Tess's Tale (The Chanel Series Book 3) Read Online Free Page B

few times. ‘What are you going to sing?’
    I stared at her. I didn’t know any songs.
    ‘Just give me a la-la,’ she said. ‘Work your way up and down a scale.’ She demonstrated for me.
    ‘All righty.’ I moved up to the microphone and gripped it nervously with both hands. I opened my mouth but Liss put her hand on top of mine.
    ‘It’s not an ice-cream cone,’ she said.
    I laughed and stepped back a little. Closing my eyes, I channelled Tina Turner and started to sing. When I had finished I re-opened my eyes. Thor had stopped pulling glasses out of the dishwasher and was staring at me. Liss’s mouth was hanging open.
    ‘That bad?’ I put the microphone back in its holder and stepped back. ‘Oh well, at least I can serve drinks.’
    Liss let out a shriek and launched herself at me. She wrapped her arms around me and jumped up and down while she laughed. ‘Oh my,’ she said when she’d finished, ‘I can’t wait to hear you sing a real song.’
    ‘So… not too bad?’ Relief swept over me. I’d known her for less than twenty-four hours, but I desperately wanted to make her proud.
    ‘Oh Tess,’ she said, ‘you are going to rock this joint.’
     
     ***
     
    Life fell into a routine. Monday to Friday I went to school, studied when I got home and then helped Thor in the bar for a few hours. During the school hours I kept to myself, steering clear of Hillary as much as I could.
    We had stopped pretending to like each other the year before when her boyfriend, Stan, had tried to kiss me. She’d rounded the corner at the worst possible time and of course he’d professed he’d thought I was her. But I’d heard him say my name so
I
knew better.
    Even though I didn’t tell her that, she hated me for it anyway. It had only been a matter of time. From the moment Lou walked into our house we had been growing apart. But if I were entirely truthful, our animosity had started long before that. Some people do well having a clone of themselves in their lives. Hillary and I didn’t.
    When I was not studying or helping Thor, I listened to Liss’s records. Famous blues singers Mamie Smith, Ida Goodson and Ethel Waters occupied my time and my mind, their rich melodious voices soothing my soul.
    I studied their inflections and their voices and I practised their songs. Liss wanted a blues singer to add class to her bar and I was determined to be that singer.
    Finally, on the eve of finishing school, Liss let me sing on stage. ‘To see if it was what I really wanted.’
    I
knew it was. I just had to convince her. My love of books had been replaced by a love of music. I felt like I had found a piece of me I hadn’t known was missing.
    I can’t say I wasn’t nervous as I climbed up onto that stage. But it was early in the evening and the club was a little light on in the customer department, so at least there wouldn’t be many people to witness my shame if it all went south for winter.
    I tugged at my skirt, making sure it hadn’t done something ridiculous like get caught in my underpants in my last minute dash to the toilet. When I was sure my clothing wasn’t going to cause any embarrassment I picked up the microphone. The soft spattering of conversation across the room did not die out as it normally did when Helene stepped up. Thor gave me a double-thumbs up from behind the bar and Liss waved her wineglass at me.
    I closed my eyes and quieted my mind, concentrating on the soft swell of the music. After the first ten seconds my heartbeat slowed and my breathing levelled and I actually began to enjoy myself. Ethel Waters’ ‘Stormy Weather’ filled me up before it flowed out over the room. I kept my eyes shut the entire time, pretending I was alone, pretending only someone special could hear me, pretending I was singing to someone I was yet to meet.
    When the music finally ended, a strange noise forced me to open my eyes. Something I had never heard while working in Vegas Ladies.
    Applause.
    The men clapped