by Casey Peeler
“Glad to see me?” I ask.
“You have no idea what it’s like to look out into the crowd and find eyes that you know. Really know, Belle.”
“If I didn’t know better, Mr. Bryant, I’d think somebody had a crush.”
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you liked it.”
“What can I say? I’m a sucker for a country boy in tight ass jeans that knows how to work a stage.”
Jake puts me down, and we start to make our way to sign autographs. This makes for a long night, but at least we have a few days off before hitting the road again. The big man upstairs must have been looking out for me because I can go home for a few days. That means no tour bus, cameras, hotel rooms, or getting decked out to the nines every night. I get to see my family and friends, be myself, and enjoy life as a normal twenty-two year old.
“So, Jake, what have you got planned for your days off?”
“Well, I guess I’m gonna just stay on the bus. Why?”
“Well, I was thinkin’.”
“Oh lord, you’re thinkin’?” he asks as he stops and crosses his arms.
“Yeah, well, I was thinkin’ about goin’ home for a few days. I mean, it’s like thirty minutes from here. Honestly, I can’t believe more of my family and friends didn’t show up tonight.”
“Um, Belle. You might wanna turn around.”
As I turn around, I’m met by everyone that is important to me—my parents, my brother Beau, and my friends Lyndsay and Chase from Coyote Joe’s.
Lyndsay and I do the same squeal, dance in place, and then rush to each other. Chase and Beau laugh, and Mama and Daddy just shake their heads.
“Oh my gosh, y’all! I didn’t even know y’all were here! I didn’t see you in the seats I left for ya’ll.”
“Well, that’s because Jake found us some a little closer.” Spinning around, I find Jake and place my hands on my hips. “You pulled this stunt, Jake Bryant?”
Smiling, he answers, “Guilty.”
“I freakin’ love you!”
“Whoa now, Belle. Don’t go droppin’ a four-letter word over some concert tickets.”
“Aw, hush! So, y’all wanna head to the bus? We have to sign a few autographs real quick.”
“Sure, honey,” Mama says. As they walk to the bus, Jake and I make our way to fifty screaming fans.
After we finish signing the last autograph and security whisks us away, I realize how tired I really am. I can’t wait to see my family, but honestly, I just want a caramel coffee from Dunkin Donuts and my bed.
“I’ll let you have some time with your family. What was it that you were gonna say earlier?”
“Oh, I was thinkin’ ‘bout goin’ home for a few days or so. I just need a little groundin’, ya know? I didn’t know what you were planning, but thought if you were in need of some home cookin’ and a real bed you might wanna come, too.”
Jake stops, and I turn to face him.
“If you can promise me that I won’t have a million teenage girls after me, we have a deal.”
“Well, I can make that promise because there aren’t more than a couple hundred teenagers total in Lattimore.”
“You should be a damn comedian, ya know?”
“I’ll keep that in mind if this gig doesn’t work out,” I say as I walk up the stairs to my bus.
“Just be ready in the morning, and we will head that way.”
“Aight.” He turns and walks to his bigger mansion of a bus.
Chapter 2
Once I reach the top step onto my bus, Lyndsay hounds me.
“Did I just hear that right? Jake Bryant is comin’ to Lattimore?”
“Yes, but if you so much as post it on any social media site, I’ll kill you! You got it?”
“Easy, killer,” Chase says.
I give Chase a WTH look, and he gives me one right back. That is why he is my favorite bouncer at Joe’s. He keeps it real and looks out for me at the same time.
“Well, I just don’t want a million screamin’ girls going goo-goo for Jake Bryant while we’re trying to enjoy a break.”
“Please tell me that y’all aren’t dating?” my mama asks. She has never been one to sugar coat anything.
“No, Mama! We aren’t dating, sleeping, or doing anything together. We are just friends, and I plan on keepin’ it that way.”
