Chapter Four

Disclaimer: Twilight and its characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. This story however, is mine, and all similarities to real persons are just that, similarities. Please feel free to review or not, I just love reading and writing. Hope you enjoy this journey with me.

Thanks to torisurfergirl and RaindropSoup, my betas, who keep me from being overly wordy and fixed my commas and ellipses, as well as teaching me how to use ALT + 0151. {grouphug}

Inspired by "After Dark" by Tito and Tarantula. Lyrics are from "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" by Trace Adkins

… whoo-wee
Shut my mouth, slap your grandma
There outta be a law
Get the Sheriff on the phone
Lord have mercy, how's she even get them britches on
That honky tonk badonkadonk

Holy shit, she was dancing.

Hair-swinging, hip-shaking dancing. Edward had never seen anyone so free and beautiful and alive as Bella just dancing behind the bar, counting liquor bottles and getting ready for a busy Friday night. She had nothing on the club whores he'd been used to in LA. All of the moves those women put out on the floor were carefully crafted to lure in men, but this was for pure, uninhibited enjoyment.

Edward hopped up on the bar, spinning across the top and flinging his legs over, before he dropped to the floor on the other side and tapped Bella on the shoulder.

Bella screamed at Edward's touch, having been completely immersed in counts, volumes, and the loud music blaring from the jukebox. Her hand flew to her chest, trying to calm her flying heartbeat. "God damn it, Edward! What the hell? Warn a girl first, will you!"

He held his hands high in surrender, laughing. "I don't think you would have known I was here if I were a tornado blowing through this bar; you seemed a little…tuned out."

Bella huffed her bangs away from her face and reached for the remote to turn the volume down. "Since you're here, do me a favor. Could you get me the step stool from the hall? I need it to count the bottles up there that I can't reach," she said, pointing above her head. "I really need Jake to move that shelf down so I can reach it, too."

Edward lifted the pass-through out of his way to get the stool and brought it back to Bella.

"So…you and Jake been together long?"

"Eww, no! Jake's like a brother. That's just—blech!"

"I just figured since you two have what seems like a close relationship…You know what? It's really not any of my business." In an attempt to change the subject, Edward looked up at the shelf above Bella's head. "You know, I could help you move that shelf down a bit. How about you hand down the bottles as you do your count? When the shelf's empty, I'll get it moved down for you."

"That would be great, Edward. Thanks!"

Bella set to work, counting and handing off the bottles to Edward before he placed them on the bar behind him. He became more and more distracted at the motion of her shirt moving across the top of her jeans, seemingly revealing more and more of her smooth back to him. Soon, the shelf was cleared and the height adjusted with everything put back in its place.

Edward's face puckered in disgust as he sipped his now cold coffee. "So, I wanted to talk to you about the music for tonight. Southern rock, I get. But I'm not really all that familiar with a lot of country music. I need some help picking some stuff out to play." With an unusual shyness, he glanced at Bella from behind his coffee cup. "You know your customers better than I do. I thought I could sit down with you sometime today and get a set list together. If you don't mind, of course."

Mentally calculating the amount of free time she had, Bella figured it wouldn't be such a bad idea, especially if she could tailor his set list to the music selections her patrons enjoyed most.

"Sure, I have some time after lunch today. The jukebox is one of those fancy computerized ones, so I can pull the most played music and artists, and we'll go from there, okay?"

With a nod of his head in affirmation, Edward took his cold coffee and stale donuts and moved to head up to his room.

"Hey, Edward?" Bella called out to him. "The kitchen's always open to you, okay? I expect to see you eating a proper breakfast from now on." She smirked at him when he turned toward her. "I always take care of my investments."

"Jason Aldean?"

"Nope."

"Carrie Underwood?"

"I've me—I've heard of her." Thankfully Edward caught himself from saying that he'd met her before. He wasn't completely oblivious when it came to today's country music. He'd actually met several country artists at various awards shows in the past, including the Grammys.

"Kenny Chesney?"

"Yeah, I've…heard of him, too."

"Please tell me you know Johnny Cash!"

Edward laughed heartily, his whole body shaking at the fact that anyone in their right mind would know who Johnny Cash was. "Johnny Cash is definitely a 'yes,'" he said with a smile, giving Bella two thumbs up.

