June took a sip of the water that the bartender had thoughtfully added to her water, considering. “Yeah, a little.”
That teeny tiny boost in confidence lasted until the next singer took the stage.
This singer was just as glamorous as the previous one, albeit in a different way. Where the previous singer had been ultra-trendy, this singer had gone full classic glamour, like an old-fashioned crooner.
And, as it turned out, she had the voice to show for it.
“Nope,” June said, fishing in her pockets and slapping down a few bills to cover the drinks she and Eleanor had ordered. Poor Eleanor deserved to be treated, since not only had she dragged June practically kicking and screaming on this excursion, but her sweet friend had only gotten about two sips of her wine.
“Uh, what?” Eleanor said, stealing a third tiny sip as June practically dragged her back outside.
“I can’t do it,” June said in a rush as soon as the summer breeze greeted them. “I… I can’t do it. I—I’m not ready.”
“Okay,” Eleanor said.
This took some of the wind out of June’s sails. “Okay?”
“Yeah.” Eleanor gave her a kind smile. “Sweetie, I didn’t want to pressure you.” She paused, considering. “Okay, I guess I kind of did. But notpressure, pressure, if that makes any sense. I just wanted you to feel supported and not let your fears get the best of you. But if you’re really not ready, you’re not ready. Just… don’t give up on yourself, okay? Don’t let ‘not ready’ become ‘not ever’ just because you’re scared.”
June dropped her head back. “Ugh, what did I ever do to deserve such good friends?” she asked the night sky.
Eleanor looped their arms together. “It’s not a matter of ‘deserve,’ but I hope you know that you’re a great person who should have all kinds of good things in life. And that includes following your dreams… when you’re ready.”
June tilted her neck so that her head rested briefly on Eleanor’s shoulder.
“Right,” she said, gathering her mental energy. “Well, let’s not waste our night off, shall we? What do you say we head back to my place for some snacks and drinks?”
“That sounds perfect,” Eleanor said.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“It’s normal to feel this nervous, right?” Cadence asked. “Like, am I crazy?”
“You are not crazy,” June assured her. “The other night, Eleanor and I went out for, uh, dinner, and I was at least this nervous about my outfit.”
Cadence paused looking through her closet to give June a suspicious look. “Okay, so that’s obviously a lie, but I don’t have time right now to figure out how you’re lying. But just know that I know.”
“Noted,” June agreed. “But my larger point here is that you are normal.”
Cadence let out a wordless groan as she pressed her face into the doorjamb. “Don’t you guys have someplace better to be?” she asked, her voice muffled.
“Nope,” said June, popping the P. “Your kid is downstairs distracting my kid, so this is literally the best place in the world to me right now.”
“Hm, compelling argument,” Cadence said. The cool wood felt good on her forehead. Why did she feel sosweaty? “What do you got for me, Eleanor?”
Eleanor let out a grumble that rivaled Cadence’s.
“I,” she said snappishly, “am at an impasse on this house nonsense. If I try to go work on something, I justknowthat I will end up tracking down that Winnie Burnett and giving her a piece of my mind.” She sniffed. “Garrett, who is a spoilsport, argued that this is a good way to get myself arrested.”
“I don’t know that yelling at people is illegal,” June observed, “but I think Garrett is still right on this one.”
“Yeah, that’s what makes it annoying,” Eleanor complained. “And I wouldn’tyell. I’m alady. I would… speak sternly.”
“But, like, loud?” June teased.
“Cadence,” Eleanor said pointedly, “do you want to know what June was lying about before?”
Cadence knew that Eleanor wouldn’t actually reveal June’s secrets, but June just laughed and rolled her eyes.
