Page 54 of Forever and Other Lies

“Well, congratulations, and good luck.” Jayna’s smile looked forced.

“We don’t need luck. We have it in the bag,” Maisie bragged. “Is it true that you two are dating?”

“Who would lie about a thing like that?” Derek chimed in. Jayna gave him a sharp kick.

“Have a great night, and I hope we can count on all of your votes.” Maisie gave a little wave as she walked away.

“She is still full of herself,” Jayna muttered.

“Thought she was a friend?” Derek leaned down and rubbed his shin.

“More like a frenemy,” Jayna’s eyes were trained on Maisie as she walked up on stage with her fiancé. “She insults me in the sweetest of voices and I compliment her with thinly veiled sarcasm.”

Derek couldn’t hold in the laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“That you think your sarcasm is thinly veiled,” he told her.

Her nose crunched up, and the left corner of her lip lifted. “Whatever!”

Jayna shook her head and frowned as Maisie began to belt out a very bad rendition of ‘Summer Nights.’ “Of course, she’d pick that song.” She shoved back her chair and stood. “I’ll be back.”

“Don’t hurry,” he called after her and was awarded with the flip of her middle finger.

He continued to watch her walk toward the bar. The woman was too much. He should have stayed home. Pretending to be Jayna’s boyfriend would require much better acting skills than he possessed. He turned back to the stage, cringing as Maisie attempted to hit a high note. Why did any couple think that was a good song choice for karaoke? Why did any couple think karaoke was a good choice?

A shot glass landed in front of him, and he glanced up. Jayna set a glass in front of Ben and Connor as well before sitting down in the chair beside him.

“Bottoms up, boys.”

“What is it?” Derek stared at the clear liquid in the shot glass and the plate of lemon wedges.

“Tequila.”

“I don’t drink Tequila.” He shoved the glass back in her direction.

“It will make you a better singer.” Jayna used her right index finger to push the glass back in front of him.

“Why would I want to be a better singer?” He pushed the tequila toward her again.

“Because I just signed us up for the karaoke contest.” She waggled her brows at him and moved the glass in front of him once more.

“I don’t sing karaoke.” He pushed the shot glass to the center of the table, out of her reach.

“You do now.” Jayna leaned across the table and picked up the glass.

“No way. Not happening!”

“No problem.” Jayna placed the shot glass next to hers. “I just hope I don’t have a problem being available for your work thing next weekend.”

The threat was loud and clear. Damn her. He needed her to honor their agreement more than she needed him to. All she had to lose was a chance at winning the paramedic’s attention, but his career and ability to walk unassisted were at risk. The woman who couldn’t even decide which shampoo scent she liked could very well decide that Lance was not worth the trouble.

She moved the glass back in his direction. “Come on Dare, don’t be a wuss.”

Wuss? That was his word, one he used to describe his uptight older brother. No one called him a wuss. Ever!

“I am not a wuss. I just happen to think karaoke is lame. And I don’t do lame.”

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