During those stolen encounters, Katie had pieced together an understanding of Blake. It wasn’t the ideal way to get to know someone, but it worked. She found that she had to force herself to focus on the tour, to be present when she was with her band. Every moment they were apart, Katie felt the pull towards Blake, found her mind wandering, wondering what he was doing and reliving a kiss or an embrace. They had certainly made the most of their moments together, sharing kisses and secrets, getting to know one another. Going out on a real date would be a special treat tonight, and six o’clock couldn’t come soon enough.
Katie rifled through her luggage to find something to wear on her mystery date, hoping that if she needed to dress a certain way that Blake would have told her. She settled on a cute casual outfit and concentrated her efforts on her hair and makeup.
• • •
Katie forgot her worries of being underdressed in her skirt and simple top when they pulled into the parking lot of Betty’s, a rustic-looking restaurant advertising Knoxville’s best home cooking. A wraparound porch housed large rocking chairs and whiskey barrel flower planters. An elderly man wearing denim overalls and a red baseball cap rocked slowly back and forth in one of the chairs and offered a friendly wave and toothy grin to Blake and Katie as they climbed the steps toward the door.
The pair entered the bustling restaurant and Blake received shouted greetings, hearty handshakes, and playful pats on the back. As Katie’s eyes adjusted to the restaurant’s dim interior, she noticed peanut shells covering the smooth cement floor, a knotty pine bar lined with rugged-looking men in work shirts and trucker hats, neon beer signs, and a large table in the corner where a family sat, looking at them excitedly. Katie hid her bewilderment behind a smile as Blake took her hand and led her purposefully towards the smiling family.
Her confusion grew as a woman and two men who looked somehow familiar stood and hurried towards Blake, where they wrapped him in a fierce group hug. The woman was kissing Blake’s cheek while the older man held onto Blake’s hand, the younger man having stepped back. Blake moved back towards Katie and put an arm around her waist. “Mom, Dad, this is Katie McCoy. Katie, meet Betty and Roy Jackson.”
“Wow, hi, what a surprise! It’s so nice to meet you,” said Katie as she moved forward to shake hands with Betty Jackson and was enveloped in a soft, cinnamon-scented hug instead.
The younger man stepped forward and put his hand out to Katie. “I’m Luke, Blake’s older and much wiser brother. He must have forgotten his manners.” Luke smiled at Katie with a twinkle in his blue eyes as his warm hand held hers.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” said Katie, trying to recover from her shock.
“Honey, Blake told us you were pretty. He didn’t tell us you were gorgeous! Y’all sit down and we’ll get some supper,” insisted Betty as she led the group back to the family’s table.
Katie struggled to regain her composure as she sat at the table with Blake’s family. Meeting the parents was such a big step, something she didn’t realize that they were ready for. Now that it was happening, it felt right. Katie and Blake had known each other such a short time, but they didn’t have a lot of time to waste when it came down to it. In a couple of weeks they would go their separate ways, Katie back home to Orange Blossom, Blake on to the rest of the tour. It seemed a little soon to meet the family, but why not? With such a short time left together, why not indulge the fantasy? Why not suspend reality a bit and forget about the deadline looming ahead?
Blake rubbed Katie’s thigh under the table and leaned close to whisper to her, “Sorry about the ambush, sweetheart. I think they really like you though.” Any irritation she might have felt about the surprise melted away at his touch.
Katie gazed into Blake’s eyes. “This is quite a surprise, but it’s nice.”
“You two must be starving. What do they feed you on this tour? Let’s get some supper.” Betty motioned for a waitress. Katie was charmed by Betty’s motherly concern with the care and feeding of one of the country’s biggest stars.
“Katie, you gotta try the pot roast. They use Betty’s mama’s recipe, and it is delicious. You’re not a vegetarian or anything, are you? Blake told me you were from Texas.” Roy leaned over and smiled at Katie as he spoke, blue eyes dancing.
Those Jackson boys and their blue eyes,
thought Katie.
“No, sir, I’m not a vegetarian. I’d love to try the pot roast, but how do they have Betty’s mom’s recipe?” Katie asked.
Luke laughed. “They’ve got all of her best recipes, and most of Mom’s, too. This is my parents’ restaurant,” he explained as he gestured to Betty and Roy. “Yes, it’s sad but true. Blake Jackson’s parents still have to work.” A joking smile played on his lips.
