“Yeah, but he hasn’t tried anything. He comes in, glares at Dani, and drinks until last call. Don’t worry. I won’t let him hurt your girl.”
“She’s not my girl. We’re friends.”
“Uh huh, and I’m totally cis.” Neil rolled his eyes. “If you two want to play the denial game, that’s fine by me. It’s entertaining.”
A loud cheer broke out, complete with clapping, boot stomping, and appreciative whistles. I raised my brows in question at Neil.
“Interesting,” he said.
“What?”
“This guy’s pretty good, but he typically plays later in the evening. He likes to rile up the crowd first.” After a pause, Neil added, “Ben’s asked Dani out a few times, but she was with Beau then. He probably heard she’s single.”
He was baiting me.
“What time should I sign you up for?” he asked impishly.
I grumbled at him, and he cackled louder.
“What if I don’t have any talents?” I bit out.
“Most people don’t,” he laughed. “Ben is a rare exception. There’s a guitar and a keyboard if that helps.”
I shouldn’t hate the guy for hitting on Dani or wanting to impress her. She’s gorgeous, funny, smart, and giving. Yet I had to relax my jaw to keepmy teeth from grinding. Now there were two people whose faces I wanted to smash.
Neil’s laughing eyes said he knew it, but he didn’t call me out.
“Fine. I’ll do it.”
He cackled with delight.
“What should I put you down for?”
He snickered when I responded.
“This is gonna be so much fun,” he gloated.
Laughing, he left me to glare into my drink. A much-too-young woman tried to get my attention, but my glower hadn’t lost all effectiveness.
All too soon, my name rang out over the speaker system, and I lumbered to attention. I searched for Dani and found her eyes on me, happiness and surprise in her expression. My heart lifted. Maybe I was a fool, but I was her fool.
“Woo, Jake! Break a leg,” Neil shouted.
When I tuned the guitar, nerves and excitement assailed me. It had been years since I’d sung in public. I wasn’t worried about making a fool of myself up here, though. For one, the ring of drunk, boisterous women made it clear that if I sounded like a frog, they wouldn’t care. Plus, I was a mechanic, not a musician.
No, I was worried I’d give myself away. I’d sung this song a thousand times but never in front of Dani. Hopefully she wouldn’t guess I learned it for her.
It was her favorite song when we were in high school, and I practiced it night after night as I worked up the nerve to ask her out. Then she dated some asshole, my dad sold my guitar, and it was moot.
After boot camp, I got a new guitar. It had been years since I played this song, but my mind came up otherwise blank when Neil asked what I planned to perform. I refusedto think about why.
After I gave a closed-mouth smile to the audience, I settled onto the stool and hooked my boots into the rungs. With the guitar nestled on my lap, I strummed while they quieted. I cleared my throat and sung the first line.
My voice grew stronger once I got past the first few words. Excited hoots rang out as some of the audience members recognized the former hit and sang along. That put me at ease, and I settled into the rhythm of the song.
I sang the lyrics etched on my heart about loving someone forever even after they left. The words came easily once I started, and my emotions spilled out as I sang of enduring love, sadness, and heartbreak.
My love is forever and always