Beau almost chokes on his beer at my comment. He’s always loved how I tell it like it is, and he’s always trying to keep things quiet around our parents. Leave it to me to spill every party being thrown in Lattimore, who was dating whom, cheatin’ on whom, or anything else that happens in a small town. I’m sure that being the older brother he is, he was probably ready to kill me six out of seven days a week.
“Good to know,” Daddy says. “Well, I guess that means we need to get home and make sure things are ready for not one, but two, big stars to come to town.”
“Daddy! There ain’t nothin’ special about us. We just got lucky, that’s all.”
“Oh, there’s plenty special about you, sweetheart, and don’t you forget it.”
Mama, Daddy, and Beau go home while Lyndsay and Chase hang around for a little while longer. We brew a pot of coffee, sit, talk, and enjoy a night like we used to every Friday night after Joe’s closed. I love these two, and honestly, every day is hard because they aren’t a part of my life like they used to be.
As the clock approaches four in the morning, they stand to leave, but I can’t let them drive at this time of night.
“Y’all just stay. I’m leavin’ in the mornin’. It’s late, and I’ve missed y’all,” I tell them.
Lyndsay looks at Chase. “Whatever you wanna do, Lynds,” he says.
“Well, I’ve never stayed on a famous country star’s tour bus before, so hell to tha yeah!” she exclaims.
I loan Lyndsay some pajamas, and we get ready to watch a little TV before going to bed. Within ten minutes, Lyndsay is ready to call it a night, and I tell her to take my bed. She doesn’t argue and shuts the door behind her. Chase and I finish watching Grown Ups, or should I say, attempt to watch it. Before I know it, the sun is rising, and I’m snuggled into the crook of his arm. Shit!
Trying my best not to wake him, I attempt to slide away as he begins to mumble something that I can’t understand. Then, his arm starts to squeeze me like a boa constrictor. That’s when I realize he’s no longer asleep and just being the ass that I love.
“I can’t breathe, Chase! Let me go!”
“I’ll let you go when you scream to the world that I am best man on Earth.”
Without thinking, I do exactly that. I yell those words, and Lyndsay pushes open the door like the smoke alarm just sounded. Her hair is all kinda crazy. “What the hell was that?” she asks.
“Oh, you know. It’s just me professing how Chase is the best man on Earth, because if I don’t, he will squeeze all the air outta my lungs.”
“Lord, can y’all fall in love already?” She turns around and returns to bed.
Chase and I look at each other like she’s lost her damn mind. That’s one thing I know about Chase and me. We are just friends. He’s been there since the first day I walked into Joe’s, and he’s always stayed. When I needed a dance partner, he was there. When I needed a drinking buddy, he was there, and when I just needed a friend, he was there. Chase is my constant.
Chase finally lets go of his death grip, as there is a knock at the door. I make my way over and open it. Jake Bryant is there, packed and ready to go to my hometown. Who would have ever thought that I’d take a country music star home to the podunk town of Lattimore?
“Hey, Jake. Come on up.”
Once he’s on the bus, he has a confused look when he notices both Chase and me still in our clothes from last night.
“Chase and Lyndsay stayed last night.”
“Well, I hate I missed the party,” he says as he eyes Chase.
I just shake my head. Give me ten minutes, and we’ll be on the road.
“What?” she asks.
“Um, he’s just a guy.”
“To you, maybe, but I’m no dummy. I see the way he looks at you. In fact, if I were you, I’d act on that if I had the chance.”
As I stuff some clothes into my bag, I answer her, “I can’t go there. Do you know what will happen to this tour if we go there?”
“Belle it’s only for three more months. Then after that, you know you’re going to get asked to headline.”
“I don’t know about that, but if so, it would make things weird. And I don’t do weird.”
Lyndsay drops it, and we make our way to the living area. Chase and Jake seem to be engaged an in-depth conversation. They both look like they are ready to throw blows at each other.
“Everyone ready to go?” I ask to relieve the tension. “Chase and Lynds, Jake and I will follow y’all.” I have to say that it’s nice that he has his truck handy, because I honestly hadn’t thought that part through. I guess I would have ridden home with Chase and Lyndsay or called Beau to pick me up.
