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Jane
I couldn’t face going home after work. Carter wasn’t due back from his road trip until tomorrow, Ethan was playing away games with his ball team, and Brooke was working the night shift at the hospital. The odds of Chad interrupting my night were almost 100 percent. Anytime I was alone in the house, he found an excuse to spend time in the family room or the kitchen, and insert himself into whatever I was doing. It was as if he thought prolonged exposure would make me forgive and forget.
Hardly. He still hadn’t done anything so bad I could kick him out, and I knew when I did, Chad would try to make it seem like I was the one being unreasonable. Not feeling comfortable going home to my own house should be enough, but it wasn’t. Eventually Chad would screw up, and I’d be rid of him, but I wasn’t up to dealing with him today. I was shocked he’d behaved as long as he had. We were coming to the end of month number two, with no end in sight.
“Want to go dancing tonight?” Emily asked as she carried the last tray of unsold goods from the front bakery case to the back. We’d box them and drop them off at the local food bank on the way home from work.
Emily flashed a grin as she carefully packed pastries for donation. “I’m going with a few friends, and since Ethan is out of town, why don’t you join us?”
I didn’t go out often for girls’ night, but with everyone except Chad away for the evening, this would be fun. “Where are you going?”
“We’re meeting at Houston’s around nine.”
Houston’s was the local country bar, catering to a wide range of ages. The other dance club was more for young adults closer to Brooke’s age, and I did not want to go dancing and drinking with people Brooke had gone to high school with.
“Sounds like fun. I’ll join you there.” Now I had something to tell Carter about that was more exciting than just watching another Vanquish game that they would probably lose anyway.
Carter
Our game was rained out. I’m bored. What are you doing tonight?
Girls’ night at Houston’s tonight! Can’t wait to see you tomorrow.
I packed the boxes for donation into my truck and headed out.
Getting ready without going home would be tricky but doable: I had a clean change of clothes that I kept for messy days at the bakery, and I’d treat myself to a cute new top instead of wearing a workout tank. I’d take advantage of my hardly used gym membership to shower and clean up there. A bite to eat, and I’d be ready to relax with friends without ever running into Chad. Maybe I’d even spend the night at Emily’s. I deserved a girls’ night.
Which was how several hours later I found myself sitting at a table with Emily, Cindy, and Ari, who I knew through the clinic they ran together. We were joined by Andrea, a friend from high school who was going through a divorce.
A large collection of mostly empty shot glasses covered the table, and the bartender had just announced that it was karaoke night. I grinned. I killed at karaoke, and I was already feeling the effects of the shots I’d done. This would be fun.
“Karaoke!” Andrea yelled before downing another shot from one of the few remaining full glasses.
“Definitely,” Emily agreed. “I’ll get us on the list. What do you want to sing?”
“I want to sing Taylor’s ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’ in honour of my jackass ex,” Andrea said. “I’m so done with him, and I want everyone to know.”
Emily giggled and obediently noted the song in her phone. She typed rapidly before looking up. “I’m doing something by Maren Morris. What about you, Cindy?”
“Put me down for Kelsea Ballerini. Doesn’t matter what, I know them all.”
“I’ll do ‘Amen’ by Halestorm,” Ari said. We all grinned at that. Ari had a terrific voice, and she’d bring down the house with that song.
“Jane? What are you singing?”
All the women turned to look at me. I wasn’t in the mood for an upbeat country song. I was in the mood to rebel a little, go back to the stuff I’d heard my dad play in the bar while I was working in the kitchen growing up.
“Give me your phone.” I held out my hand, and when Emily handed it over, I typed in the name of two songs I was in the mood to sing. It was time to get loud.
Emily laughed when she saw what I’d chosen. “Going old school, huh?”
Without another word she submitted our songs on the app.
I ordered another round of shots for the table. I loved to sing, and I was a good singer, but performing in public always made me slightly anxious. I’d never tried out for a major part in our high school productions, even though my teachers and friends had all wanted me to. I was happy to hide in the background as part of the chorus. I always had fun once I was singing, but I could use a little more liquid courage before I took the microphone.
“There are some people signed up to go before us,” Emily said when she was done. “The DJ will call us up when it’s our turn.”
Our server delivered our drinks, and I contemplated the glasses in front of me. If I drank much more, I was not going to be fit to work in the morning. The next Fliers home game was Friday, and I should spend the day prepping, but right now, I simply wanted to forget how complicated my life had become.
