After fighting the brutal Manchester traffic, the Hanson van pulled up to the Rock Café, which was tucked neatly away in what was once a parking garage. It was 2:30 and the boys had just come from an interview at a local TV news station. They were looking forward to a nice, quiet lunch before heading out to do another interview.
The entourage, which included the three brothers, their father, and Andrew, climbed out of the van and rushed into the restaurant. A large banner hung from the ceiling in the entryway featuring a picture of the three brothers. It ostentatiously stated: The Manchester Rock Café and HIT101 proudly present Mercury recording artist, Hanson!
A cute, young girl in her early twenties approached them and smiled. "Hi and welcome to the Rock Café!" she stated. "It's an honor to meet the three of you, I love your music. I'm Sandy and your table is this way."
Isaac offered his best smile, trying to impress their hostess. Sometimes it was nice to be recognized. He quickly moved to the front of the group. "Hi, Sandy. Thanks!"
Taylor and Zac rolled their eyes as they followed their brother. Andrew and Walker just smiled and joined in the fun. Tracy and Isaac lead them to an empty corner of the restaurant. Chris Sabec was sitting with an attractive, African-American woman and laughing. He stood when he saw them approach.
"Hey, guys! I want you to meet someone."
Walker Hanson stopped and stared at the lady with Chris. She was heavyset with a smile that lit up the room. He couldn't believe it. "Tess!"
"Hey, baby," Tess responded, rushing over to give him a big, bear hug.
Isaac, who had regretfully said goodbye to Tracy, stared in fascination. "You two know each other?"
"Oh, my gosh, yes," Walker replied. "What has it been, Tess, twenty years?"
Her smile beamed across the room. "At least."
"You haven't changed a bit."
"Well, I see things have changed for you." Tess looked at the three boys. "So, these are the Hanson brothers, huh?"
Walker beamed with pride. "Yes, this is Isaac, Taylor, and Zachary. And there are three more at home, with one on the way. Oh, Diana is going to be so upset she didn't get to come along on this trip." Seeing the confused look on everyone's face, he turned to explain. "Boys, Chris, this is Tess. She was one of our voice instructors in college. The three of you probably wouldn't be singing if it hadn't been for her."
"Cool," Taylor said. "It's nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you, too. You three sing just as pretty as your mama did. Lord, did she ever have a voice."
"Well, Tess," Walker began, "what are you doing here?"
Chris motioned for them all to sit down. "Tess is with the Rock Café. She's the assistant talent coordinator for the southeast."
"Actually, I'm an assistant to an assistant."
"So, I guess you know Andrew from HIT101, then?" Chris asked.
Tess smiled. "Yes, he and I have - uh, we've worked together before."
Andrew chuckled. "How are you?"
She offered him a wink. "So, are you boys excited about your concert tomorrow night?"
"Yes, ma'am, we sure are," Zac stated.
"We can't believe the response to the radio promotion," Andrew said. "It's the most successful one we've ever had. These boys are the talk of the town."
"No more surprised than us," Taylor offered. "When we heard that parents were calling the station offering to buy the tickets, we couldn't believe it."
"Well, you shouldn't sell yourself so short, baby," Tess responded. "You boys have a gift from God."
Taylor and Isaac exchanged glances, remembering their conversation from earlier. "Thank you, Tess," Ike said. "He's definitely been good to us."
The server, whose name was Andrea, came and took their drink orders while flirting with Isaac. He didn't seem to mind a bit.
"How do you like your crow, Isaac?" Taylor whispered after the server left the table. "Fried or baked?"
Isaac kicked his brother under the table.
"Yah!" Taylor yelled, a little too loud.
"Is something wrong, Taylor?" Walker asked.
His older brother gave him a stern look. "No, dad," he said rubbing his leg. "Everything is fine."
"Then pipe down. This is a restaurant, not a bowling alley."
Their manager looked at them strangely and smiled. Taylor blushed while giving Isaac the evil eye. He wasn't paying attention, though, since Andrea had returned with their drinks.
Taylor decided to push his luck by singing a line from their song, Madeline.
Here we go around again, here we go, here we go...
Some girls seated at a nearby table, who had been staring at Hanson, let out a squeal. Isaac turned twelve shades of red and eyed his brother, who was laughing hysterically. "Do you mind?" he asked through clinched teeth.
Andrea giggled and walked away. The girls from the other table nervously approached them and smiled. They looked to be about fifteen or sixteen and one of them shyly spoke. "Hi, Isaac, may we have your autograph?"
"We love you," the other girl said.
Taylor couldn't take it anymore. He tumbled out of his chair to the amazement of everyone at the table, including himself. He knew he would catch hell from Ike later, but right now he was having too much fun laughing to worry about it.
Chapter Seven
Chapter Five
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