Chapter 3
As my Uber drove toward the festival, the specter of my step-family niggled the back of my brain. I couldn’t let them see me. I was supposed to be working this weekend, and I really didn’t want to get Gwen in trouble.
Maybe this was a bad idea.
No, I was being ridiculous.
This was a huge festival with two stages. The chances of me seeing them were pretty low. Especially if I avoided the VIP areas.
As my Uber pulled up to the drop-off point, my anxiety traded out for anticipation. There were so many people. The parking lot heaved with cars, and people streamed to the entry point. No way would I bump into Lydia and the girls here.
It was going to be fine. I wanted to do this. It was my last hurrah in Astoria before I left for good.
Filled with resolve, I muttered a distracted goodbye to my driver, grabbed my bag, and slipped my lanyard over my head. Then I joined the masses streaming toward the entrance.
Everyone around me seemed to be in big groups of friends. Laughter and conversations warred with the music that already streamed from the concert area ahead.
I tried not to give in to sadness, but I was very much reminded of the fact that I was here alone. I didn’t have any friends with me. And the only people I could call family would make the hugest scene if they saw me here.
Maybe I’d meet some new friends here. Flirt with a few cute boys. Have the time of my life.
Be positive, Emma .
But trouble stopped me the second I got to the front of the line.
I held my lanyard out for the guard to scan, and a chime sounded.
“Step to the side, please. Someone will be along in a minute,” he said in a bored tone as he gestured to the side of the entrance.
I blinked, confused. I hadn’t even gotten to the metal detector line yet. What did I do? “But I—is there something wrong with my pass?”
“Someone will be along to help you in a minute,” he repeated before shouting, “next!”
I moved to the side he’d indicated, dazed. What was going on? Why weren’t they letting me in?
My earlier feeling of anxiety returned full force. I looked around guiltily. I hadn’t done anything. I hadn’t even gotten inside yet, and I was already in trouble. I started inching toward the exit, hoping the burly security guy wouldn’t notice.
I was starting to think I would never have a lucky day again in my life.
“Hey! Hey, you!” a man shouted behind me over the cacophony of the crowd and whatever band was playing in the distance.
Ice slithered through my veins. I didn’t have to look to know that he was talking to me.
I turned slowly and saw a big, hulking guy approaching. He paused next to the security guy, did that whole manly handshake, back slapping thing, then turned to me.
“You ready?” he asked, tipping his head.
It took me way longer than it probably should’ve to place him.
But then it clicked. The diner yesterday for breakfast.
He was sitting in the back with the cute guy who had maybe hit on me.
But still, he was a stranger.
I shook my head slightly. “Where am I going with you, and why?”
He jerked his chin. “That pass there lets you cut the security line. Come on.”
That was a non-answer if I’d ever heard one. But I was intrigued, so like a ditz, I followed him.
“I’m Roscoe, by the way,” he said when I got near enough to hear him over the chaos.
“Emma,” I returned.
“Emma,” he repeated with a nod. “You ready to rock?”
That feeling of foreboding didn’t really go away as I nodded but hesitantly walked with him to the side of the security line.
“Give Jack your bag, so he can make sure you’re safe. Then we can go join B.”
I handed the new security guy my bag, and he pawed through all my stuff. My wallet, my cell phone that I barely got a charge in before calling for my ride, my water bottle, my feminine products for just in case, and my sunscreen—they all got quickly examined before he handed my bag back.
“She’s good to go.”
He didn’t even glance at my bulky jean jacket, tied around my hips.
“Thanks, Jack. See ya.” Roscoe tipped his head. “Let’s go find B.”
My heart raced as we walked away from the security line and along the edge of the crowd. I felt like I’d gotten away with something. I wasn’t in trouble. I was going to the festival!
And then his last sentence sank in. Let’s go find B .
“Wait, did your friend send me the ticket?” I shouted to be heard over the crowd and the unknown band playing. “I thought—”
“You gotta talk to B about that. We’ll be there in a sec!”
But the further we walked from the crowd and stage, the closer we got to the huge white tents near the water.
And the closer we got to where my step-monsters no doubt lurked.
“Whoa!” I shouted, waving my arms. “I’m not going in there.”
“What?” Roscoe turned around with a frown. “Why not?”
Yeah, I wasn’t getting into the dynamics of my screwed-up family with this stranger, no matter how nice he was. “Doesn’t matter. Thanks for the help getting in, but I can get around on my own. Thanks.”
I turned to go, but his hand latched onto my arm, holding me in place.
“What are you doing?” I tried to pull away. “Let me go!”
“Just…you need to talk to him. Wait one minute.”
Oh hell no.
Fear knotted my stomach and had my scalp tingling with that not so nice sensation of foreboding. “I don’t know this man! I don’t know this man! I don’t know this man!”
Roscoe cursed under his breath, and a few security guys in the VIP area spun around and headed in our direction.
“I don’t know this man!” I pulled against his hold on me. “I don’t know this man!”
He let me go to wave at the incoming security guards, and I took off running. I had to get away. Anywhere that was not here.
Only a few feet later, I slammed into someone.
“Oof.” I stutter stepped back, and then I was surrounded by more security than I could’ve imagined was at the whole festival, let alone this one corner of it.
And they were all looking at me.
“Are you okay, miss?”
“Do you need to go to the medical tent?”
“Would you like to press charges?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” The mystery person I’d slammed into waved his hands. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”
“Is she with you, Mister B—”
“Yes,” the mystery guy answered.
“No.” I shook my head in stunned disbelief. “I don’t know this guy.”
All the security guards turned to me with wide eyes.