As Jake’s diesel engine hits the highway, he turns down the radio. “What can I expect in this place called Lattimore?”
“Well, it’s like any other redneck town. Everyone knows your business. We have the best burgers this side of I-85, a pool hall, and let’s just say, we know how to get down on the farm.”
“Nice. Sounds exactly like where I want to spend my break. Do Chase and Lyndsay live there, too?”
“Yeah, I’ve grown up with them, but we all started really hangin’ out when we were old enough to go to Joe’s. It’s in Charlotte. We learned every country line dance, partied hard on 1-2-3 nights, and when amateur nights started, they put my ass up on stage and that’s been all she wrote.”
“I played there when I first got signed. You know that’s what people do, right? They play the small country nightclubs from city to city and hope and pray the fans love them.”
“I know. I do believe that I saw a Jake Bryant there not so long ago,” I say with a smirk. “I’ve seen anyone from Florida Georgia Line to Blake Shelton there. That was always the plus of Lyndsay and Chase workin’ at Joe’s. I always got to meet people, and they were normal, just like you and me.”
“Now, how did I manage not to meet you when I played there?”
“Probably because you wouldn’t have noticed me with the groupies all over you.”
“That has to be the worst part. You know most guys would kill to be in my spot, but I just want someone to like me for me, not because I’m this country music god that you say I am.”
“I won’t say that I didn’t have a total fangirl moment once I realized I’d be touring with you. Well, actually both Lynds and I did. Chase laughed his ass off at us that night, but then I was over it. I realized we are professionals, and we need to keep it that way.”
The inside of the truck is quiet for a few minutes, and then Jake finally breaks the silence.
“I’m thankful they got you up on that stage, Belle. I was there that night. When you started singin’, I knew I had to have you on tour with me. You were a voice to remember and not so bad to look at either,” he says with a wink.
Holy crap! Did he really just hit on me? I swear I just used the word ‘professional’ in my last comment, and now he’s flirting.
“Well, I love music. I always have, and there is just something about connecting with people because your song touched their heart.”
“Can I ask you one more thing?”
“Shoot,” I say.
“What’s really going on with you and Chase? It’s none of my business, but I see the way he looks at you.”
“Nothing. He’s my friend.”
“Right, if you say so.”
“Why does everyone have that same reaction?” I question as we stop at the only stoplight in Lattimore. Jake turns toward me.
“Because I see the way he looks at you, and if you want me to be honest, I look at you the same way. I know you want to keep this relationship professional, but I’m not makin’ any promises.”
Completely floored. That is what I am. Maybe bringing Jake Bryant home isn’t a good idea, because as much as I want to say that it needs to stay professional, I know deep down that I want a little bit of what’s in those jeans.
Chapter 3
As we pull up to the two-story brick house on seventy-five acres, I see the wheels turning in Jake’s mind.
“Whatcha thinkin’?” I ask.
“I think this is beautiful. You described a rinky-dink town, and this house isn’t rinky-dink. Do y’all own all this land?”
“Yup. It’s been in the family for years. You see that little farm house right there?” I point out the window to the right. “That’s my mawmaw and pawpaw’s. They bought this when my pawpaw came home from the war. He always wanted his own farm like his dad but bigger, and that’s what he got. Daddy loved it just as much and decided to build on the land and run the farm with him. We sell cotton to all the local factories within the southeast.”
“In other words, people know exactly who y’all are in town,” he responds.
“No, it’s not like that here. Lattimore is a tight-knit community. We all work together, and my family provides a lot of jobs for people in town. We aren’t the biggest farm in town, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
Pulling up to the house, Jake puts the truck in park. He is in complete awe, and it totally throws me off guard. What is his deal? His house outside of Nashville is a mansion, but for some reason, he’s blown away by a farm in podunk Lattimore.
