Along for the Ride

by Rachel Meinke

  After we had our coffees we came back outside and waited for the car to pick us up.

  “Where to now?” I asked.

  He pulled up his phone, opening up the Notes app. “I have it all planned out. And our first stop is the Coke factory.”

  “The Coke factory? Like Coca-Cola?”

  “I told you, I’m going to make you a professional Atlanta tourist.”

  The drive was relatively short but it gave me enough time to try to pry more information from Zach about our schedule for the day.

  “My lips are sealed,” Zach said.

  “Okay, okay,” I surrendered. “But what do you do at the Coke factory?”

  “You can try Coke from around the world.”

  “What’s so special about drinking Coke?”

  “Many countries have their own version,” Zach said. “I prefer the option from Brazil.”

  As it turned out, the Coke factory was an entire experience.

  We took a picture with the Coca-Cola polar bear, walked through the history of Coke, and then did a taste test of beverages around the world.

  “I definitely prefer the Italian Coke flavor.”

  “That’s a good one too,” Zach agreed. “Doesn’t compare to Brazil though.”

  We didn’t even do a quarter of the activities offered before Zach was pulling me away. But not before I snagged a copy of our picture with the mascot as my Atlanta keepsake.

  “Where are we headed to?” I asked, as we left the factory.

  “Lunch reservations at White Oak Kitchen & Cocktails.”

  “When you said you had the whole day planned out?”

  “I meant the whole day.”

  I leaned into Zach as we stood in line for the Skyview. It was Zach’s last item on the itinerary for today, and he was insistent that we had to be here in time to watch the sunset.

  “It’s basically like the London Eye,” I said.

  “Except in Georgia.”

  “Thanks for the observation.”

  We stood up the front, Zach handing over our tickets.

  “We’re going to watch the sunset in this tube?” I asked, as we stepped inside the Skyview.

  “You’ve asked too many questions today,” Zach said. “You’ve reached your question limit.”

  “I’m a curious person! Especially when my boyfriend is being cryptic.”

  He leaned in to kiss me, cutting me off before I could continue with my questions. I rose up on my toes, dropping the subject for the sake of the kiss.

  “I wanted to make today special for you,” Zach said, quietly.

  “I know we’ve only just started this whole relationship thing, but you’re going to be leaving soon for your Showcase and we’re going to be playing some back-to-back shows coming up. I wanted us to be able to get away for a day before the chaos sets in.”

  How did I get so lucky?

  CHARLESTON AND BEAUFORT, SOUTH CAROLINA

  CHAPTER 22

  Last night was the first night in a long while I hadn’t tuned into Drama Llama. Mostly because I’d been on the show. Also I was so tired after a day out with Zach, the interview, and then having to be up at an ungodly hour this morning for the five-hour bus ride to Charleston.

  So now I was having a FaceTime watch session with Jenica from the tour bus.

  “The show was epic,” Jenica gushed, as I pulled up the stream on my laptop. “You looked like a poised professional.”

  “I highly doubt that.”

  I’d been so nervous that I held Zach’s hand under the table the entire time. And I knew my hand was sweaty, but Zach never complained. Our interview was at the start of the show, apparently the highlight of yesterday’s gossip news. Must’ve been a slow news day.

  “Ready?” Jenica asked.

  I shared my screen with her, the two of us watching together.

  “Okay, let’s watch this train wreck.”

  Zach and I came up on the corner of the screen. We’d done the livestream from the hotel’s meeting room, with Jesse micromanaging in the background.

  “Today we have Zach Matthews and Katelyn Jackson live-streaming in with us,” the host introduced. “As you all know, Zach Matthews is the lead singer of Skyline. But what you may not know is that he recently announced his relationship with Katelyn Jackson, the younger sister to pop star Connor Jackson.”

  And there I was, with my wet hair braid and faded concealer. A day out in the Atlanta heat hadn’t done me any good.

  “And here they are now,” Jake said. “Welcome to the show, guys!”

