“Why, Miss Harley, you’re here early again tonight. Special occasion?” Tiny maneuvered his bulking frame close to their table, causing her to smile up at him.
“Very special,” she insisted. “Duke and I are here to share a lovely dinner together.”
“I’d say that is special,” Tiny stated. “Two of my very favorite people.”
“So what do you have for me today, Tiny? And don’t hold out on me. I’ve literally only eaten three crackers since breakfast.”
Tiny placed his hand on his hip and directed his eyes toward Duke. “Do you see what I put up with? How am I supposed to go to bed at night not worrying about this one when she tells me things like that? You tell her, Mr. Duke, that she outta come on out here every night and let me feed her.”
“Don’t bother, because I won’t listen. If I was out here every night, it wouldn’t be as special. Besides, you wouldn’t miss me during the week and you’d stop treating me like a queen when I walked through the door.”
“You’ll always be a queen here, and you know it,” was all Tiny replied. Sensing a bit of emotion rising inside her at his unconditional acceptance, Harley decided it best to change the subject.
“So, what do you have for us then?”
“Tonight I got a big chicken fried steak smothered in gravy, with—”
“You can stop,” Harley interrupted. “You had me at that whole ‘smothered in gravy’ bit. I’m in. Duke, how about you? ‘Smothered in gravy’ sound appetizing?”
“Suppose,” he muttered. “That girl always eat like this?”
“No, she don’t,” Tiny said, giving Harley a slight glare. “Only once a week, and she gonna waste away to nothing if she ain’t careful. But she eats when she’s here—I see to that.”
With that he wandered out of their sight, and Harley grinned across the table at Duke. “So, what should we talk about? Most of my dates talk about politics and current events, but I’m sick to death of those things.”
“I don’t know,” he replied, looking up as though he were thinking. “What did you and Ryan talk about the other night in here?”
“Why do you keep bringing him up?” she asked with an exasperated laugh as she felt her neck getting warm. “I don’t know… We talked about his weird haircut, and he inappropriately showed me every tattoo on his body. Thank God he only had them on his torso, by the way. And then…” She hesitated, because she knew she was saying too much.
“Then?”
“Then he asked me what I was passionate about.” Placing her elbows on the table and clasping her hands together, she leaned closer to her companion. “Duke, have you ever done anything you’ve really been ashamed of? I came this close to doing that tonight.” She held her fingers up a hair’s-width apart to punctuate her point. “I thought I wanted to be important to really make a difference in the world, you know? After tonight, though… What if I want to be important just to be important? It’s pathetic.”
“I’d say we all have things we’re ashamed of, if we look hard enough. You don’t have to be important to make a difference, though.”
Feeling her eyes fill with tears, Harley pulled her hands back and folded her arms across her chest. “That’s the same thing he said.”
“Who?”
“Ryan.”
Laughing, Duke nodded his head. She hadn’t heard him laugh before—it was a low, rumbling chuckle that instantly made her feel more at ease.
“So what kind of tattoos does he have?” Duke wanted to know.
Harley couldn’t avoid exhibiting her own sheepish grin. “A bunch of Bible verses and Jesus stuff about being saved and all that. It’s weird, right? Just tell me it’s weird to appease me.”
“Why do you need to think it’s weird?” He shifted a bit in his chair and reached up to scratch his beard. “I have a tattoo, you know, from back in my younger days when I was a biker. It’s across my upper arm.”
“Oh my word, please tell me it doesn’t say Harley.”
“Little lady, I keep telling you I’m a Harley man. One of these days you’re going to believe me.”
Tiny returned at that moment, setting two steaming plates on the table. Rather than continue to focus on her tablemate, she inhaled the aroma of her food and looked down at the large portions of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Placing her napkin in her lap, she prepared to cut into her food when Duke broke the silence.
“Mind if I say a prayer?”
Of course she minded. Wasn’t he paying attention during her very recent “tell me it’s weird” comments?
“Um, I guess,” she stated hesitantly. He bowed his head and prayed internally, she supposed, because he made no external utterances. When he was finished, he simply began eating, and she did the same.
“So, I have to be honest with you, Duke,” she interrupted their meal, slight grin on her face. “I’ve never been on a date where someone prayed over their meal. That’s a first for me. Also, I’ve never eaten dinner with someone who may or may not have my name tattooed on their arm.”
“Well,” he said, twinkle in his eye, “maybe if you hang around Ryan a little more you can convince him to do it.”
Choking on her food, Harley lifted her fist to her mouth as she coughed a few times. “Seriously, Duke, warn a girl when you’re going to say something like that! And that wasn’t funny, by the way.”
They ate the rest of their meal with comfortable conversation, him occasionally bringing up Ryan in attempts to embarrass her, and of course the occasional mention of Harleys just to get her ire up. When they finished, she told him she needed to talk to Tiny for a moment and wandered up to the bar, waiting on her friend.
“Get enough to eat?” he asked when he noticed her, stepping up until they were face to face over the counter. His grin was always easy, and she loved the way it lit up his countenance.
“More than enough, of course. How much do I owe you?”
“Now your money’s no good here and you know it.”
