CHAPTER ONE...
I don't know what made me do it. I knew it was probably a dumb idea. I was in Florida, far away from home, working a welding contract that would pay me enough money to take a couple of months off work and enjoy myself.
I had never been to Florida before and really had no interest in it. I was a country boy at heart and didn't think I would fit in. One night, alone in my bed, I was scrolling through TikTok, running random searches on Florida and country, when she popped up. Blonde hair, amazing figure, beautiful face, some junk in her trunk, and she dressed like a down-home country girl.
Her name was Morgan and she ran a western fashion boutique in a little city just outside of Orlando.
It just so happens my welding contract was in Orlando.
I followed her on both TikTok and Instagram. I felt like a stalker, as I fantasized about meeting up with her, a random chance encounter that maybe could turn into something more. As I prepared to move down to Orlando, I watched her daily videos and looked at her posts. There was no way in hell that a guy like me would be able to get her.
After I made the move, I was working nearly fourteen hour days, seven days a week. I barely had time to eat and sleep, let alone figure out a way to run into her. Two months into the job, the bosses announced that the welders would be taking a few days off, to rest and recover, plus to get some other work done around the project without us in the way.
I slept pretty much the first day I was off. I barely checked my phone, but when I finally did late that night, a post of hers was the first thing I saw. She was standing next to a Black F-350 that towered over her little frame. She had her back half turned to the camera, showing off her ass in a pair of blue jeans. A white truckers hat covered her long blonde hair and she had her arms up, partially covering her gray tank top. As I stared at the picture, I felt something stirring inside me. Something that I had to take care of before I finally fell asleep for the night.
The next day, I sat out to explore Orlando and it's surroundings. I was right, that it wasn't my scene and I really didn't fit in anywhere. I found myself heading north on the highway, following directions to a certain western fashion store. When I arrived at it, I parked my truck in a parking lot a block away from her store, and tried to think of a reason why I was there. Maybe it was to buy clothes for myself? She never posted anything a guy would wear, but you never know.
I found myself stepping out of my truck without a good reason why. I found myself walking down the road, already seeing the sign for her shop. Maybe she wasn't working today?
I pulled open the door and was immediately greeted by a sweet voice saying, "Howdy, come on in." I looked up to see her sitting behind a cash register, wearing a white trucker hat and a black and white checkered quarter zipped shirt.
"Hi," I said back, avoiding her gaze as I looked around the store.
"Is there anything I can help you find? Are you looking to get something for somebody?" She asked me, as I could feel her eyes watching me look around the store.
"Um, well, I'm not sure, to be entirely honest with you," I replied back, my mind freaking out that I was there, she was talking to me, and I had no idea what I was going. I seriously considered just running out of the store.
"Maybe a special someone back home?" She asked, getting up from her seat and walking around the counter.
That was it!
"Yeah, I'm actually not from here, and was looking to pick something up for my girlfriend back home," I told her as she walked up next to me.
"Is she a country person like you are?" She asked, flashing me a smile with her pearly white teeth.
I was a wearing a cowboy hat, a red plaid shirt, blue Wranglers, and cowboy boots. It was the completely wrong outfit for Florida, especially the hot and humid summer. I laughed and said, "Yes, she is."
"What size is she? Have you two been together long?" Morgan asked as she lead me over to some shirts.
"Umm, she's tiny, like you. Probably about your height. I think she wears a small? And we've been together a few months," I told her.
Morgan started showing me different shirts and some jewelry that went with them. She was really pushing to make a sell. I had to feign like I had just gotten a new phone and I didn't have any pictures of my girlfriend on it yet. I finally agreed to buying a litter silver and blue topaz necklace, just so I could leave the shop and not feel too awkward or let her down.
I fast-walked back to my truck, having to take a deep breath when I finally sat down behind the wheel. I couldn't believe I just did that. I looked down at the necklace in the tiny bag she had handed me. She had slid a card inside it before giving it to me and I pulled it out. It was simple, just saying thanks for shopping at her store, with her signature, a picture of her face, and a link to her socials.
I took another deep breath as I started my truck and thought about where to go next. I really needed a drink, even though I wasn't that big of a drinker. I typed in bars into my maps on my phone and scrolled through a couple until I found one that looked like I wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb, and clicked on the button to give me directions.
It took me about thirty minutes to make the drive to the bar. Upon arrival, I noticed that the parking lot was pretty empty. I walked into the building, found a seat at the bar, and quickly ordered a shot of whiskey, followed up by a beer and a cheeseburger.
I grabbed my plate of food and my beer and moved over to a corner booth, mostly wanting to eat and drink in silence. I knew that I would have to drink my beer quickly and wait a while at the bar to be sober enough to drive back to my hotel room, so I settled in to my seat, making small talk with the waitress whenever she came by to check on me.
I looked up from my phone when I heard a couple walk into the building, clearly in the middle of a fight. I was extremely shocked to see that the woman in the couple was Morgan, the owner of the boutique and the reason why I needed to drink that night.
She didn't notice me as they sat down at a table close by to me. I tried not to watch them, but couldn't help it, as she was clearly unhappy. As they ordered some food, I heard her say to the guy she was with, "If I knew you were going to bring me here, I never would have agreed to come. You know I don't like bars."
"Whatever. You said that you wanted to see the world I live. This is it," the guy replied, looking over Morgan's head and around at the bar.
"I more was thinking you would take me to a rodeo or a truck pull or something fun like that. Not a dusty old bar," Morgan said.
The kitchen was quick that night and the waitress brought out their food, stopping the small argument they were having. She stopped to check on me, I asked for a glass of water, and I went back to scrolling on my phone, mostly to keep my head down.
Morgan only took a couple bites of the burger she ordered before pushing it away. She sat in silence as her date devoured a cheeseburger and fries, downing glasses of beer as he went. When he was done, he made a snarky comment to Morgan who replied back, "How about you just take me home?"
"How about we go dance? You wanted something fun. Dancing is fun," the guy said as he got up from his chair and walked over to an old jukebox. I watched as Morgan pulled her phone out of a small purse she was carrying and typed something into it, looking unhappy still. The guy walked over and grabbed her arm, trying to get her to stand up, but Morgan pushed him away and again asked to be taken home.
The guy looked around the still nearly empty bar, clearly embarrassed at being rejected. He leaned down and whispered something into Morgan's ear and again tried to get her to stand up.
I saw her trying to push his arm away and him refusing to let go, and I was starting to get angry at how she was being treated. I stood up from my table and took the few steps towards them and said, "Hey, man, the woman said to leave her alone. Why don't you take a step back and listen to her?"
The guy stood up straight, staring a death hole through me. I was about five feet, ten inches tall, and he had a few inches on me. "Hey, dude," he said sarcastically, with a hint of anger behind his voice. "Why don't you mind your own business?"
"Sorry, but no. I think it would be a good idea if you left," I said.