Page 64 of The Player's Obsession

“Don’t look at me. I’m no singer,” Penelope states.

“Me, either, but Rose here is a professional singer. You’ll nail this,” I say, putting an arm around Rose’s shoulders.

“Oh, I couldn’t,” she says, then blushes. “I don’t even know Nathan or Melanie.”

“Yeah, this is their moment. Let them shine. At home, I do enjoy listening to Rose hum tunes and string lines together to make a song. My voice is crap. I’m not going near that microphone.”

At this moment, our teammate Darrel and his wife, Stephanie, make their way towards us. They’re both carrying a martini and somehow managing not to spill it. Introductions are made.

“Well, Penelope, you have made quite the splash on social media,” is Stephanie’s opening salvo.

“Right?” I say, “I didn’t know I was newsworthy.”

“You aren’t, Oliver, but she is. She’s a mystery, and inquiring minds want to know more.”

She smiles as her eyes ping back and forth between us. Stephanie isn’t one to mess around, she’s like a mamma bear with her cubs.

“I work at Genzdime, the pharmaceutical company in town. I’m in their finance department.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard of that company. They are big. Are you originally from Maine?”

“Oh no, I’m from New York. I took a job here after college.”

Now everyone has figured out she’s younger than me.

“I love your pantsuit,” Penelope compliments Stephanie, and in women’s terms, it demonstrates they aren’t in competition. It’s like peace in the Middle East—we can all breathe easier now that the women have hit it off. “I had no idea what to wear this weekend. I’ve never been here before.”

“Me either. You know what? We should do the spa tomorrow morning. It’s New Year’s Eve, and a huge ball is on the hotel's top floor.”

“Wow, sounds like fun.” Rose squeals with excitement.

“Melanie loves to celebrate everything for as long as possible. Oliver, you should know that.” Stephanie's eyebrows furrow together like baby caterpillars as she takes a sip of her martini.

“Hmm, birthdays that go on for weeks, I know nothing about it,” I joke.

We all chuckle.

“I wish them well. To Melanie and Nathan,” I say, lifting my glass. We all cheer and take a sip.

The women congregate together like they do, and it gives us men time to catch up. I listen to Travis talk about a golf video he saw this week. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Stephanie gushing over Penelope’s ring.

“So, you’re okay with this wedding, after all?” Darrel asks me.

“Oh, yeah.” My honest response surprised me. It’s strange. I felt nothing when Melanie walked into the bar. Maybe I was too far away. Let’s see what happens when we meet face-to-face.

The emcee organizing karaoke calls up the first couple, and from the sound bite, I hear the Pina Colada song,Escape.

“Maybe we should get closer so we can watch,” Penelope suggests.

“Great idea, I have to see this,” Travis says.

“Are there any tables left?” Stephanie asks. I can see why she wants to sit down. She’s wearing four-inch heels, and that can’t be comfortable. I never understood why women put themselves through so much torture to look pretty. Penelope looks great in boots and sneakers. Her shoes for our dinner date were sexy without looking like instruments from the Spanish Inquisition.

I asked the bartender for a fresh bottle of champagne and a bucket of ice to take with us. We make our way to one of the last tables and sit. Penelope pulls her chair closer to mine.

None of us recognize the first couple to take the stage. They make it look so easy that I half expect the guy to have a parrot on his shoulder.

I can hear Penelope singing along, and she has a decent voice. Before I knew it, all the women at our table were singing with the crowd. Clearly, music brings people together just like food.

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