“Give me one of these, though,” Zach says, cupping my cheek for a soft, hot kiss.
“You still taste like wine.” I smile and then furrow my brow. “Wait. Did we make plans yesterday to go to . . . Nashville?”
“We did.”
Nerves coil inside me. “Was that like a drunk thing? Or were we joking?”
His thumb caresses my cheek, and his expression turns serious. “I don’t joke about those things. I’m dead serious.”
“But my stepmom . . .”
“Forget about your stepmom,” Zach growls. “She left your guitar out in the rain. Either she’s purposely sabotaging you, or she’s so forgetful she’s screwing you over. Either way, we have to get out of here. I’m your genie. I’m going to get you where you need to be. Got it?”
I feel my eyes welling. I’m not used to having someone in my corner. “It just seems like a big change,” I say, holding back the tears.
“It is a big change. And we need it. But you’ve been there before, so that’s a positive. Let’s have some breakfast, Vanderbilt.”
Zach opens the “door” and the smell of fresh bacon and eggs wafts into our sleeping compartment even stronger. His grandparents come into view too.
“Morning, Grandma, Grandpa,” Zach says in a low voice.
“Morning, sweetie,” his grandmother replies.
“Grandma, you should know I brought a girl home last night.”
Her jaw drops, and I poke my head out. Then I follow Zach by dropping to the floor.
“Hi! I’m Harmony,” I grin.
“Hi,” she breathes, and my heart starts to pound, given her wide eyes. “I’m Mrs. Reid. Call me Gail. Well, thank goodness, Zach. It’s about time you’ve brought a girl back.”
I chuckle, and she turns back to me again. “It’s great to have you. Having breakfast with us?”
“Yes, she’ll be joining us,” Zach interjects. “Looks delicious. Can we eat outside?”
“I suppose. It’s not too hot yet.”
Zach’s grandfather comes out of the bedroom, and the look on his face is pure wonder as he sees me.
“My boy,” he grumbles. “Who on Earth is this great American treasure?”
“I’m Harmony.” I smile. “I’m sorry . . . we just fell asleep. I wasn’t intending on staying the night.”
“I’m Joel,” he says, sticking out a hand for me to shake. He looks at me, then looks at the ceiling. “Oh, you can stay whenever you want. Praise be to the Lord Almighty. So where are you from, sugar?”
“Grandpa, cut it out,” Zach interjects as he grabs orange juice from the refrigerator. “Harmony doesn’t need the third degree. She’s barely awake.”
“Right,” he says.
“Mind if I use the bathroom?” I say, sneaking past the crew.
“Course you can,” Mrs. Reid says.
Zach’s grandparents talk about a friend’s daughter’s graduation slash college send-off party that got a little out of hand last night, hence them being so late over a full breakfast of coffee, OJ, eggs, bacon, and toast. By the end, my belly is full of food, caffeine, and laughter.
Zach gives them a loose rundown of how we met and what we’ve been up to—sparing some key details, of course. Like what went down on that black rock yesterday.
My heart pounds with worry when Zach informs them that we’re heading to Nashville. He’s so open with his grandparents, it’s a stark contrast to how I operate with my own parental units.
To my surprise, their faces light up.
“So you’re okay with Zach just leaving and going to Nashville, Mrs. Reid?” I exclaim, my jaw falling open.
Mrs. Reid, I mean Gail, puts her hand on my mine.
“Honey, Zach has been living with us and working his behind off at two jobs for over a year now. We’ve been waiting for the day his journey takes him to the next step. It’s here. You’re here.”
The way she says “you’re here” sounds a little new age.
“Relax, Grandma,” Zach interjects. “It’s just a little trip. Who knows how long we’ll be gone.”
Zach’s grandfather erupts in laughter. “You know, we’ve been saying the same thing for years. That we were going to move tomorrow. Next week. A month from now. But the thing is—”
“Tomorrow never comes,” I say, cutting him off.
He gives me a strange look, scrunching up his face. “How’d you know that’s what I was gonna say?”
I shrug, shooting Zach a knowing glance. “Just a lucky guess.”
“What do your folks think about you taking the trip, Harmony? Have you discussed it with them?”
My insides curdle, and I take the last big bite of my eggs while the image of my parents screaming at me not to go creeps into my mind.
“Haven’t told them yet.” I smile. A chill runs through me.
“Well, you better take care of that soon,” Gail adds.
Zach glances up at the sky and then back at me. “I’m going to pack a bag and then we’ll go. Be out in a few minutes.”
Zach’s grandpa heads inside too. I’m sipping my coffee, amazed that Zach will be able to pack everything he needs in just a few minutes. Although, I suppose there’s not much room for baggage on the motorcycle. Gail turns to me.
“You know why my husband said what he did, right?”
“Said what?”
“Praise be to the Lord Almighty.”
“Why?”
“We were starting to lose hope for our young man.” She giggles. “A young man like him ought to have romance. And adventures. You’re a fine young lady. Go and have fun. Be young and a little reckless. We’ll always be here if you need us.” She puts her hand on top of mine. “I don’t know what you’ve said or done with Zach, but even if you two break up tomorrow, you’ve done a good thing. A great thing. I haven’t seen him light up like this in ages.”
I tilt my head, wondering where the stark differences in parenting philosophies came from in our two houses. My parents would never talk this way to one of my dates.
Gail glances at the door before going in her purse and pulling something out.
“Here’s a few hundred dollars,” she says, winking. “Always good to have cash on you, just in case.”
She slaps the bills in my hand, and before I can argue, I hear the door swing open and see Zach appear with a small duffel bag and two motorcycle helmets.
“We ride in style,” he says.
“Is that all you’re bringing?” I ask, and the question comes out accusatorially. But his bag is so tiny.
“We’ll go on a shopping spree once we’re there. My treat,” I say.
Gail shoots me a sly look.
Well, I know where I’m going to use those few hundred dollars.
“It’ll be more fun the less stuff we bring,” Zach adds. “That way, when we reinvent ourselves, maybe we’ll be new people.”
A warm feeling spills through my body as I consider the thought.
“Good point.”
As we hug his grandparents goodbye and get on the bike to drive the eight or so hours to Nashville, I think, That wasn’t so bad.