“Katie, don’t listen to him. I always wanted to run a restaurant, but of course in the early days we could never afford to open our own place. Blake was kind enough to put up the money for this joint a couple of years ago and we’ve been happily running it ever since.” Betty gave Blake a fond look.
“Oh, you own this place? How cool is that?” Katie loved that Blake had bought his parents a restaurant. They didn’t seem old enough to retire, didn’t really seem the type to want to live off of their famous son, and they were certainly at home in this restaurant of their own.
“It’s pretty cool, Katie. Any time I can get away for lunch, I can come in and get a free meal,” Luke chimed in.
Blake took Katie’s hand and explained, “My folks wanted Luke to wait tables or tend bar here, but he was too busy going to medical school. Now he’s a big-time doctor here in town, and too busy running a charitable foundation and his own practice. They make sure kids in the more rural areas of Tennessee have access to vaccinations and routine health screenings. They go out, set up clinics, and make sure parents know what’s available. Sometimes he gets so busy that he forgets to eat lunch. Mom only feeds him here so he won’t waste away.”
Luke laughed and turned to Katie, “It’s true, I’m a big-time doctor. I’m also very single, in case you have any pretty friends.” He waggled his eyebrows as Katie giggled.
Single and handsome,
she thought,
almost as good-looking as Blake.
“I’ll keep that in mind Luke,” Katie responded with an indulgent smile. “You know, my dad is an optometrist. He’s the only one in Orange Blossom. What kind of medicine do you practice?”
“I’m a general practitioner. I have a family practice in Knoxville with a partner. He runs the foundation with me as well.”
“That’s very cool. Now I know who to call if I get sick in Tennessee.” Katie gave Luke a warm smile and thought how proud Roy and Betty must be of their boys. She wondered if her parents wished she had gone to medical school or something more prestigious than joining a band right out of high school. They had never said anything about her skipping college, working at bars to pay her bills, or even having to pick up shifts at her father’s practice when money was tight. They had been so supportive of her efforts with Sterling that without their help, she would’ve had to drop out of the band long before the six years it had taken them to get their big break.
The food arrived and everyone tucked in to the steaming plates of meatloaf, pot roast, chicken fried steak, and pork chops. Katie took a bite of the pot roast Roy had recommended and closed her eyes, savoring the flavor. She couldn’t eat like this every day and still hope to fit into her tour wardrobe, but for tonight it was perfect, each bite a piece of heaven. If it weren’t for the myriad conversations around them, it would be easy to imagine sitting around the dining room table at home, enjoying home cooking with Blake’s family.
Luke wiped his mouth with a napkin and faced Katie. “So you play in a band?”
Katie cleared her throat and answered, “Yeah, I play fiddle in a band called Sterling. We’re on Blake’s tour for a couple of weeks.”
“Sterling? Hey I think I’ve heard one of your songs. What’s it called? ‘Valentine’?” Luke leaned forward on his elbows, his blue eyes focused intently on Katie.
“That’s right, it’s ‘Valentine’. Hopefully there will be more where that came from. We’re planning on hitting the studio again after we’re done with the tour.”
“She’s not just in the band, bro. She writes most of their lyrics too,” Blake chimed in.
“Oh, so you’re beautiful AND talented? No wonder Blake is so smitten,” Roy teased.
“Y’all are embarrassing Katie. Now you leave her alone and let her eat her supper. Luke, what’s new at work?” Betty steered the conversation away from Katie.
Katie wasn’t embarrassed, she was intrigued. Blake was smitten? He had talked to his family about her? She tried to focus on Luke and his stories about the handsome pharmaceutical rep that had been visiting his office and making the nurses swoon, but her mind kept wandering to Blake. With his chair so close to hers, all she could think about was the way the warmth of his body reached hers, his spicy cologne, and the electricity that pulsed through her body when his hand brushed her skin.
She glanced at Blake and saw that his eyes were locked onto her. Katie blushed and purposefully turned towards Luke and forced herself to listen to the story. From the corner of her eye, she saw Betty smiling indulgently at Blake as she noticed her son’s intense focus on Katie.
“Katie, I hope you saved room for dessert, hon. The banana pudding here is divine.” Betty smiled at Katie as she motioned for the waitress.
