Page 18 of Honeymoon for Seven

“That about says it all. I have no idea how anyone is going to have the nerve to get up and sing after her.”

When she finished, not only was there thunderous applause but several people had jumped to their feet. Nick couldn’t blame them, he almost did the same.

“Wow.”

It didn’t take long for Nick to learn that very few people were discerning of their own skills. Not one, or two, but the next three singers were mediocre at best and couldn’t have cared less. Especially an older brunette who was waving her arms with the rise in music as if she were guiding an aircraft at the airport into its gate.

The brunette left the stage to generous applause and this time a guy got on stage. From the way he walked up, his shoulders slightly slumped, Nick got the feeling the guy wasn’t having a great time so far. His girlfriend or wife had probably coaxed him into this.

“He doesn’t look too happy to be up there.” Ginnie’s gaze followed the man.

Nick nodded. “I was just thinking the same thing.”

“I saw him at the jewelry store before Phoebe bumped into me. I noticed he didn’t look happy then either.” A few seconds later and the first notes of the song played and Ginnie bobbed her head. “This might explain the dour demeanor?”

“What?” He wasn’t sure what she’d noticed. Nick actually glanced around for signs of something, what he didn’t know.

“‘Unbreak My Heart.’ It’s a Toni Braxton song and could explain a few things.”

The guy belted out the song, and thankfully on key, because nothing could be worse than a sad song and a bad voice. Towards the end, Nick actually began to feel for the guy. There was just a little too much emotion in his rendition to just be a song.

The song over, the singer nodded and trudged off the stage.

“Poor guy,” Ginnie’s gaze tracked the guy walking to a table alone. “Hope he meets someone nice while on board.”

Breaking into both their thoughts, one of the staff announced over the sound system, “We have plenty of slots. Come forward and pick your song.”

“Not on your life,” Ginnie muttered.

“Chicken?” he teased.

“Not going to work on me.” She shook her head. “That which I do, I do well, and that which I don’t do well, I delegate. I refuse to get up there and make a fool of myself.”

He wondered if she really didn’t sing well or was merely underestimating herself. Only one way to find out.

Chapter Eight

The man had clearly lost his mind. “You getting up there and making a fool of yourself isn’t a good reason for me to do the same. As my mom used to say, ‘If your friends jump off a bridge, are you going to follow?’ My answer was always, ‘No, Mama.’ I can honestly say, my mama didn’t raise any fools.”

“Chicken.”

“Don’t you know any other words?” She did her best to glare at him, but her eyes held too much sparkle.

“Dare you. Those are two words.”

“Nope.” She was not falling for it. She had too much self esteem. Or maybe it was a healthy sense of self-preservation.

“I’ll buy you another Marvelous Mango.”

“Nope.”

The next gentleman up had to be the weakest of all the evening’s singers. To make matters worse, he didn’t look all that comfortable up there either.

“See.” Nick waved at the guy on stage. “Nobody can be worse than him.”

“You got me there.”

“Great. I’ll see you on stage after I pick my song.”

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