“Jake, it’s just a house that cotton built. There’s nothing fancy here. I promise once you walk through those doors, you will feel at home. My mama ain’t the best housekeeper, but she can cook. Daddy works from sun up to sun down, and Beau, well, that’s another story. He’s tried his best to make it outta here, but for some reason, he keeps getting pulled right back in.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just that I didn’t expect this.”
“What’d you expect? A single wide?”
“Um, maybe,” he says with a laugh.
I do believe this is the first time that he has ever pissed me off. “Back up, Jack. First off, let me tell you that if I lived in a cardboard box, I’d still be proud if it was all my daddy could afford. Secondly, what gave you the idea I was trailer trash?”
Jake is dumbfounded because I have never spoken like that to him, but he has struck a nerve.
He slides closer to me, and my breathing stops for a moment.
“Belle, I didn’t mean that. The way you talk about this town is like there is nothing great about it, but since we hit the county line, I’ve been amazed by what I’ve seen. I wish I’d grown up in a place like this. My childhood was spent going from one military base to another. I’ve never had a real home. I’m sorry if I offended you.”
With one comment, that’s all it takes for me to get off my high horse and return to normal.
“What did you mean when you said Beau was ‘another story’?”
“He loves music too, but I’m the one that made it out, and he’s still here. He and I used to write together all the time, but what he’s really good at is making a set a reality.”
Breaking our connection, I tell him, “Come on. Let’s get inside.” That’s enough about Beau for now. I grab his hand and pull him toward the front porch.
As we enter the house, the aroma of Sundrop Pound Cake hits my nostrils. Mama is doing what she does best. Cooking. I can’t wait to have a piece with a glass of milk.
“Hey, Mama. We’re here!” I yell as I close the door behind us. She comes to greet us in the foyer, and Beau is in the living room. He doesn’t get up; he just gives a wave and goes back to watching his hunting show. You’d think that he’d notice I’m home. Oh, well.
“Hey, Beau! Do
n’t get up or anything,” I say just a little bit on the sarcastic side.
“Belle, I’ll have something sweet for ya in a few minutes. Why don’t you take Jake to the guest room so he can get settled?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Jake and I make our way upstairs and down the hall. He stops to look at the family photos on the wall and asks me questions about all of them. Please don’t ask about the one where my hair is half-brushed, and I look like I have rotten teeth because I didn’t pull a loose tooth. Whew! Made it past it! I give him a brief tour as we make our way to the guest room.
“Here ya go, Jake,” I say as I open the guest room. “Mine’s right next door if ya need anything.” Stupid, Belle. Stupid comment. “I’m gonna go get settled. I’ll be right back,” I tell him.
I walk into my room and close my eyes as my back brushes the back of the door. What the hell was I thinking bringing home the country music god? He’s perfect in every single way. His eyes, hair, perfectly sun-kissed skin, impeccable ass in a pair of jeans, and a personality to go with it, but the fact that he likes me for me is the biggest turn-on ever.
I walk to my dresser and look in the mirror. Touching up my makeup, I decide that it’s time to show Jake what it’s like in Lattimore. I send Chase and Lyndsay a text.
Group Text:
Me: Martin’s tonight? Time to show Mr. Country Music God how we do it in Lattimore. Y’all in?
Chase: Sure, Beau coming 2?
Me: Prob
Lyndsay: Damn right! I’ll spread the word.
Me: Don’t you dare! Let’s just see who’s out tonight. Meet us there at 8.
As I place my phone down, there’s a light knock at my door.
“Come in.” Turning around, I see him. “You ready for the best cake you’ve ever eaten? Then, I think you need a tour of the farm.”
“I’m game.”
We make our way into the kitchen and take a seat. Mama has the cake, butter, and glasses of milk waiting. Beau has beaten us to the table already. I should have known. We each grab a piece, slather it with butter, and take a bite.
“Wow.” Is the only word that Jake says with a mouthful of cake. Lawd knows what I’d love him to have a mouthful of!