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“Two beers,” Cody told the twenty-something female bartender.
Tammy was back there doing her thing as well, all dressed up in a powder-blue lacy dress. No heels for this lady. Only cowgirl boots, fancy white ones with some sparkle, but boots nonetheless. It made it easier for her to pop in and out from behind the bar. That was the thing about Tammy, she loved this place and loved working her bar even during a wedding for her own niece.
“And two tequila shots,” I added.
“Are you purposely lookin’ for trouble?” Cody asked. He seemed even more adorable than usual, and I wanted to swoon right there.
I moved my arms and hands to the music and grinned right at him.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said, bumping my hip with his.
I continued to move with the music. I also sang along with Miranda, and when our drinks were put down, I picked up my shot and held it there until Cody did the same. We clinked glasses and threw them back. I loved the taste of a good tequila, which I’d made sure this was. Then I sucked on the lime, leaned in, and laid one on Cody, who kissed me as if this was part of our ritual.
“Whew!” I said, once we parted from the kiss.
“You folks are having way too good of a time,” Gabe said, joining us.
“And she sings,” Cody announced. “Better than most.”
“I caught a little of that when you two were out on the dance floor. She’s better than some of our backup singers,” Gabe said.
“Ever think of singing professionally?” Cody asked me.
Caught completely by surprise, I said, “Not really.”
Which wasn’t exactly true. I was a secret American Idol superfan. Even went to a live taping when I was a kid. I was in the audience when Carrie Underwood made it to the top ten. I never told anyone about that, but Natalie knew. She’d been there with me, not because of the singers, but because she loved Simon Cowell, and nearly died when she was able to get his autograph. I didn’t remember all the details of how she and I were able to score those tickets, but it had something to do with a business transaction between my dad and Simon. Whatever it was, those memories of that day are burned into me. It was the best time I’d ever shared with Natalie. We became best friends after that.
Too bad we eventually drifted apart.
“If you’re ever serious about it, we’d love to have you join our band,” Cody said. “You’d be an asset, that’s for sure.”
“What? Me? I couldn’t possibly…”
“What’s going on?” Dustin asked as he walked up to the bar.
“We’re trying to convince Emily here to join us on tour as one of our backup singers,” Cody told him.
I nearly choked on the beer I’d been guzzling.
“Sounds good to me,” Dustin said. “But can you learn our songbook in the next three weeks?”
“This is crazy!” I told them, catching Tammy’s eye and ordering a full round of tequila shots for all four of us.
“But what about your business in LA? That’s what’s probably holding you back, right?”
I hesitated for about a moment, trying to decide if I should ‘fess up and tell them the truth about my company.
“Oh, she sold that before she came out,” Tammy offered as she put down the shots and replenished the slices.
“What? You sold your company?” Cody asked, looking shocked.
I threw Tammy a look.
“What, doll?” she asked. “Was that some kind’a secret? Sorry, but you should’ve warned me. Even then, I’m not always too good at secrets. The way I figure it, if it’s such a big deal, you shouldn’t be telling me, ‘cause I can’t keep those kinds of things to myself. Sorry, doll. Just the way I’m built.”
And she walked off.
No remorse.