  Zach waved, and I glanced toward him and then back at the camera before doing an awkward late wave.

  “Oh no,” I groaned.

  “Stop,” Jenica scolded. “You’re cute.”

  “Walk us through how this happened,” Jake said. “One minute you’re singing the opening number for Connor Jackson, and the next minute you’re getting together with his sister?”

  Thankfully, most of the questions had been directed at Zach. But there was one question that had been directed toward me, and I was anxious to see what I looked like answering it. Because I was a mess on the inside.

  “So, Katelyn,” Jake said.

  “He said your name!” Jenica squealed. “My best friend is famous.”

  On the livestream, my cheeks flushed red. “Yes?”

  “We know all about Zach Matthews here,” Jake said. “But we don’t really know much about you. An inside source tells us that you’re into soccer. Tell us a bit about that.”

  “And this is where I totally freeze,” I said to Jenica.

  “It’s not that bad,” Jenica argued.

  On the livestream, I was staring at the camera. In total silence.

  “My brothers and I got the chance to see her play last week,” Zach said, jumping in to save the moment. “She’s a natural out on the field.”

  I reached up and tugged on the bottom of my braid. “Much like music is Zach’s passion, soccer is mine. And since I’m touring with the band, I get to see Zach live and in action practically every night. It was really special to be able to share something I’m passionate about with him too.”

  I let out a groan. “That didn’t answer his question at all.”

  “It was still good!” Jenica said.

  “It was a politician answer and it’s embarrassing.”

  The interview wrapped up from there, and then the livestream shut off.

  “Do I get the Llama approval?” I asked Jenica.

  Jake answered for me. “So what do you think, DL?”

  The Drama Llama mascot is the one who gives the approval ratings after each segment. It’s a six-foot-tall llama statue that stands in the corner of the room. Enough green votes from the Drama Llama team and it’ll give off a loud, gurgling noise. If there are more red votes than green, the llama gives off a spitting noise.

  I anxiously awaited the response, my eyes wide in anticipation.

  The Drama Llama let off a gurgling noise.

  “I got the DL approval!” I shouted. “I’m Drama Llama–approved!”

  “Of course you are,” Jenica said. “You were adorable. And you and Zach are the cutest couple on the market right now.”

  “Shut up.”

  A text came in, a loud ding going off.

  “I bet that’s lover boy,” Jenica crooned.

  “Shut up again.”

  We ended the call before I checked my text.

  come to our tour bus?

  Of course Jenica would be right.

  My mom doesn’t want us alone together . . .

  I hated that I even had to say that. But my mom was trusting me, and the last thing I wanted was to get grounded on a tour bus.

  my brothers are here. unfortunately.

  I let him know I was coming before heading over to his bus. I waved at Paul standing outside the door before knocking.

  “Hey!” Zach said, answering with a full-blown smile.

  “Wow, you seem chipper fo
r noon!”

  “I had a doctor’s appointment this morning.”

  “Where?”

  “It was virtual, with my neurologist,” he said. “A medication check. Everything’s all good.”

  He leaned over into the crook of his elbow, a deep cough escaping. He ushered me inside, closing the door behind me. I was very used to seeing Aaron and Ross playing videogames in the corner, but this morning Aaron was noticeably missing, Ross playing by himself.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “Just a scratchy throat.”

  “You should rest up tonight,” I said. “Before your hometown show tomorrow night.”

  His eyes lit up. “Speaking of my hometown, my mom wants to cook dinner for everyone tonight. Including you.”

  “Your mom wants to meet me?”

  “Jesse won’t shut up about you.”

  I teased, “Jesse, huh?”

  “Yeah, that guy’s got a motormouth.”

  “I’m flattered.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck with a shy smirk.

  This was a big step, one that I had to be ready to take. It was one thing for Zach to be around my parents—it was more business than anything. But meeting with and having dinner with Zach’s mom was a commitment. She was inviting me into their home, setting a plate for me, cooking an extra meal for me. It was all very nerve-wracking.

