Page 47 of Just Between Us

Cassie snorts. “You’re only saying that because you were drunk.”

“That too,” Josie admits cheerfully. “It’s been forever since I drank that much. I don’t bounce back the way I used to.”

Penny raises her glass. “Amen.”

Josie grins and points between Cassie and me. “To be fair, the rules weren’t exactly in my favor.”

I frown. “What rules?”

Josie’s smile turns downright wicked. “Take a shot every time Cassie says a certain name.”

Cassie puts her head in her hands, groaning, but my face is pulled tight with a big grin.

Leaning close to her ear, I ask, “Who’s name, angel?”

She lifts her head, delivering a full-on glare to Josie, but it has no effect because her eyes are squinted with a smile.

“I hate you.”

Josie hops from her chair and pulls Cassie’s face to hers, giving her a big kiss on her cheek. “No, you don’t. You already love me.”

Penny and Josie fall into their own conversation and the room narrows to just Cassie and me. She still looks embarrassed from the bomb Josie dropped, but her cheeks have returned to their normal color.

You okay?I mouth over the noise of karaoke.

Cassie nods and leans in for me to hear her better. “Austin and my aunt got some things squared away this morning with Mom. Austin hasn’t given me many details yet, but he and my aunt have both told me things will be okay. All I can do is trust that, right?”

Now it’s my turn to nod. Cocking my head toward the stage where an energetic rendition of “Fergalicious” is happening, I ask, brows raised, “We still on?”

Cassie looks from the stage and back to me several times, her top teeth sunk into her lower lip.

“We can always sing another night,” I add, at the nerves I see written all over her face.

My offer seems to snap something inside of her, because she sits up straighter and throws her shoulders back.

“No. Tonight is the night. Now, get your ass up and let’s go sign up.”

Actual bees are buzzingin my belly. The big fat ones that burrow into things and buzz from the inside out. I can feel them. No one could convince me otherwise. I’ve always known I was a decent singer, but it’s Austin who is comfortable on a stage with the attention on him. Even when we lived with our parents and they tried to put us in the church choir, I’d clam up and refuse to line up with the other kids.

But the list sitting in my phone is about pushing myself. I can do this.

“You’re not gonna make me do this alone, are you, Cassandra?” Liam speaks into the microphone. Now all eyes are on me. He crooks his finger and like he has some sort of magnetic pull, I’m summoned on stage.

“Don’t look at the crowd. Just keep your eyes on the prompter and you’ll be fine,” he says, leaning close to my ear.

Swallowing down my nerves, I hold up my pinky and Liam hooks his with mine. “Pinky swear.” And he nods to the guy managing karaoke tonight.

The first notes of “You’re the One That I Want” start up, and I know I won’t need words on the screen. Liam’s part comes first, and when he begins to sing, my mouth slowly parts into aperfectly round O. Liam can actually sing. Like,really well. He puts on the charm, singing to the crowd, and they respond to him the same way everyone responds to Liam. Whoops and whistles come from various tables and groups, and he flashes his signature boyish grin, slicks his palms through the sides of his hair in his best Danny Zuko, and rolls his hand in the air, coaxing the crowd on. He knows exactly what he’s doing to them.

I press my lips together and shake my head, but my cheeks betray me, lifting despite my efforts at keeping a straight face.

My part is quickly approaching, and right before I’m up, Liam does a flourish, gesturing to me like he’s Vanna White or something.

“Let’s hear it for my favorite girl, Cassie James!”

From our table, Penny and Josie whoop louder than anyone else. Emboldened by the crowd and my new friends, something fearless snaps into place, and I channel my inner Sandy. Instead of my voice shaking how I expect, it comes out dripping with attitude, and I turn to sing straight to Liam. Liam reaches for my belt loop, tugging me closer, and every single part of my body swoops. Before I can second-guess myself, I drag a single finger down his sculpted chest.

The crowd absolutely loses it, eating up the show. But the crowd isn’t what I’m thinking about. I’m thinking about the way his muscles tightened under my touch and his breath caught. Just barely, but enough for me to hear. That wasn’t a performance. His reaction was real.