“I want a dare. Just like the one I gave you.”
“You don’t get to pick either. Truth.”
His eyes danced with playfulness at her response, relieving her anxiety that he’d be upset with her. “What deep dark secret do you want to know this time?”
“Have you ever been in love?”
His playfulness faded slightly. “Once.”
That surprised her. From what he’d told her, he’d never been with a woman long enough to fall in love. “Who was she?”
He shook his head.
“You’re not going to tell me? Why not?” Was it Donna? Had he cared for her more than he’d let on?
He picked up the shot glass. “I haven’t had near enough of these to tell you yet.” He downed the drink, slammed the glass down and pounded the counter, then turned his attention back to Libby. “Have you ever been in love?”
She didn’t need to consider her answer. She just picked up a glass and downed it. Vodka. There was no way she was admitting she loved him and only him.
“Damn,” he murmured, his gaze drifting from her mouth down her neck and hovering at her chest. “That bad?”
“Not enough of these.” She waved the empty glass and set it on the counter.
The whole thing was making her sad and she didn’t want to be sad. Tomorrow would be sad enough. She tilted her head to the side and grinned. “I think it’s time for a dare.”
His eyes lit up, which didn’t surprise her. He was more a dare man than a truth man. That thought sobered her. Man after man had lied to her, but she’d always counted on Noah to not be on that list. But what if she’d gotten that wrong too?
“Do you tell me the truth?” she asked, surprised the words blurted out without a filter. Maybe this drinking game had been a bad idea after all.
His head jutted back in surprise. “What do you think I’m lying about?”
She waved her hand wildly. “Nothing. Anything.”
“So you’re not accusing me of lying about anything in particular, or just in general.”
She was ruining their fun again, but she had to know. “Everybody lies, Noah. Parents lie to kids—the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus. People tell little white lies to make someone feel better—yes, your singing voice is beautiful. Your baby is the cutest thing ever. But I’m talking big lies.”
He took her hand in his. “I have never lied to you, Libby. At least not intentionally.”
That didn’t make her feel any better.
He grunted and pulled her hand closer. “I told you I was coming to the wedding . . . and then I said I wasn’t. Maybe you saw that as a lie, but it wasn’t. I truly intended to come when I said I would. I simply changed my mind.”
“Then you changed it back again.”
“So you could actually say I lied about not coming.”
She shook her head. This was so confusing. What she really wanted to know was if she could trust him, but she couldn’t ask him that. What was he going to say? No? But he’d always been there for her—the late night calls. The long talks. The encouragement with her photography. Maybe she should just trust the feeling in her gut. The one that told her she could rely on him.
“What’s the dare?” He took a sip of his beer and then set the glass on the counter, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. “I’m ready.”
She grinned. “You have to stand up and sing.”
“What?” he said with a laugh. “There’s no music in here, Lib.”
Her grin turned smug. “You were the one who wanted a dare.”
He shook his head, took another gulp of beer, and stood.
“I want you to sing ‘Like a Virgin,’” she said, laughing.
“Oh, no.” He rolled back his shoulders, smiling. “You only said to sing. I get to pick.”
He grabbed his phone and tapped on the screen. “I’m not really an a cappella singer,” he explained, glancing up at her. “Karaoke’s more my style.”
He leaned over the counter and grabbed an empty glass, then pressed play and tucked the phone into it. She could barely hear the music over the murmur of voices in the bar, but she burst into laughter when she recognized the tune.
“Dog goes woof. Cat goes meow,” Noah belted out in a loud tenor.
“Oh, my God,” she said trying to catch her breath. He was singing “What Does the Fox Say?”
He continued, grinning ear to ear. He nailed most of lyrics in the first stanza and only stumbled over a few animals.
“I have to admit it frightens me that you know the words!” she shouted at him.
He just beamed and launched into the chorus. “What does the fox say?” He shimmied his shoulders and his hips and continued to sing.
Libby could hardly catch her breath from laughing so hard.
The bartender came over with a frown, shaking his head. “Sir, I’m afraid we’ll have to ask you to leave.”
Libby continued giggling as Noah feigned indignation. “Why? Are the other guests jealous of my performance?”
The employee’s frown deepened. “There are other places to go if you want that kind of entertainment.” He took Noah’s phone out of the glass and pressed the screen, turning off the music. “The patrons in this lounge prefer a less rambunctious atmosphere.”
Several couples were shooting them condescending glares, but a few were laughing.