“I swear I don’t know him.” I gestured at the stranger standing next to me with his thin hoodie up, covering most of his face. “I literally just ran into him. And that other guy—”
“Roscoe was being a little overzealous. I’ll have a talk with him.
” The stranger cut me off. Then he turned to me.
I still couldn’t see much of his face, given the hood and the baseball cap he wore under it.
He sighed and pushed the hood off before spinning his hat around backwards. “But we’ve met before.”
The handsome guy from the diner yesterday looked down at me, clearly unimpressed with the scene I’d caused.
My heart lurched as I felt that pull of attraction to him again.
He was so ridiculously good looking. The scruff on his face couldn’t hide his masculine features.
Seriously, the guy could model for Calvin Klein.
And if anything, the backwards hat only highlighted his attractive face in that bad boy, tough way.
Or maybe it had something to do with his expression. He clearly wasn’t happy with me.
Once again I’d proved to be too much hassle for someone. Story of my life.
I gave him a little half smile and shrugged. I wasn’t going to apologize for being freaked out because a guy I didn’t know had grabbed me.
“Is that true, miss?” a security guard on my right asked. “Are you okay to stay here with Mister B—”
“She’s good,” my mystery man answered for me.
“Yeah, we’re going to need to hear from her before we’ll leave,” my favorite security guard replied in a snarky tone.
I think I had a new friend. I smiled at the thought even as I agreed with the hot guy. “Yeah, I know him. I’m okay.”
“Of course you are,” my ex-security-bestie said in that same snarky tone, only this time it was directed at me.
I turned to give him a what-the-hell look, but he and his friends were already on their way back to the VIP area.
Leaving me alone with two guys who—despite what I’d just said—I didn’t really know.
Tension thrummed through our little trio.
I couldn’t take the strain and looked down at my outfit. I’d felt so cute when I’d gotten dressed. I’d thought this light blue denim dress trimmed in lace had been just the outfit for the festival. But now the vee neck made me feel exposed. Despite my smallish chest.
I tugged at the neckline, but that only made the middle oddly pooch because of my jacket still tied around my waist. Now I looked pregnant.
“Do you have something to say?” my mystery guy asked the top of my head because I was still struggling with my dress.
Ha. No. I still wasn’t going to apologize.
“Uh, yeah.” Roscoe coughed and cleared his throat. “I’m sorry for grabbing you. I never should’ve put my hands on you, Emma. It won’t happen again.”
I stopped playing with my dress and jerked my head up to stare at Roscoe in confusion. That was not what I’d expected to happen.
Roscoe blinked a few times. “I was just trying to get your attention. I’m sorry that I scared you.”
“I, uh, okay,” I muttered in disbelief. “Thank you.”
Roscoe jerked his head in a tight nod, then turned to the hot guy. “But you should know she’s refusing to go into the VIP area. That’s what started this whole misunderstanding.”
“It’s not a misunderstanding.” I shook my head. “I’m really not going in there. I came for the music, not to play spoiled princess. So I’ll just be…” I jerked a thumb at the heaving crowd a few hundred feet away.
“Shit.” Hot Guy winced then sighed. “Okay, let’s go.”
Roscoe grimaced. “B, you can’t—”
“Isn’t that what I pay you for?” Hot Guy cut him off. Then the two of them had a little staring contest. I couldn’t tell who was winning.
“Um, not to be rude, but who are you?”
My question put an end to their staring contest as they both swung around to stare at me in disbelief.
“What?” Hot Guy asked.
“This one had the manners enough to introduce himself.” I hitched a thumb at Roscoe. “Are you ever going to tell me your name, Mister B?”
“What?” he repeated.
“Isn’t that what the security called you? Mister B? Is that short for something? Do you come with a first name? Or is it Mister?”
“I uh, it’s Ben.” Ben blinked a few times.
“Right. It’s nice to meet you, Ben. I guess I have you to thank for my ticket, so thank you. And now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to go see who’s on stage. I didn’t see the final lineup before I came, so…”
“Right. Sounds good.” Ben nodded. “Let’s go.”
“B, you can’t—” Roscoe started to protest when Ben cut him off.
Ben shook his head and gave Roscoe a look. He sighed and turned his hat back around so it shaded his face again, and then pulled his hood up over his hat.
That wasn’t suspicious at all.
“Are you an actor or something?” I asked in confusion.
“Seriously?” Roscoe asked with a laugh. “This guy can’t lie for shit. No way would he get paid to act.”
“So why the outfit?” I gestured at his hat, sunglasses, and t-shirt-hoodie. “Are you in witness protection?”
“Why don’t you want to go to the VIP area?” Roscoe asked with a raised eyebrow.
I shut my mouth with a click and looked away.
“Seriously, Roscoe, you need to cool it.” Anger was evident in Ben’s tone.
Then he sighed and shuffled his feet. “It’s not always easy for me to blend in, so it’s better for both of us if I wear this.
I am recognizable to some people, and they could make things…
unsafe–ish for us. So it’s better if I try to blend in or at least look inconspicuous as possible. ”
Holy shit. He really was a model.
Wait, this was a music festival. I bet he was a famous music producer. Or agent. Those guys had money, influence, and—in a few memorable cases—looks too. Wasn’t Taylor’s guy named Ben? Ben… Something. I couldn’t remember.
“I uh, sorry I don’t recognize you.” I shrugged and fidgeted with the hem of my short shirt. “It feels like I should, since everyone was making such a big deal of you.”
Ben smiled at me. “I don’t expect anyone to ever recognize me. But better safe than, right? So, you ready to do this?”
I smiled up at him. “Let’s go get our rock on.”