Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 143728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 719(@200wpm)___ 575(@250wpm)___ 479(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 143728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 719(@200wpm)___ 575(@250wpm)___ 479(@300wpm)
The sound of clapping had reality crashing back down on her. Hammer would be furious at her giving in to Gianna’s request.
Leaving Zoey to accept all the praise, she used the opportunity to escape back to the table.
Gianna took one look at her expression and held her hands up in the air. “I’m sorry.” Then she ruined her apology by grinning in triumph. “I knew you would do great. I’ve been telling anyone who would listen that you have a great voice. I told Penni that she’d make more money managing your singing career than hiring you as a caterer for Mouth2Mouth.”
“She’s right, Ginny. Your voice is fantastic,” Penni joined in cheerfully.
Ginny started shaking at the idea Gianna had planted in Penni’s head. Once she had an idea, it became a personal project until the result she wanted was achieved. If Penni worked on the space program, men would be walking on Mars by now. She was that obsessive. She was that dangerous.
Penni had already been pressuring her to talk to Kaden about her songwriting, so Gianna adding her own opinion on her abilities would only add more fuel to Penni’s goal of her working with the famous singer.
“Wow, Ginny, you did great!” Zoey congratulated her, sitting back down.
Ginny grabbed her drink, belatedly regretting not ordering something stronger.
“You’re better than Kaden’s opening act! You should try out. Jesse won’t be coming back for the next tour,” Kaden’s wife excitedly yelled from the end of the table.
“Sawyer, I’m not a singer. I like to sing to relax or make time go by faster.” Ginny desperately tried to retape the box closed, but the damn thing kept coming open. “I’ve never had any lessons—”
“Kaden could teach you. He gives lessons when he’s not touring.”
“No.” Forget retaping it; she would monster glue it closed.
“Ginny, don’t be negative to possibilities.”
Ginny knew that look on Penni’s face. She was in trouble.
“I’m not being negative. I’m being realistic. I have no desire to live like Kaden and the rest of the band.”
“I thought you liked traveling with the band?” Zoey questioned.
“I do, but that doesn’t mean I want to sing.”
“You would make more money to afford the house you want to buy.”
“I can do that when I save enough money doing a job I like to do, which isn’t singing.”
“That’s true.” Zoey nodded. “You have a lovely voice. It takes a lot of self-confidence and self-esteem for singers to put themselves out there to be open to criticism. Did someone make fun of your singing?”
Ginny shut down. She had no intention of discussing why she didn’t want to sing.
“I see. Would you stop cooking if I didn’t like your cooking?”
“No,” she answered reluctantly. Zoey was becoming a second to Penni in determination.
“Do you get nervous if Gianna doesn’t like the way you clean the apartment you share?”
“No.” Ginny looked around for the waitress. She needed a stiff drink. The stiffer, the better, one that was strong enough to drown out Penni and Zoey.
“Because you’re good at it. You have confidence in things you do well. If you took lessons from Kaden, you may discover you do that just as well and enjoy sharing your gift.” Zoey leaned closer to her. “I’m not talking about taking a gigantic step and changing your choice of careers but being comfortable enough that you could join a choir or sing karaoke without someone standing next to you.”
“I’ll think about it.” Maybe if she just agreed with Zoey, it would take their minds off trying to convince her. She could always come up with excuses to get out of it later.
Penni gave Zoey a mock salute with her glass. “Damn, Zoey, you’re good. You make me want to take singing lessons.”
“Please don’t.”
The whole table burst into laughter at Zoey’s remark.
Ginny relaxed in her chair as the women started discussing their children. Looking around the nightclub, no one was even paying attention to their table, everyone’s attention on a man who had decided to take a turn singing.
She had dodged a bullet and now debated on whether she should call Hammer. Deciding she was making a mountain out of a molehill, she laughed at Zoey for giving Gianna a hard time for not telling her boyfriend she wanted more of a commitment out of him. Sitting there with Penni and her assortment of friends might not be as much fun as hanging out in a motel room with Trudy and her friends, but it was pretty damn close.
* * *
Inquisitive eyes stared at the table filled with women obviously having a good time, trying to place a name to the face of the one who just sang. He had the unenviable gift of never forgetting a face, and the woman’s teased his memory. She wasn’t pretty enough or old enough for her to have ever caught his attention. He guessed her age to be in her early twenties. By the clothes she wore, she didn’t mix in the same social circles he did. The only reason he was in the nightclub tonight was because he was considering a business opportunity. No, he was sure he had never met her before, yet something about her kept tickling his memory.