re just talking nonsense. Okay, get out of here, woman. Your public awaits.”
June laughed and gave Miriam a kiss on the cheek.
“Love you, Miriam,” she said.
“Love you too, June. Now go!”
June went, pleased to discover that she already felt better. She was still looking forward to singing to release even more tension, but talking to Miriam had been a really good source of relaxation.
She really was terribly lucky to have such a strong support system in her life. She didn’t know what she would do without her book club ladies to keep her from feeling totally alone in the chaotic world that was single parenting.
This point was emphasized to June when she arrived at Anchor Bistro and found that Eleanor, Cadence, and Winnie were waiting to cheer her on.
“You guys realize that you don’t need to come every week,” June said as she crossed to her friends, greeting them all with smiles and blown kisses.
“I’m sorry, did you hear that?” Cadence said to Eleanor as she pointed at her own ear. “I thought I heard someone saying something very silly, but I’m certain that I must be wrong.”
“Yeah, mind your business, June,” Eleanor said teasingly. “I can go wherever I want on Wednesdays. You’re not the boss of me.”
“I didn’t even know you were going to be here,” Winnie said with a playful flip of her hair.
“You guys,” June said fondly.
“Enough of the squishy stuff,” Cadence said. “We’re here for some music. Go show us what you’ve got.”
June headed to the side area that served as a makeshift backstage area for the open mic nights. She waved to a few other regular performers, but her mind was still back at the table with her friends.
Yes, things might be hard sometimes. She might feel as though Benjamin’s diagnosis was still a heavy weight around her neck. But she wasn’t alone. She had the best friends in the world, and she knew she could turn to them for anything.
She had her friends, and she had the opportunity to sing here every week. And that was a lot of pretty good things in her life, if she thought about it.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Levi couldn’t remember the last time he had gone out to a music night as a mere observer, rather than as a performer or as someone who was lending his professional persona to aid another up-and-coming musician’s reputation. It was relaxing in the extreme to know that he just had to sit back, sip his beer, and listen.
He would have had a good time if this was the only benefit that Anchor Bistro provided, but there was a lot more than the mere absence of obligation. The performers were actually pretty good, and the atmosphere was friendly and jovial.
Even so, Levi was somewhat startled when the table behind him erupted into hooting and cheering far louder than anything else that he had heard from this crowd previously. He glanced over his shoulder in surprise and saw a group of three women calling out cheerfully toward the stage.
He followed their direction and looked to the front of the room and was even more surprised when the pretty waitress from the diner stepped out into the small spotlight.
“Hey, everybody,” she called into the microphone, her comfortable posture suggesting that this was not her first appearance at the open mic night. “Thanks for coming outto play with us this evening. I’ve got a classic for everybody tonight.”
The telltale opening notes of a Dolly Parton song started to play, one that, as a Nashville resident, Levi had heard done at a thousand different performances. Some of those had been excellent, others not so much, and Levi wasn’t certain what he was about to get this time. But then June opened her mouth, began to sing, and…
Whoa. She wasgreat.
It wasn’t that she sounded exactly like Dolly. She didn’t, but then again, nobody sounded exactly like Dolly. But this woman was doing something better than that. She was making the song her own.
Levi was entranced.
