Page 20 of The Encore Effect

Zach held out a hand for one of the bags as Nico moved around Kat and fell into the booth across from his bandmate.

“Lacey got voted out last week,” Logan said, “but I think they’ll probably bring her back. She has unfinished business with the lumberjack from Tennessee.”

Kat snagged one of the French fries from the cardboard sleeve Zach pulled out of the takeout bag. “How long before the lumberjack finds someone new, do you think?”

Logan laughed. “I give it until the end of the episode.”

“You forgot the fancy sauce,” Zach complained to Nico, digging through the takeout bag and pulling out far too many paper-wrapped hamburgers.

“Would I do that to you?” Nico produced a small plastic container from the other bag.

“Did you know fancy sauce is basically just mayonnaise and ketchup mixed together?” Zach asked, dipping a French fry in the pink stuff.

“Where are Jackson and Beckett?” Kat asked, frowning.

“Jacks is still signing autographs,” Zach said around a mouthful of greasy cheeseburger.

Logan offered an apologetic smile, as though he knew the way those words made her anxiety spike. “Gideon’s with him.”

“And Doug is taping up Beckett’s knee,” Nico said as he squeezed a mound of ketchup onto a pile of napkins and dipped a fry in it.

“What’s wrong with his knee?” Kat asked, already turning to leave so she could see for herself.

“Nothing.” Beckett’s gravelly response behind her drew her up short, and she watched as he carefully climbed onto the bus.

She wanted to ask why, if nothing was wrong, was he letting Doug tape his knee now, but she didn’t get a word out before Nico jumped up from his seat, balancing on the back of the booth. “They’re both here,” he announced with a grin.

Logan muted the television and retrieved a pink pastry box from an overhead compartment as Zach reached for a bottle of champagne in the small fridge.

“What’s all this?” Kat asked.

“Did you really think we’d let you two get engaged and not celebrate?” Zach asked, removing the foil around the champagne bottle.

“Guys, that’s not necessary,” Kat demurred, glancing over her shoulder at Beckett, his expression impossible to read.

Logan flipped open the lid of the pastry box to reveal a half dozen cupcakes, brightly colored candy ring pops pressed into the swirled frosting on each little cake. “Congratulations. We didn’t even know you two were seeing each other again.”

“Don’t you think that’s strange?” They turned at the sound of Jackson’s question. “My own brother got engaged, and I had to hear about it from Superfan.”

Beckett and his twin locked eyes, some unspoken conversation passing between them that had tension rippling through the air on the tour bus. “It happened really fast,” Kat said lamely. “We didn’t mean for anyone to find out like that.”

Zach handed Kat and Beckett plastic champagne flutes full of the bubbly, golden liquid. “Doesn’t matter how it happened. I’m just glad I won’t have this guy’s smelly feet dangling in my face every morning anymore,” he said, gesturing towards Beckett with his own champagne flute.

With Beckett locked in on his staring contest with his brother, Kat took it upon herself to ask, “What are you talking about?”

Zach snort laughed. “Come on, Kat. The jig’s up. We moved Becks’ things into your room.”

Her eyes darted to the closed door at the back of the bus that cordoned off her private sleeping quarters from the rows of bunks where the guys slept. Except Beckett would be sharing it with her now. Because that’s what engaged people did.

She hadn’t thought this through at all.

“He could have moved back there with you a long time ago, you know. We wouldn’t have cared,” Logan said, offering her a cupcake.

“Didn’t need you assholes in our business,” Beckett said, turning away from his brother and resting his free hand on Kat’s lower back. The simple touch grounded her, slowed her heart rate, and she hated him for it.

“To Kat and Beckett.” Nico held up his glass of champagne in toast. Kat’s cheeks heated as she took a sip, the bubbles tickling her nose.

Even Jackson raised his glass, downing his champagne in a single long gulp. “Turn that shit up,” he said to Logan, tilting his chin towards the television as he sat next to him on the couch.