Hey thanks, AZDR, I appreciate that, but I can assure you he knew I was a serious client. I didn't show any hesitancy whatsoever. I've been hiring only the best for years, so I know how to communicate effectively and courteously with someone.
If you scroll up, you see I initially asked about him in March which is when I first reached out to him. Everything I had heard about him was "he's super busy," "he can be slow in responding," etc. which is why I started communicating with him in March. Each time I texted him, I'd wait patiently, sometimes over a week or two, for a response. When he would respond, he was very nice - my trip to Dallas was May 21-23. On May 14, he sent me a note - "Hey there sorry for the late response and yes, I am here in Dallas during your trip." I told him there was no need to apologize and I appreciated him getting back to me. The next day he responded, "of course!" Four days later - the day before I was flying out, I contacted him - as I told him I would - again indicating I'd like to nail down a time, reminded him where I'd be, etc. He responded, "Hey there - yes, i can meet you, how many hours are you looking for?" to which I responded "two," but would adjust if he had a preference. And that was it - never got a response. The trip came and went and I sent him a note yesterday just saying I was sorry I never heard back from him, I was looking forward to meeting him, but that I realize things come up, etc. and wished him a good weekend. I have no expectation of a reply.
So basically, I come away from the experience thinking the guy is either a flake or just isn't all in -- that's fine. BigBoyNaz exceeded my expectations tremendously and provided more than what James was offering, so in retrospect, JB did me a huge favor by ghosting me.