Free Incidental Happenstance by Kim Desalvo

hide his sly smile.
                Corbin returned to their table with a check, and slid once more into their booth, much to Dylan’s dismay. This woman was fascinating him, and he wanted to get to know her without the constant interruptions.
                 “Now missy, check to see that I spelled the name of that place right, will you? And you need to sign here that you received it, and you’ll get a copy, but you won’t have to pay taxes on it or anything, since you’re giving it all to charity.” Tia took the check, and Dylan signed the paper. “I sincerely hope we’ll see the two of you out here again. You could be quite a draw for our little hole-in-the-wall!”
               “Thanks Corbin,” Dylan said cordially, shaking his hand.  “It was a pleasure to meet you and to perform here. If we’re in the area again, we’ll be sure to stop in.”
                Corbin looked pleased, and smiled large, showing a couple gaps where teeth used to be. “Well I’d like that! Can I persuade you to maybe do an encore? I’m sure the crowd would appreciate it.”
                “We’d like to, but I’m afraid we have to be going. Rain check?”
                “You bet! Anytime. Y’all take care now.” Corbin took his leave, asking for one more round of applause for the winners, and announcing that they’d donated their winnings to a charity that “helps sick kids.” The applause grew even louder, forcing the pair to stand for yet another bow.
                “Ready to get out of here?” Dylan asked.
                Tia’s heart dropped a couple inches in her chest. Her original plan for the evening had been to stay out for a couple hours and she’d already well exceeded that, but she hadn’t even imagined that she could actually have fun tonight, or that she’d meet someone like Dylan. She liked him—he was an incredibly nice guy. Part of her was amazed that he was so down-to-earth; he wasn’t snobby or pretentious like she’d imagined a celebrity to be. Most of all, she was amazed that she was having such a good time. She liked the feeling; had missed it terribly. She felt comfortable with Dylan, and their conversation was going better than she’d expected. To say she was disappointed that her time with him was coming to an end already would be a huge understatement, but it was his call. “Sure,” she replied softly.
                They made their way to the door and stepped out into the cool May night. “Let’s walk,” Dylan suggested.
                He took her hand casually, intertwining their fingers, and Tia’s breath caught in her chest. Incredible how it felt, just that, the feeling of someone’s hand wrapped up around her own, and it made her stomach roll in delicious little swirls. He had big hands, with calloused fingers from so many years of playing guitar. The rough pads of his fingertips caressed the back of her hand as they made their way down the street.
                “So tell me,” Dylan asked, “what is it you do, Tia, when you aren’t getting moonshine cowboys all hot and bothered in dive bars?”
                Tia had to laugh. “Well, that is my primary occupation,” she teased back, “but my hobby is teaching—I teach fifth grade.”
                “Really?” he said. “A very noble profession. Do you like it?”
                “I love it,” she answered sincerely. “The kids are great, and I love the people I work with.” She smiled to herself, thinking of Lilly. “There’s a girl I work with, Lilly, who’s our secretary. I just love her to death—she’s the best person—and she is so in love with you.” Dylan looked at her with one eyebrow raised. “She calls you her ‘real husband.’”
                “Does she now?” he asked, obviously amused.
                “She’ll be at Sunday’s