"Now, no Bakersfield bar worth its liquor license would be complete without Buck Owens in the jukebox. You know who he is right?" She glanced up at him with squinty eyes, trying to make sure he understood the seriousness of the situation if he couldn't perform at least one of Buck's songs. The Swan Dive's reputation was at stake.

"Yes, I know who he is." Edward was becoming exasperated by her line of questioning. "I just don't know any of his songs."

Handing a list of songs over to Edward, Bella reached for her beer on the table and took a deep swig of it. Edward watched as her lips wrapped around the mouth of the bottle and swallowed. Mesmerized by sight of this unpretentious woman comfortably drinking a beer from the bottle, instead of a fancy glass like he was used to seeing, like she was just one of the guys, caused Edward to have to adjust himself. The more time he spent with Bella, and the more he watched her little quirks, the more he found himself drawn to her.

Edward shook his head at Bella, clearing his mind of the thoughts that were running rampant; he'd been doing a lot of that lately, though Bella just tended to think it was since they started combing through the song selection she had pulled from the jukebox.

Bella continued to show him song after song by newer artists like Keith Urban and Trace Adkins, and older standards like Bob Wills and the previously mentioned local legend, Buck Owens.

Armed with a CD full of music, Edward sat in his room, listening and strumming out the chords to the songs while trying to memorize lyrics for the rest of the afternoon.

"Great job tonight, Edward. Looks like you're even starting to get some groupies," Jake said, cocking his head toward a group of women standing nearby who were openly ogling the night's entertainment.

"It was hard work, trying to learn everything last minute, but I'm glad it was so well received tonight."

"Well, keep it up, man, and you'll be the talk of the town!" His comment caused Edward to internally panic. Jake waved at his cousin, Sam, sitting at the end of the bar. "Hey, I gotta help Bella out tonight behind the bar. First drink's on me, man." With a firm clap of his hand on Edward's shoulder, he tossed a dingy white bar mop over his shoulder and walked off to take orders from the pile of customers waiting.

Bella was filling orders as fast as they were coming in, all the while chatting with each patron, making them feel at home. She had on a tight, black tank top, painted-on jeans, and cowboy boots, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination for the men in the bar. Her requisite ponytail flipped back and forth as she moved with a cat-like grace between each person.

Edward sat down on a stool near the open pass-through. "Good set tonight. You're a fast learner." Sliding him a beer, Bella leaned her hip against the edge of the bar before crossing her arms across her chest, causing Edward to divert his attention from his thirst to her now enhanced cleavage instead.

"I had a good teacher."

Bella laughed and shook her head. "All I taught you was what they like," she said, sweeping her arm across her body like she was Vanna White. "The rest was all you, city boy."

"And what does Bella like?"

"Bella likes it when her employees are on time for their shift." Righting herself, she pointed a finger at the stage and said, "Finish up that beer and get that ass on stage."

Rising from the stool, he leaned against the bar, his long, guitar player fingers splayed across the top. "Any requests, boss?"

Bella hesitated, pausing to think for a moment. "Something…I know!" She snapped her fingers as an idea came to her. "You know that movie From Dusk Till Dawn? The one with George Clooney? Play something from that."

"You're lucky I know that movie, but I don't believe there's any country music in it." He reached over to the bar's black condiment station and speared a maraschino cherry with a toothpick.

"But it's moody and bluesy, and these people love to be moody and bluesy." She slapped his hand like she was scolding a child as he pulled back with his winnings, a lazy smirk on his face. As if it held the meaning of life, her eyes followed the motioned of the toothpick as he lifted it to his lips. "And it's one of my favorite movies."

"I would have thought you were more of a sparkly vampire kind of girl."

"Uh, no. Vampires are supposed to scare the shit out of you before they suck you dry. Not be covered in glitter, ready for a rave."

Edward chuckled. "I think I have just the thing. But, you have to make me a deal." Cheekily, he stuck the toothpick with the cherry in his mouth and sucked it off noisily.

"A deal? What kind of deal."

"If I play something from that movie, you have to take a break for a change."

"Dude, I have a bar to run—"

Edward cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled across the bar. "Jake!"

"Yeah?"

"Can you watch the bar for a bit? Bella needs a break."

"Sure thing, man!" Jake gave him two thumbs up and nodded in agreement.

Bella couldn't help but focus on the column of Edward's throat, his Adam's apple bobbing as he guzzled down the last of his beer. He stuck the toothpick in the corner of his mouth, grabbed Bella's hand, and pulled her behind him through the crowd toward the stage.

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