  “I’m nervous,” I admitted. “Has Jesse said good things about me?”

  “Nothing but the best.”

  “Okay,” I found myself saying. “Of course, I’d love to have dinner with your mom.”

  “Good, because it was never really an option.”

  The bus door opened, and Jesse came in with Beans in hand.

  “Drink,” Jesse ordered, handing the Beans drink to Zach. “Green tea, honey, and a dissolved cough drop.”

  Zach did as he was told, wincing as he took a sip.

  “Are you coming tonight?” Jesse asked me.

  I nodded. “I’ve heard that I’ve been spoken about.”

  “Yeah?” Jesse asked, in a teasing tone. “I may have heard your name once or twice.”

  “Shut up, both of you,” Zach ordered.

  Jesse continued laughing to himself as he turned to leave. “I hope you like Southern food,” he said to me. “I don’t think my mom can cook anything but.”

  “We’re headed over there about three,” Zach said. “I’ll come by your hotel room?”

  “Sure, we’re just going over there to check in now, so that should give me enough time to look presentable.”

  “You always look beautiful to me,” he said.

  I leaned in for a kiss, and was immediately met with gagging noises from Ross.

  “Should I apologize for him?” Zach whispered.

  “No, I’m used to it by now.”

  He gave me a quick kiss, met with a loud boo.

  “After all the work your brothers did to get us together, you think he’d be a little more appreciative,” I said.

  “Ross is dumb.”

  I turned and waved at him. “You annoy me! See you at three!”

  Ross waved back, laughing.

  “Seriously, though,” Zach said, as I opened their door. “Thank you for coming. My mom is really excited.”

  “Any woman who can raise the four of you and remain sane is my hero. And I can’t wait to meet her.”

  I did a twirl in front of the hotel mirror, trying to decide if my ripped black shorts were the right choice for tonight. Maybe I should go with a more traditional blue jean, in case Ms. Matthews is one of those hate-against-ripped-jeans type of people. I changed into a pair of high-waisted blue jean shorts and a slouchy, gray V-neck, doing another twirl to determine if this outfit was better. I’d even straightened my hair and put on some mascara with a touch of concealer.

  A knock came on my hotel room door as I was trying out a French tuck.

  This outfit was going to have to be the one. I slipped on my shoes as I answered the door, Ross standing there.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  I nodded, a bit confused. Where’s Zach?

  “Jesse already called for the car,” Ross said, as we headed toward the elevator. “And Zach was taking a nap, so I’ve saved you from his grumpiness.”

  “Thanks for looking out for me.”

  The rest of the boys were already downstairs, waiting on the car.

  Zach had a to-go cup in his hand, drinking what I guessed to be tea for his throat.

  “Give me a minute,” Zach mumbled. “I’m not awake yet.”

  The elevator opened, and Connor and Mackenzie stepped out.

  “We have two cars,” Jesse said, checking his phone. “Since my mom is apparently throwing a dinner party.”

  “Ross has talked up your mom’s cooking the entire tour,”

  Mackenzie said. “I have to taste her mashed potatoes.”

  “Only the best this country has ever tasted,” Ross said, proudly.

  The first car pulled up, and Connor and Mackenzie climbed in with Aaron and Ross.

  Leaving the second car for Jesse, Zach, and me.

  “Did I tell you that you look cute yet?” Zach asked.

  “No, but thank you, this was my fourth outfit. And the only reason it stuck was because Ross was knocking on the door.”

  “I didn’t say it yet,” Zach teased. “But you look cute.”

  “Less talking, more drinking,” Jesse ordered. “We want a voice for the show tomorrow. Katelyn already knows you think she’s cute.

  Everyone knows you think Katelyn’s cute.”

  The second car pulled up, and Jesse took the front while Zach and I took the back.

  “We’re in for a long haul,” Jesse said, glancing back at me. “So get comfy.”

  The drive from Charleston to Beaufort was just under two hours.

