The story Cam told me about bringing his mom rings from the dentist takes on a deeper meaning now. He spent his childhood desperately striving to make his mom happy. I know the feeling all too well.
“Why birds?” he asks, clearly ready to move past his revelation.
I laugh, and my heart lifts just a little. “My dad was terrified of birds. Like, would walk out of his way to avoid them. It made trips to the beach and zoo quite interesting.” I peer at him from beneath my lashes. “When he died…” I pause when his fingers dance down the back of my arm. “Three birds circled above for the entire funeral service. One bird shit directly on his grave, like a giant metaphor for the day.”
“Seriously?” His brow—the one with the scar—raises, along with the corners of his lips.
I nod, finding it impossible to hold back a full-on smile. The memory is too precious.
“All right, boo.” Millie claps, knowing full well if I start to talk about my dad whilst drinking, I’ll be on the fast track to ruining our night. “What are we singing? Our usual?”
Ezra perks up and plants his forearms on the table. “Oh, there’s a usual?”
“Hell yeah!” She pulls out a tube of lipstick, a stunning Taylor Swift red.
“How often do you do karaoke?” he asks.
Millie shrugs. “With Joey? Maybe once a month.”
Cam arches a brow, probably wondering where in the city this takes place. FrenchSHEs puts on karaoke once a week, but I accidentally became a once-a-month regular not long after I moved to the city. The energy the crowd puts out is addictive.The best kind of karaoke night is the kind that leaves a person dabbing a cocktail napkin between their boobs the moment they jump off the stage.
Ezra tilts his head and eyes me, then turns back to my cousin. “And by yourself?”
“Oh, all the time, honey.” She winks.
“She’s a pro,” I add.
“So the usual?” Millie finishes applying her lipstick and drops it back into her clutch.
“I think I’m going to skip this one,” I sigh. No amount of alcohol could get me on that stage in front of Cam. He’s seen me naked, but right this minute, this feels a lot more vulnerable.
She pouts. “But who’s going to be the Danny to my Sandra Dee?”
“I’ll—”
“Fine!” she huffs, cutting Ezra off. “I’ll just have to go with the next best thing.”
“And what’s that?” He keeps inching closer to my cousin.
“Prepare to have thetime of your life,” she croons. And with that, she’s out of her seat and gliding toward the emcee, shoulders back and flowy skirt swaying.
“Please don’t tell me she’s doing the song fromDirty Dancing,” he says to no one in particular.
“Nope. Just you wait.” I beam.
If karaoke were an Olympic sport, Millie would be dripping in gold.
Minutes later, with her Pilates-toned midsection on full display, she’s got the entire bar convinced she’s Meryl Streep inMamma Mia.
Then we’ve all got our hands in the air as we shout along with her to the last refrain.
On the verge of floating off the stage, she waggles her index finger at Ezra. “I told you! The crowd-pleaser always wins.” Sheflops into her seat and blots at the sweat beading at her hairline with a napkin.
There’s a sensuous flame burning in his eyes when he watches her. “It was an exceptional performance, although it would have been better if you had an actual tambourine rather than the tiara you ripped off that poor bachelorette’s head.”
“I did her a favor.” She waves him off and brings a glass of water to her lips. “Like you’d do better.”
“Oh shit.” Cam brings his fist to his mouth and bites down on his knuckles.
