“Really, really. Like, double really.”

He laughed and I sighed at the sound of his chuckle. The way his smile stretched so far and wide made me think that I was actually charming. “Well, do it. Become an author.”

It was my turn to giggle. “Yeah. Because it’s that easy.”

His head shook back and forth. A somber look overtook him and he held his beer in the air. “I never said it would be easy. I just said do it. Besides, the best things in life aren’t easy. They are tough, they are painful, and they are raw. That makes the arrival to the final destination that much sweeter.”

“Yeah it’s just…” My voice trailed off, yet Daniel appeared to stay invested in the conversation, never tampering off from boredom of my thoughts. “I had a co-writer.”

“Had?” he questioned.

“Yeah, and I can’t imagine finishing the book without her.” When my mouth closed, I began to grind my teeth against each other, trying to fight back the tears.

Daniel took note of the emotion, and his hand moved across the table, taking my hand into his. His touch electrified me, sending waves of heat through my fingertips.

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

Five words. Five words from a stranger and a simple touch gave me a sense of life I hadn’t experienced before. Such raw humanity in his approach was so welcoming that night.

“Thank you.”

He didn’t hold my hand too long, but I missed his touch when he retreated. “Maybe the key is to start writing something else.”

“Maybe. But I can’t really say I’m ready to close the current book.”

His hand found the back of his neck and he rubbed it, laughing. “Then I will respectfully shut the hell up.” He was pretty dang charming, too. “I’m sorry I approached you outside like that. It’s just… When I saw you enter the bar the first time, you looked like…”

“Like what?” I asked eagerly.

He frowned. “Like everything you ever loved was set on fire and you couldn’t walk away until you watched it all burn to ashes. And all I wanted to do was hug you.”

I blankly stared at him. I was coming off as awkward, yet I didn’t know what else to do. Clearing my throat, I nodded once. I kept my glaze on him, unable to look away.

Daniel smiled and turned to see one of his band members walking over to our table. Our table? What an interesting thought.

The band member slapped his hands on Daniel’s shoulders and smiled toward me. He had shaggy blond hair that sat right above his eyebrows and the sweetest brown eyes I’d ever seen. A peace symbol hung around his neck, and his long-sleeved forest-green shirt was unbuttoned over his white t-shirt.

“I hope this loser hasn’t been giving you a hard time,” he joked.

“Hardly,” I grinned.

He extended his hand toward me. I accepted his handshake. “Randy Donavon. I’m on acoustic.”

“It’s nice to meet you. You’re amazing up there.”

Daniel sighed heavily. “Don’t give him a bigger head.”

Randy stepped back and placed his hands on his chest. “Big head? Me?! No way. I’m super humble.” He put his hands together in a prayer format and bowed toward me. “Thank you, beautiful.”

I giggled at his antics—and at Daniel, who was rolling his eyes.

“I would hate to steal Danny from you, but we gotta get the next set going…” Randy smiled and slapped Daniel on the back. “Beautiful”—he took my hand in his and kissed it—“it was wonderful meeting you.”

“You too, Randy.”

Randy nudged Daniel in the arm and whispered, “She’s hot,” before he marched back to the stage.

My cheeks heated up.

Daniel laughed at his friend. “Don’t mind Randy. He’s a little…unique.”

“I like unique,” I said.

He lifted from his seat and smirked my way. “You’re intriguing. I like that about you.”

“You know what I like about you so far?” I asked, wiggling my butt around in my seat. He made me feel as if there were nothing more perfect than the booth in the back corner of Joe’s bar.

“What’s that?”

“Everything.” When I said the word, his face lit up and warmed me up from the tips of my toes to the top of my head. “Have fun up there,” I said, nodding toward the stage.

“You’ll stick around?” he asked with such a soft tone. Like a schoolboy asking a girl to come listen to his garage band for the first time.

“Yup.”

“Promise?” His hands slipped into his jeans pockets, and his hips swayed back and forth.

I ran my fingers across my eyebrow and felt as if my cheekbones were going to shatter from all of the grinning they were partaking in tonight. “Promise, promise.”

Chapter 6

Five minutes ago I was lonely.

Five minutes ago I walked alone.

Five minutes later I told you the deepest secrets of my soul

And when you turned away I whispered, ‘Please don’t go.’

~ Romeo’s Quest

The show continued on, and I couldn’t take my eyes off Daniel for the remainder of the night. I could tell he loved what he did, and just the idea of that made me happy for him. When the final song finished, I stood with the rest and applauded in complete awe. He was brilliant. The whole band was ecstatic. Gabby would’ve loved them.

When Daniel looked down to me, I smiled and mouthed the words, “Thank you,” and he narrowed his eyes with a look of confusion, which I chose to ignore. I headed outside, knowing I’d stayed out longer than Hailey had thought I would, and she was probably having a panic attack, thinking that I’d stolen her car.

The warm air bustled through my hair. Digging into my pocket, I pulled out Hailey’s keys, ready to return to the place I had yet to call home.

“No name!” was shouted behind me, and I turned to see an exhausted-looking lead singer running my way. “What was that? Connect and run? You’re bailing without a goodbye?”

I opened my mouth and shrugged. “I said thank you.”

He slid his hands into his jeans. I could tell that the small breeze probably felt good against his bare arms after having stood under the hot lights in the bar. He stepped closer to me, and my body tensed up.