  As we got closer to their hometown, the brothers began to exchange stories.

  “Has Zach ever told you about Francisco the Elephant?” Jesse asked me.

  “No!” Zach groaned.

  “When Zach was still seven, I convinced him that we had a pet elephant named Francisco,” Jesse said. “And I got Aaron and Ross to go along with it.”

  “How?” I asked.

  “The elephant could fly,” Zach explained. “And whenever they said he was there, I’d look, and they’d say he flew away.”

  “You believed them?” I asked Zach, incredulously.

  “I was seven,” he defended.

  Jesse barked out a laugh, clearly pleased with himself. “We kept that one going for months.”

  “When did you finally figure it out?” I asked Zach, unable to contain my own laughs.

  “He didn’t,” Jesse said.

  “My mom told me,” Zach muttered.

  This time I doubled over, my stomach cramping as we howled with laughter.

  “I was seven,” Zach repeated.

  I managed to sit up, reaching over and resting my hand on his shoulder. “You’re adorable.”

  “We played all kinds of tricks on Zach,” Jesse said. “He was so gullible as a kid.”

  “You’d be gullible too if your three older brothers all insisted that something was true,” Zach muttered, shaking his head.

  Jesse began laughing all over again. “We once convinced him that there was no color red.”

  That couldn’t be true. “What?”

  “It screwed me up,” Zach said, laughing as he shook his head.

  “We convinced him that the color red was a figment of his imagination,” Jesse explained.

  “You guys were so mean!” I said, much to Jesse’s delight.

  Jesse nodded. “That one was bad,” he admitted. “We made him cry.”

  “You cried?”

  “Wouldn’t you cry if you were six and you thought you were crazy?”

  And then we were all laughing again.

  The car came to a stop in front of a modest, one-story home. The paint was peeling off in certain
places, and the porch was in need of a few new wooden planks. But it looked homey.

  “I wish she’d let me fix up the outside,” Jesse grumbled, as we stepped out.

  “Don’t start today,” Zach said, with a shake of his head. “She’s stubborn and she doesn’t want us to pay to fix it up.”

  “I’d do it myself.”

  “And she wouldn’t let you.”

  Clearly this was an ongoing battle between them.

  Zach wrapped his hand around mine. “Are you ready?”

  I followed them up to the front door, following Zach’s instructions to avoid the second stair that led up to the porch. Jesse went right inside, and I went behind him, feeling the anxiety building inside.

  “Are you okay?” Zach asked me.

  “Fine,” I breathed.

  “You don’t need to be nervous,” he promised. “There isn’t a person on this planet my mom doesn’t like.”

  We reached the kitchen, and there was a woman in there cooking and ordering around Aaron and Ross. Her back was to us. She had long, blond hair, the same color as Aaron’s. And she was short, barely over five feet.

  “Hey, Mom!” Jesse called.

  The kitchen looked like it was well loved, the wooden cabinets chipped in areas and the refrigerator decorated with Christmas cards and school photos. Ms. Matthews was wearing an apron tied around her waist, a spatula in hand as she turned to face us. She had caramel brown eyes that had a certain sparkle in them.

  “Hey, baby,” she said, taking Jesse in her arms. He was much taller than her, but he bent down to kiss her cheek.

  Zach wrapped his arms around his mom next, and she showered him with kisses.

  “All right, Mom,” he said, in his raspy voice.

  She held him at arm’s length, raising her eyebrows at him. “You don’t get to have an attitude with your mama.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Sorry.”

  And then she looked over at me, her hands still on Zach’s arms.

  “And who’s this pretty girl?”

  “Katelyn Jackson,” Jesse said, with a smirk.

  “Come on over here, don’t be shy,” she said, waving me over.

  I tentatively made my way over, and she crushed me in a hug.

  “Welcome home, sweetie!”

  My arms wrapped around her. “Thank you.”

  “Now Aaron and Ross,” she said, releasing me. “Have you finished setting the table?”