The Promise of Rainbows (17 page)

She looked to be all of nineteen years old, and from the stunned expression on her face, it was clear she’d lost all ability to think. “Ah…what?”

“I asked if you were still serving?” Jake repeated, the soul of patience.

“We sure are.” She danced in place. “And if we weren’t…well, of course we would be open for
you
. You’re Jake Lassiter.”

“I am that,” Jake said, a polite smile on his face.

“Do you mind if I get your autograph? I’m your biggest fan. I mean…you’re Jake Lassiter.”

Leaning over the hostess podium, Jake grabbed a take-out menu and a pen. “What’s your name?”

“Beth,” she breathed out, crowding him as he wrote.

Susannah found it interesting Jake didn’t call her “honey” or “darlin’” like she’d seen Rye do with fans. But then again, Jake was as different from Rye as chocolate cake was from strawberry pie.

Beth clutched the piece of paper to her chest for a moment before reading it aloud. “To Beth. Thanks for believing in my music. All the best, Jake.” Then she pretty much melted. “Wow. I mean,
wow.
This is the best day of my life.”

“I’m glad you’re happy, Beth,” Jake said, still acting like he had all the time in the world. “Which table do you recommend? This is a mighty pretty town. Perhaps one by the window?”

There was an open one in the front. Smart of him to steer Beth in the right direction. The poor girl needed it.

She gazed up at him adoringly. “You can sit
anywhere,
but the window does give you the best view of our town. Not that it’s anything like Nashville or anything.”

“Why don’t you show us on over to that table then? I’m getting hungry, and I expect my friend is as well.”

Beth gave her a measuring look—one filled with a touch of envy and inquiry. Susannah responded with a neutral smile.

“Sure thing, Jake,” the hostess said as if they were best friends. “Come this way. I’ll take real good care of you.”

Susannah noticed Beth didn’t include her, but it didn’t bother her. She’d seen Tory become invisible to Rye’s fans—almost like they didn’t want to acknowledge her. Frankly, she would rather not be the recipient of that kind of adoration. It was a little freaky.

When Jake pulled out her chair and helped her get situated, she smiled at the other patrons in the restaurant who were watching them. A few were being discreet, but they had their phones out. Taking pictures, most likely.

“I’ll be right back.” Jake stood with his back to the restaurant, whispering so only she could hear him. “Best get this out of the way, or we won’t eat in peace.”

She simply nodded, and he gave her a wink.

He turned around and walked into the center of the restaurant. “Howdy folks. As some of you know, I’m Jake Lassiter. I’ve come to your town to go shopping with my decorator for my new house, and I’d really appreciate y’all making us feel welcome. If you’re a fan, I’m happy to give you an autograph or take a picture now. That way my food won’t grow cold when Beth brings it out for me. Seems a shame for good food to be treated that way.”

People slowly rose, some blushing while others flat-out cooed like turtledoves. He smiled at the women who clutched him during pictures and listened attentively to everything his fans had to say. At one point, he called out to Beth and said, “Can you get my friend a beverage? I expect she’s thirsty from the drive.”

His regard for her warmed her heart, and Susannah ordered a soft drink from a frazzled Beth, who couldn’t take her eyes off her favorite star. By the time Jake returned to the table, he’d been gone for twenty minutes. Her stomach was growling.

“Sorry about that,” he said, taking a seat. “If I hadn’t indulged them, we would’ve been interrupted every five minutes.

“I didn’t consider how challenging it might be for you to come here. Why didn’t you mention it?”

“Because I don’t let it stop me from doing what I want to do. I’m hoping people aren’t texting their friends to tell them I’m in town, though. Otherwise, our shopping trip might be a bit challenging. But we’ll make it work.”

Beth appeared with menus, and Jake ordered a soft drink as well.

“Anything look good?” he asked Susannah.

The list of options was pretty impressive for a small town. “The burgers sound good. What about you?”

“A burger sounds good to me too,” he answered, smiling when Beth brought his drink.

“Are you ready to order?” she asked, as eager as a cheerleader at Friday night football.

“We sure are,” he said, handing her their menus.

They selected the same burger, and thankfully Beth didn’t linger at the table although Susannah could tell she wanted to.

“I’m sorry I didn’t introduce you by name,” he said so only she could hear. “I didn’t want to intrude on your privacy. You never know with people…”

“I appreciate that,” she said, trying to ignore the discomfort of being watched. “But you don’t need to protect me.”

“I know you can handle yourself. I just don’t want anyone…saying anything or doing anything that might make you uncomfortable because of me. Most of my fans are great, don’t get me wrong. But there’s always the possibility of one rotten apple in the bunch making things difficult.”

“J.P. used to say the same thing,” she told him. “Not that he ever got to be famous like you and Rye.”

“He would have if he’d pursued another record deal. Rye and I agree on that. Look at me. Not everyone needs to wiggle their butt to sell records. Not that I’m implying people only buy Rye’s records because of his…ahem…sex appeal.”

Her lips twitched. “But it helps.”

He shrugged, and she found it interesting that he didn’t seem to recognize his own sex appeal. Or perhaps he did, but he didn’t like to talk about it. Well, neither would she. That was as clear a path to trouble as could be.

“Beth makes Shelby and Sadie seem like lukewarm fans,” she mentioned. The girl was pretty much drooling from her perch at the hostess station. She obviously did double duty in the restaurant—either that or she’d insisted on waitressing their table.

“Yes, but I have a feeling your sisters might have given her a run for their money if J.P. hadn’t talked to them.”

“You’re not wrong there,” she said, chuckling. There was no way she was going to mention she’d also given them a talking-to.

Their burgers came, and the char and juiciness of the meat made her close her eyes in ecstasy.

