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I realized my mistake almost immediately. For the sake of my sanity, I should have kept more distance between us. This close, I could smell the herbal undertones of her shampoo and feel the heat radiating from her skin, ready to set me ablaze.
"Hey, guys. We didn't expect to see you here."
Izzy grinned at us, Ivan a protective presence at her back. I'd been so consumed by controlling my lust for Eve, I'd missed their familiar faces joining the growing crowd.
Ivan's blond brow rose as he took in my arm wrapped around Eve.
Yeah, it was like that. Not like the big man had any room to heckle me. His hand at the small of Izzy's back screamed possessiveness.
"Yeah, Brady lost a bet," Eve said, looking gleeful.
"How do you know that wasn't my master plan?" I asked, striving for enigmatic.
Eve snorted. "The little girl you crashed into deserves an apology, if that's the case."
"Hey. She crashed intome."
Izzy smiled, glancing between Eve and me, seeming to enjoy our gentle bickering. "I can't wait to watch you duet."
"Will we see you on stage?" I asked Ivan, arching one brow.
If I was bad, he was terrible. Nothing less than love or a giant ego would drive him to the mic.
"Iz staked her claim, and now she's stuck with me in all my glory," Ivan said with fake modesty. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I spotted a table that we should snag before things get more crowded. Be nice, or I'll text the rest of the guys that you're here."
As threats went, it was empty. One, because I didn't care, I was proud to be out with Eve, and two, because the last time Ivan had called the cavalry to Sing-along, we'd ended up in a singing battle with Eve, Iz, Gwen, Sophie, and Jo. Encouraging a rematch wasn't in our best interests. No one wanted a repeat of our defeat.
Ned arrived with our burgers, and reluctantly, I withdrew my arm from Eve's shoulders to eat.
Ned's wife Trina had started warming up the crowd, crooning her version of "These Boots Were Made for Walking."
An unassuming woman at first glance, Trina’s talent made her seem larger than life. Her straight brown hair was caught back in a basic ponytail, and she sported a dark blue Sing-along polo and jeans. Nothing fancy. But when she sang, every eye turned her way. She and Ned had made a brilliant move, changing the bar to fit the town's new marketing scheme and leaning into the campfire karaoke aspect. Even if the rest of the singers,cough- Ivan, were awful, we had Trina to break up the hacks with actual skill.
Eve ran a finger down the karaoke song catalog as she mopped up the last of her ketchup with a fry.
"Ready to pick something?" Eve asked, expression challenging.
"I'll defer to you."
She scrawled her pick on the song card, slipping from our booth to drop it off with Trina.
I watched her weave through tables on her way back to me, back straight, gaze sure. Eve had slipped into life at Campfire with ease. It was hard to remember a time when she wasn't part of the town. Part of my life. Jousting verbally with her over the use of the high school had been the highlight of my fall. Partnering with her on the production of theSnow Queenhad shown me more of the woman I'd come to admire. She led her band of students easily, keeping them on track and producing some of the best sets McDonald High had ever had. She was a force to be reckoned with. More than a match for anything I could throw at her.
"Please welcome Eve and Brady to singEverything Has Changedby Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran."
I glanced at her, surprised. "NotBad Blood or Me!?"
"Nah. I thought I'd lob you an easy one this time."
Eve grabbed a mic from Trina and handed me the second microphone as the opening notes played over the speakers. Unsure what to expect from Eve, I waited, following her lead. I settled in on the stool Trina had thoughtfully left on stage, watching Eve sing.
Powerful vocals spilled from her, catching me by surprise. I'd enjoyed her performance with her friends a few months ago, but that was nothing compared to this. Then, she'd been bouncy and brash, part of a girl group. Tonight, her voice exuded a richness that had been absent last time. The soulful quality to her voice was haunting, catching me by the throat. I could tell even Trina was impressed. I was so caught up in Eve's performance, I nearly missed my cue, eventually catching up, trying to match Eve's vibe with my own understated baritone.
She smiled at me, and it was all I could do to eke out the next lyric.
Joy radiated from Eve, pulling me into her orbit. By turns dark and mysterious, sunny and bright, she made me wish we were anywhere but in front of a gaggle of people.
The crowd at Sing-along clapped and hooted their approval as our song ended, and I clasped Eve's hand in mine, urging her to take a bow. Laughingly, she bent at the waist, accepting their praise, before I ushered her back to our table.