“You’ve got to try the banana pudding, Katie; it’s Betty Jackson’s secret recipe. One bite, and you’ll know why I never moved too far away from home,” said Luke. Betty beamed at Luke, love and pride evident on her face.
“If it’s anything like the pot roast, I’ll have to make room, Mrs. Jackson. Everything has been delicious,” said Katie.
“Now I’ll have none of that. Mrs. Jackson is my mother-in-law. You call me Betty,” insisted Betty.
“All right, Betty it is,” said Katie shyly.
The waitress brought desserts for everyone and conversations halted once more as the group enjoyed dishes of banana pudding. Katie had never tasted anything so heavenly. Sitting at the table with such a loving family, basking in the warmth of Blake’s affection, and eating the delicious dessert felt so perfect, so right, to Katie that tears sprang to her eyes. She blinked and looked away, hoping that nobody noticed.
Blake noticed, though, and leaned close to her. “Is everything all right?” he whispered into her ear.
Katie nodded, not trusting herself to speak. “Mmm hmm,” she managed. She felt emotional, even wistful, and she wasn’t sure why. The love she could feel between these four people was so warm, so complete. She took a deep breath and composed herself. “Everything is just so nice, and your family is great.”
“Well, I think you’re pretty great,” said Blake before he planted an affectionate kiss on her temple.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” Katie breathed as she turned her head towards his.
“You ready to get out of here?” Blake whispered. His breath was hot on her ear and sent a shiver through Katie.
“Oh yeah,” Katie managed.
“Well, as always, it was wonderful to see you, but Miss McCoy and I have to get going. We’re kind of on a schedule,” Blake announced to the table. He managed to look regretful and excited to leave at the same time.
“Honey, it sure was good to meet you. Blake has told us so much about you, and we are glad we got a chance to see you for ourselves,” said Roy as he and Betty stood and made their way around the table. They each hugged Blake and Katie in turn, and Luke gave Blake a hearty hug, patted him on the back, and said his good-byes.
Luke turned to Katie and gave her a friendly hug. “I wasn’t kidding about being single. If you have any friends half as pretty as you, send them my way,” he teased.
“You’re sweet to say that. I’ll keep it in mind,” Katie smiled at his compliment. “It sure was nice meeting y’all,” Katie offered to the family as Blake took her hand and led her past tables of curious diners through the crowded restaurant.
They stepped out into the parking lot and scanned the rows of cars to find Blake’s. He and Katie piled in and made their way through Knoxville back to the tour buses. Blake drove with one hand on the wheel and one hand on Katie’s thigh, sending dizzying pings of electricity up and down her spine. The car’s atmosphere was charged with the couple’s awareness of each other. Katie found herself drawn closer to Blake’s side of the car, and their eyes met as Blake slowed to a stop at a red light. Their gazes locked, Katie unbuckled her seat belt, and Blake pulled her head closer to him, closing the distance between them. He wound her hair around his fingers as their lips met. Katie placed a hand on the back of Blake’s head and held him close as she deepened the kiss, her lips moving insistently against his. The moment stretched out like warm taffy, the kiss just as sweet.
The car behind them honked, and they pulled away from one another, the spell broken. They noticed that the light had turned green, and Blake chuckled and released his grip on Katie, then moved the car through the intersection. Katie grinned sheepishly and moved back to her side of the car, buckling herself back into her seat belt.
• • •
They arrived at Blake’s bus, and parked in the lot. “You want to come in?” Blake asked Katie.
“I do,” she responded. Katie had a fleeting thought about what Blake might have in mind in the bus, alone with her, but quickly dismissed her fears. She would deal with each moment as it came.
Chapter Seven
Blake got out of the car and ran around to Katie’s side to open her car door. “Shall we?” Blake led Katie to the door of his bus and invited her to walk ahead of him. Katie climbed the steps up to the bus’s door with Blake close behind, admiring the view.
Blake joined her at the top of the steps and looked down at Katie, his blue eyes smoldering, and raised her hand to his lips. “Right this way,” he said as he punched in the key code to the bus and pushed the door open.
Katie stepped in and gasped. She spun around to face Blake when he came in behind her. “Blake Jackson, this isn’t a bus, this is an apartment on wheels! Actually, this is nicer than my apartment,” she said with a laugh.