“Really?” He looked incredulous. “This is your first music festival?”
“Hard to believe I’ve been missing out on this all these years.” Giving him a wry look, she spread her arms to indicate the festival just beyond the main medical area.
Together they worked to attach the third tarp, leaving the fourth side open. “Since this is your first music festival experience, I’ll make sure it’s a good one so you’ll want to come back.”
Butterflies danced in Taylor’s belly. “Oh?”
“Since neither of us are on duty tonight, you want to watch the shows with me?”
Ha. Was this a trick question or what? Wander around by herself or sit next to a charismatic man who had awakened her dormant hormones? Hmm...hard decision.
It should have been a harder decision given his profession.
Still, she was smiling when she said, “I’d love to.”
* * *
Taylor could get into music festivals. Or maybe it was the man beside her she was into. Glancing over at him, she couldn’t help but think how fortunate she was to have him there this week since Amy hadn’t been able to attend. Otherwise she might really have packed up and gone to Amy’s.
Amy had texted earlier to make sure she’d arrived, and everything was okay. She’d not mentioned her unexpected reaction to Jack but had said everything was great.
Maybe if Jack were anything other than a doctor, she’d give in to the heat, let herself have a free pass life experience.
She wrapped her arms around her knees and looked back toward the stage where a band with a current chart-topping song had kicked off the festival an hour before and was still jamming out.
Around them others on blankets were watching the show and others danced along to the tunes, some dressed similar to Taylor’s shorts and T-shirt, some in costumes, some in not much of anything at all.
“Having fun?”
She smiled at Jack and nodded.
“The band is awesome, isn’t it?”
Again, she nodded. She didn’t really follow any particular band, but did enjoy singing along with the radio from time to time. The band playing really was good.
When the group on the main stage finished, Jack turned to her. “You want to stay here until the next band, move to a different stage, or go find something to eat?”
Her stomach growled. “Eat?”
He packed up the blanket they’d been sitting on into a backpack that he slung over his right shoulder. “What are you hungry for?”
“What are my options?”
“Anything from burgers to a meat and three. There seems to be vendors who offer just about anything you can think of. Why don’t we walk around for a while and see if anything catches your eye?”
“Or my nose,” she added, taking a sniff of the air. Something sure smelled good.
He laughed. “Or that.”
They ended up getting bowls of jambalaya from a Cajun food booth and standing at one of the chest-high tables set up near the row of vendors.
“This is good,” she enthused, hoping she didn’t have food on her face or between her teeth.
He’d already finished his. “Yep.”
Feeling self-conscious under his watchful eye, she asked, “Are there any particular bands you’re hoping to catch tonight?”
He named one she’d heard of but couldn’t recall the names of any of their songs. Sadly, she felt as if she’d been living under a rock since graduation. Before that, even.
She had been. She’d gone from toeing the line for her strict parents to toeing the line for Neil. She’d spent the last year learning to make decisions for herself, learning she didn’t need to have anyone’s directions or approval for the choices she made. If she messed up, so what? It was her life to live.
“That okay with you?”
She nodded. “Sounds good.”
“If there are any particular shows you want to see, speak up and we’ll go. I’m game for whatever.”
“Duly noted.” Game for whatever. He had no clue as to what ran through her mind at his innocent comment.
Or maybe, with the way his eyes danced, his comment hadn’t been so innocent.
“How is it you’ve never been to a music festival?” He leaned across the table to stare into her eyes and, again, she wondered if perhaps he’d read her mind and knew more than she thought.
She shrugged. “Just not that lucky, I guess.”
“I’m glad you’re at this one.”
“Me, too.”
His grin shined brighter than the sparkly dance ball a few hundred yards away and Taylor really was glad she’d agreed to work the festival, that she’d gotten away from Louisville, and that she’d met Jack.
Because she was in charge of her life now, was making changes, reaching for new adventures, taking chances, had given herself permission to make mistakes as long as they were mistakes she’d chosen to make.
Her gaze connected with Jack’s, her heart speeding up as she wondered if she’d choose Jack as her next new adventure. If she could give herself permission to take a chance that he’d be her next mistake.
Because becoming involved with a man, any man, would be a mistake.
Becoming involved with Jack would be a big one. Colossal.
* * *
Taylor didn’t sleep well that night. Not that her bed wasn’t semi-comfortable. It had been. The night air wasn’t nearly as sticky and hot as she’d expected either. The temperature had almost been cool.
What had kept her awake had been the noises around the festival. Obviously, she and Jack had been the only people in the entire place who had wanted to sleep. Then again, there weren’t that many inside the event grounds who would be getting up at four a.m. to go to “work” either.
Donning a pair of khaki shorts and a T-shirt, she pulled her hair up into a ponytail, then slipped out of her tent.
Her gaze immediately went to Jack’s tent. In the dim moonlight and lights coming from the festival, she could see he was up. He gave a little wave.
Taylor’s stomach grumbled. Whatever Jack had going on his portable stove smelled a lot more mouth-watering than the breakfast bar with which she had planned to start her day.
“I made extra,” he told her in a low whisper.
Although there was noise coming from beyond the other side of the main medical tent, the medical staff camping area itself was relatively quiet other than crickets chirping and the early morning crew slowly making their way out of their tents.
“Thanks,” she mouthed, taking the plate. “Hey, this is good.”
He grinned. “Did you think it would taste bad?”
She shook her head. “Smelled too good for that. Just wasn’t expecting it to be amazing.”
They finished up, cleaned up their mess, then headed to the main medical tent. When they got inside, they checked in, were given that day’s mandatory medical staff T-shirt and would change each day. Guys changed T-shirts in the main area. Taylor fought—and lost—to keep her eyes from soaking up the rippling of Jack’s muscles. As he pulled his T-shirt down over his six-pack, his gaze met hers and he grinned, as if