36
The gig was at an outdoor theater in Boulder. Sam pulled into town, slowing down when he got to Main Street. He rolled down the window of the black Camaro he was driving and inhaled the nourishing mountain air. He wouldn’t mind living in a mountain community. He’d never had the chance to before, but he’d secretly liked playing in Denver when they’d travelled here for a game. Not to mention the fact he’d gotten used to Wolfe Creek.
Tiffany had texted him directions, and in his estimation, he was only a few minutes away.
Boulder was a total college town. He saw signs that directed people to the campus everywhere, and a couple of streets over, he saw towering buildings of education. He was glad that part of his life was behind him. He was grateful for his business degree. He’d been compulsive about getting it at the University of Miami in case he got hurt on the field and had to end up using it. He was even more grateful he was still playing football. He loved it. After being off official training the past couple of weeks, he realized how much he missed it. He was totally psyched to get to Miami and start training with the team.
It felt like the life he’d had in Texas with the Destroyers and with all the crap with Sheena was finally done. He felt new. It was like Wolfe Creek had been the beginning of a transformation that he’d desperately needed.
The thing that perplexed him the most about this thing with Tiffany was that he was insanely attracted to her, but that wasn’t the thing driving the relationship. Chills rushed over him as he realized that she made him want to be better. It wasn’t just for her either. She brought out the best in him.
They’d spent the past few days texting and talking on the phone. She’d called him right after performing in Omaha, and she’d told him that he was the first person she’d wanted to talk to.
That meant something.
He meant something to her. He liked that. The more he talked and teased and found out about the things she liked, hated, and regretted, the more he wanted to find out more.
Last night they’d spent from ten at night until two in the morning talking politics. It had taken him by surprise that she truly cared about the country and the things she thought were going wrong. There were things she wanted to be a part of and change. He found himself agreeing with her on some things and disagreeing about others. The thing he liked most was that they could talk about anything.
Most women he’d dated had either been totally into him because of football or totally self-absorbed. It sounded ridiculous, but he’d never dated girls like Tiffany.
He also had a sneaking suspicion there wasn’t anyone else like her. No. His heart sped up as he got to the outdoor theater next to the Flat Irons and saw that the place was packed. Happiness surged into him.
He had to wait to park, but he didn’t mind at all. It was nice to be a normal person. He knew Tiffany wouldn’t want to make a big ado about dating him. She didn’t want the press clip.
That just made him like her even more. He grinned and parked in the spot the attendant pointed to. Then he took the cowboy hat he’d bought in Nashville and got out of the car.
37
Tiffany stood back stage, standing around with the band and feeling incredibly nervous. The night before, Joe had come to her with the rest of the band and asked her if she could wear something showier for the crowd. They’d stopped at the outlets on the way to the theatre, and she’d picked out a sequined white top with white boots. She’d bought some dangly white earrings that matched the top, but she wasn’t a star yet, and this put a large dent in her pocket book. She’d already had some tight black pants, and she was using the hat Sam had bought her in Nashville. She was so nervous. This was the biggest crowd she’d ever seen, but if she were honest, she was even more nervous and excited to see Sam. To have him there, in the crowd. She’d tried to text him twice, and she knew they only had a few minutes before she went on. Looking at her phone, she willed him to text back.
Arms wrapped around her from behind, and she smelled that familiar ‘cool breeze.’ “Nice hat.”
The feel of his arms had her insides melting. Swiveling to face him, she found he was already leaning in for a kiss.
She stopped him with a finger on his lips. “How did you get back here?” Security was pretty tight, and she knew there was no way he could have managed it without his name.
Grinning, he pulled her even closer, and she felt any will power against him evaporating. He brushed his lips to hers, then pulled back. “You said you didn’t want me to use my star power to bolster the show. You never said anything about using it to get back stage and sneak a kiss with the star.” His lips touched hers, again.
She let out a light laugh when her hat fell off as Sam pulled her closer and deepened the kiss.
“Hey.” She pulled away, knowing that her face would be red.
He stared at her with hooded eyes. “Tiffany Chance.” He looked her up and down. “I think you get prettier every time I see you.” He lifted his eyebrows. “Nice outfit.”
Of course she liked that he liked it, but there was so much more with Sam. The attraction that crackled between them in the air so strongly, she thought someone could reach out and get electrocuted by it. “They told me I needed to have more flash.” She shrugged. “So I got it today.”
Reaching out for her hand, he grinned down at her. “You’re going to do great and not because of the outfit, but because you’ve worked hard and you have talent.”
Satisfaction, gratitude, and a feeling of safety all wove through her. She realized, when he was with her everything felt better. Leaning up to his cheek, she kissed him softly and whispered, “Thanks, Sam.”
When she pulled back, his arm snaked around her hips and pulled her back in. “Oh, no, I need a better kiss than that.” He kept her close. “Don’t worry about anything—just play.”
“That’s right.” She grinned and then kissed him one more time before running with her band out onto the stage.
38
Later after her set, he and Tiffany enjoyed the rest of the concert backstage with her band. Joe, Eric, and Luke were nice guys. A bit eccentric, but they were impressed when he picked up a guitar and started jamming with them. After talking with them, he found out Eric and Luke were both married, and Joe had a pretty serious girlfriend. It made him feel better about Tiffany touring with the group.
After the show had ended, Sam had treated them all to dinner. He’d listened to them tell stories about the past few days on the road.
It surprised him when Joe asked, “So, are you looking forward to Florida?”
Sam held Tiffany’s hand. “I’m actually thinking of joining the tour as a groupie.” He teased.
Tiffany blushed, but flashed a grin at the guys. “He just wants to have a public forum for shirt throwing.”
Joe laughed, but Eric looked thoughtful. “Wouldn’t hurt my feelings to have Sam Dumont hang with us.”
Luke gave Sam a distasteful look. “I don’t know, man, hanging out with a football player might hurt my image.”
Listening to the sound of Tiffany’s rich laughter as they sat and told stories and got to know each other, Sam felt himself fall for her a little more. It seemed he did that every day. Every time he was with her.
Sam followed them to the hotel they were staying at in Boulder and got a room there. It wasn’t a fancy place, but Sam wasn’t there for fancy. He was there for her. They had to be in Denver in two days, so the band had agreed that Tiffany could meet them the next night at the hotel near Red Rocks, and they could rehearse the morning before they performed. Sam could tell they’d been working hard. The music had improved from the night he heard them all play together at MacCools.