Happy Birthday Troubador

[Freypower]

Happy birthday Lou!

[whitcap]

Happy Birthday!

[Koala]

Happy Birthday, Lou!
The greatest gift you have made by yourself, with the trip to the States. Other special gifts you got from Glenn ( the guitar pick) & of course from Don ( the blown kiss )!
Hope you have a wonderful day among other things with these guys!

[AzEaglesFan]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU AND I HOPE YOU HAVE A LOT OF FUN WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

[MikeA]

Okay, I got throwed for a loop thinking Yesterday was you Birthday Lou so I'll say it again.\:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOU!

[Prettymaid]

Happy Birthday Lou!
You are a breath of fresh air on the board and I always look forward to your posts. I value our friendship and hope one day we'll get to meet.
Enjoy your special day, with visions of Eagles dancing in your head!

[Stars]

Have a very Happy Birthday, Lou! I am so glad I have "met" you on this board, and I hope one day to meet you in real life!!
Celebrate!

[Molly]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LOU! HAVE AN AMAZING DAY!

[GlennLover]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TROUB!!!

[ticky]

Okay Girly Girl!! Happy Birthday!!!! *G* It was sooo wonderful meeting you and Jess and Annie! We had so much fun and I already miss ya'll! I hope this story makes your birthday a little more fun. Have a safe trip home and please come back soon! Love ya!

