liked the paramedic, but currently he wanted to throttle the guy. “Ignore Robert. The sun gets to him real quick and he talks out of his head.”
Taylor laughed. “That explains a lot.”
“Besides, certain staff interactions aren’t encouraged.”
Robert eyed Jack as if he’d grown an extra head, and no wonder. “Never heard of it being discouraged, not here.”
There had been romances pop up between staff. Jack himself had met a few interesting women over the years that he’d enjoyed getting to know. But he didn’t want Robert having the wrong idea about Taylor.
She was off limits.
Next thing you knew, Jack was going to be beating his chest and acting like a fool. Shaking his head, he chuckled. “Okay, Casanova, back off and let me introduce her to Duffy.”
He and Duffy had worked numerous events together and he genuinely liked the fifty-something travel nurse who craved adventure almost as much as Jack.
“Duffy Reynolds is who you need to see if you have questions and I’m not around.”
“Or you could ask me,” Robert volunteered, earning a glare from Jack. “I’d be happy to help with any questions. Or to give a tour of the grounds.”
Glancing toward Jack first, Taylor smiled at Duffy and ignored Robert’s comment. “Nice to meet you.”
Once he’d shown her their “twenty-bed” operation, he asked, “You checked out the stages?”
She shook her head. “When I arrived, I went straight to the main medical tent, registered, then came here.”
“You camping?”
She nodded. “Amy and I had planned to tent together with maybe a trip to her place for showers and refreshing ourselves if the shower lines were too long. I’m camping solo now.”
“Don’t let Robert hear you say that or he’ll offer to share his tent.”
Her gaze lifted. “He was just teasing.”
“Don’t you believe it,” Jack warned. “You so much as give him a smile and he’s going to be all over you in hopes of a festival fling. If that’s not what you want, steer clear.”
“Noted.”
Jack eyed her a moment, waiting for her to elaborate or say something further. “Is that what you want, Taylor?”
“A fling with Robert?” She shook her head. “I came to spend time with my best friend, not to have a fling.”
“That’ll make my job of keeping you safe easier.”
“He’s dangerous?”
Feeling guilty he’d given her that impression, Jack shook his head. “No. Just making sure I keep my promise to Amy to watch out for you. She wouldn’t be happy if I let someone break your heart while you’re here.”
“There is that,” she agreed, studying him. Smiling, Taylor’s eyes narrowed. “Why do I get the feeling you’re way more dangerous than Robert ever thought of being?”
He laughed. Yep, she was onto him.
“Come on, let’s walk around the grounds before it gets too crowded. People will be pouring in over the next twenty-four hours as this party gets started.”
* * *
Taylor had to admit she was impressed at the organization of the event. There were three main stages and several smaller ones. The five-night event offered everything from big-name pop stars to small-time local bands hoping to make it big someday. There were huge rows of food vendors and a shopping village made up of tents offering their wares. There was a comedy tent, a dance party tent, sponsored by a popular music television station, and a dozen more entertainment tents. Some tents were huge commercial numbers with electricity and some having generator-run air-conditioners even. And people. People were everywhere.
“It already looks crowded,” she mused, taking in the multitude checking out their surroundings prior to the first show kicking off. “How many more are expected?”
“They’re expecting about a hundred thousand attendees. By this time tomorrow night this place will be packed.”
Taylor nodded. She’d expected most of the festival-goers to be college-aged kids. Most were, but there was a huge variety of ages represented, even some young parents with two or three kids in tow and some who appeared to be older than Taylor’s parents.
“Most of what we’ll see in the medical tent will be dehydration and intoxication, but there’s always a mix of other things thrown in just to keep things interesting.”
Taylor knew security screened for drugs, but that where there was a will there was a way. Amy had told about some of the patients they’d seen over the years. Unfortunately, there had been a few overdose deaths.
“From what Amy’s told me, boredom shouldn’t be an issue.”
He laughed. “Boredom is what I hope for at these events.”
Taylor glanced his way. “Oh?”
“Boredom means everyone is having fun with no worries.”
“Ah.” Glancing out over the happy, energetic crowd, she nodded. “Then that’s what I’m going to hope for, too. Boredom.”
But glancing toward the man walking beside her, who was telling her about the different tents and upcoming acts as they made their way over to the main medical tent, Taylor suspected boredom was the last word she’d be using to describe the next few days.
TAYLOR FROWNED AT the pile of poles and canvas, then went back to studying the instructions. She was a highly skilled ICU nurse. She could put together a tent. No problem.
Well, okay, some problem.
Mainly, that every time she put one pole end in the designated loop it would pop out when she tried to put in the other end. What she needed was—
“You need help with that?”
Taylor jumped, then looked up at Jack. She started to tell him she had it, because she would figure it out and hadn’t she made great strides in not depending on a man for anything?
But common sense won out, so she smiled and said, “Um...yeah, I do. I’ve got a tarp down for a moisture barrier, got my tent all spread out like these say...” she waved the instructions “...but that end doesn’t want to stay in that loop thingy when I put in the other side.”
Jack’s lips twitched. “The loop thingy?”
Before she could say more, he bent down, threaded the pole back into the end loop
