He pushed through the curtain leading to the rear of the plywood platform, loosely called a stage, and picked up his guitar. His boss, Telli, gave him a short intro and nodded toward the microphone.

He sauntered forward with the confidence a familiar place gave a man, rested his booted foot on a low stool, and adjusted his guitar. He always took a moment before his first set to look over the audience, see what kind of crowd he was playing to.

Adrenaline revved his heartbeat and the tightness in his throat threatened to choke him. Tiffany Covington sat at the center table with a young boy and two other couples. By her horrified expression, he was sure she recognized him.

She had changed some. Her blonde hair was shorter and a little darker, more honey-colored. He used to tease her about having hair the perfect shade of sun-glare. From what he could see, she had filled out a little in all the right places, though one thing had stayed the same. From across the room, her baby-blue eyes could still twist a man's gut. And as he knew all too well, at close quarters they could claim his soul.

He did the only thing he could. Standing on the stage holding a bright red guitar, he sang straight into her eyes. His heart ached with recognition. As he sang the lyrics of love-gone-bad, a truth he'd buried for over a decade rose as a bull rider heaved into the air. At eighteen, he'd foolishly given away his heart and the woman in front of him still owned it.

"I'm nothing without you. Come make me whole again." The last words of the song coursed through his blood like hot molasses. As he played the final chord, he cursed the girl, his weakness, and Deliverance, Texas — where it all began.

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I'm always excited when uploading a new story. I hope you will enjoy Corey and Tiffany's story.