Final Encore Read Online Free PDF Page B

for any
    fun, Ian?”
    Of course she knew the answer was no, but she
    kept encouraging Ian to put himself out there.
    “No, ma’am,” Ian responded. “No time, too
    much work to do.”
    “Now, Ian,” Jean said as she walked him over to
    her private table and gestured over her shoulder to the
    bartender to get him whatever he wanted to drink on
    the house. “I’ve got a cal on hold in the office, but
    when I get off the phone, we’re going to talk about this
    some more.” Ian smiled and nodded, because he knew
    when Jean had something to say, there was no way out
    of it.
    He took a seat and ordered a beer from the
    waitress and then sat back and waited for the show to
    start. Jean’s table was on the back wal on the highest
    level and was the perfect spot to watch the audience
    and the stage.
    As Ian sat there waiting for the newcomer to take
    the stage, he thought, as he always did when he visited
    Jean, how much things had changed since he’d first
    wandered into Jean’s Magnolia Saloon al those years
    ago.
    He’d just turned twenty-one and was running as
    far away from South Carolina as he could get. He
    remembered watching Greenvile disappear in his
    rearview mirror through teary green eyes as he made his
    way out of town. So many emotions were
    overwhelming him: anger, love, resentment, but mostly
    betrayal. Those were the emotions he knew he would
    forever associate with being in love. He’d silently
    vowed never to expose himself to the possibility of such
    pain again.
    He’d looked for the closest route out of town,
    and when he’d seen the entrance ramp to Interstate 26,
    he’d taken it and headed north. He needed to be as far
    away from his repulsive parents and the memories of
    South Carolina as his truck would carry him. But
    mostly, he needed to be away from Todd Slocum, the
    love of his life, the man who had broken him so badly,
    he would never be fixed again. He’d had no idea how
    he was going to deal with the blinding pain he’d felt at
    the hand of the man who had vowed to care for and
    love him forever.
    He’d driven most of the night. Thirsty and in need
    of a bathroom break, he’d searched for an exit. As he
    was approaching the next off ramp, a sign read
    “Interstate 40 West, Knoxvile, Two Miles.” Shortly
    after he merged onto I-40, he saw a bilboard that said,
    “Visit the Grand Ole Opry,” and he knew he was going
    to Nashvile.
    When he’d reached the Nashvile skyline, he’d
    gotten a room at a cheap, dirty motel and left in search
    of a quiet place to eat and hopefuly to decide what his
    next move would be. He’d found a greasy diner and
    picked the first thing on the menu. When his food had
    come, he’d eaten more out of necessity than desire and
    paid the check and left.
    He remembered climbing into his truck and being
    overtaken by emotion. Folding his arms on the steering
    wheel, he’d laid his head down on his arms; the
    memories of recent events had seemed to rush at him
    with more force than ever. It had taken everything he
    had to push his thoughts away as more tears slid out of
    his closed eyes and ran down his cheeks. At that
    moment, his mind and heart had been so ful he couldn’t
    have begun to make any long-term plans. He’d lifted his
    head, opened his eyes, and wiped the tears from his
    cheeks. Through tear-stained eyes, the neon lights of
    Broadway seemed to have an eerie glow that had held
    his gaze. At that moment he’d decided he would stay in
    Nashvile for a day or two, and when his mind was
    clearer and he felt more rested, he would come up with
    a game plan.
    Out of the corner of his eye, he’d noticed a
    flashing neon sign in the next block with a large shape
    that seemed to be a flower of some sort. Straining his
    eyes, he’d barely made out the writing: Jean’s Magnolia
    Saloon. He’d puled his truck onto 2nd Avenue, turned
    left, and puled into the parking lot. When he’d opened
    the door to the lounge, he was immediately hit with