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The plane had been about 20 minutes late boarding and it was nearly empty. Lou’d jumped on the opportunity when the airline asked to bump her to a later flight and upgraded her to first class as well as offering her a free round trip ticket back to the states any time she chose! OH yeah!!! she’d be back! This had been the most amazing trip of her life! She’d faced volcanic activity that had shut down international airports all over Europe, she’d baby sat twin 3 year olds, been stranded on the corner in Winslow, Arizona (okay, so she wasn’t on the corner, but she and Jess and Annie HAD been stranded in Winslow for a full day due to a sand storm! She still had sand in places NO ONE should ever have sand) They’d drove a full 15 hours to San Jose, skipping the Grand Canyon and making it to the Hotel a full day ahead of time. (If only she’d known then that Don Henley and Joe Walsh were sleeping just a few scant floors above her, she’d never had gotten any sleep!) The first concert was a blast and they looked amazing, seeing Joe in the lobby was an event of a life time and then the second show, down front with Glenn smiling down at she and Jess and Don looked, well he took her breath away, also an event of a life time.
They got to see the Grand Canyon on the way home and even took a short detour through what they were sure was the twilight zone, but they made it back by the skin of their teeth with Jess’s car bucking and jerking right into her driveway. She’d had a great birthday and everyone had been so kind and warm, she hated to leave, but reality has a way of creeping up on you and knocking you over the head. Her bank balance was getting frighteningly low and she really needed to get back to making her life work. She sighed and leaned back in the big soft seats. First class was much nicer then coach. Maybe the trip home wouldn’t be quite so tedious. She closed her eyes and heard the flight attendant ask “May I get you something to drink.”
Lou smiled. First class, drinks, a birthday week she’d remember the rest of her life, She wanted one more new thing. She and Jessica had stayed up late watching Sex in the City. She grinned.
“Ill take a Manhattan.” The pretty attendant smiled and nodded. Lou grinned and leaned back again. This was truly the way to live. She was absolutely spoiled. She opened her eyes and her drink was sitting in front of her, pretty, pink with a cherry in it. She sipped it. It was cold and crisp and sweet, perfect. She leaned back again and closed her eyes, smiling. She imagined herself an international jet setter sweeping off to the states for a few days and then back to the UK to run her international empire.
“Excuse me, I hope I'm not disturbing you.” A husky voice with a slight southern accent drifted over her. It was somewhat familiar but she couldn’t quite place it. Lou peeked open one eye, hating for her luxurious fantasy to be disturbed. A tall man was silhouetted against the cabin lights. She couldn’t see his face but there was a smile in his voice.
“I believe I have the window seat next to you. Would you mid terribly if I stepped over you?”
He was polite and seemed nice enough so she smiled back up at him.
“No, not at all. Please have a seat.”
The man stepped around her easily as the first class seats were spacious, and took the window seat. He made himself comfortable and gazed out the window.
“Looks as if we’re in for an easy ride today. I don’t see a cloud in the sky and the weather sounded fairly clear all the way across the Atlantic.” He turned to her and smiled. She nearly dropped her Manhattan. Those clear blue eyes, that crooked smile, that dusty brown hair, she’d know him anywhere. She swallowed hard.
“now if we can avoid any volcanoes exploding, we’ll be all set.” He grinned at her. She just stared blankly back at him, her drink tipping precariously.
He wrinkled his brow as he looked back at her, his smile starting to fade slightly.
“I'm sorry, that was supposed to be a joke.” He reached up and took the drink from her hand before it spilled in his lap. “Are you okay?”
Lou made a sound, or she thought she might have made a sound, but either way she thought it might be a good idea to follow it up with a coherent sentence before he called the flight attendants over.
“Uhh, yeah. I'm okay. Just… aren’t you.. I mean I saw you..”
The man smiled at her and took her still raised hand that had once held the tipping drink. He held it warmly in his for a moment.
“I'm Don. It’s nice to meet you…” He waited for her response. She stared blankly at him. She shook her head as if to clear it.
“Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Louise, but you can call me Lou, Everyone does, I mean not everyone of course, I mean people I don’t know don’t call me anything, or they call me Hey you or some such nonsense and dear God I'm babbling, please just shove something in my mouth.”
Don laughed and held her hand for an extra moment, cupping it in both of his.
“It’s alright, Lou. I wont bite. I'm as gentle as a puppy. You’re safe.”
Lou shook her head. “Oh yes I know. I know who you are. I saw you in concert last week, twice in fact, in San Jose. You were marvelous! I was speechless. Mostly due to screaming my lungs out.”
Don laughed. His laugh was hypnotic and she kept loosing focus on anything she wanted to say or hear.
“OH yes, I thought I recognized you. You and your friend sat front row, center on the 1st didn’t you?”