“You know I love you, don’t you?” she asked, giving him a smile.
“Well, I didn’t know that, but it’s mighty nice to hear.”
“Then let me do this, please. I’ve not had such a great week, to be honest, and I feel a need to redeem myself a little. This may be a ridiculous way to do it, but let me have this, okay?”
“Miss Harley, I’m proud to call you my friend, you know that? Darn proud. You give me ten dollars and we’ll call it even.”
Shaking her head, she pulled her wallet out of her purse. “I’ll give you thirty, and we’ll say I still owe you a great deal. And I’m proud to call you my friend, too. Darn proud, even.”
Leaving her money on the counter, he stepped around the end and folded her little frame in his big arms, wrapping her in a hug. “I meant what I said, girl. I’d feed you every night.”
“I know,” she told him, squeezing a little tighter. “Thank you.” He handed her a chocolate bar, and she returned to Duke and they walked outside, where they could sit together on the bench and split their chocolate just like they did every Friday.
Sliding into the driver’s seat of her BMW, Harley picked up her phone and dialed Annie’s number, listening as it rang three times.
“Why are you calling me on a Friday night? I could be on a date.”
Turning the keys in the ignition, Harley checked the mirror and pulled out into the street. “Hello, Annie. It’s nice to hear from you, too. Are you on a date?”
“No, I said ‘could be.’” Giggling a bit, she let out a sigh.
“So what are you doing tonight?”
“No plans, why?”
Harley paused as she looked at her own eyes in the rear view mirror. “I have an urge to go to Bonham Station.”
“Do I want to know why we’re here?” Annie asked as they stepped up to the outside of the building, listening to the pounding drumbeat and the thump of the bass.
“Aren’t we allowed to have a little fun?” Ha
rley told herself it was only curiosity that had drawn her to Bonham Station, but deep inside she knew better. If it had been curiosity, she wouldn’t have taken the time to go home and put on extra mascara. She also wouldn’t have exchanged her “church volunteer” clothes for the Rock Revival jeans she recently scored. She wouldn’t have put on her black sequined tank, and she wouldn’t have added the black leather jacket to top it off. For whatever reason, it wasn’t until she was at the front door of the building that her obviousness dawned on her.
She stopped walking, and Annie drew up beside her. “What gives? Aren’t you going inside?” Annie looked quintessentially herself, with her gauzy black long-sleeve shirt and her camouflage jeans, naturally accentuated by those red curls on one side of her head. The hoop in her eyebrow rose, and Harley knew that meant she better get to explaining.
“Maybe we should just go somewhere else, do you think?” Her hesitance was enough to practically send Annie into a tizzy.
“Oh my gosh, that guy is here, isn’t he?! The fry cook who thought you looked like a goddess?” Grabbing her arm, Annie propelled her forward. “We are definitely going in. I have to see the guy who has you all worked up.”
Before she knew it, Annie had shoved her past the bouncer and they were inside, the thump of the music so loud they could barely speak.
“Where is he?” Annie yelled, leaning as close to Harley as she could. She only shrugged in response, glancing around the crowd. Try as she might, she couldn’t see him among the faces, her attempts made more difficult by the people jumping up and down and the slightly dark atmosphere of the room. Five minutes of honest effort in gazing at every guy in the room left Harley in a state of disappointment, so she reluctantly turned her attention to the stage and the lead singer. He was halfway bent to the ground singing in a raspy voice, wearing a baseball cap and a t-shirt with the insignia of a metal band.
“Great singer!” Annie told her, but Harley barely heard her because her eyes had just drifted past the lead vocalist to land on the drummer, and she froze in her spot. As if sensing her lack of movement, Annie grabbed her arm. “The singer is the guy?”
“No, the drummer,” she told her friend, daring to stare openly at him. As she did so, she wondered if he did the same to her when she was on television, and the thought unnerved her a bit.
“Seriously, that’s the guy?” Annie wanted to know.
“What’s wrong with him?”
Shaking her head, Annie glanced back up at the stage. “Nothing’s wrong with him, he’s just not what I expected.”
The comment rankled Harley, but she merely turned her attention to the band and tried to enjoy their music. They weren’t exceptional, but they were good for a bunch of local boys, and she liked some of the song lyrics. The ones she could understand, anyway—many of them were screamed so loudly she couldn’t make sense of them. One song in particular was subdued and quiet, and the lyrics were hauntingly beautiful, enough so that Harley couldn’t drag her eyes off the lead singer for that one.
At the end of the set, the band began to disperse and go their separate ways, and Annie poked Harley in the side. “What are you waiting for?”
“Nothing, let’s just go home, okay?”
“Harley Laine, I never would have figured you for such a coward.” Annie latched onto her arm again and jerked her forward to the lead singer, who was standing near a couple other laughing young men. “You guys were great up there—really good. I’m Annie Jessup, and this is my friend, Harley Laine.”
Harley wanted to fade into the wall, but she forced a slight smile onto her face.
He adjusted his ball cap slightly before he responded. “Wow, it’s really funny that you’re here, because we were just talking about you earlier. Sorry, I’m Matt. I guess I should have said that already.”
