Page 6 of Driving Force

Grace’s statement comes screaming to the front of my mind. She’s the marrying type, not the one-night-stand kind. I know this date will be different. I have a lot to prove, not only that I can be what Tinley wants but that I deserve someone like her.

Between falling asleep on Chase’s shoulder to texting a certain hot race car driver, my girlfriends were about to go crazy wanting to ask all kinds of questions. I was praying to god that they could wait until we got in the house before interrogating me.

When we arrive home, the girls push me out of the car and toward the door before I even know what’s happening. Turning around to face them, I say, “Guys, I need to say goodbye to Chase. Y’all kind of just left him sitting in a car along with the rest of your men. I liked hanging out with him. Not sure if it’s anything more than a friendship, but he’s nice. And ladies, you might want to say goodbye to your men as well, considering they all look like a bunch of lost puppies. You all got out of the car like it was on fire.”

Walking back over, I find Chase with his brow scrunched up, looking around in confusion, and James laughing as he gets an explanation out of Grace about what the hell just happened. Giggling at the scene before me, I wave for him to get out. “Chase, I just wanted to say I had a great time at the race and getting to know you.”

“You’re a remarkable woman, and I can honestly say I’m glad James asked me to come,” Chase says.

I don’t realize I’m staring at the ground until he places his finger under my chin and makes my eyes meet his. His kiss is gentle with a hint of more, and I’m so lost in the fill of his perfect lips that I forget we aren’t alone and standing in the middle of my front yard.

A cough from behind us breaks the connection, and the blush I feel creeping up my face speaks volumes of the kiss I had just had. “I’ll call you tomorrow, Tin,” Chase says as he walks back toward Miles’ Suburban.

When I turn around and walk toward the house, I feel like I hit the million-dollar jackpot. Not only did I step out of my comfort zone, I think I might actually like Ryan. The kiss with Chase was so sweet and safe, but I just didn’t feel the spark.

Walking into the living room, the girls start with the questions I knew were coming. “You don’t get to just basically make out on the front lawn and not expect us to have a million questions ready to come at you.” Mia is the first to speak up.

I look over at Grace and realize she already knows what happened at the track, but she also saw my kiss with Chase a few moments ago. So being the bitch she is, she gives me a big smile and keeps right on like nothing happened, waiting for me to spill.

“Tin, it’s been a while since I’ve seen that smile on your face, so what’s up?” Lily finally says.

“Ugh, Ryan McKenzie asked me out to dinner. There, are you happy?” I say, falling into my favorite chair, the words coming out of my mouth before I even know what’s happening.

The volume of squeals from my girlfriends is so loud I’m sure I go a little deaf at that moment. “Okay ladies, I need to get a shower and figure out what I’m going to wear. He’ll be here at 9.”

Looking at my best friends, I can’t help but laugh. You can tell they have a million and one questions about what happened today and how I ended up having a date after kissing Chase in front of everyone. Lily finally asks the thing they all want to know. “Are you excited to go, Tin?”

“I am. He was sweet at the track and wanted to get to know me as we walked to the meet and greet, then the drivers’ meeting, which was nice.” I blush a little, thinking about that world-tilting kiss. “Plus, ladies, he’s a really good kisser.”

Grace looks at me and laughs. “Yep, there it is. I knew you kissed him. He had far too goofy a smile on his face when he got back to the hauler, and he ran after you following the meeting.”

I feel my cheeks getting redder by the moment. It makes me feel good, knowing he had enjoyed the kiss as much as I did. “Help me find something to wear. It’s just casual, okay? We are going to the bar around the corner for drinks and dinner.”

Following my longer-than-normal shower, making sure every inch of me is washed and hair free, just in case, I walk into my bedroom to find three different looks laid out for me. My best friends each have a particular style, and these outfits tell me who picked what.

Grace is the boldest, so I’m not surprised she wants me to be the 50s bombshell–\tight leather pants, a tank top with a jacket to go over it, and ankle boots.

Mia knows my style is simple, so she’s laid out a pair of dark skinny jeans, an emerald green V-neck t-shirt, and my go-to pair of cream-colored Rothys I absolutely love to wear with everything.

Lily, the romantic of the bunch, picked out a pretty pale pink summer dress and my white chuck tailors to make it more me.

As I stand there wrapped in a towel, I wonder what tonight means to Ryan. Am I just another track girl? Or does he want to see me more than this weekend? I shake my head to get those thoughts out because tonight, I want to do one thing: just have fun and maybe continue what we started at the track.

Okay Tinley, time to get ready for a date with the most gorgeous man you may ever see, because God only knows if I will ever get this chance again. Finally coming back to the present, I decide to go with the green shirt, black pants, and boots. It’s a casual outfit and one that I feel comfortable in.

At nine o’clock on the dot, the doorbell rings. “Ladies, I think I may throw up. Seriously, why the hell did I agree to do this? He is so far out of my normal. It’s crazy, right? Yep, it’s totally crazy,” I yell to them as I round the corner from my room.

My friends look at me like I’ve just grown three heads. As soon as I stop rambling on, they start to laugh. Why the hell are they laughing at my freak-out right now?

“Tin, are you panicking because you may actually like Ryan?” Mia asks.

“Okay, I may be doing that, but guys, look at me. I’m not the “normal” trophy wife, or girlfriend material for that matter, you see on the arms of those drivers. I’m thick, a book nerd, and I don’t run around in thousand-dollar shoes with perfect hair all the time. Most days, I’m in yoga pants, and my hair is in a bun on top of my head.”

When I start pacing around the room, they finally step in to stop my spiral. “Tin, I’m going need you to come down off this ledge you’re on right now and open that door because a guy is standing on the other side that genuinely seems to want to get to know the person you are.” Grace finally snaps me out of my crazy rant.

With a deep breath, I open the door. Ryan stands in front of me, wearing the most beautiful smile any girl could ask for. Dark jeans hug his slender frame, and dammit if he doesn’t have his hat on backwards. What is it about a guy and a backwards baseball cap that makes a girl weak in the knees? At that moment, all my anxiety about tonight falls aside.

“Hi, Tinley,” Ryan says to me.

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