Page 36 of Feuds and Interludes
Rose, Annie, Brandon and Boone were in the bar, the screen had karaoke lyrics going, and Brandon was currently up on stage singing “Do You Really Want Me” by Salt-N-Pepa. Boone was painting Rose’s fingernails and bobbing his head along to the song.
“Oh hey, Shane!” Rose waved me over with the hand she was trying to dry. “Dean and the guys took your rental into town to go bowling. He said to text him if you wanted to come out. They waited for you, but they didn’t want to miss their reservation.”
Boone glanced up and smiled at me. My heart fluttered at first, and then seemed to stutter.
“You can take one of our vans if you want to join them,” she offered, and then her eyes widened as I lowered myself into the empty seat next to Boone.
“Thanks,” I said to Rose. Then I leaned closer to Boone and asked in a low voice, “This okay?”
He beamed up at me. “You want to go next?” he asked, holding up the polish brush and pointing toward the screen. “We’ve got the karaoke machine on random so there’s no telling what might come up.”
“Thanks,” I said. “I’m good.” Really, I wanted to zone out and not have to think, and Boone and his friends kept me entertained for the next hour, at which point, Boone poked me.
“You know, we’d all feel a lot better if you took a turn singing. For all we know, you’re sitting there quietly judging us.”
“I’m not,” I protested. “I wouldn’t.”
But he was laughing, so I let out a breath and sat back in the chair. It was odd to me how close they were, the three of them. I’d never been cozy with the guys in my band, nor in the bands I played in before Wicked Soul. I was there to do a job, or so I told myself. I’d seen what getting close with your bandmates could do, and I didn’t want to give anyone that much power over me.
Boone had finished painting everyone’s nails but mine. I kinda wished I would have taken him up on the offer, if only to have him touch me. I was twitchy and my skin felt tight thinking about tomorrow morning. I needed to get out of my head.
“Fine, I’ll sing.”
Boone’s eyes widened and he clapped his hands. “Shane’s up!” He turned to me and placed a hand on my arm. “You sure?”
I laughed and nodded. “Hit me.”
I took the microphone from Brandon and stepped up onto the small stage. Then I saw the song that popped up.
“Oh, no.”
Brandon and Annie whooped with joy, and Rose burst out laughing.
The ’90s ballad “I Can Love You Like That” by All-4-One cued up, and I cringed. Annie and Rose jumped up and started slow dancing like junior high kids and the whole thing felt…right.
I hammed it up, which I think surprised all of them, but I kept my gaze on Boone. I even did some choreography—yeah, my metal-slinging ass could dance—and the others laughed, but Boone? He stared at me with stars in his eyes as if he wereswooning over me. It only fed my momentary lapse of coolness, and I hit all the high notes, all the stylings and then some, until I had to gasp for air. When the song was over, I got high fives from Rose, Annie, and Brandon, and Boone just pressed a hand to his chest and shook his head as he laughed.
This was happening.
“I hate to be that one addict, but I gotta smoke,” Annie said, looking between us as I took my seat next to Boone once more.
“Oh, me too, definitely,” her brother said, getting a clue.
“Got one for me?” Rose asked as she followed them outside, waving to us as she caught up to them. They went out the door giggling and singing my song.
“That was wild, Butler,” Boone said as he packed up his manicure tools. “You went for it.”
“When one is challenged by the karaoke gods, one must push thyself into greatness.”
Boone chuckled and rested his chin in his hand, his smile fading. “How did today go?” he asked me. “You seem, I don’t know. Off, maybe?” He slid a hand onto my thigh and leaned closer.
I wanted to be able to trust Boone, but this was all so new. “Rehearsal went. We have the songs down. But then Lydia and I talked after.”
He leaned back a little. “Uh-oh. I’ve had those talks with her.”
I looked down at his hand. His nails were painted silver and he wore several beaded bracelets, some wooden and some gemstones. I placed my hand on top of his. Our fingers were the same length but his hands were thinner. Mine dwarfed his. “She wants us to have a big pow-wow in the morning…wants me to, I don’t know, open up, ease up on needing control.”
“Ouch.” Boone tucked his hair behind his ears and his gaze was so intense, I started to panic.
