Chapter 38
Elsie
On a normal night, there’s not a chance in hell Olivia would be first of our group to take the stage for karaoke. But tonight, with many drinks coursing through her system, two days until her wedding, and her fiancé in the crowd hyping her up, it doesn’t take much for Grace to convince her.
She picks “Dreams” by The Cranberries, one of her favorite songs, and her voice is soft and sweet as she sings. The lyrics are perfect for this night, which I’m sure is no coincidence. When she gets to the final verse, I’m embarrassed to find that my eyes are watering.
I’m just so freaking happy for her. For both of them, actually, because after nearly two years together, we’ve all come to love Cam as if he was part of our group all along.
When the song is finished, Cam jumps onstage and grabs Olivia.
He immediately pulls her in for a kiss, dipping her backward to the delight of the crowd.
Everybody whoops and hollers for the happy couple, and I’m suddenly thrilled that we ran into the guys tonight.
These two should be celebrating together.
A hand settles on my waist and I jolt, ready to flee from whatever handsy, drunk idiot thinks it’s okay to touch a woman just because she’s in a bar. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time. But when I glance down and see the letters inked across large knuckles, my body sags in relief.
I lean back against Declan’s chest and weave my fingers through his where they rest at my hip. It’s not until we’re firmly locked together that I remember this isn’t something I do. Not when so many people we know are around and could be watching.
Screw it. For tonight, I just want to enjoy this. Enjoy him.
“You going to have a turn up there?” he asks, his voice low in my ear.
“I don’t think Grace is going to give me much choice.”
Declan chuckles. “She’s a force to be reckoned with.”
“She sure is,” I agree.
“Wonder if Ethan is up to the challenge,” he muses.
I turn and glance up at him, ready to ask what the hell that means, but the opening notes of the next song stop me short. I turn back to the stage where Gail stands clutching the mic with one hand and her daughter’s hand with the other.
She gives no warning that she’s about to emotionally eviscerate us, but that’s exactly what she does.
“Landslide” makes me tear up on the best of days, but tonight?
With my pseudo-mother singing it to one of my favorite people in the whole world?
Tears stream down my cheeks throughout the entire performance.
Gail’s voice is haunting and beautiful, and the lyrics have everybody choking up.
I don’t think there’s a dry eye in this bar – except for Declan, maybe.
Instead of asking if I’m okay, he simply keeps me tucked into his side as we watch Gail and Olivia, my sweet best friend who was raised by this strong, resilient single mom from such a young age.
When Gail sings my favorite part, the line about being afraid of changing because you’ve built your life around someone else, her voice cracks.
I can see the shiny tear tracks on her face from here, but she continues on through the end of the song.
When she finishes, Olivia throws her arms around her and crowd whoops and hollers once more.
Grace, who’s waiting in the wings for her turn at karaoke, hugs them both as they leave the stage. When she takes her spot at the mic, her eyes are glassy but she’s smiling.
“I can’t possibly top that, but I’m going to have fun trying,” she says into the mic, eliciting laughter from the crowd.
Grace was born to entertain, and her confidence has only grown since becoming an influencer, or micro-influencer, or whatever the term should be.
She has the crowd eating out of her palm as she struts back and forth across the stage and channels her inner popstar.
She loves a good throwback, and “Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child is in a regular rotation in her playlists.
She doesn’t even need the lyrics on screen to help her through it.
I’m not brave enough to follow that performance, but Ty and Noah are up to the challenge.
Inspired by Grace in her iconic yellow dress, they reenact the scene in “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” where Andie and Ben sing-slash-yell “You’re So Vain” at each other.
In the movie, the characters butcher the lyrics and start fighting – and so do Ty and Noah.
They absolutely nail it. Grace even joins them on stage, singing the correct lyrics and hyping up the crowd until nearly the entire bar is singing along.
“This might be the best entertainment I’ve ever had,” Olivia announces before hurrying onstage to join in.
Somehow, their performance morphs into “Sweet Caroline.” If there’s one thing that New Englanders love, it’s the Boston Red Sox. And anyone who loves the Sox knows “Sweet Caroline.”
“So good, so good,” the crowd chants along, and to my absolute shock, Declan even joins in.
“First and foremost, I’m a Red Sox fan,” he tells me. “Grumpy asshole comes second.”
I laugh, though I think he’s serious. “You’re not a grumpy asshole.”
He might come across that way at first, but that’s not Declan.
I think his detached, don’t-give-a-fuck attitude is a way to protect himself from getting too close to people, because getting close to people could hurt him.
But when he does open up and let people in – well, I’m lucky to know that side of him.
Lucky he trusted me enough to show me that side.
I’m just lucky, period.