Page 25 of Keeping it Local

She just grinned over the top of her beer.

“Alright, folks,” said the emcee. “We’re going to take a quick break, and when I come back, I expect to have a few new names on this list up here—especially with the drinks flowing. Remember, there are some song lists floating around. See you in ten!”

“Okay, so, here’s what I’m thinking…” Beth leaned forward in her chair, eyes wide at me. “Summer Nights from the Grease soundtrack. It’s a classic.”

“What?” I laughed. “Are you insinuating I go up there? On stage? Hell no.”

“‘Hell no’? What happened to ‘karaoke has its perks?’”

“Like hell I said that.” I laughed, throwing my head back before taking a sip of my Coors. “Absolutely not.”

“Oh, yes you did!” She tilted her head, looking at me under her eyelashes, and I felt my stomach drop a bit. “And I’m holding you to it!”

This girl was something else, and I knew I would cave, just not yet though.

“Besides, Grease has a special place in my heart.” She placed her hand on her chest, beaming.

“How so?” I flagged the server down for another beer. I knew I’d need it if this charade continued—or started.

“When I was a kid, Grease was my favorite movie. Every night, I’d set my old-school boombox on the table next my bed and fall asleep to the soundtrack.”

“You’re kidding me.” I leaned back and started laughing. I couldn’t stop, feeling my eyes water for no reason I could think of, except for the incredibly sexy woman that didn’t even know it sitting across from me. I wiped my face and caught a small tear. “That’s ridiculous.”

She contemplated for a moment. “Yeah, I guess it was. Thinking back, it’s definitely ridiculous. It drove my dad nuts because he could hear it on the other side of the wall.”

I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Maybe Lane had a point.

Beth seemed to lean into who she was, and this was no different. She was strong. Quirky, yes, but also knew what she wanted. There were only a few hints of hesitancy, but other than that, she was all in.

“Yeah, so anyway, Summer Nights! I’ll put our names on the list.” She stood up, walking up to the podium, looking back at me, giggling and doing a little shimmy dance while she went.

A few minutes later, I was standing on stage looking out at the sea of people with the bright lights in my face.

How the hell did I get here?

That’s when I heard the music kick in and I looked over at Beth and saw her shimmy next to me.

“Summer lovin’…” she started.

Shit. I’d have to sing up here. I joined in with her, following the teleprompter while keeping one eye on the woman next to me who was completely getting into this and hamming it up for the crowd.

I was going to have fun it if it was the last thing I did, and surprisingly, I did actually enjoy myself.

The next few minutes went by in a blur, us singing about summer nights, making out under the dock, and holding hands. All with the crowd hooting and hollering along with us. Lane had pushed himself up front and was standing right at the foot of the stage with a giant smirk on his face and his arms crossed. He was almost unreadable as we sang, but his was one of the only faces in the crowd I could see, and I felt myself performing even more knowing the hard-ass was watching from the front row.

Beth was in her element, singing along and gyrating her hips to the music. It was impossible not to get into it, and my grin widened as a deep laugh erupted from my belly. I hadn’t laughed like that in so long, and I couldn’t believe I was actually doing this and loving it.

As quickly as it had started, it ended, and we got a standing ovation from the crowd for our duet. Beth came and jumped up into my arms, giving me a huge hug around my shoulders and kissing my cheek.

“See? Wasn’t that so much fun now?” she tried to yell over the crowd. All I could feel was that I was on stage and felt myself stiffening against her, and I had to put her down. Her hands went into the tiny hairs at my neck, and I wondered if she was enamored with me as I was with her.

My hands caught her hips and grabbed them, pulling her down to the floor. As I gave a large wave and a bow before exiting the stage, I caught Lane’s eyes and his slow clap as he watched me, shaking his head. I guess it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. He had me there.

“Oh my gosh,” she said as we walked back to our seats. “You did so great! I’m proud of you conquering your irrational fear. It’s been a long time since I’ve done that.”

For the next hour, we continued to watch the others get up on stage, and Beth rooted for every person who sang. She didn’t seem to realize it, but her energy and glow was contagious. As she high-fived the other singers, everyone she came in contact with couldn’t help but smile and laugh along with her.

That warm, tingly feeling she gave me was one I haven’t had in years, and if I wasn’t careful, I’d have to deal with the heartache all over again.