She shrugged. “At least it was soft. Now let’s go eat our weight in chocolate ice cream and watch Dirty Dancing.”
“You’re better than this,”I reassured myself. Grabbing some toilet paper, I cleaned up the eyeliner that was running under my eyes, reapplied my lipstick and mascara, and took a couple of deep breaths.
Show time.
I peeked out of the bathroom door. Lee had already made an exit, leaving my overnight bag on the floor next to the door.
Fucking dickbag.
Marching back on stage, I threw my purse and duffle bag onto the barstool behind me and grabbed the mic.
“Well folks, I just got dumped,” a sinister snicker soared from my throat as the words sank into my bones. Raising my glass of water high in the air, I toasted, “Here’s to scumbag lawyers and the girls who are stupid enough to fall in love with them.”
The entire bar was silent. I felt like I was in an old-timey movie and the record player in the back just screeched to a halt. You could have heard a pin drop in that damn place.
“To scumbags!” a bearded, burly customer hollered back from the bar and the rest followed suite, thankfully.
Without missing a beat, I sat behind the small piano and letSay Somethingby A Great Big World pour from my soul.
Gret
I sat entrancedby the heartbroken singer as she bared all of her feelings for the packed bar. I felt like my heart was breaking along with her on that stage.
When her set was over, I had Jackie send her a drink on me.
Jackie met her at the side of the stage with a rocks glass in hand. Etta smiled as Jackie pointed at me.
My heart started racing as the songbird flew to my side. Her long dark hair was swept up in a bun, showing off bare dainty shoulders in her strapless, dark blue evening gown. The storm brewing in her irises met mine as she took a seat next to me.
“Cheers,” she giggled as she clinked her glass to mine.
“You were fantastic. You deserved someone to buy you a drink after that performance. Sorry to hear about the scumbag lawyer.”
Throwing a duffle bag at her feet, she shrugged. “Just lost a hundred and eighty-five pounds of dead weight.”
“I can drink to that.”
“Do I know you from somewhere?” Her eyes scanned my face as she tried to place me.
“I come here a lot,” I admitted.
“Maybe that’s it then.” Etta pulled at her hair, letting it fall into loose curls. Her pale green eyes were glassy as her onyx locks framed her face perfectly.
Jackie leaned over the bar, pointing at my nearly empty glass. “Hayes, another?”
“Just water. I have to be in the barn bright and early.”
“The barn?” Etta asked as she cocked her head to the side. “Where in the hell is there a barn in Manhattan?”
I damned the fact that I was about to explain who I actually was to the gorgeous songbird. “The barn is another name for an ice rink. I have to go skate in the morning.”
“A little big to be a figure skater, aren’t you?” Etta teased.
“Yeah, definitely too big and clumsy to be a figure skater. I play hockey.”
“Like professionally? Are you famous or something?”
Jackie started laughing as she put the water glass down in front of me.
