When I Need You (Need You #4)(73)

Nolan had bailed to watch the situation, even pulling taps as if he were just tending bar. Both my cousins were recognizable-though like me, not so much in the spotlight the last year-so splitting us up was a good idea.

"Stop glaring at each other," Rowan said. "If Je-JB doesn't want to do karaoke, that's his decision."

"Karaoke setup is on the second floor," Ash said. "Private. Simone will see to it."

"Fine. I'll do it." I took out my phone. "Give me time to find a song."

"Good luck. But you ain't allowed to sing ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' or ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat.'"

"Dick."

Ash laughed, left the table and walked out the front door.

Rowan tapped me on the arm. "You want to tell me what's going on?"

"It's a stupid family thing."

"That's why you're ignoring me and scrolling through your Twitter feed, as if that's where you'll find the perfect song?"

"I'm taking requests." I hadn't seen any tweets about me in the past two hours. Good.

After another minute of no conversation, Rowan said, "How about ‘All by Myself' because that's the way your night is looking, JB," and excused herself to storm off toward the bathroom.

About two minutes after Rowan left, the lone guy I'd spotted up by the window started toward me.

Putting my phone to my ear, I kicked my feet up on Rowan's chair and stretched out. Then I launched into a conversation in a thick southern accent. So when the guy slunk past me, he heard a bunch of y'alls and me yakking about hiring a livestock transport truck to haul pigs from Kansas City to Tulsa.

Nope, buddy; I'm not a football player trying to be a normal guy out for a few beers with my family and my woman. I'm a good ol' boy from Texas dreaming of being a pig farmer.

The guy bought it. He left through the front door.

Simone wandered over to the table. "I'm supposed to tell you to head upstairs after your date returns. Your cousins will meet you up there. Then we'll shut the door like we're closed for a private party."

"Thanks, Simone."

She leveled an evil smile on me. "I already named the price for my cooperation."

Great. "And that's what?"

"Warm up those vocal cords because you really are singing a round of karaoke."

"Humiliating the player is your price?" I said tightly.

She shrugged. "I'd think you'd love the chance to prove you've got balls." Then she sashayed away.

Behind me I heard, "I don't know if I should be jealous or annoyed about that woman's obsession with your balls."





Seventeen



ROWAN



"I only care that you're talking about my balls, baby," Jensen said to me. He stood and grabbed my hand. "Come on. Karaoke is upstairs."

"Is this a long-running ‘family' thing where you have to humiliate yourself on a regular basis?" I demanded.

"Nope. It's a matter of honor. I said I'd do it, and I'm doing it."

Up on the second floor, I scanned the empty, dark space. "At least there's no one up here."



       
         
       
        

Just then, Simone yelled, "I locked the front door, JB. But prepare yourself because we're all coming up there."

He muttered, "Awesome."

I slapped my hands on his chest. "What is going on? For real."

"A guy downstairs recognized me. Or thought he did. With some fast thinking, we avoided a situation." His eyes clouded. "Celebrity . . . it's part of my life. I get it. But it's not part of yours. It's not part of Simone's. Ash and Nolan are used to it, but this bar is a new venture for them. Doesn't appear I'll be able to make this place my new secret hangout."

"I hate this for you."

"It is what it is, Ro. And what it is tonight, is me doing my penance and shutting my cousins up." He grinned. "There's like eight people down there. Plus the four of us? I'm getting off easy if there are only a dozen witnesses. The rest of my family would video me for blackmail material."

"Why do you trust that none of these strangers will secretly tape you and this performance will hit social media tomorrow?"

He scratched his neck. "Faith, maybe? Nolan said Simone guaranteed privacy and she personally vouched for all the regulars."

"Too bad Ash bailed on you."

"Ash is here. He just left to move my car." Jensen sighed. "That part of public life sucks ass. Some reporter told people what I drive. Fans see my Corvette and it's game over for me. Which means I don't drive it as much as I want to."