Free The Back-Up Plan by Mari Carr Page B

touched by the way he put his arm around her, tucking her close to keep her from getting knocked around too much.
    Finally he found a table near the stage and pulled out her chair for her. “What do you think?”
    It was clear he was in his element, happy, relaxed. She forced a smile. “This is nice.”
    He laughed, calling her a liar. Then he waved for the waitress and ordered them two PBRs.
    “We have to drink cheap beer?”
    He winked at her then gestured around the room. “When in Rome…”
    The waitress returned with two icy drafts and Kristen took a sip, surprised by how easily the beer went down. She released a long sigh, letting the stress of the past few weeks seep out.
    “There you are.”
    She looked at him confused until he explained. “You’ve been wrapped up tighter than a drum lately. Thought you could use a night to unwind.”
    Once again, she was surprised to discover how much he noticed about her when she thought he wasn’t looking. “It’s been a rough couple of weeks.”
    Though she’d intended to make it seem like she was talking about work, his tired nod proved he knew exactly what she’d been struggling with. His understanding gaze told her he felt the same way.
    They turned their attention to the stage as a bald guy with tattoos covering nearly ninety percent of his body took the microphone and started singing an old Garth Brooks song about “Friends in Low Places”.
    The camaraderie of the patrons of the bar as they lifted their drinks and sang along was infectious and soon Kristen found herself joining in on the chorus as well. She and Jason had another round as more singers took the stage. They laughed until they cried at some of the worst acts, then marveled whenever someone with genuine talent belted out a tune.
    The night passed by in a pleasant haze of music and beer and easy conversation. Kristen excused herself to go to the restroom, then groaned when she returned to find Jason with the song catalog in his hands. “Ready to sing?”
    “Hell no.”
    He ignored her denial. As usual. “Did you ever see that movie, Walk the Line , about Johnny Cash?”
    She tilted her head, annoyed. “I saw it with you, jackass.”
    Jason grinned. “Oh yeah. I forgot that. Well, I just signed us up to sing a song from that movie.”
    “No.”
    “It’s perfect for us.”
    She considered the songs from the soundtrack wondering which one he considered ideal. “‘Jackson’? ‘Cry Cry Cry’? ‘Ring of Fire’?”
    He laughed, but didn’t answer. “You may not realize this about me, but I can really nail Johnny’s voice.”
    “And I guess I’m supposed to be June? In case you’ve failed to notice, I’m lacking a Southern accent.”
    “Maybe so, but you sure do look like Reese Witherspoon.”
    “Oh jeez. At some point in your life you’re going to have to give up your unnatural obsession for that woman.”
    “Sure thing. I’ll dump Reese the second you realize you’re not going to ride off into the sunset with vampire guy from True Blood .”
    “Ooo, Eric. There’s no way I’ll ever give him up. And you can’t ride off into the sunset with a vampire. They burn.”
    “Whatever. Come on,” Jason said, reaching out for her hand while speaking to her in a deep, Southern, and—God help her—sexy drawl. “Sing with me, June.”
    She stood up, despite her better judgment. “Tell me what the song is.”
    “‘It Ain’t Me Babe’.”
    She laughed and agreed. It was perfect. They took the stage and grabbed their mics. “Very appropriate. Just be sure to pay attention to the words, J.”
    The deejay introduced them then fired up the song. Kristen giggled when Jason started to sing, but she had to admit he had Johnny Cash’s deep voice and accent down pat. And he was actually a pretty good singer.
    Once it was her turn to join in on the duet, she decided what the hell and pulled out all the stops. She twanged and twirled, hamming it up when he spun her around in true square