Page 26 of She's My Kind Of Rain

He saunters off to line dance with the rest of the crowd, not caring about how he looks, just having the time of his life. He’s the true meaning ofdance like no one’s watching. The goofy fuck knows how to do everything. I shift in my stool and swivelit back toward the counter, and there she is—the girl with the raven hair.

Suddenly I feel stone cold sober. I don’t know if I should approach her or leave her alone, second guessing myself and whether she would even want to meet me. I turn back again toward Rhett, still having the time of his life, and decide I might as well shoot my shot. Once more I revolve toward the girl I haven’t stopped thinking about since the moment I saw her…but she’s gone.

What the fuck.

It’s as if the world is playing a cruel joke on me. I huff in disbelief. How can it be that every time I try to approach her, she winds up disappearing? Did I even see her or am I just that hammered? I finish revolving in the chair, frowning as I try to enjoy my girly ass drink. Maybe it’s a blessing she didn’t see me with not only one, but two of these sitting in front of me.

“Well, that is not what I expected to be your drink of choice,” says a soft voice that seems familiar.

I look to my left and there she is. Her radiant blue eyes peering back at me from only inches away. A perfect smile is written on her face and imprinted on my soul—every bit of her radiating warmth.

“Do I know you?” I respond, trying to sound smooth, but there’s no doubt about it, I sound like a total dipshit.

Fuck.

She reaches out a hand. “Hi, Mr. Mason, I’m Daisy Holloway.”

I must be hammered. She’s the rep?

“You can call me Sawyer, Miss Daisy,” I say, trying not to sound surprised. So, the girl of my dreams and the rep are the same girl. What are the odds of that?

“Sawyer it is,” her lips pull up into another bright beautiful smile.

I take in her features now that I’m close enough to see every detail. Her skin has a radiant glow, but still much lighter in complexion than most. Freckles sprinkle her face, something my Pops always referred to as angel kisses. For some reason that thought alone pulls at my heartstrings. Her lips are full, and her hair is as dark as night, with bangs framing her face. I would be lying if I said I didn’t notice her slightly exposing top, but regardless of what she’s wearing, she’s undoubtedly the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

I rub the back of my neck, nervous that I might mess shit up now that she’s standing right in front of me, when her eyes spot the gold envelope sitting next to my drink.

“Fancy drinks and even fancier…mail?” She scrunches her eyebrows and laughs the sweetest laugh.

She too might have had a drink or two tonight.

“Oh, yeah, it’s actually something really cool.” I can’t quite act like it’s nothing, and something about her makes me want to share the excitement. “It’s an invitation to play here on stage. Clearly, I’m having one hell of a good month.” I chuckle, embarrassed slightly by how easy that realization flowed out of me, but mostly because I know I was including meeting her in the list of good things that have happened.

Her eyes fill with joy—almost like someone who has known you their whole life when they are proud of something you achieved. My heart warms, or maybe it’s my remaining buzz, but I don’t care one way or another.

“That’s fantastic, Sawyer, you truly deserve a spot on that stage and many more just as grand, if not grander.”

I begin to speak, but stop the moment I notice Rhett and a girl he seems to be bickering with approaching. He doesn’t pay me any attention, but instead walks right past me before grabbing his drink and taking a long swig. With mischief in his gaze, he saunters over and plants himself between Daisy and,who I assume is, her friend. Raising his glass in silent cheers, he takes a sip and says, “I see you’ve met Miss Daisy.”

He grins ear-to-ear, that same shit-eating look he wears when he’s being a smart ass or discovered something before someone else.

It just now clicks that he knew Daisy had to have been the girl I’d seen and wondered about, and he’d made it a point to try and get her here tonight just for me.

At this point, I owe the man my life.

Rhett opens his mouth to speak, stopping once someone in the crowd slams into him, spilling his drink all over the front of Daisy.

“Ahh, shit. I’m sorry Daisy,” he slurs out.

She looks from him to me and then to her friend, disbelief in her stare. A pleasant, “excuse me a moment,”crosses her lips, and she scurries away.

Her friend begins to speak, “I’ll be right…”

And I don’t know if it’s the alcohol doing the thinking, or what it is, but I don’t even wait for her to finish, I just leave to rush after Daisy.

The bathrooms in The Westmore are down a lowly lit hallway. Two separate community style bathrooms lining eachside of the narrow alley with their perspectiveInandOutdoors, forming a U-shaped layout on the other side of the wall. Without thinking, I barge into the women’s restroom, lucky to only find Daisy there at the sink, small tears forming in her eyes as she tries her best to get the drink stain out of her top.

“What are you doing here?” Shock replaces the sad look she had just been sporting.

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