Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 19583 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 98(@200wpm)___ 78(@250wpm)___ 65(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 19583 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 98(@200wpm)___ 78(@250wpm)___ 65(@300wpm)
A table of girls cheers them on, and we're only here a few minutes before Evelyn calls us over to her and Josh. Josh slouches in his chair, dragging his finger around the rim of his glass. He doesn’t look too good, and I feel bad for him.
"Great, first Jake and now you, Collin." My name rings with disdain from Josh as he gulps the rest of his drink down his throat. He whirls his finger in the air to signal another round to the table.
"Maybe you should slow down, Josh." Danielle rubs his back, her eyes full of sympathy and her forehead creased with worry.
He shrugs away from her grasp. "You slow down. You should slow down. Because of you, I put brake fluid in the oil, and you lucked around with Mr. Right-On-Time here, but I'm stuck. Stuck like you were on the highway. I'm stuck, and Hilary's stuck sucking some guy’s—“
"Enough, Joshie," Evelyn chimes in after taking a drink of the fresh beer brought to the table. "Don't let this get you down. Hil-fuckery is going to be out of your system in a few weeks, and you'll move on to the next double-D delight in a navy pinstripe pantsuit."
I pull a chair over with a laugh, but before I can sit, Josh clicks his tongue. "No song means no beer and no chair for you, Mr. Wright."
Danielle throws me a crooked smile and tips her head to the stage.
One of the bartenders grabs the mic. "Sign the list and sing the song. Titles are in the binder. Who's next?"
"I think that's our cue, Collin." Danielle beams, not even bothering to hide her excitement. She leans in close to whisper in my ear, "Don't worry. I sing so bad that no one's going to even pay attention to how nervous you are."
"Jelly Bean, for the last time, I ain't scared."
"Prove it."
Ah. Two words that always push me to make questionable choices. With a sigh, I walk away from the table and toward the stage. The bartender is an acquaintance, familiar with me since they get their car fixed at my shop.
Her smile widens as she announces me as the next singer. "Oh, this ought to be good. Come on up, Collin. Song choice?"
I flip the binder open and see the tune I'm going to use just to show Danielle how much stage fright I don't have. Karaoke isn’t my idea of a fun night, but there’s a secret thrill in knowing I’m about to surprise the hell out of my woman.
The soft intro of You're Just Too Good to Be True by Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons plays, and I hold Dani’s gaze, my mouth quirking up.
The lyrics come to me effortlessly, one wholesome foster home memory of long ago playing in the back of my mind. Each word hits the right note, and the melody builds until my favorite part of the song comes up.
"I love you, baby, and if it's quite all right, I need you, baby…"
Everyone's eyes are on me, full of shock, awe, and, more importantly, admiration. By the time I close out the song, everyone's on their feet, and Danielle's standing at the table, clasping her hands in front of her, her eyes shiny with tears.
"Aw, don't cry, Jelly Bean," I tell her as the next person takes over the karaoke stage. My thumb swipes the stray tear falling down her cheek. "Is my singing that bad?"
"How? When? It's beautiful."
"Mr. Fucking Perfect." Josh snorts and rolls his eyes.
"No." I turn to face him, tired of being the object of his scorn, even though I don’t remember doing anything to him. "Remember the whole ‘not having a family’ thing? You know the reason people call me Leftie, Josh? It's because when I was six, the boys' home I was placed in, an orphanage … Every kid got adopted but me. I was the only one left. So no, I'm not Mr. Fucking Perfect, far from it, and I don’t even give a shit." I shake my head with pity for him as I grab a beer, toss it back to take a long swallow, and walk away from the table.
9
DANIELLE
My heart aches for Collin—it always has when I think about his life before he came to our house—but the realization washing over Josh's face is one I don't want to relive. Evelyn's watering eyes mirror mine, but her tears aren't from Collin's stellar performance. She's just as moved by the tale of his origins as I was when I first heard the story.
"No one ever wanted me," Collin whispers into his beer as I sit on the stool beside him.
"That's not true," I tell him, nudging his shoulder.
"You're right. I take that back." He grins and tips his beer toward me. The bartender hands me a bottle, and I toast Collin.