AllFreeNovel
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I raised a brow. “What?” A new singer was on the stage, and we had to shout over her to be heard.
“You guys should sing something!”
“Oh no, I don’t do duets.”
“You sing with me.”
“That’s different. We sing together.” Wanting to steer the conversation away from this track, I turned to Jake. “Okay, you gotta tell me where you got this outfit. It’s… something.”
Jake grinned, but the way his fake mustache made his upper lip disappear distracted me. “It was my dad’s!”
I burst out laughing. “No way! Does he wear it now?”
“Nah, he’d never fit these shorts now, he’s just kind of a hoarder. But I remembered seeing a photo of him from his Navy days. I always thought it was from Top Gun—like I thought my dad was in that movie when I was a kid. So when you invited me and I checked out the event, it inspired me. I asked him about it and he said he kept the outfit, along with a bunch of his old navy stuff.”
“I’m assuming the mustache wasn’t a hand-me-down?”
“Nah, that I had for another reason.” He drew off the sunglasses and waggled his eyebrows.
It grew too loud to talk, and we waited for the applause to die down, only for the MC to announce, “next up is Captain Wright!”
Jake slid the glasses back on his face. “Looks like it’s showtime, ladies.”
He hopped off his stool, took a swig of beer, and strode to the front to the swelling applause as people got a look at his outfit.
The MC gestured to Jake when he climbed on the stage, prompting a round of hoots from the crowd. “Is this your typical look, or are you entering our contest?”
Jake leaned over the mic to answer. “Uh, that would be an affirmative on the contest, sir.”
“Alright well, your song’s cued up, Captain Wright. Good luck!”
Jake took the microphone and did a couple of lunges for good measure, to the groans and cheers of the crowd.
To his credit, he hit the lyrics right out of the gate, but I couldn’t stop laughing when I realized he’d taken the Top Gun theme all the way. By the time he reached the chorus, the entire bar was signing along with, ‘You’ve lost that lovin’ feeling’. I roared, and Jake worked the crowd; they loved it.
Tessa punched me lightly on the shoulder, casting a sly grin my way. “Okay, I really like him.”
“Well, that’s high praise coming from you,” I teased. “Was it the mustache that did it, or the shorts?”
“Oh, the crew socks. Definitely the socks. But,” she shrugged, a mischievous gleam in her eye, “the shorts are illuminating. Definitely define his, um, best assets.”
Heat rose to my cheeks as my eyes drifted to the spot she was complimenting. “You’re not wrong,” I agreed, leaning in to not be overheard. “From what I felt when we made out, he’s packing heat.”
“Is that a fifty-cal in his pocket or is he just happy to see you?”
My laughter turned into snorts, which made me laugh even harder.
“I mean, I’ve heard of a moose knuckle before, but that thing looks like a mammoth-”
“Tessa, stop, I can’t breathe,” I wheezed.
“Is he part donkey? Because I’ve heard-”
“TESSA!” I gasped, practically choking from laughter.
She rolled her eyes. “Oh fine, you ruin all my fun. I’m gonna go prowl, see if I can ruin some tourist’s night by getting him all hot and bothered and then sending him back to his vacation rental alone.”
“Fine, just don’t actually go home with one! Oh, and listen for our song!” I shouted after her.