Lou nodded and remembered to close her mouth.
“Right! We heard about your perils you endured to come see the show, Glenn drew the short straw and got to play up to you. I wanted to, but he’s the boss.” Don motioned for the flight attendant to bring him a beer and settled back in the big chair and faced Lou.
Lou smiled at the idea of the two men doing battle to win her favors.
“Well, we did appreciate it greatly. To tell you the truth, we both have a little crush on Glenn these days.”
Don sighed and shook his head.
“Now, ya see? That’s just what I mean. He’s the front man, he gets all the pretty ladies.”
Lou started, taken aback slightly, not wanting Don to think that he, in any way, was lessened in her heart to Glenn, then she noticed that smile quirking the edges of his mouth and she blushed. He was teasing. At first she thought about being affronted but decided it would be much more fun to give as good as she got. She smiled coyly back at him.
“Oh no, didn’t I tell you?” She took a long pull on her drink. She’d need the bottled courage if she was going to pull this off. She had a pretty god idea that Don was very good at flirting and she would need as much confidence as she could muster right now.
She swirled the ice in her cup and watched the liquid settle.
“I'm a Don girl, through and through.” She took another long pull on her drink letting the pause do it work on the man sitting next to her. “You’ve always been my hero.” She looked out of the corner of her eyes at him. He was watching her closely, his mouth slightly open and a smile playing at the corner.
“Really?” he egged her on.
“Oh my yes. I'm definitely Team Henley all the way.” She looked at him and he raised his eye brows. “Oh don’t get me wrong. Mr. Frey is a very handsome man and he has no shortage of female admirers.” She finished off her drink and motioned for another. “Neither do you.” She smiled her most seductive smile at him. “I'm merely one of them.”
Don was staring open mouthed at her with a full smile. He chuckled low and slowly.
“You …” she shook his finger at her. “You are a dangerous woman.”
Lou looked at him opening her eyes wide and innocently.
“Me? I have no idea what you mean.”
Don smiled, showing all his beautiful white teeth, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He leaned on his elbow towards Lou getting his face as close to hers as he could.
“So, tell me Louise…” his voice was low and husky, his breath brushed against her hair.
“Just where in the United Kingdom do you live?” It was almost a whisper but the words reverberated in her like a gong. His leg brushed against hers, his arm pressed against hers, his hand brushed against hers. Each touch was like electricity running through her. OH yes, he was very good at this game. She could feel her heart beating out of her chest and she was sure he could too. She wasn’t sure she could catch her breath enough to talk, but she wouldn’t let him win that easily. She turned to face him fully, a smile playing against her lips just barely betraying the game they had begun.
“South, just beyond Hampton.” She tilted her head looking him straight in the eye. She didn’t want to let on exactly how much of an impact his near proximity was making on her. “Are you familiar with the area, Mr. Henley?”
Again, he flashed that brilliant white smile. “Please call me Don.” He grinned at her, pausing briefly for effect. “No Ma’am. I'm just a country boy. I rarely leave Texas.” He ran a finger across the back of her hand.
She watched, feeling all the blood drain from her head. She had to stay clear minded for this. He could very easily be a whole lot of trouble. Not that she would mind his kind of trouble. Still an airplane bathroom conquest was not what she wanted to be.
“Really? You mean except for those 8 months out of the year when you travel all over the world on tour with your band.” She smiled sweetly.
Don took a deep breath. “Well now, first of all, it’s not my band, it’s Glenn’s. He’s the boss.” His fingers were entwining with hers. “Second, That’s just my job. My heart is always in Texas.” With that he lifted her hand a long with his own and placed them over his heart. His chest was warm and firm and she could feel his heart beating, keeping near perfect time with her own. He wasn’t nearly as cool and calm as he let on. Lou felt nearly giddy at the idea she could have this effect on him, of all people. She curled her fingers slightly letting her nails graze his chest lightly. She felt him gasp quietly and his face softened slightly. She was, indeed, having an effect on this man.
Lou smiled. She was watching him carefully now. Knowing she had this kind of effect on him was a little frightening. She didn’t want to lead him on too far or for him to get the wrong idea.
“You, my pretty lady, would be a princess in Texas.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it.
Lou raised her eye brows at him.
“I didn’t know Texas had princesses.”
“You might be surprised just what Texas has.”
Lou smiled and reluctantly pulled her hand away.
“So does that make you the King of Texas?”
Don leaned back in his chair and grinned.
“Me? Nahh, not the King. Duke maybe.”
Lou laughed quietly to herself shaking her head.
“There ya go! I was wondering when I’d get to see that pretty smile again.”
She quirked her mouth and looked at him through slitted eyes. He was, is, her ideal man, still no man should be quite as cocky and sure of himself with her or any woman as he was.
