The Wrong Mr. Right (The Queen's Cove Series #2)(87)

I put my hand out to stop him. “No, Wyatt, don’t leave me here—”

He shot me a teasing glance, walked away and Miri rushed into his seat.

“Hannah Nielsen, as I live and breathe.”

“You’re breathing really hard. Did you run here?” I raised an eyebrow at her.

She waved my words away with a scoff. “Run? God, no. Someone texted me that it was karaoke night.” She nodded. “Yeah. That.”

I narrowed my eyes at her with a suspicion but a grin crept on my face.

Miri thrived on juicy gossip. It was her life force. And she was here for another hit of the good stuff.

“So.” She gave me a sweet smile but hunger lurked behind her eyes. “I heard you and Wyatt went camping.”

I groaned and put my face in my hands. “Straight to it, huh?”

Her eyes sparkled. “Are you two an item?”

“No. We’re—” I sucked a breath through my teeth, scrambling. “Surfing. He’s teaching me how to surf.”

Somewhere in heaven, my mom laughed at how obvious the lie was.

Miri blinked. “Sweetheart.” Her tone was skeptical.

I squirmed in my chair.

“Miri, please stop interrogating my girlfriend.” Wyatt towered over the table with two new salt-rimmed drinks and a smirk.

Girlfriend? My stomach rolled forward.

“Girlfriend,” she breathed, biting her lip. She stood quickly to give Wyatt his seat. “Girlfriend,” she repeated to herself before glancing between us with delight. “Very well. Carry on.” She turned on her heel and practically skipped over to a table where her husband, Scott, sat.

“You’ve created a monster,” I told Wyatt. “She’s going to be disappointed when you leave.”

My heart stopped as I realized what I said. Wyatt and I stared at each other for a moment, his mouth slightly parted at the acknowledgement of him leaving soon if he placed well at Pacific Rim.

“I mean…” I trailed off. I had nothing.

“I’m going to miss Miri, too,” he said, and the side of his mouth lifted in a sad smile.

My heart clawed up my throat and I heaved in a breath, letting it out as a sigh.

Just as I started to like a guy, he was going to leave.

He put his hand on mine. “I want to talk to you about something.”

My heart lifted. “Okay.”

“Alright, drunks of Queen’s Cove!” Joe crowed into the microphone and a laugh bubbled out of me as the bar patrons cheered. “Are you ready to sing your hearts out?”

Another big cheer, half of it coming from the table of women beside us. A big smile stretched over my face and I glanced over at Wyatt, easing back into his chair and stretching out.

“We’ll talk later.” His eyes sparked with amusement.

“Tonight is not just karaoke night, folks,” Joe continued. “It’s Queen’s Cove’s fourteenth annual karaoke sing-off.” A round of cheers rose up. “As always, the winner gets to take home the terrifying and unhygienic Toilet Paper Princess Patty.” He reached out and Olivia handed him a doll with an unfortunate haircut. The doll’s skirt stretched around a toilet paper roll and it had those unsettling eyes that blinked. “This creepy doll has been in my family’s bathrooms for generations and the winner gets to take care of her until next year’s competition.”

Every year, the doll changed hands based on whoever won the sing-off. The winner had to kiss the doll on the lips in front of everyone, because it was tradition.

“So Queen’s Cove, I have a question for you,” Joe asked. “Are you ready?”

Another round of cheers and applause rose up as Joe waved the doll in the air.

The first singer stepped up and belted out a pitchy version of Seal’s Kiss from a Rose. The bar didn’t care that the grocery store owner couldn’t sing. They fed off his enthusiasm, clapping and hollering and cheering him on. They gave the next singer the same warm welcome, and the next. The group of women from the table beside us sang Sister Sledge’s We Are Family and got a standing ovation. They returned to their table with bright eyes and flushed cheeks and something sweet and sharp panged in my chest at their happiness.

I thought about Div and his drag show, how fearless and confident he was. How he was afraid but had no regrets.

“I’ll be right back,” I told Wyatt, slipping out of my seat. He brushed my arm as I passed, a brief gesture that sent sparks up my arm and emboldened me further. I exchanged a few words with Joe and returned to my seat.

Wyatt quirked a curious brow and I bit back a smile.

“You’re up to something, bookworm.”

I nodded, smiling wider. “I am. It’s the dress.” I gestured down at it, the sequins catching and reflecting the light. “It makes me bolder.”

“It makes you fucking radiant,” he bit out, a hungry look passing through his eyes.

Girlfriend, he had said. As sweet as it was, it pinched in my chest. Girlfriend until next week? Girlfriend until he got on a plane?

I shoved the thoughts out of my head. Tonight was my night. I could worry tomorrow.

“Next up,” Joe’s voice boomed, “Hannah Nielsen’s singing Wannabe by The Spice Girls!”

“Oh, shiiiiit!” a guy I went to high school with called from the back. “Fuck yes! I love that song!”