In a few more moments, fewer of them than June might have hoped, if she was telling the truth, she was ready and feeling pretty good about how she looked.
If only she could summon up the same good feeling about her singing.
“Stop stalling,” Eleanor laughing cajoled when June tookone last lookat her reflection.
“Okay, okay. I’m coming, I’m coming.”
Eleanor kept up a cheerful chatter all the way to Anchor Bistro, clearly determined to distract June from her nerves.
To Eleanor’s credit, it was totally working.
“Ooh, I feel like I’m in a movie,” Eleanor said. “Or, like, one of those fun books about a group of friends getting into fun little antics. This is our antic, June! We’re antic-ing!”
“Your grammar leaves something to be desired,” June teased, “but yeah, we super are. Even if I bomb, this is still going to be a fun friendship memory, right?”
“One, you arenotgoing to bomb,” Eleanor said, pointing at June while they paused for a red light. “But two, yes. No matter how this goes, we are in fun mode. We are fun ladies having a fun night in a fun town. Is the word ‘fun’ starting to sound weird to you?”
“It is,” June agreed, “but it doesn’t mean we’re not having fun… nope, that sounds like nonsense.”
The two friends were laughing as they pulled into Anchor Bistro, and June was feeling as confident as she ever had. Maybe she could do this. Maybe she could really, truly do this!
And then they walked through the doors and heard the singing.
The woman standing on stage was basically the picture-perfect image of everything June feared she wasn’t. She was young, maybe in her early twenties, and was wearing a chic outfit with a tight lime green crop top that should have looked silly, but absolutely didn’t, and wide-legged trousers that made June feel like her worn skinny jeans were about a million years out of date.
But, worst of all, the woman couldsing.
She was belting out “Jolene” like she was Dolly Parton herself, and she was absolutelycrushing it.
Dolly would have given it a standing ovation.
“Nope,” June said, trying to pivot on her heel to head right back out the door. “Nope, nope, not a chance.”
Eleanor blocked her with her body.
“All right, all right, let’s take a beat,” Eleanor said, holding up her hands like she was afraid June would try to bolt. “Yes, she’s good, but that doesn’t mean anything about your performance, right? We’re already here. Let’s take a seat, get a drink, and just… suss out what’s going on, okay?”
June wanted to object strenuously to this, but a drink did sound good, and Eleanor was right. Theywerealready here.
“Fine,” she said. “One drink.”
They found spots at the bar where they could see the stage. The bartender appeared in a trice, offering the friends a charming smile.
“What can I get you to drink, ladies?”
“Uh, white wine for me,” Eleanor said.
“Tequila,” June said.
The man rapped on the bar. “Coming right up.”
“That guy was totally eyeing you up,” Eleanor confided in a whisper after the bartender walked away. “Does that improve your confidence?”
“It does not,” June said, her eyes never leaving the talented singer now taking a bow on the stage.
The tequila appeared at her elbow and she knocked it back.
“Didthatimprove your confidence?” Eleanor asked.