“So Sir Henley, what brings you to the British Isle? Are you being Knighted?”
Don chuckled.
“Not quite yet. I’m meeting some people about a possible benefit.” Don sipped on his beer.
“Really? Anyone interesting?” Lou’s second drink was starting to effect her and she was feeling very mellow.
A sardonic smile quirked Don’s lips.
“Not really. Some goofy lookin’ guitar player and my manager.”
Lou stifled a laugh.
“You mean Joe Walsh and Irving Azoff?”
Don’s cooked smile told her she’d fallen into yet another of his teases.
“Oh, you’ve heard of them?”
Lou leaned back in her chair with a hapless grin on her face.
“Yes, I’m familiar.”
There was a quiet comfortable pause between them.
“So what do you do, when you’re not seducing strange men on planes.”
Lou’s mouth quirked and she looked at him. She thought about being outraged or innocent then decided to ignore it.
“I’m currently between jobs, but I’ll be going back to school to be a teacher.”
He raised his eye brows and whistled softly. A woman in the seat across the aisle looked sharply at him and adjusted her blanket and pillow. Don leaned closer to her. His face was mere inches from hers. His breath moved her hair as he spoke. It was sweet and beer scented. He was warm and his body gave off enough heat to warm her, or maybe that was her own body.
“I guess we’ll have to whisper if we want to keep talking.” His leg was pressed against hers, and his shoulder was pressed against hers. She turned her head to look at the other passengers who all seemed to be settling in for a long nap over seas. His breath filled her ear was he spoke softly to her.
“If I’d had a teacher like you when I was a kid, I’d have been teachers pet for sure.”
Lou turned her head slightly and found Don’s face so close his hair brushed hers. She tried to say something but she froze. His mouth was close enough to feel the heat from his lips. That’s all she could think of. Lou closed her eyes and bit her lip. She could feel him grinning at her. The little stinker! He knew exactly what he was doing to her! Lou grinned back. Two can play this game. She turned her head to look at him. Their lips were practically touching. She made her voice a deep and husky whisper.
“Oh, I think you probably had your teacher wrapped around your little finger.” She wrapped her pinkie finger around his lifting his hand in hers, running her fingers over his. “I cant imagine any time where you didnt have,…” she took the tip of his pinkie finger in her mouth, flicking her tongue over the tip, “… complete control.” She placed his hand back on the arm of his chair and grinned at him. She heard him gulp and swallow hard, a light sweat beaded his upper lip. She leaned back in her chair smiling at his discomfort. Slowly a grin covered his face and that low slow chuckle escaped his frozen mouth.
“Touche. Very good, you got me.” Don cleared his throat and moved to stand. “I think I’ll, uhh… go use the facilities.” Lou smiled and nodded. Don stepped past her and moved down the aisle of the plane.
For a few hours after his return their conversation took on a much milder, albeit, friendly tone. They discussed the tour and the music. She told him about all their adventures and he laughed at all the mishaps the young women had faced. The flirtation seemed to be finished, somewhat to Lou’s dismay, but he was warm and friendly and they talked like good friends.
Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, Lou’s drinks, lack of sleep and weeks excitement had caught up with her and she’d drifted off to sleep. She awoke when the wheels of the plane touched the tarmac. Her head was firmly resting on Don’s shoulder and he was sitting quietly reading.
“Oh, you’re awake. I didn’t want to disturb you. You looked like you might need a few hours sleep.”
She stretched and yawned. Don watched her, his face again warm and soft. She smiled. “Yes, thank you. I guess this week has finally caught up with me.”
The plane taxied into the gate and the passengers surrounding them all stood hunting for bags and loose items. She and Don sat and watched for a moment, reluctant for the trip to end.
“It’s useless to try and jump up now. Everyone’s in such a hurry to leave, like cattle.”
Lou grinned at his cowboy reference. You could take the boy out of Texas, but Texas would never leave the boy.
As the aisles emptied, they stood and gathered their things. Lou turned to Don and smiled a sad small smile.
“It was a real pleasure meeting you, Don. Thank you for making this trip so memorable in so many ways.”
He took her hand and kissed it. She reluctantly pulled it away, said good bye, turned down the aisle and walked to the passageway. As she started down the walk she felt someone touch her arm and she turned. Don was standing so close she leaned against the wall.
“Louise, I… well, I wanted to say thank you. You made this trip a pleasure and I haven’t felt this young in a long time.” He pulled a card from his jacket pocket, looked at it and placed it in her hand. “This is my private number and email address. Please, if you ever need anything, even if you don’t, I’d love to hear from you again.”
Lou caught her breath as he bent his head and brushed his lips over hers, lightly and softly. “It was wonderful meeting you.” And he was gone. She watched his back moving away from her. She looked in her hand at the card she held. It just held a phone number and email address, no name, but she’d remember. She’d remember everything for the rest of her life.