“Are you ready for the real fun now?” Mav asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You didn’t really think I brought you to this bar for drinks and fried food, did you?” he asked with a wicked smile that had her lifting her glass and taking another big chug. She had a feeling she was going to need the liquid courage.
Before she could ask him to explain, a man stood up on the stage and the crowd cheered. She looked at the man and then back at Maverick with suspicion.
“Are you all ready to karaoke?” the man called out. Lindsey’s face drained of color.
“You can’t possibly think I’m getting up on that stage and singing, can you?” she gasped.
His eyes were glowing.
“Trust me, it’s a healing experience. When you learn not to care about what other people think and just live for the moment and for your own happiness, your worries will fade away. These are strangers, people you most likely will never see again, and they are all here to have a great time,” he said as he tugged on her hand.
“No way, Mav. There’s no way I’m going up there. Not even with the buzz I have,” she threatened.
“Too late,” he told her.
“We’re going to start the evening off with a special duo. We’ve got Maverick and Sugar about to sing for you all,” the man on stage called out, and the crowd cheered again.
“Sugar? You told him my name was Sugar?” she snapped as he pulled her closer to the stage.
“Every star needs a stage name,” he said as they reached the steps.
“You don’t have a stage name,” she pointed out. He laughed.
“Baby, I’m already a star,” he told her.
Lindsey was horrified. Within seconds, she found herself on the stage with at least fifty people staring up at her. A mic was placed in her hand.
“I have never sung karaoke before. I don’t know how,” she exclaimed.
“Don’t worry, I picked the best song. You just follow the prompter,” he said.
She wasn’t going to do this. He couldn’t make her, she decided. But then the crowd was staring at her, and the music began playing, and Lindsey knew she was going to make a fool out of herself either way. There were only two choices. She could either sing the song, which would be terrible with her tone-deaf vocals, or she could run off the stage in humiliation.
Her only solace was the fact that the patrons were most likely three sheets to the wind already. In their drunken bliss, they wouldn’t pay her any attention. Plus, she was standing beside Maverick. Who in the world would look at her when he was there with a mic in his hand?
And then the words started, and he began to sing. She was rooted to the spot. Of course, the man had an incredible voice to go along with everything else that was absolutely perfect about him. But not only was it his voice, it was the lyrics.
She was a huge Johnny Cash fan, and he’d picked a fun song to sing. Lindsey actually found herself smiling as he sang the first verse of “Jackson.”
“. . . goin’ to Jackson . . . I’m gonna mess around . . .”
Without even thinking about the crowd below them in the crowded bar, Lindsey lifted the mic and began singing with a grin on her face.
“. . . make a big fool of yourself . . .”
The smile Maverick sent her way made her cheeks glow for a whole new reason. The song was flirty and fun and both of them got into it. She even found herself dancing with him as he talked of going to Jackson and messing around, and she countered.
“. . . people gonna stoop and bow . . .”
“. . . hah!” That was her favorite part of the song. She even chucked him beneath the chin and was rewarded by his brilliant smile.
The crowd went crazy and sang along with them to the old classic by the man in black. As the song wound down, Lindsey couldn’t keep the grin from her lips.
There she was, on the stage with Maverick, grateful he had pushed her into doing something she hadn’t wanted to do. He leaned down and kissed her briefly, which had the bar patrons cheering again, reminding her of where they were.
“That was a great song to start our night off. Next up is . . .”
The host continued speaking as Maverick led her offstage and back to their table in the corner of the bar. She sat, picked up her glass, and looked across at him.
“What are you doing to me, Maverick Armstrong?” she asked, not sure if she were asking this of herself or of him. She took a sip.
“I’m teaching you to enjoy the small stuff,” he answered, drinking his beer.
“And what happens when it’s finished?” She hadn’t meant to ask that question. She knew what happened when she did. She wanted to take it back immediately, but his eyes fired up as her smile faded.
“Who says it’s ending?” he said as he reached across their small table and grabbed her hand.
“Well, unless we’re heading down to Jackson . . .” She tried to make it a joke, but for some reason the thought of him fading from her life was making her throat close.
“Are you proposing to me, Ms. Helm?” he asked, the sparkle back in his eyes, but something else was there too that both scared and excited her.
“No!” she said as she tugged against him.
“Hmm? I know I’m irresistible.”
Her cheeks heated and she was grateful for the dim lighting surrounding them.
“Yes, you are pretty suave,” she said, downing the rest of her drink. The waitress came up and asked them if they needed anything else. Lindsey held her fingers up indicating she wanted two more. She had a feeling she was going to need them.