“They certainly know how to cook a hamburger,” she commented when she could finally focus.

He was staring at her with his cobalt blue eyes, and her hand froze mid-reach for a fry.

“You really are beautiful, you know.”

He’d said it before, but she was still startled into speechlessness for a moment. “Thank you,” she finally said.

“Had to be said,” he mused, breaking eye contact and reaching for his hamburger. “This is real good. Let’s hope the ice cream across the street is of similar quality.”

She composed herself by eating another bite of her burger before responding. “Are we having ice cream?”

He gave her a lop-sided smile before popping a fry in his mouth. “I am. You’re welcome to join in.”

The rain wasn’t overly unpleasant, but it was still cold out. A high of late forties if the weather report this morning had been right. “I’ll pass. It’s wintertime.”

“Winter? Nah. We don’t have winter down South. This is more like spring.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Everything looks pretty dead to me, and I’m wearing a winter jacket.” This morning she’d selected a lined rain coat in a rich plum that reached mid-thigh.

“We can find you something warm for dessert then,” he said, seemingly obvious to the people watching them.

Had he learned to tune them out? Probably. Otherwise, it would drive him crazy. Heavens knew, it would drive her crazy if and when they started going out more. Of course, she would have to find a way to handle it to be with him.

“Maybe some hot apple pie,” she suggested, imagining the caramelized apples and flaky crust. “I scanned the dessert menu.”

“I like a woman who thinks ahead. Maybe they can add some ice cream to mine.”

“For you, I bet Beth would find a cow, milk it, and make you homemade ice cream.”

He leaned forward conspiratorially. “Best not say that too loud. She just might.”

Laughing, Susannah resumed eating and polished off her plate before he did. Jake was right. He didn’t hurry through much of anything.

Susannah spotted a young woman emerging from the kitchen. She was tall and curvy and had dishwater blond hair. Her hands were fisted against her stomach as she looked at Jake.

“I think you have another fan coming your way,” she told him.

To give him credit, he didn’t wince, but he didn’t shift in his seat either. The woman made her halting way over to their table.

“Mr. Lassiter? I’m sorry to interrupt your meal, but my boss let me leave the kitchen since we’re closed for lunch now.”

“What can I do for you?” he asked, finally turning to face her.

“I’m Mary,” she said, extending her hand, which Jake took without hesitation. “My brother is serving in Afghanistan. He’s in the Army like you were. I was wondering if you’d be willing to give me an autograph that I can give him when he next comes home.”

His smile immediately changed from polite to earnest. “Of course, Mary. What’s your brother’s name?”

“Howard, Mr. Lassiter. He’s a huge fan of yours.”

Her apron had a couple of oil spots and food stains on it, making Susannah guess she was one of the cooks.

“How many tours has your brother been on so far, Mary?” he asked.

“Three, sir,” she said, extending a blank piece of paper and a pen.

God love her, the woman’s hand was shaking something fierce. Jake wrote a longer note than he had done for anyone else in the restaurant.

“When was your brother home last?” he asked, handing the paper back to her.

She read the note, her eyes tearing up. “Oh, thank you, Mr. Lassiter. This means the world! Um…Howard was here for Thanksgiving this year. It was a blessing.” She folded the paper, treating it like the finest china. “You should know that Howard says your music has helped him carry on when he’s missing home or the friends he’s lost over there. He says if you could get through it, so can he.”

Jake’s face crumbled, and an extra shine appeared in his eyes. “I’m mighty happy to hear my music inspires him. You tell him to make it home to y’all.”

A lone tear streaked down her face as she nodded. “I know you’re a famous country singer, but to me, you’ll always be a great American hero. Thank you for serving our country, Mr. Lassiter.”

Jake paused for a moment before saying, “I was only doing my part, Mary, just like Howard and everyone else.”

The woman sniffed and wiped her nose. “He’s a good man, sir. Like you are. Can I hug you?”

Jake didn’t hesitate to push his chair back and stand. The young woman’s arms wrapped around him, and Susannah heard her whisper, “Thank you. Thank you so much. This will give him another reason to come home to us.”

Susannah fought tears herself as she watched them embrace. She said a silent prayer that Howard would make it home unscathed.

“Thank you, Mary,” Jake finally said, dropping his arms and stepping away.

The woman brushed at her tears. “God bless you, sir.”

“And you and your brother,” Jake said in a rough voice.

He didn’t sit down again until Mary disappeared into the kitchen, and when he did, he let out a huge sigh.

She wanted to reach for his hand, but everyone was watching. “What does it feel like to be a hero to so many?”

He visibly shuddered. “I’m no hero, Susannah. I’m just a normal guy who served my country and has grown famous writing songs about it.”

Her heart hurt, hearing that, but she knew there was no use arguing with him. “It’s a blessing that your music touches people. I’d love to be in the room when she gives that autograph to Howard. What did you write to him, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Clearing his throat, he reached for his soda and downed the remainder of it. “I told him to stay strong and know that people were praying for his return.” His ears turned red. “I know you don’t think I’m much of a religious man, but…it comforted me when I was on tour, hearing people were praying for me.”

She dug her hands into her lap. “I don’t know why you think I’d believe that of you.”

“Because it’s true,” he said, the earlier light gone from his eyes. “Susannah, I have done things…unspeakable things. I’m no hero.”

She didn’t know how to help him see what was so obvious to everyone else. “I think you are, and so do a lot of people. I can’t imagine what it must have been like over there, but I know you wouldn’t have done any of those things if you’d had the choice. That’s the difference between a good man and a bad one if you ask me.”

He rubbed his forehead. “We should probably get shopping.” Turning around in his seat, he waved at Beth, who ran forward. “Can we get the check?”