Songbird (Songbird, #1) (6 page)

“I’d rather drink,” I replied, trying to sound light hearted.

“Cheers to that!”

There was a constant stream of people wanting to sing. Some were good, and some were dreadful, but they all had one thing in common: they enjoyed themselves, and the crowd were encouraging, no matter what the level of talent. Our little table, on its third pitcher of margaritas, were cheering loudly for every act. I knew it took a lot of guts to get up there in the first place, and they deserved every ounce of support.

From a very young age, it was drummed into me by my mother that you had to strive to be the best. When I was just a child taking my exams in music to progress to the next level, even the slightest error was considered inexcusable, and I would be made to practice for hours every day to ensure I was note perfect. This strive for perfection was reinforced when I met Stephen and his lack of enthusiasm and support for my playing had led me to give it up all together. If I couldn’t be the best then what was the point, right?

It amazed me, sitting here now, listening to these people sing everything from P!NK to The Rolling Stones, how wrong my parents and Stephen had been. It shouldn’t be about perfection; it should be about enjoyment.

During the breaks in karaoke, Marcus would come by the table to make sure we were okay for drinks and for a quick chat, then go back behind the bar and send over another pitcher of margaritas. This pattern continued for the night until the crowd began to thin, and the bar staff packed up the tables and chairs. Once the area was cleared I noticed that there was actually a dance floor in the middle of the room, which had previously been occupied by tables, chairs, and an increasing number of patrons.

I was ready to leave. It was one am and it had been a long couple of days, but Jason was keen to stay back and spend just a little more time ogling Marcus. Finally, Marcus joined us with a tray of coffees and flopped down in a chair that he had pulled over beside me.

“Well, did you have a good time tonight?” Marcus asked taking each of us into his gaze, until he finally settled on me.

“Absolutely,” I replied enthusiastically. “It was awesome, and it was very kind of you to take such good care of us. I noticed we didn’t pay for any of the drinks that came our way.”

He shrugged. “No problem. I like to look after my friends.” He nodded toward Jason. “Jase and I go way back—all the way to sunny Queensland when we were kids. We’ve supported each other through all our harebrained schemes.” He took a sip of his coffee and sighed contentedly. “It’s always been a dream of mine to open a little bar of my own and make a go of it.” He looked around proudly. “It’s not a lot, but it’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”

“Well I think people should always follow their dreams.” Kelli said it casually enough, but I knew she was directing the comment fairly and squarely at me. I rolled my eyes at her.

“For a new bar, it was packed tonight. You must be really pleased,” I said trying to ignore Kelli. “And I love the decor. What made you open a karaoke bar?”

He smiled his dimpled smile. “I can’t complain about the patronage,” he said and his smile broadened, going from cute to sexy. “The karaoke theme was a no-brainer for me; I’m really a frustrated musician.”

Jason nodded in agreement.

“I can play a couple of songs on the guitar, but I’m no Jimi Hendrix. As they say, those who can, do; those who can’t, teach—or in my case, those who can’t, sell drinks to those who can.”

I laughed at his spin on the well-known saying, and he laughed along with me. I liked Marcus. He was funny, and it sounded like he loved music as much as me. Not to mention he was very easy on the eye. I could see why Jason was drooling over him; I just hoped the feeling was mutual, for Jason’s sake.

His voice took on a more serious tone. “Thursdays and Fridays are going great. Saturdays are okay, but I need to do something during the week. The crowd is different, a little older and quieter. I can’t do karaoke every night if I want to keep pulling a different crowd, but I’m not sure what to do yet. I’ll have to think on it.”

He pointed beyond the far corner to a door I hadn’t noticed before. “There’s a kitchen through that door, and an area upstairs that’s currently being used for storage, but could potentially be a small restaurant. They need some refurbishment, and I don’t have the money right now, but I’d like to eventually serve meals as well.”

His brow furrowed as he pondered his dilemma. It was true; karaoke fitted the crowd that was here tonight, but if he wanted to cater for a variety of people he would have to mix it up a bit.

“Well, let us know if there’s anything we can do to help,” I offered.

I liked Marcus, and if he was a friend of Jason’s, or maybe even more than a friend, then I wanted to help any way I could.

His smile returned, and his eyes sparkled. “Thanks, Tara. You will definitely be hearing from me.”

It was finally time to go, and I was exhausted and a little worse for wear. We were getting up to leave when it suddenly dawned on me that my car was at Jason’s, and with the constant flow of margaritas, I’d been drinking way too much to drive from his apartment back to Kelli’s.