“I’m just fascinated that you were talking about me when you don’t know me,” Annie said, winking at Harley.
Matt seemed to think that was funny, because he laughed heartily. “I’m thinking it’s a shame that I don’t know you,” he joked. “You ladies want to join us?”
“Sure,” Annie stated breezily, giving Harley a smug grin. “What were you saying about my friend Harley, anyway?”
Glancing behind him, he leaned closer. “Don’t say anything, but my friend Ryan has a little crush on you.”
“You’re kidding.” Annie kicked Harley, who gave her a quick glare.
“No, totally serious. In fact, it would probably make his year if you just went up and introduced yourself. He’s over there, messing with his drum kit.”
“You should definitely go introduce yourself,” Annie repeated, about to laugh.
Rolling her eyes, Harley excused herself from their presence and moved nearer to the drums, feeling extremely self-conscious. He had shed his jacket and was only wearing the white V-neck T-shirt, which was just damp enough that she could see the contours of his tattoo through the white fabric. Turning and reaching down to grab something off the stage floor, his eyes managed to find her as he rose. Moving slowly and deliberately, he walked to the edge of the stage and knelt down, lowering himself to a seated position. A slow smile spread across his face as he stared into her eyes.
“I really must be wearing you down,” he teased. “Or is this another undercover assignment? Let me guess…you’re investigating my murder of the drums tonight?”
It was difficult to miss the fact that he was slightly sweaty, and he shoved his hair away where it was clinging to his cheek.
“Actually, your friend Matt wanted me to introduce myself to you, because he’s convinced that you have a crush on me.”
“I don’t know where he’d get an idea like that.” Holding out his drumstick, he looked at her curiously. “Have you ever held a drumstick?”
“No.” Despite her inner protests, she let a little smile break onto her face.
“Take it,” he insisted, and she wrapped her hand around it. Instead of letting go, he gently pulled it towards him, causing her to take a step. “See what I did there? I just wanted you closer. Pretty clever, huh?”
“Naturally. You could have just tried asking, though.”
“That’s not as much fun.”
Boosting herself up to sit next to him on the stage, she avoided his eyes by looking around the room.
“So, you guys were good. I especially liked that sort of slow song.”
“Really? You liked that one?”
“The lyrics were gorgeous. I’d love to hear it again.”
Leaning back and reaching into his bag, he pulled out a CD. “Here. I’m sort of glad that you liked that one, because it’s mine.” She glanced at him with surprise, and he laughed. “You’re shocked that I wrote that?”
“No, I’m just…” She took a quick look at the blank CD case and then brought her eyes back up to his. “Yes, actually. I’m a little surprised, but mostly because I had no idea you were even in a band.”
“Just for kicks,” he insisted, not taking his eyes off her face.
“Sing the song for me,” she requested, causing him to shake his head.
“You don’t want that,” he assured her firmly, adjusting the drumstick in his hands. “Completely tone deaf. Trust me. Not pretty.” She pretended to be disappointed, and he gently prodded her with the stick. “Hey, be honest—were you already planning on being here tonight, or did you show up just because I asked you?”
“What difference does it make?”
“Well,” he began, looking down at his hands, “if you were going to be here anyway, then it’s really cool that you took the time to come over here and say hello. If you’re here because I asked you, though…” Twisting slightly, he looked at her face. “That means you dressed up and drove down here and disrupted whatever plans you had this evening. You wanted to see me. You invested something into this back and forth we have. That sort of feels like a game changer.”
“I’m just having some fun with my friend Annie, that’s all.”
> Looking toward Annie and Matt, Ryan pointed his drumstick. “That your friend over there? Keeps staring at us? With the half-shaved head?”
“Yes,” she admitted with a smile. “Apparently I have a soft spot for people with unconventional hairstyles. And I should get back over there, since she’s waiting for me.”
“Give me your number,” he entreated. “I won’t be able to wait even twenty-four hours before calling you. You might not even get out of this building before I call you.”
Sliding off the stage, she shot him a flirty glance. “I’ve really got to go.”
“Take my number then. Come on, or I’m going to embarrass you.”
She paused for a second to determine his intentions, and when he lifted his eyebrows teasingly, she shook her head. “Thanks for the show, Ryan. Maybe I’ll see you around.”
Taking a few steps over to Annie, she grabbed her friend’s shoulder and nodded towards the door. They politely said their goodbyes and then turned to go. She dared a glance back at Ryan, who was still sitting on the edge of the stage.
“Harley Laine, my heart aches for you!” he called, pointing the drumstick in her direction. “I’m serious! You’re killing me!”
Raising her hand to her chest, her breath caught in her throat as she hurriedly tried to pull Annie from the room. Laughing, Annie gave her a teasing shove.
“Girl, you are in big trouble with that one. And he’s not even someone you would normally look twice at. I don’t get it.”
Harley didn’t understand it herself, but she knew Annie was correct—she was in way over her head.
“What is with you, man?” Matt stepped up to his friend Ryan, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I manage to score you a meet-and-greet with a girl you can’t stop talking about, and you’re acting crazy.”
Crowned (Girls of Wonder Lane Book 2) Page 8
