Half the crowd believed he should wear the sequined, star-shaped pasties, while the others strongly believed he should stay “nips out” while he wore a long mermaid’s tail—a total bitch to walk in, if he did say so himself…and he did and had several times over.

Ms. Peggy had been the most vocal on the subject, demanding he go au naturel up top, which eventually turned the tide. By the time Brady came back out wearing his normal T-shirt and jeans—and glitter, since the damn stuff didn’t wash off worth a lick—Sloane ran up from where she’d been sitting at the bar at the end of the runway to notify him of the final decision.

“For the costume portion, you will be wearing a crown, holding a trident, the mermaid tail, and ‘not a damn thing’ on your chest. Other than glitter. It was decided you basically need to bathe in glitter before the pageant even starts.”

“Cheers to that,” someone yelled from the group.

“Blackmail material,” someone else threw out.

Laughter filled the room. Brady shook his head but couldn’t stop himself from snorting.

Despite his reservations, the fashion show had been a hit. Regulars, newcomers, and everyone in between had acted like it was a football game and they were in the fourth quarter with only ten seconds left on the clock and their team winning. There had been yelling, cursing, drinking, and laughter.

Even Brady had to admit he’d had a blast.

“It’s time for the group selfie. You ready?”

“I sure am, oh great leader.”

Sloane laughed and hurried to the stage. She already had her selfie stick out and her phone on the end.

“All right, everyone. Let’s end this with a picture that will make all other competitors wish they had a group as badass as y’all behind them!”

The group was still all systems go. Chairs scraped as they moved closer to the runway, and Brady was eventually pulled into the middle by Callum, Dewey, and Dixon, who had the trident held high above their heads.

Sloane caught Brady’s eye and laughed again. She turned around and told everyone to get ready.

Half the group yelled “cheese” while others yelled different forms of profanity. It was chaos…but it felt right.

During her countdown to one, Brady didn’t have to play pretend at all. He was happy, and it was all thanks to the small, black-haired wild card brandishing a selfie stick.

Sloane took a few pictures and then turned back to the crowd. She inspected each quickly and then gave a thumbs-up. The group started to go back to their chairs, and Brady went behind the bar to help pour some more drinks before the rest followed. The normal chatter started up in the main room. Brady was glad to hear it was a little louder than normal.