Free My One Regret (Martin Family Book 3) by Brooke St. James Page A

staring straight at my replacement, and the sight of them together made me feel all buzzy and nervous inside.
    There was a whole verse about Captain Smith and Pocahontas, which I mostly skipped in favor of letting the band play. I chimed in with some intermittent skatting and dancing, but opted for basically skipping that verse while I tried not to stare at Ryan and his date.
    They seemed to be in a serious conversation, and I wondered if Ryan was considered leaving now that he had seen me. I couldn't let him leave. There was no way I could be in the same room with him and just let him walk away.
    I started in on the last verse as the hostess led them to a booth in the center of the restaurant.
    "Now you've listened to my story,
    Here's the point that I have made,
    Chicks were born to give you fever,
    Be at Fahrenheit or centigrade,
    They give you fever when you kiss them,
    Fever if you live and learn,
    Fever till you sizzle,
    What a lovely way to burn,
    What a lovely way to burn,"
    I continued saying, " What a lovely way to burn ," A few more times, getting softer and softer each time. I was dancing and smiling and really getting into it with the other band members, which made the crowd respond with whoops and yells and catcalls.
    They erupted in applause as soon as we ended the song, and I laughed and bowed before turning to gesture to the musicians behind me.
    Chris stood from his piano to hug me before I walked away. "Everybody give it up for Wynn Martin!" I heard him say as I stepped off the stage.

 
    Chapter 10
     
     
    The whole thing was like a dream. I waved to the audience as I stepped off the stage, but I was on autopilot, and it felt a bit like I was standing outside my own body.
    I had no choice but to walk by Ryan's table on the way back to my own, so I did the only logical thing. I went to the restroom instead. I could not catch my breath, let alone carry on a decent conversation. I felt like a panting dog as I made my way through the restaurant toward the restrooms, which were situated by the bar.
    "Soundin' good, Wynn Dixie," Kiesha, the bartender said as I approached the hallway that led to the ladies room. She had been working there for years, and we had always gotten along well.
    I said, "Thank you," and smiled and waved to her as I walked by.
    There was at least one person in the bathroom stalls, but I was the only person at the vanity, so I just stood there, looking at myself in the mirror as I leaned on the sink.
    Ryan had changed so much since the last time I saw him. There I was, falling in love with the memory of him, and he shows up looking way better than I expected. I had seen a recent picture of him, but it was a whole different ballgame seeing him in person. He had some product in his hair, which made it seem darker than it used to be, in turn making his eyes appear even lighter. All this, I could see from across the room. He was also bigger, and somehow more confident looking, and he wore nicely tailored grown-up man clothes. He was a presence in the room where a younger Ryan might have been overlooked. The more I thought about what he looked like, the more I psyched myself up not to go back out there.
    I was sort of mad at him for improving himself so much since I'd been gone. If he had stayed just the way he was when I left, I wouldn't hesitate to go after him, but as it stood, I felt wrong for even thinking about it—like people would think I only wanted him because he wrote a hit book and he grew up to be a handsome man who wore tailored clothes. I was just about to say something to myself regarding the fact that I couldn't stay in the bathroom all night, but before I did, one of the stalls opened and a lady came to stand next to me.
    "I caught that song," the lady, a middle-aged woman with her hair in a French-twist said to me.
    I glanced at her with a smile.
    "You've got a beautiful voice," she said.
    "Thank you." I turned on the sink and got my hands wet so it wouldn't seem like I was