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 mee
t 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.
“So you like it?”
“Yeah, it’s gorgeous. Show me around,” said Katie as Blake took her hand again.
“Caroline actually did most of the decorating. I wanted it to feel like home, and it really needed a woman’s touch.” Blake explained.
Katie took in the plush taupe sofas and dark brown marble countertops in the front lounge area, the built-in desk holding a laptop that must belong to Caroline, the guitars hanging from wall-mounted brackets, a plasma screen television, and the glass door refrigerator stocked with a variety of drinks. She slipped out of her shoes and stepped onto a thick chocolate brown rug, sighing with pleasure. Blake led her through a hallway and pointed out a couple of guest bunks, a closed closet, and a guest bathroom. Katie poked her head into the bathroom and gasped when she realized how much bigger and nicer Blake’s guest bathroom was than the one her whole band shared. Blake showed her to a second lounge, easily twice the size of Sterling’s, where there were inviting leather chairs, more guitars, framed photos of Blake with his family, yet another television screen, and a bar that housed a small refrigerator and baskets of snack foods. A pocket door separated the back lounge from what had to be Blake’s bedroom. Katie wondered if she’d be invited to see that room too.
“So there you have it, home sweet home away from home,” said Blake.
“I can’t believe this place! It’s gorgeous, and so much room for just one person. Unbelievable.”
“Caroline rides with me a lot of the time, and sometimes I have some of the guys over. I’m on the road more than I’m at home, though, so this way I don’t go crazy. I picked this bus a couple of years ago so I’d have enough room for two, you know, thinking ahead.”
“For two?”
“I always imagined that I’d take my wife on the road with me and we’d see the country from this bus. You know, just the two of us, hitting the open road.” Blake’s blue eyes were intense. “I just haven’t found my wife yet.”
Blake led Katie through the pocket door and into his bedroom where a king-sized bed sat, a quilted chocolate brown bedspread turned down to reveal crisp ivory sheets, fluffy pillows lining the headboard, and a robin’s egg blue knit blanket folded neatly at the foot. The air was cool and quiet; the low hum of the bus’s air conditioning the only sound, and Katie could smell traces of Blake’s spicy cologne in the air. Blake took Katie’s hand, pulled her close to him, and enveloped her in a warm embrace.
“I’m glad you’re here with me,” he whispered, his voice husky with emotion. Blake pulled back and cupped Katie’s face in his hands, captured her eyes with his gaze, and breathed, “God, you’re gorgeous.” He pressed his lips to hers, gently, as he ran his fingers through her hair. Katie responded and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss as her lips parted under his and his tongue explored her warm mouth. He tasted sweet, he smelled like home, and she never wanted the kiss to end. Katie’s grip on Blake tightened as the kiss intensified, fireworks exploded in her head, and an electric energy passed between them.
Blake pulled Katie down onto his bed, his lips never leaving hers. They stretched out, side by side, and Blake explored her body, his hand moving from her shoulders down to the swell of her backside, to brush her thigh, and finally to tentatively cup her breast. She gasped but did not pull away, so he continued, squeezing gently and clearly enjoying the feel of her in his hand. He held her close to him, his other hand luxuriating in the feel of her silky hair winding around his fingers.
Blake moved until he was on top of Katie, propped on his elbows while she took his face in her hands and looked deep into his eyes before returning her lips to his. She shivered with pleasure when his lips trailed to her neck, his breath warm against her skin. Emboldened, Blake kissed her neck while his hand returned to her breast. Katie arched her body and a soft sound escaped her lips as she clutched his shoulders and held him close. He parted her legs with his knee and lowered his body onto hers, one hand working to unbutton her blouse as he propped himself up on his elbow.
“Blake,” she whispered.
“Oh, Katie,” he moaned.
“Blake.” Katie’s voice grew firm. He stilled and gazed down into her eyes, lust clouding his vision. “Blake, I’m so sorry but I can’t do this.”
“Oh, oh, okay, I’m sorry. I think I got carried away,” he said as he moved off of her and stretched out beside her on the bed. Blake kissed her chastely on the forehead and inhaled deeply against the top of her head. Blake moved to get more comfortable on the bed, obviously trying to shift gears.
“No, I’m sorry, I should have said something before it got this far. I really like you, but I kind of promised myself to save sex for a serious commitment. I shouldn’t have led you on; I guess I got carried away, too.”
“Oh, I see. So you’re like a . . . ” He trailed off.
“Yes, I’m a virgin. It’s kind of embarrassing, at my age, but it just hasn’t happened for me yet. I’ve been so scared to tell you, scared to find out what you would think.”
Blake cupped Katie’s chin and
gave her a soft kiss, then ran his hand over her hair. “It’s certainly unusual, but I actually like that you’ve never been with anyone. It seems right for you.”
She let out a relieved breath. “Thank you for saying that. I feel like such a baby about it sometimes, but it’s become pretty important to me. When I was younger, I made the promise to myself that I would wait until I fell in love, and then with the band and everything that just never happened. The more committed I got to the band’s success, the fewer boyfriends I had that were committed to me. Nobody has been able to handle it, and I don’t want to compromise myself or my dreams for the kinds of guys I’ve come across.”
“So you haven’t found anyone who can understand what you’re doing with the band?”
“Right, it’s like when I meet someone they act like they think it’s great that I’m in the band and we’re getting so much work. When it comes down to it, though, nobody has been able to handle the time I have to spend rehearsing or playing gigs. Either that, or they’re convinced that there’s more going on between me and the guys than just work. I’m really sorry if I led you on, or if you aren’t cool with my situation.”
“Sweetheart, it’s fine. Really. Whatever you’re comfortable with is fine. I’ll behave myself.” Blake smiled down at her and kissed her softly.
“Thank you. This probably isn’t what you’re used to. I mean, getting shut down and all.”
“Oh honey, you have no idea. I don’t know what you think or what you’ve heard, but I spend most nights on tour alone. The only time I have a woman in this bus it’s Caroline, and believe me, she is all business,” he laughed. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I haven’t found my wife, and I don’t think that sleeping around with anyone who shows up on the road is the best way to find her. It’s damn near impossible to have anything real when I’m in a new town every other night.”
Nashville Nights Page 36