“Um, how are we getting home?” I asked Jason and Kelli.

Jason bumped my shoulder with his jokingly. “We walked, remember? Don’t tell me you’ve had so much to drink that you’ve forgotten.”

Bumping him back in reply, I nearly lost my balance on my wobbly legs. “Yes, I know we walked from
your
place, but we
drove
there from Kelli’s. It’s too far to walk all the way home.”

I felt like such an idiot. The designated driver was not supposed to get drunk.

“Hey, what’s up, guys?” Marcus was getting ready to lock up and came over when he saw us discussing our situation.

“It appears the designated driver is drunk, and the girls are stranded,” Jason said, laughing, obviously finding the whole situation terribly funny.

I waved shyly to Marcus, indicating that I was the problem.

“No worries, Tara, I’d be happy to drive you home … and Kelli, too, of course,” he said, eyeing me as he said it.

For some reason, the look in his eye made me blush, but I’m not sure why. It must’ve just been the alcohol clouding my judgement.

“Actually, I’m staying at Kelli’s, so it’s only one stop. Thanks, Marcus; you’re a lifesaver.”

He shrugged and gave me a dimpled grin. “No trouble at all, Tara.”

Jason slung one arm around Kelli’s shoulders, then went to wrap the other one around me, but Marcus got there first.

“Here, let me help you,” he said with a chuckle, pulling me in against his side. “You look like you’ve had one too many margaritas.”

I
HALF
listened to Kelli as she told me excitedly over lunch about her plans for the weekend. Her dark brown eyes were shining with anticipation because her boyfriend, Cooper, was coming home to Melbourne for a visit, on leave from his barracks in Sydney. It had been almost two months since they had seen each other, and her face was beaming as she went through their plans for the upcoming three days.

My mind drifted to not-so-pleasant thoughts. I was planning on heading to the house tonight after work, with the few boxes I had folded in my car. I wanted to pack up the rest of my things, but I dreaded having to set foot back in that place.

“Hey! You’re not listening to a word I’m saying, are you?” Kelli’s slightly raised voice full of feigned indignation, accompanied by a slap on the arm brought me back to present time.

“Of course I am. Your exciting and romantic plans with your gorgeous boyfriend are what I live for.”

“Oh, don’t give me that. You’ll meet someone, and then you can make me blush with all the raunchy details.”

The truth was, I was happier being single than in the bad relationship I had been in when I’d first met Kelli.

“I know what you were saying.” I rolled my eyes and hazarded a guess. “You don’t have a thing to wear, and you want to borrow one of my new outfits for a hot date.”

She laughed. “Well, you do have the best clothes now.”

Although Kelli and I were not the same height or build, she was shorter and slight where I was all long legs and boobs; we did still manage to wear the same clothing size, it just fit differently.

“Of course you can borrow anything of mine; you know that. After all, you did help me choose most of them.”

Kelli’s face softened. “You know I can come with you to pack your things if you want.”

She had offered several times, but this was something I wanted to do alone. I needed to say goodbye to that part of my life once and for all before closing the door on it. I couldn’t put this off any longer, Stephen was due home the day after tomorrow, and I needed to be completely gone before he returned.

“No, it’s fine, really, but thank you.”

Knowing Shithead wouldn’t be there, didn’t stop my stomach twisting into knots as I pulled into the driveway. I didn’t park in the garage, even though I still had the automatic door opener. It didn’t seem right; after all, I didn’t live there anymore. I had only been away for five days but it felt like an eternity. This house was definitely not my home; I was a visitor.

This was the final loose end I needed to tie up. I sat in the driveway for a few more moments, looking up at the imposing facade of the house. Just the thought of stepping foot back inside made me anxious, and I had contemplated turning the car back around more than once on the drive over.

Okay, you can do this
, I told myself as I climbed out of the car.

Walking through each room, I allowed myself a moment to drown in memories, then, not wanting to spend any more time there than was necessary, started quickly packing. Luckily—or maybe unluckily—I didn’t have a lot to pack, so was finished in just under two hours. For the last time, I walked through each room and turned off all the lights. I then entered the kitchen and placed my front door key and garage remote on the black marble counter.

I should leave a note, but what would I say? I walked back towards the study and found some monogrammed stationery in a tray on the desk. I sat in the high-backed leather chair, staring at the blank sheet of paper, trying to figure out what to write. I stared, tapping the pen against my forehead for a full fifteen minutes, before finally scribbling a quick line, then returning to the kitchen, placed the note next to the key and remote before reading it one final time.