Page 91 of The Friend Game

“You pick,” Brooke says. Jill grabs for the second karaoke menu and flips to the back where all the duets are listed.

“Let's go put our name in,” she says, her chair scraping against the floor as she gets to her feet and grabs Brooke.

“I’ll be back,” Brooke tells Grant who gives her a very enthusiastic double thumbs up.

Once they’re gone Belinda starts asking Grant polite questions about his work, and I sink back into my chair, resuming my attempts with the cherry stem.

“You okay?” Sydney asks me in a low voice.

I automatically start to tell her that I’m fine, but I can’t complete the thought. My voice just gives out after the word “I’m.”

My trusty mantra is broken.

Sydney gives me a sympathetic look.

“You want to hear something that will cheer you up?” I shoot her a skeptical look, fairly certain there’s nothing she could say that will cheer me up. “Fine,” she amends, “it may not cheer you up, but it will at least provide you with a temporary distraction.” She eyes Grant, still caught up in conversation with Belinda, then rushes out in a barely audible whisper, “I bet your sister she couldn’t date this guy for three months.”

“What? Really?” Suddenly Brooke’s tolerant behavior makes sense.

“Yup.” Sydney looks quite pleased with herself. “I’m so sick of her dating different versions of the same guy, always expecting one of them to somehow stick, then acting all surprised when she realizes she doesn’t want to keep dating her guy of the month. She needed a wake up call.” Her smile turns devilish. “And she’s getting one. You know how her relationships never last more than a month or so?” I nod and she jerks her head toward Grant. “Well these two have been going strong for ten weeks.” She rubs her hands together evilly. “And she’s going absolutely crazy. I can see it in her eyes. There’s no way she’ll make it for two more weeks and when she fails, I get to pick her next date.”

“Wow.” I glance over at Grant then up near the stage where Brooke and Jill are talking to Donny, the piano guy playing tonight. They must beup next. “That’s actually pretty genius,” I tell Sydney.

“I know.” She sighs happily, then catches sight of something over my shoulder and gasps. “Oh my gosh, Will is here.”

“Will?” I turn to the door and see the worship director exchanging some words with the hostess at the front. My stomach clenches, the sight of him reminding me too much of Luke. I look away quickly. “What is he doing here?” I hiss. I don’t want him here. He might see me and report back to Luke. I can just imagine what he’d tell him too.

She was throwing back Shirley Temples and her eyes were all red and puffy like a pink eye patient who waited too long to get treatment.

I sink lower in my seat.

“I don’t know,” Sydney says. “I’ve never seen him here before.” Her eyes are still fixed on Will like he’s a puzzle she’s trying to figure out. “Brooke and Will,” she murmurs thoughtfully. “Now that’s a thought.”

“And now welcome to the stage our lovely owner Miss Brooke Garza and her sister Jill,” Donny’s voice booms from the piano. “They’ll be performing 'Party For Two' by Shania Twain and Billy Currington.”

I shake my head at my sisters as they walk onstage. Jill and Brooke love to sing duets of all varieties regardless of the content. For them if thereare emotional moments, high notes, or Shania Twain is involved they’re game. Serenading each other is a strange but normal thing they do. Last time I saw them onstage together they hit up the emotional moments and high notes, so it makes sense that tonight is a Shania night.

Donny begins to play the familiar tune and my sisters turn to face each other, mics at the ready, but then Jill frowns and fumbles for something in the pocket of her jeans. Her phone.

“It’s Max,” I hear her tell Brooke, since she says it into the microphone.

“So call him back,” Brooke replies, also speaking into her microphone.

Jill looks torn. She and Max have thisnever ignore each others’ phone callsrule. Having pseudo-lived with them for so long, I know all about it. Jill is the main proponent of said rule, which means there’s no way she’ll ignore his call. Sure enough she shoots Brooke a very apologetic look then says into the mic, “Sorry, it’s my husband. I have to take this.” Then she hurries off stage, tossing Donny her mic as she goes.

Brooke stares after her, her annoyance evident.

“Well, well, well,” Donny actually sounds pleased by this turn of events. “It looks like we have ourselves a karaoke damsel in distress!”

The crowd cheers excitedly. Brooke shoots Donny a furious look. He may well pay for this later.

“No, no,” she begins, “I’m fi—”, but Donny cuts her off.

“We’re looking for a gentleman, any gentleman at all, to sing with our lovely Miss Brooke here. Only requirements,” he adds as Jerry Dolber—a regular with a penchant for getting up onstage and making people cover their ears—starts to get up, “is that the man in question be able to carry a tune.”

“Oh, Grant, honey,” Belinda exclaims, “you should go up there! Save your lady love!”

“Yes, you should!” Sydney is quick to cotton on to this idea.

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