Raising her arms above her head to let the wind blow through her fingers, Taylor laughed.
Jack glanced over at her and grinned. “Having fun?”
Between the air with the top off, the radio, and the engine, the Jeep wasn’t conducive to having a conversation, so Taylor nodded her answer.
This was fun.
And a lot more relaxing than she’d have imagined.
They drove around on Tennessee back roads for more than an hour before Jack pulled over near a bridge.
“You want to walk down and play in the water?”
Taylor stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. “What?”
His eyes were full of challenge. “You heard me.”
“I didn’t bring clothes for playing in the water.”
He waggled his brows. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”
Good question.
“I was born with a genetic deficiency of that particular sense.” But was working on developing it.
He laughed, grabbed his backpack from behind his seat, then climbed out of the Jeep. “Come on. If we hike just a short way, there’s a cool waterfall. It’s not big, only about six or seven feet, and flows down rather than being a straight drop, but it’s a beauty with the way the water moves over the rocks.”
“Do I even want to know how you know that?”
“I’ve been here before.”
With a woman? she wondered.
Coming around to her side of the Jeep, he held out his hand. “One of the times Greg was in town, Amy, Greg, and I checked this place out. Amy is a treasure trove of off-the-beaten path places.”
Taking his hand, she stepped out of Jessica. “Now I know why she’s pushing us together.”
“Why’s that?” he asked, leading the way down the embankment to where the small river ran.
“So you’ll quit being the third wheel on her dates with Greg.”
He laughed. “You might be right.”
Making it to the water’s edge, Taylor took in the bubbling water with the big flat rocks scattered about. Small purple flowers grew along the banks, as did Queen Anne’s Lace and Black-Eyed Susans. Beyond the bank was a field that led into woods. Everything in sight was absolutely gorgeous—the man included.
Tossing his backpack onto the grass, Jack kicked off his shoes and waded out into the water, which came just above his ankles.
“When will I get to meet Greg?” she asked as she sat down on the bank and began taking off her sandals. She had to at least dip her toes into the water. “I’ve been here a couple of weeks. They talk on the phone and text often enough, but I figured I’d have met him by now. He’s only an hour away, right?”
“Amy would know better than me,” Jack admitted. “But I imagine we’ve not seen him since you’ve moved in to give you two time to catch up. He’ll probably drive up during Amy’s next four days off. He was here almost weekly prior to your move.”
She hadn’t really thought about how her living at Amy’s place impeded her friend’s dating life. Amy had repeatedly invited her to move back in, but maybe her being there was an imposition?
“Good. I’m glad he’s coming.” Once she’d met him, she’d make herself scarce. “I need to make sure he’s good enough for my best friend.”
Holding his hand out to her as he waited for her to step into the water, he asked, “Turnabout is fair play
?”