Free Bird - Morgan Wallen

Six

"No there isn't. She drank all my beer." His face gets red again. "I'm so sorry, ma'am."

"Don't worry about it, hun, it's on the house."
She winks, walking back to the kitchen to pick up their orders.

"She winked at me."

"She winked at you. Your stupid pick up like must've worked." Dani says, sneaking the rest of his beer.

"Dani, c'mon now, he's having a rough time." Morgan says, putting his arm on the back of the booth behind Dani. "Ma'am, can he please have another beer?"

"Sure." She returns with another beer and their food. "Enjoy y'all."

"Thank you." Dani smiles, her eyes fluttering to Morgan who's glancing back at her. "What?"

"You're beautiful." He simply says, his mouth full. "That's all." She blushes, looking down at her burger. She scoots a little closer to him, he drops his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his side.

"Stop it." Hardy huffs. "I'm tryna eat here."

Dani smiles to herself as she picks at her fries, leaning into him, feeling comfortable and like she belongs there under his arm.

By the end of lunch, Hardy tries to flirt with Paisley again, it goes much smoother when she goes along with it. He ends up with her phone number and a wink after they pay their bills. "Check it out!" He borderline squeals. "I got them digits!" He hangs the napkin in front of their faces.

"Yes, congrats baby." She pushes him. "You redeemed yourself."

"Or she felt bad for you." Morgan teases, earning a playful punch on the arm from his buddy.

"So are you two back together?" Hardy asks, a smile on his lips.

The two look at each other before nodding. "I guess so." Dani shrugs, looking at her best friend.

"Well that's good." He says, distracted by the napkin with the girls name and number on it written in cursive. "I got her number." He giggles to himself.

"You're kinda loosing your cool, Mike." Dani whispers as she and Morgan lean against her Bronco.

"Are you still down for more songwritin'?" Morgan asks Hardy, he nods quickly. "Great! We'll meet you back my house then." Morgan hops in the passenger seat of her car.

"Just follow us, these Tennessee roads can be kinda tricky for a Mississippi boy." Dani teases as she steps on the lift into her car.

"Am I not living in Knoxville with you?" He shoots back, climbing into his car.

Dani reverses and speeds off, making sure Hardy is following them. "Have you cleaned your car out in the last three years?"

"Are you callin' me a pig?"

"No not at all. I just remembered that I put a guitar in here, it's in the trunk under the spare."

"How- why am I just now finding out?" She asks as she takes a curve on the road.

"Just go to that spot off the river." She sighs and does just that, using the Brodie Knob on the bottom of her steering wheel, it's illegal for her to have one of those, they're usually for tractors but she lifted it from one of an ex-boyfriend's dad when she helped them out on their farm. They gave her the okay to drive a tractor. Bad choice.

She turns off the road suddenly, totally confusing Hardy who's still following them. He grabs his phone and calls Morgan. "Where the hell are y'all taken me?"

"Shh!" He responds then hangs up. She whips her Bronco through a dirt path, glad that she's finally driving through this, Morgan always drives. She swings her car into a dirt spot, laughing wildly. "This is why I always drive!" He exhales, white knuckling the Oh Shit handle as he looks over at her, his heart thumping in his chest. He reaches over and grabs the back of her neck, pulling her in for a hot kiss. She gasps as he pulls over to his lap, her fingers twisting in his long hair as he holds her close.