Dani woke up to her alarm going off. It was 11:30am. She got up and hopped in the shower. She had a wedding dress appointment with Randy's sister Becky at 12:15pm. She got dressed and made some toast. Just as she finished eating, Becky arrived.
"Morning Dani!" Becky called as she walked in the apartment.
"Hi! I'm having a fat day, maybe we should go get ice cream instead." Dani said with a laugh.
"Nope, we're going to find you a wedding dress." Becky said with a laugh. "I'll drive."
So the girls spent the day looking at wedding dresses. Dani fell asleep in the car on the way home. Becky woke her up once they were back to Dani's house. "Hey, you're home."
Dani looked up and looked at her watch, she seen that she didn't have a lot of time before she would have to leave to get Jeremy and head out to St. Louis. She leaned over and gave Becky a hug, "Thank you so much for going with me. I'll call you later this week."
"Sounds good, see ya!" Becky said waving as she drove away.
Dani quickly ran up to their apartment and changed. She put on a great outfit that she had just bought, did her hair really nice, made sure her makeup was just right, put on her lucky black, cowgirl boots then she grabbed her guitar and anything else she needed and headed to Jeremy's house.
Jeremy opened the door and had to do a double-take, she looked great. "Damn girl, you look hot!" He said as he held the door open. "Just you looking like that is going to blow them away!"
Dani giggled and blushed, "Oh stop. You almost ready?"
"Yup, I just have to grab my lucky hat." He said walking towards his bedroom. "What did Alyssa say?"
"She was excited for us. I'm supposed to call her tomorrow and tell her how it goes." Dani said.
"So, after the show, do you want to go bum around St. Louis?" Jeremy asked.
"I would, but Randy's show is in St. Louis tonight, so I have to play it stealth mode." Dani said tossing him his jacket.
Jeremy shook his head, "I don't know why you don't just tell him."
"It's just easier with him not knowing." Dani said taking her keys out of her pocket. "Are you ready for tonight?"
"Definitely." He replied as he locked his door, "Let's roll!"
MeanwhilStephanie was walking down the hallway at the venue and found Randy talking to Dave Batista and Christian. "Randy, can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Sure Steph." Randy said as he walked away with her.
Dave looked at Christian, "I bet that will make him a happy camper."
"Why?" Chrstian asked puzzled.
"Because he's always had a little crush on Stephanie. She's Paul's wife, but whenever they fight, Steph always flirts with him. And he's always there to flirt back." Dave said with a laugh. "Let me know what's going on tonight." And he walked off.
Steph leaned up against the wall. "What are you up to tonight?"
Randy leaned up alongside of her, "Nothing yet. Why, what's up?"
"Well…since you're from around here, I was thinking maybe you could take me out tonight and show me a good time. There's a few of the girls that all want to go out. I'm the only one that doesn't have someone to go with because Paul's going out with Ric." She pouted.
Randy gave her that dreamy smirk, "Well, I think I can handle that. What type of club do you guys want to go to?"
"Something nicer, not a dive. There's a band that's here in town called "Jewel Chest" that I've heard is really good, so I wouldn't mind seeing them." Stephanie brought up. She was the McMahon with an ear for music. She always liked finding new talent.
"I'll tell you what, if you want to go see them, I'll take ya. Your job is to find out where they're playing and what kind of dress code they have, and we'll go out tonight." He said quietly.
Stephanie gave him a hug, "Thanks Randy, you're the best." And she took off. If she wasn't married, and he didn't have someone, she would definitely pursue him.
The show went on, and as soon as Randy walked back behind the curtain, Steph grabbed his arm, "They're playing at the Mirage."
"Ooh, that's a nice club. You'll want to wear something nice, classy, but not overly formal. Give me a half-hour and I'll pick you up at your hotel room." Randy said to her.
"Alright. Is it still ok if some of the others come with?" Steph asked.
"Of course, just tell them the same thing or they won't get in because they're strict on the dress code." Randy replied grabbing a towel.
Steph couldn't help but look at his hot body glistening with sweat, "Sounds good. See ya in a bit." And she quickly walked off.
In exactly a half-hour, there was a knock on Steph's hotel door. When she opened the door, she couldn't help but gasp. Randy looked hot! He had on black khakis and a button down white shirt. "Hi, let me grab my jacket and my purse."
