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So, while Keith was telling a referee he needed his eyesight checked, she’d be at Murphy’s Tavern. However, it wasn’t where she wanted to be. Since they’d returned from Maine, Keith had spent every night at her house. As much as Maddie enjoyed having him there, his presence meant she’d missed the last two episodes of her new favorite television series, a contemporary version of Jane Austen’s classicEmma. Keith would enjoy it about as much as she did football. With Keith occupied, tonight would’ve been a perfect time to relax in some comfy pj’s and watch the episodes while she waited for him.
But she’d said no so many times recently when Lisa asked her to go out, she’d felt bad about doing it again, which was why after Maddie showered, she’d be driving to the restaurant and parking her butt on a barstool instead of her comfortable sofa.
“Since you’re single for the night too, do you want to grab dinner or something?” Alex asked as she opened her locker and pulled out her travel shower bag.
For convenience, she’d used the gym at work. Alex had walked in moments after Maddie hopped on the elliptical, and they’d finished their workouts at the same time.
“I’m meeting my friend Lisa at Murphy’s. You’re welcome to join us. I think you’d get along well with her.” Alex got along with everyone.
“Maybe I will. I’m definitely not in the mood to go home tonight.”
An hour later, when Maddie walked inside the pub and heard someone performing a well-known Whitney Houston hit, she wished she’d remembered that tonight was karaoke night. She’d never been brave enough to attempt karaoke, but she gave a lot of credit to those that did. It was one thing to sing while alone in the car. Hell, she did it all the time. Sometimes Maddie even sang along to a song while she cooked. However, it took either guts, a lot of alcohol, or true talent to stand up in front of strangers and belt out a song. And every Thursday night, customers, usually with either a lot of guts or alcohol in their bodies, grabbed the mic and stepped on the stage. However, the forty-something-year-old woman performing now while her friends in the audience cheered her on actually had some talent. Maybe the customers would luck out tonight, and a few more people who could sing would take the stage.
Maddie was almost at the bar when she spotted Lisa at one of the high pub tables. “I thought you’d be sitting at the bar,” she said, pulling out the chair opposite Lisa and sitting down.
“This table opened up just as I walked in, so I grabbed it. I figured we’d be more comfortable here.”
No doubt they would be. But the more comfortable they were, the longer Lisa might want to stay. If possible, Maddie wanted to be on her way home in under two hours so she could get in one episode before Keith got there.
“A friend of mine from work might join us. I didn’t think you’d mind.”
“No, of course not. The more the merrier,” Lisa answered.
“So, are you ordering food or just drinks tonight?” Before her workout, she’d had a protein shake but had eaten nothing since lunch, so she was hungry. But if they stuck with only drinks, they wouldn’t be there as long.
“Both. The author I’m working for expects the audio files tomorrow, so I spent the whole day listening for any errors in the studio. I haven’t eaten since about nine o’clock this morning.”
Oh well, so much for a quick cocktail and conversation. “What kind of book is it?”
She preferred to read rather than listen to audiobooks, but she could understand the appeal, especially for people who spent a lot of time commuting to work. However, she guessed some genres were better suited to audio than others.
“Women’s fiction,” Lisa answered, opening her menu. “I prefer to do either romances or horrors similar to Stephen King’sSalem’s Lot, but as long as the author is willing to pay my rate, I’ll record just about anything.”
Since Maddie was here, she might as well eat too. Rather than go straight for the menu, she reviewed the list of specials the server had left on the table. Everything on it sounded delicious, making it hard to decide on a meal.
“Romances and horrors seem about as different as you can get.”
“And that’s why I love those types of projects. So much from other genres overlaps, but I’ve yet to record a true horror with any romance in it.”
Maddie had never read a book that incorporated the two, but that didn’t mean it didn’t exist. A reader could find almost anything if they looked hard enough. “What’s your least favorite genre, then?”
“Probably science fiction and fantasy,” Lisa said, lifting her water glass to her mouth. “When authors ask me to narrate a book similar toStar TrekorFirefly,I cringe.”
“Not aStar Trekfan?”
She’d known ofStar Trek. Who on planet Earth didn’t? But before Keith, she’d never watched a single episode or movie. Unlike theStar Warsones, which she’d seen many thanks to Spencer, who’d watched them repeatedly as a kid. Even now, he’d occasionally park his ass on the sofa and spend a Sunday watching all of them.
Keith had been appalled when he found out how little she knew aboutStar Trek. And over the past two months, they’d been working their way through the episodes in the original series. When they finished with those, Keith insisted they needed to watch the first six movies, which included the original cast. After that, he planned to move on to theStar Trek: The Next Generationseries. While Maddie didn’t expect to ever be as big a fan as him, she’d enjoyed what she’d watched so far.
“Hell no. But my previous boyfriend was a huge science fiction fan. He even watched those terrible shows from the sixties and seventies. I don’t know what was worse about them, the costumes or the lousy special effects.”
She couldn’t argue with Lisa there. The special effects were awful, and some of the costumes left her scratching her head.
“Sounds like he’d get along well with Keith. He’s got a model replica of theDefiantthat his sister bought him. He’s even attended a couple of Star Trek Conventions.”
Even non-fans knew theEnterprisewastheship in theStar Trekworld. So she’d initially assumed the model was some version of it. Keith quickly corrected her and explained that theDefiantwas fromDeep Space Nine, his favorite series in the Star Trek universe.
Lisa made a face and shook her head. “I’d rather sit through a lecture on how to do my taxes than go to one of those conventions.”
A year ago, Maddie would’ve said something similar. “It might not be too bad.” Spotting Alex near the bar, Maddie waved to get her attention.
“I’ll let you go to one, and then you can tell me about it,” Lisa said.
Alex joined them, a glass of wine already in hand. “I forgot Thursday night is karaoke night.”
“Yeah, me too,” Maddie said before making introductions.
Their waiter arrived at the table a moment later, putting any conversation on hold.
