She rested her head on his shoulder and let out a long sigh. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

John's heart swelled in his chest. He was more overwhelmed with her than he had first thought. She was more than beautiful; she was much more than a mere pretty face in the crowd. She was far more that just a temporary client - a meal ticket. What attracted John to her was her inability to keep her emotions in check. She trusted her heart and acted on it no matter what the consequence. That was sheer honesty.

A few more days like this and he would be totally gone - if he was not already.

***

The Sundowner was nearly empty. It was a Monday night and most of the locals were probably at home and the tourists safely tucked away in their hotel rooms. Thankfully, a few folks were there to make the place look at least open for business. The band ran through a few numbers, but it felt more like a practice session to John. They even mustered up the courage to spin off two new original tunes that Brad and John had been working on. With no pressure, they played perfectly.

At ten they knocked off and received a mediocre round of applause. However, Tammy clapped the loudest.

John put his guitar on its chrome stand beside the stage and stepped down to talk to his favorite client. Brad and the rest of the guys laughed under their breath and made few obscene comments as to why she would show up.

"I'm glad you made it," John said, sitting down beside her.

"Your friends seem to be happy with me here."

John turned and noticed all three men standing together and watching. "Problem?" John said to them. "Ever see two people talking?"

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When they finally got a smile from him they broke up and started shutting off their equipment. John signaled for the waitress.

"Did you like our stuff?"

"Liked the originals," she admitted.

"We're trying. Nothing but rejections from Nashville and New York, but we're trying."

John noticed how she immediately took his hand to hold across the table. She was not trying to hide their relationship in the least. That was a good sign, he thought happily. That meant she was at least a little serious about him.

"This doesn't count for taking me to dinner, by the way."

"I wouldn't eat the food here. Brad cooks the food sometimes and I don't even want to think about where his hands have been."




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