Randy watched her walk away. He couldn't help but watch because she looked very hot tonight. She had on a black skirt, and a tighter-fitting top. Her hair was long and curly. She slipped on her black boots, "Ok, I'm ready."
"Is anyone else coming with us?" He asked.
"Yup, they'll meet us there though." Steph replied.
When they arrived, there was already a line outside. "Don't worry, I called ahead," Stephanie advised.
"Good, it's tough to get in some nights. This band must be pretty good." Randy said.
They walked in and made their way to the bar. They could hear the band playing, but couldn't see them yet. "What do you want to drink?" Randy asked.
"Long Island iced tea." Steph replied.
"I'll get the drinks, you go see if you can find the others." Randy replied.
The band was playing all sorts of different music. They were playing some country, some rock and roll.
Steph came walking back with the others. "We found a table, it's kind of in the back, but we'll still be able to see. Plus we're close to the dance floor in case we want to dance." Steph advised.
"Cool, let's go." Randy said handing Steph her drink.
They got to the table and got settled. Randy set down his drink and headed to the bathroom. While standing in line, he heard the band play "American Pie" by Don McClean and "All I Want to Do is Make Love to You," by Heart. Then on his way back to the table they played "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," by Poison.
The band started playing a very up-beat song, which sounded country. Randy sat down and Steph grabbed his arm. "I want you to look at the singer and tell me what you think of her. I think I want her to sing the National Anthem at a few of our shows."
Randy stood up to see and his jaw dropped. There was a very pretty woman, who could play the guitar like nobody's business. And boy could she sing. Then he focused on her face and he couldn't believe it. It was his fiancé Danielle! He sat back down quickly.
"So what do you think? By the end of the first set I want you guys to tell me what you think of her." Steph said.
The group sat around talking about wrestling and various other topics, the drinks kept flowing, but Randy watched the band. And nothing but the band.
Danielle cranked out tunes ranging from country to rock. There was a male vocalist, and Danielle and him sang a few duets. They covered "Picture," by Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow. Then they began "Let's Make Love," by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. They held hands and sang to each other.
The combination of Randy's jealousy and alcohol were not a good mix. He could feel his blood boil.
As the band took their first intermission, Randy felt his arm getting tugged. "So Randy, what do you think? Should I hire them?" Stephanie asked. "You're the only one who hasn't given me their opinion."
"Can you excuse me for a minute?" He asked as he got up. "I have a little business to take care of." And he stormed off towards where Dani, Jeremy and the rest of the band were going over requests.
"So, how many requests did we get?" Dani questioned. Her back was toward Randy as he approached.
"Some are good, but others we don't know." Gina the keyboardist responded.
"Where do I make a request?" Randy asked innocently.
Without looking Dani pointed to Jeremy, "You can give it to him, he's figuring out what we'll be able to do."
"What would you like?" Jeremy asked not recognizing him.
Randy turned to Jeremy, "I request that you keep your god damn hands off of my fiancé before I make sure they don't touch her again." Randy said furiously to Jeremy.
Dani quickly turned around, "Randy what are you doing here?"
"Funny I was going to ask you the same thing, but it's quite obvious." Randy replied angrily.
"Wait, it's not what you think. Let me explain, just calm down. Let's go outside." Dani said pointing to a door.
"Calm down? You want me to calm down. I walk in and find you practically making out with him." Randy shouted pointing to Jeremy.
"Jesus Randy, I would think that you of all people would know a thing or two about acting. We're just friends. For God's sake Randy I'm pregnant with your child. Do you really think I'm going to be out screwing around?" Dani tried to reason with him. "Please can we go outside where it's a little quieter?"
Randy turned and shoved open the door. Dani walked out after him.
"What the hell are you doing up there?" Randy asked.
"Singing. Alyssa needed someone to fill in while she's been out of town. I agreed." Dani replied.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Randy asked.
"Because I didn't know you would react. With me getting sick, I was afraid you would say no. But I love to sing, and I love to entertain and I've been having a great time. But when I played with the band before, you never cared. You never even came to a single show. You always thought it was a waste of time." Dani said with tears in her eyes. "This has been a dream come true. And right now sitting somewhere in the crowd is a guy from Capital Records. He's here because he wants to hear me sing. You've never gone out of your way to hear me sing. Have you even been listening or have you just been focused on the fact that I'm out there with a guy?"
