The table went quiet when a long-haired man jumped onto the small stage and raised a microphone. “Let’s get this party rolling! Who wants to go first?” he shouted.
Several people in the bar yelled out to get his attention.
Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he pointed at a middle-aged woman in the back of the room. Ginny yelled encouragement for the woman after people quit listening, drowning her out after she only sang the first few notes.
“She’s terrible. I’m going to need another drink if the entertainment doesn’t get any better,” Vida complained, finishing her second drink.
“I think she’s doing a good job considering—”
“That she’s tone deaf,” Sawyer cut Zoey off. “Even the DJ quit hopping.”
“I can sing better than that, and I’m tone deaf.” Gianna took another chip, popping it into her mouth.
“You’re all being too critical.”
Ginny agreed with Zoey. She didn’t think the woman sounded that bad. It was karaoke. It wasn’t like they were expecting Ariana Grande to jump up and start singing.
“We’re being nice.” Penni stood up when the woman finished and stepped down from the stage. “Watch this. I’ll show her how it’s done.”
The DJ didn’t even have enough time to ask who was next before Penni was on stage.
Ginny laid her head down on the table when Penni attempted to sing, smacking the table with her hand beside her head.
“She’s even worse!” Sawyer howled.
“You girls are being hypercritical because you listen to Mouth2Mouth during rehearsals and concerts.” Ever-the-happy Zen master, Zoey tried to hush their laughter, seeing they were getting loud enough that Penni heard them over the music she was trying to sing to.
Ginny raised her head, trying to get control over herself.
“I don’t. She’s just plain bad,” Gianna said, wiping her tears of laughter away with a napkin. “I don’t have any musical talent, and I can sing better than that.”
“Prove it.”
Gianna’s laughter faded when Penni came up behind her.
“You’re already done?” Gianna blanched at getting caught bad-mouthing Penni’s singing.
“The DJ took the microphone away from me. Put your tonsils where your mouth is.”
“You’re not making any sense. No more drinks for you.” Zoey tried to move Penni’s drink away from her grasping hand.
“Gianna knows what I mean.”
“You don’t think I won’t?”
Ginny seriously thought about stuffing her napkin in her mouth to keep from laughing. Gianna hated being provoked; she tried shutting them down every time.
“I know you won’t,” Penni taunted.
“Watch me.” Gianna stood up, throwing Penni a challenging look.
“I won’t have to. I can hear you from here.”
This was why she had dragged herself out of her bed and got dressed. The women reminded her so much of the friendship Trudy shared with her friends.
“She’s good,” Zoey complimented Gianna.
Ginny rested her hand on her cheek, enjoying listening to Gianna sing.
“She’s okay.” Penni held her hand out to Zoey. “Can I have my drink back if I act like she is?”
“No, you’ve had enough.”
“I thought you hated to use the no word?” Penni told the life coach.
Ginny laughed inwardly while still listening to Gianna. Penni was on a roll tonight.
“I do, but I don’t mind when it’s appropriate.”
Penni turned her attention to the woman next to her. “Sawyer, you should get Kaden to start going to Zoey. I need a raise, and all he keeps telling me is no.” Now Penni was turning her snark to her boss who wasn’t there.
Sawyer appeared embarrassed. “I tried, but he says he doesn’t have the time to spare.”
Penni snorted. “She’s being polite. He says the same thing Jackal says—that it’s baloney.”
Ginny understood what Penni was trying to do. She was trying drum up more business for Zoey by enlisting their wives without them knowing it.
“Penni!”
“It’s okay, Sawyer. A lot of people say that.”
“Not many. How many followers do you have now?” Sawyer asked Zoey, glaring at Penni.
“I’m at fifty thousand.”
“That’s fantastic!” Ginny said enthusiastically. Zoey sincerely tried to help people. She was becoming popular; it had to be helping her business.
“Who’s next?” The DJ shouted out across the crowded room.
Gianna nudged Ginny. “You go.”
“No way.” She nearly tipped her glass over at the suggestion.
“Come on, you love to sing,” Gianna tried to coax her again. “Hell, you do it when you clean the apartment. You don’t have any problem singing in front of me then.”
“That’s different. It’s just me and you.”
Ginny thought she would pass out at the suggestion.
“You sing when you cook,” Penni joined in, trying to convince her.
“I do?”
“Yep. Go ahead. Queen City is so big that you’re never going to see these people again anyway.”
“She sings in church, too.” Gianna nudged her again. “You can’t have stage fright with the way you sing every Sunday.”
“That doesn’t involve a stage, and you’re standing next to me in the pew, singing the same song.”
“If I go up there with you, will you do it?” Gianna didn’t give her time to answer, standing up and grabbing Ginny’s hand, tugging her toward the stage.