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a homey look to it, and knowing Anna, it was beautifully decorated on the inside. Right now however, she was anxious to go out and have some fun. She honked the horn, hoping her friend would hurry up. A minute later, Anna came rushing down the front steps after she kissed her husband goodbye at the door. Daphne laughed as she watched Liam playfully swat his wife’s behind.
    As Anna climbed in the car, Daphne gave her a quick, friendly air kiss on the cheek in greeting and began to admire her outfit. She had hoped Anna would dress up, and she didn’t disappoint.
    Anna had on a pair of dark skinny jeans tucked into worn brown cowboy boots with an intricate tan detail on the side. She had on a white, spaghetti strap shirt that had silver sequins in a triangular patter moving down her breasts. Her hair was down and the mass of curls was styled so that it wasn’t frizzy and looked very sleek. Anna actually had a fair amount of make-up on and her eyes sparkled with delight.
    “It has been way too long since I’ve had a girl’s night out!” Anna squealed in the seat beside her as Daphne left the neighborhood and hit the main highway running through the town. Daphne cranked up the stereo and they sang along as they sped toward the outskirts of town to the only bar and dance club within thirty miles, The Lady Luck.
    They had to pass her shop-in-progress to reach the bar and a thrill went through her at the sight of it. The outside hadn't changed much. It was still a brick store front, but the roof angles had been altered slightly and the shingling had been changed. Trent had replaced all of the windows and the front door. There was still paper covering everything so she couldn't see inside, but she couldn’t wait for it to be finished.
    When they reached The Lady Luck Daphne was surprised at the number of cars in the parking lot. She looked over at Anna with a raised eyebrow.
    Anna winked, unbuckled her seat belt and climbed out of the car. “The owners changed hands, and some out-of-towner’s bought the bar. The inside was re-done and there are now weekly specials. I thought you knew this because it’s ladies night. We get in free on Thursdays.”
    The gravel crunched underneath their feet as they walked toward the pumping baseline of the speakers inside. It was a country bar, and Daphne was excited to dance. She had been to many clubs in the city and enjoyed the grinding of hip-hop, but nothing compared to a good two-step partner or a room full of people doing the same line dance and having fun.
    The bouncer, a guy Daphne vaguely recognized from high school, checked their ID’s and waived them inside. Anna was right. It looked completely different on the inside. The floor was wood everywhere instead of the old dingy carpet. The bar was bigger, and cleaner. But what caught her attention was the much larger dance floor full of people two-stepping to Brooks & Dunn.
    A few heads tuned their way and Daphne figured she would have plenty of partners. She smiled and followed Anna to the bar. They had to talk in each other’s ears, but it didn't matter much.  Anna declared she was buying the first round and ordered two shots of tequila.
    After they downed the shots, they were each asked to dance and Daphne gladly accepted. She was looking forward to enjoying her night out.
     
    ****
     
    Trent’s skin prickled and he turned around. He cursed under his breath as he watched Anna walk in the front door, followed by Daphne. Not just Daphne, but a scantily clad, gorgeous Daphne. He was at the far end of the bar, in the back corner with a perfect view of most of the bar.
    Trent and his crew came by for a few drinks after a long day of working on Daphne’s shop. He was hoping for a relaxing evening, but he felt his whole body tense as he watched her sashay to the dance floor, her hand wrapped around the bicep of a guy he didn’t know. He clenched his fist around his beer and watched as she stepped in to the man’s arms.
    Daphne was