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

standing there, which I clearly was.
    "I saw you when you sang with a band one time. It was you and that other girl."
    I nodded. "Claire's here tonight," I said. "I should have made her come up there with me."
    I dried my hands and told the lady to enjoy her evening before heading back into the restaurant. She returned the sentiment, and I walked out, smiling at her from over my shoulder.
    "Oh, hey!" a girl's voice said when I opened the door. At first, it didn't register that the girl was the same one who had come with Ryan. When I heard, " Oh, hey ," I assumed it was Claire, so I was stunned speechless when the stark realization hit me that it was Britney (or some other girl who was Ryan's date). "That song was great," she said, as if we were old friends. "I'm sorry we only caught the last bit of it."
    "Oh, thank you," I said, since I could think of nothing else.
    We were standing in the doorway, and had to move to the side so someone could come in. I smiled and let the door fall onto her hand, assuming that our conversation was over and we were going our separate ways, but she stepped out into the hallway with me as if she didn't think we were done.
    "My boyfriend was telling me about you when we first came in," she said. "Y'all used to be in a band together."
    I honest-to-goodness felt like I was having heart trouble—palpitations were definitely happening. There was a searing, burning sensation shooting through my chest. Boyfriend, really? And only two seconds into our conversation. What was worse was that it was like I was looking in a mirror. The girl had dark hair and eyes, and she even had some of my same features. I scanned her face, feeling like I was in some sort of nightmare.
    "I'm a singer, too," she said smiling from ear to ear.
    There was an extended pause before I could manage to say, "Oh, really?"
    She nodded. "Not like you," she said like I was really something. "But I do praise and worship at our church."
    Again, the stabbing sensation happened in my chest. I felt dizzy and disoriented as I stood there and stared at her. It was like I was looking at the decent version of myself… the one who was smart enough to choose Ryan instead of that bum.
    "I've never tried any jazz," she continued. "Ryan's always trying to show me some jazz songs." She laughed and shook her head. "He's actually mentioned liking that one you just sang."
    The searing sensation in my chest was unexplainable at this point. I just smiled at her even though I felt like I might pass smack-dab out.
    "Ryan's a great guy," I said in a tone that meant I was ready to get back to my table.
    "Oh, he just loves you," she said. "That's why I'm so excited to meet you. He's told me so many stories about his college friends. I feel like I know you, practically."
    "I'm sorry, what's your name?" I asked.
    "Oh my goodness, how rude of me," she said sticking her hand out. She put a death grip on my hand and smiled excitedly, looking me in the eye. "My name's Britney Caldwell. Same family from the Caldwell and Ferguson Law Firm. My dad's a lawyer, and I'm following in his footsteps."
    Was she running for mayor or something? "Hey Britney," I said. "Nice to meet you. I'm Wynn."
    "Oh, I know," she said. "The famous Wynn Martin. Ryan told me all about you." Her eyes widened and she smiled excitedly. "You have to come by the table."
    "Oh, I don't know—"
    "You have to," she said. "I know Ryan would love to see you."
    "I might stop by there if I see y'all," I said, in a dazed surreal tone of voice that matched my mental state. I really wanted to hate this girl, and she was making it impossible.
    "I need to use the ladies room, or I'd show you where we're sitting," she said. "I'm sure you can find Ryan, though. He'd really love it if you stopped by the table. I can show you where we're sitting if you want to wait just a minute."
    I shook my head and smiled. "I'll look for him," I said even though I knew exactly where he was sitting.
    And then she did the