The Rockin' Country

Chapter 2

"I so wish I was able to get his real name before the end of the night," Harmony groaned as she looked at the cover of a gossip magazine. She, like everyone else who passed the magazine rack at this grocery store, could see the picture of her and Reaper together. It was featured prominently along with a headline that made it seem as if she and the lead singer of Black Friday were dating.

"I wish you had too," Shell commiserated with her friend as she took the magazine out of Harmony's hand and looked at it. "The two of you make a striking couple."

That was the truth. Harmony had even taken the time to read the internet gossip sites on her plane ride home to Nashville. Everyone made a comment about how hot the two of them looked together - didn't seem to matter that they were polar opposites on the musical genre stick, something that surprised her.

"Is this an obsession? I may or may not have made that picture of the two of us my lock screen," Harmony admitted, her face burning.

"Girl, you do have it bad."

It was their turn in line next, and on impulse, Harmony grabbed the magazine out of Shell's hands and threw it in with her other purchases. In this affluent section of the city, it wasn't unusual to see stars out and about, so neither one of them had to worry about photographers or gossipers overhearing their conversation. With their groceries purchased, the two of them made their way outside to Harmony's Land Rover.

"You wanna drive?" she asked, Shell, holding the keys up to her friend.

"You bet. Did you get an email from your producer?"

"Nah, but I have a total of 200 emails since last night, so I need to go through some of these. You know I tend to do that best riding in a car," she grinned.

"I've never understood that either," Shell shook her head. "If I'm letting someone drive me around, I want to be watching. If I'm gonna die, I wanna know it beforehand."

"That's the difference between optimistic and pessimistic," Harmony laughed. "I just have a better outlook on life than you do."

As they merged into traffic, Harmony giggled loudly.

"Do share."

"My mother...my mother emailed me about that picture with Reaper. She asked me - who is that hot man with all those tattoos and why haven't I met him yet?"

"Why didn't she just call you?" Shell giggled along.

Harmony rolled her eyes, an indulgent smile on her face. "I got her an iPhone for her birthday a few weeks ago. She's been working hard on getting tech savvy, so now she thinks she doesn't have to call me. She either texts or emails just to show me that she can do it. Oh or she f******k's me. It's cute."

As they talked, her phone buzzed again.

"That thing is blowin' up," Shell commented.

"No crap. I wish my love life was as exciting as everyone else wants to make it out to be." Harmony got quiet as she looked at what had buzzed on her phone. "Oh my God!" she breathed.

"What?"

"This text message I just got. I don't recognize the number, but it's a California one. It's the same area code as my producer, who lives out there. It says Sorry we didn't run into each other again. Just letting you know – it's Garrett."

Not catching on, Shell screwed up her face. "What the f**k does that mean?"

"You know I hate when you use that word," she wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Girlfriend, if you wanna hang out with Black Friday, I'm thinkin' 'f**k' is going to be the least of your worries. Anyway, what did that text mean?"

"I think its Reaper. We talked about knowing each other's real names. How did he get my number? Why did he go to the trouble to get my number? What do I say?"

"Calm down there, Sparky. First, make sure it's him."

Harmony's fingers actually shook as she texted back. Who is this?

Within seconds, another text dinged and she saw that it was a multimedia message. She opened it and smiled as a picture of him flashed through. He smiled wide, his dimples showing, a warmth in his eyes.

"It is him." She turned her phone so that Shell could see.

"So his name is Garrett? That's much nicer than Reaper."

The phone rang as the two gazed at the picture. "That's him," Harmony grinned.

"Well answer the damn thing!"

Shushing her, she put the phone up to her ear. "Hello?"

"So, I see you got the picture, and now you know who I am." His voice was much deeper than it had been the night before, or maybe it was just easier to hear him without all those people around.

"I did. How did you get my number anyway?" She was very curious about that. It wasn't like she gave it out to a lot of people.

"We know mutual people," he commented mysteriously. "Anyway, the reason I called you is because we're doing a secret show in Nashville tonight at the arena. I have a few hours before I have to do anything, and I know you're in town too. Would you like to have a late lunch or an early dinner?"

He was asking her out? Was this real life? This kind of stuff never happened to her.

"Sure." Harmony's voice was high-pitched, even to her. "Where do you want to meet?"

"Where are you right now?"

"I'm in Green Hills."

Shell sat to the side, trying to get Harmony's attention by slapping her on the arm.

"Stop," she whispered.

"I'm not too far from there. I'll meet you in the mall parking lot? How's that?"

