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Prologue
Thursday, October 13, 3 AM
Nashville, Tennessee
Dixie Simlittering stars, clicked against the rain-soaked paveo and left the air crisp, colder than nored leather jacket, she shoved chilled hands into her pockets, fingering the roll of wrinkled one-dollar bills frohs but didn’t slow her on-top-of-the-world gait or spark a bit of remorse for her choice of attire The black s, always a crowd-pleaser at Rudy’s honky-tonk
Tonight she’d been the last to sing at Rudy’s bar, the centerpiece of Lower Broadway’s four block stretch of honky-tonks and restaurants The one am ti Rudy hadn’t been expecting her, she’d appreciated the spot, the chance Soht crowd, but not Dixie She’d sung as if her life hung in the balance, or better, that a talent-hungry music producer sat in a darkened corner She’d been spot-on tonight, quickly forgetting about the gig’sPatsy Cline’s “Crazy” When she’d switched to a Taylor Swift song she’d energized the croho soon were hooping and hollering Applause followed her when she’d left the stage, her black hs The rus
h of excitereat sex
The club’s owner Rudy Creed had watched her from behind the bar, clearly pleased by the way she’d roped the crowd’s attention He’d stopped her on the way out and had said there’d been folks asking after her “They think you’re good Worth following,” he’d said
Worth following
Lordy, but she wanted to be worth following more than the breath she took She’d been on thetables, knocking on closedevery extra dime into publicity stills and deo, they’d slept together but lately he’d been dodging her However his no’s, as far as she was concerned, arotten hio and he’d been pissed by her persistence “Yeah, you got talent but stay the fuck away from me”
All she’d heard was you got talent
The metro buses didn’t run this late so she’d been forced to est on Broadway and past the hotels before turning on the tree-lined side street where she’d parked her car Her cute pink boots cra a blister on her heel
Momma would have complained about the walk, the cold, and her feet Momma understood hard work but she didn’t understand dreaed Dixie to take the secretary job in Knoxville, but Dixie had refused
Dixie wanted to be a star Wanted everyone to know her naht break
Worth following
Maybe, she’d finally paid enough dues Maybe soon she’d look back on tonight and recognize the exact ed
Her chest puffed with pride as she i wanted
As she rounded a corner and headed north, a group ofsouth They wore jeans, blue jackets, and collared shirts that popped up in a collegiate kind of way She guessed they were students at Vanderbilt University The men slowed their pace and a couple stared at her olfish gazes
The flicker of pride grew brighter She liked e She savored the fe it could derail any ht off the tracks
Dixie paused and bent forward to adjust a tassel on her boot One of the boys whistled
She grinned and waved, her exciteested a party, but tonight another man waited
She tossed the boys a wave, and when they called her over, she pouted and shook her head no before hurrying toward her car parked a half block away The boots bit into her little toe
Dixie fished her phone out of her purse, dialed a fa once Twice Dollar store bracelets rattled on her wrist as she untangled a blond hair extension fro
The phone kept ringing
Sugar used to pick up on the first ring He’d be breathless and excited as if he’d been waiting anxiously for her call But lately, if he answered, he let the phone ring five or six times and his hello carried less anticipation
Four Five Six He picked up on the seventh ring “Dixie” He’d wrapped her name in a honey-flavored bourbon, his drink of choice
“Hey Want soht?”
Hesitation and then, “Not tonight, Dixie I’ve an early ”
Jealousy scratched as she i sweet songs in his ear He liked blondes that could sing The sound of a wo she’d sung to him had been “You’re Still the One”
“I thought you wantedthe words
He yawned “I know, but I’ day”
In the early days, he’d never been tired when she called She’d been his tonic His muse
His rejection a for attention She nestled closer to the phone iar, I can wake you up That’s a prouarantee”
“Not tonight, Dixie In a day or two” The soft edges hardened