Page 31 of One Week Wingman

“Why didn’t I know about this?” she pouts.

“No reason,” I reply, sinking lower in my seat.

“You should sing something for us now,” Lottie announces, shooting me a cunning look. “Wouldn’t that be fun?”

“Not remotely,” I mutter.

“Aww, don’t be modest,” she coos. “We’d love to hear, wouldn’t we?”

“Yes!” Daisy claps her hands together. “Rox-y! Rox-y!”

Oh God.

“Now, ladies,” Seb speaks up. “My girlfriend is off-duty tonight.”

But Daisy has already grabbed my hand and is pulling me out of the booth, over to the ancient piano in the corner. “I’m sure it’s not even tuned,” I protest.

“Sounds fine to me.” She hits some keys, and dammit, the thing is in perfect working order. “One song,” she pleads, “Pretty please? I always loved listening to you sing. I don’t know why you don’t do it all the time!”

Oh, maybe because my mom made it clear, musical ambitions led to a life of misery.

And that small, little thing called ‘crippling stage fright’.

But right now, everyone in the half-empty bar is looking at me expectantly. It would cause way more of a scene to try and bolt—no matter how tempting it may be.

“One song,” I warn her, sitting down on the little stool. “That’s it.”

“Yes!” Daisy cheers, heading back to sit with the others.

I take a deep breath, placing my fingers on the keys. What did I just get myself into? I don’t perform in public.Ever. Sure, I can sing along with my private teaching clients, and even belt along to the music at the bar without dying of shame, but this? Getting up in front of everyone?

I’d rather revisit that tequila blackout from graduation.

I lift my hands and start to play a few notes just to get used to it, picking out the melody to a familiar Brandi Carlisle song. If I close my eyes, I can just about pretend I’m alone here, so I do.

Then I open my mouth and start to sing.

My voice is a little shaky at first, but I soon get into it, falling into the notes I know by heart. It’s a slow song, tender, building to the final chorus, which I wind up belting, like I’ve been doing this for years.

And it feelsright.

Like I was born to do this, not even thinking, just being. I forget, how moments like this make me feel, when everything comes so naturally, I don’t have any room for doubts or insecurities, I just play. Totally absorbed in the music.

And then all too soon, it’s over, and reality comes rushing back again.

There are a few seconds of silence after I finish the song, so quiet, I can hear my own heart pounding in my chest, but then the bar bursts into cheers and applause.

I exhale a shaky breath. Nobody’s rioting or tossing rotten fruit. That’s a win, right?

“Oh my god!” Daisy cheers, when I return to our table and collapse into a seat. “That was amazing.”

I blush.

“Why didn’t I know you could do that?” Seb asks softly.

I give a breezy shrug, like that was no big deal at all. “I’m a woman of many talents.”

“Apparently so.”

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