Page 46 of Backdraft
He was fun, and his sense of humor was starting to reveal itself. He had seemed broody and intense when I first arrived in Oak Creek, and the more time I spent with him, the more I realized there was a quietness about him. As if something heavy weighed him down. But then who was I to judge? I had my own baggage I was dragging around with me.
A sign on the road intrigued me. It was shaped like a sunflower and had words in each petal. We got closer, and I could see the names of food trucks were printed on the petals and in the center were the words Sunflower Fields.
"Taylor, can we stop there?" I pointed to the sign as we approached.
"Lunch that includes wine tasting. Sounds like a plan to me."
"I am starting to get hungry. Your breakfast was good, but it didn't stick to the ribs," I teased him and enjoyed his laughter.
"Your wish is my command."
"I better come up with some better wishes to command you with." I grinned at him and was happy at his return smile. We approached another sign that told us to turn left, and we did. The road wound under a canopy of trees.
"No, this doesn’t look sketchy at all, does it?" I said, thinking that maybe this was not the best idea.
"Where is your sense of adventure? If we like what we see, we can stay. If not, we can leave."
I nodded and rested my elbow on the window ledge. We emerged from the trees, and the sun hit us in a radiant golden light. I gasped as my eyes adjusted.
"Oh, would you look at this." Sunflowers fanned out into the fields in every direction.
"Well, well. Sometimes taking the road less traveled turns out to be a nice surprise." Taylor drove the truck into a parking lot also ringed by trees with parking spaces to keep cars cool under the branches.
I grabbed my wallet and stuck a sun hat on my head. I jumped out of the vehicle and waited for Taylor to come around to my side.
He took my hand, and I clasped his fingers. A surge of delight warmed me, and I couldn't bite back a happy smile.
We walked toward the little buildings. Almost like a town square. A vineyard fanned out in neat rows like spokes on a wheel opposite to the sunflower fields. We stopped in the center of the hub where tables sat under the arching tree branches and some people were seated.
The circle of food trucks ringed the central hub, and good summer music played on hidden speakers.
"What is this place? It's magical, and my mouth is watering. The aroma of the food is delicious." I leaned closer to Taylor. "You never heard of this place before?"
We walked down one of the paths toward a bright yellow and purple truck.
"I had no idea this was here. I don't often come this way, so unless there was word-of-mouth or some advertising, I never would have heard about it."
"Then we're lucky." He squeezed my hand in agreement, and it hit me we were walking around holding hands as if we were a couple. My toe caught on a stone, and he steadied me.
"Okay?" He looked down at me, and I nodded.
"All good. Just a little shocked by this." I held up our hands, and he looked at our intertwined fingers.
"Ha. I hadn't even realized we were holding hands." He looked at me as if to ask for permission, and I didn't let go of his fingers.
I rather liked holding hands with him. "Well then, I guess this is part of the whole what-will-be-will-be scenario." His elbow gently nudged my arm.
"I think you must be right." I smiled and decided to enjoy the moment and rested my head on his shoulder.
Taylor stood quietly, not wanting her to lift her head. He liked how she felt so close to him.
"What do you think you're going to get?" he asked.
"I don't know. Sometimes when there are too many choices, it makes deciding more difficult."
Drea looked around, and Taylor crossed his arms. They both spun slowly, taking in all the different, brightly painted trucks.
There were at least a dozen trucks offering food from around the world. He wasn't quite sure what he wanted.