Randy softened a little bit. "No I haven't really been listening. But you still should have told me. Yeah I probably would have fought you on it, but you can tell me these things. You have supported me through so much, it's the least I can do to support you."
Dani hugged him, "So you're not going to kill Jeremy anymore? We have a few more duets coming up."
"Alright, I won't kill him. And I'll listen. Don't panic, but I'm here with Stephanie, and I'm her "date" since Paul went out with Ric."
Dani smiled, "No problem. Let's go or I'm going to be late."
They kissed and she walked up on stage. She winked at Jeremy and they began their set. They played "Three Chords and the Truth," by Sara Evans, "Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye," nearly brought the house down. It was a great mix of both Jeremy and Dani on vocals. Then they did some pop music tunes, more 80's and definitely more country.
Randy couldn't believe it, Dani could sing! She had a beautiful voice. She belted out the ballads, and rocked like no other on the rock songs. The woman had a talent.
Randy told Steph that Dani was his fiancée and yes she should hire her to sing the National Anthem. He didn't bother Dani anymore that night, he just let her do her thing. She thanked him by closing the show with one of their songs, "How Do I Live."
After the show was finally over, and the band started to pack up, Dani was tapped on the shoulder. "Randy, tell me your honest opinion, what did you think?" When she turned around, she stopped. It wasn't Randy.
He smiled and held out his hand, "I'm not Randy, I'm Daniel. We spoke on the phone."
She smiled and shook it, "Yes, I remember. I apologize sir."
"No harm done, I'm very interested in you and the band. I understand you're the substitute, and I'll make arrangements to hear the band with their regular singer, but I'm interested in you as a solo. Are you comfortable with that?" Daniel asked.
Dani nodded. Her and Alyssa had already spoken, and everything was ok.
"Here's my card. Let's get in touch on Monday and we'll set up a meeting." Daniel said handing it to her.
"Thank you. And that sounds fine." Dani said putting the card in her purse.
"Have a good night." Daniel said and he walked away.
When she looked up, there was Randy and Stephanie. "Well, what happened?" Randy asked.
"He wants to have a meeting. He liked me, he liked the band too. But he needs to hear Alyssa sing." Dani replied.
"Dani, this is Stephanie. Stephanie, meet my fiancée Dani." Randy said introducing them.
Dani smiled, "It's nice to meet you Steph, I've heard so many great things about you."
"And let me tell you, I've heard lots about you as well. But I've also heard you sing and I was blown away. I would love to have a meeting with you to discuss you coming on the road and singing the National Anthem from time to time. It sounds like you've heard this a lot, but here's my card and let's get in touch next week and set up a meeting with a few others from the company and myself with you. And you'll need to bring your guitar." Steph said with a smile.
Dani smiled and accepted the card. "Thanks, that sounds great."
Steph smiled, "I'm catching a ride back with the girls, so you can take Randy home. Have a good night lovebirds."
Randy put his arm around Dani and waved, "G'night Steph."
He leaned down and kissed Dani, "I want to hear all about it. Honey, I had no idea you had a set of pipes on you like that. You're really good! And who taught you to play the guitar like that?"
Dani blushed, "Well, between my mom and Jeremy, I've developed a pretty good repertoire of music."
"Yeah no shit. Let's go home." Randy said pointing to the door.
"We need to give Jeremy a ride home, then we can go home." Dani said grabbing her guitar.
Randy had to bite his tongue and keep his jealous bone in check. He knew that he could definitely trust her, but he hated hearing that they ride together and he teaches her guitar and they sing, and they whatever. He smiled, "Ok, well grab him so we can go."
And the three walked out to the parking lot. "Dude, no hard feelings." Randy said holding out his hand.
Jeremy shook it, "Yeah, no problem. You're a lucky man."
Randy smiled and kissed Dani, "Yes, I sure am."
And they headed home to Louisville.
SO….where will it go from here? What will happen with Dani's career? Will she wind up spending more time with Jeremy? Will she go on the road with Randy for awhile? Please read and review!