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It took a while to push their way through the already pumped crowd. Everyone seemed to be hoisting up bottles of beer and the occasional sign, and the mood was excited and wild. Even without the opener onstage drawing the numbers of Keith, the audience was ready to party.
And she was ready to dance.
They found the band on the general admission lawn way in back, as advertised. Though it was dark out now, the grandstand area was ringed with lights, and the band’s area was fairly bright except at the extreme edges of the grass. They were off to one side of the main seating area, far enough away from the action that Denver glimpsed the helicopters lifting off for fairgoer rides in the distance. Their tiny lights winked against the night sky and she watched, riveted, as one disappeared into the clouds.
It was a chilly night for late July, but the mood around them was spirited and free. That was the joy of being at a concert with some friends in the summer.
No worries. No stress. Nothing but her guy walking by her side and giving her that smile that made her belly tighten in anticipation.
“Took you long enough,” West said as they approached, passing a beer to Ry without even asking if he wanted one. They’d known each other for so many years that they had a rhythm that didn’t need words.
Ry took a couple gulps and passed Denver the bottle, which she took gratefully.
They had their own rhythm too, one that was growing and changing every day.
“We had stuff,” he said, leaning forward to bump knuckles with Michael.
“Stuff like making out behind a bale of hay?” Jules asked, ducking behind Randy when Denver whipped her head in her direction.
Ryan glared at West. “Seriously?”
He threw his hands up. “Not it.”
“What are you clowns talking about?” Denver asked.
She expected more deflections but West sidestepped over to her and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Ry’s totally borked over you.”
She grinned and held a hand out to keep Ryan at arm’s length. “Borked? That’s a new one.”
“It’s accurate though.” West patted Ry on the head and jogged back to Lo, who was on a blanket at the far edge of the grass. She was drinking something out of a big blue bottle, and Denver could bet it wasn’t spring water.
“What did he say?” Ryan drew her close and streaked a hand down her ponytail, evidently forgetting that they were trying to be circumspect.
From Jules’s comment, that was probably a case of too little, too late.
“He said he’s borked over tonight’s show.” She batted her lashes. “Run to get us some beer, honey?”
“Lo has a cooler.”
“Yeah, but there’s probably not hot dogs in there. I’m hungry.”
“Hmm.”
“Please?”
He tipped back his head and a curl sprang free into his eyes. “Fine. I know when I’m being herded off, by the way. But I’ll get your damn hot dog and beer. And possibly one of those beer hats, just to torture you.” He grinned and pinched her ass before he jogged off.
She was still grinning when she turned to face the group, who were all watching them with unabashed curiosity. All of them except Mal, who’d stretched out on Lo’s blanket and pulled his hat over his eyes.
“Whatever you think you know, you don’t,” she said, loudly enough to hopefully reach most of them. The crowd was getting rowdier by the moment, and soon conversation would be impossible, even this far back.
Jules nodded. “Kissing best friends is a thing, like kissing cousins. Got it.”
Michael elbowed Elle, who tried to hide her laugh in a discreet little cough. Randy looked anywhere but at Denver, and Lo was still sipping on her bottle of heaven.
“Free love!” she shouted, and West did a fist pump.
Mal held up two fingers in a peace sign without pushing back his hat. His version of “who cares.”