"Sounds good. I'm in a Land Rover. It's silver with black tinted windows. We'll park in the back so that you'll know it's me. My friend, Shell, is with me, but I'll just let her drive my car home."

Harmony hung up and hit Shell in the arm. "We're going out to lunch, dinner...whatever you wanna call it. We're going."

"It's a good thing you washed your hair, put on makeup, and actually cared about what you dressed in today," Shell deadpanned as she merged into the turning lane that would allow them to get into the mall parking lot.

"You're right. This could have been very bad, but I do look cute today if I do say so myself."

"I feel like I should give you a talk about going on a date with an older boy who drives a fast car, listens to rock music, and talks back to authority."

"You're hilarious. I am twenty-four years old. I think we can agree that I know how to take care of myself. Besides, I carry mace."

The two of them stopped talking as a blacked out new Dodge Charger pulled into the parking lot and up to the SUV they sat in. The window rolled down slightly on the driver's side, and Harmony caught a glance of Garrett.

"That is one sexy car," Shell breathed. "You're birth control is up to date, right?"

"Oh my gosh. Are you serious right now? I don't sleep with men on the first date."

"I have a feelin' that man gets women to drop their panties way before they know his real name."

Gazing back at the car, Harmony had to admit to herself that Shell was probably right. Instead, she groaned and opened the door.

"Be careful. I'll have my phone on me if you need me," Shell said as she watched her friend hop down.

"I will be. I'll call ya."

* * *

Harmony's heart thundered in her chest as she walked around to the passenger side of the car. The door opened before she got there, and she smiled as she saw Garrett leaning over, holding it open for her from the driver's seat.

"Hey," he greeted her as she sat down and buckled up.

"Hey," she answered back, feeling nervous about being alone in the car with him. This was so unlike anything she ever did. Usually, she knew someone for a few weeks before she ever went out with them, but something about this told her that it would be alright. For the first time in her life, she decided to follow her heart and throw caution to the wind.

"First things first, I told you my real name, are you gonna tell me yours?"

She glanced over at him, feeling his eyes on her. "What makes you think Harmony isn't my given name?"

"Because most people I know in this business aren't honest about anything. I'm thinking someone as pretty as you; with as many admirers...you're not putting your real name out there."

She blushed and bit her lip. "It's Hannah Stewart. I just use a different first name."

"Nice to meet you, Hannah." He leaned over, shaking her hand.

"Same here, Garrett."

"Now that you know my name, does it take away any of my mystique?" he asked, messing with the keys that sat in the ignition.

"Not at all. The mystique is you, not your name."

That seemed to put him at ease. He took a deep breath and faced her. "So what's a good place to eat around here?"

"Depends on what you want. We have a large variety."

"I'm from California; I've never really had down home southern cooking before. How about I try it here?"

A smile tilted the corners of her mouth, and she clapped her hands together. "This is going to be so fun; I know exactly where we can go."

Hannah directed him through the city a few minutes up the road to a little diner that had grown to be an institution, at least for her.

"This looks like a hole in the wall," he commented as they pulled into a parking spot and got out of the car.

She waited as he came around to the passenger side so that they could walk in together. "It is, but it's some of the best home cookin' besides my own mother's you'll ever eat. It's usually busy, but I used to do songwriters' nights and they know me. It looks like we hit it at a pretty good time though," Hannah observed the parking lot.

"You sure they won't turn me away?" he asked, indicating the tattoos that peaked out under the arms of the t-shirt he wore.

"I think you'll be fine." She cupped her hand around his arm as they walked into the building.

Garrett could feel the eyes of the patrons and staff on him. He was used to it, but for the first time it gave him pause. She was so normal looking compared to him, they were surely questioning what she thought walking in here with her hand wrapped around his arm.

"Hannah." An elderly woman shuffled over to the two of them.

"Hey, Ms. Greta," Hannah greeted her, pulling the small woman into her arms and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"How are you, sweetheart?"

"I'm doin' good. My friend here hasn't ever had any down home southern cookin'...he's from California. I knew just where to bring him too," Hannah winked up at Garrett.

He steeled himself against the look he just knew this woman would give him. Surprise wrote itself across his face as the older woman looked him up and down, gave him a saucy smile, and cupped his large hand in her small one.

"C'mon back here boy, let me show you how they butter these handmade biscuits."

The giggle that escaped Hannah's mouth was worth the blush that covered his. He wasn't exactly sure she was really talking about biscuits, but he followed her just the same.