Page 75 of Call it Fate

“Right? And my Uncle Brock has won, like, tons of races. He’s got a gazillion trophies.”

“Well, maybe a few less,” a voice called. “How’s my biggest fan?”

“Uncle Brock!” Iain took off toward the tall, bearded man wearing a red and white racing suit with the top half shoved down and tied around his waist using the sleeves. He easily caught Iain and swung him up in his arms. He gave me a tight one-armed hug and shook hands with Zach after I introduced them.

“Want to ride the track with me?” he asked Iain.

“Really?”

If we thought his smile was big before, it was nothing compared to the awe that lit up his face.

“Is that all right, Mom?” Uncle Brock winked at me. He knew I wouldn’t say no to the face that was beaming back at him with pure hero worship.

I trusted my uncle. I winked back at him and said, “Okay, but nothing over a gazillion miles per hour, you hear me?”

Uncle Brock grinned and offered me a mock salute before taking Iain by the hand and leading him over to some other men. He paused halfway across the track and looked back at Zach. “Aren’t you coming?” he asked as if it should have been obvious that he was included.

Zach gave me a look that was nearly a carbon copy of Iain’s. “Go,” I said, laughing. Apparently, the level of excitement was not limited by age.

Bristol nudged me with her elbow and motioned for us to head up to the stands where we would get a better view.

“This might even beat meeting Milo,” I joked to Bristol as we watched Iain and his dad peer inside the car while Bristol’s dad told them how it operated.

“It’s good to see you back in town.” I could hear Bristol’s enthusiasm over the roar of the engine below. “I feel like I’ve been trying to get you to visit forever. Your man asks you once, and suddenly you’re here.” She nudged me with her elbow, but I knew by her grin that she wasn’t upset with me.

“It feels a little strange to be here,” I mused. “That part of my life feels like eons ago.”

“A lot has changed since then.” Bristol stared out at the track, but I suspected it wasn’t what she was seeing.

“You could come back home, too, you know.”

She glanced sideways at me. “This is home now.”

“Sterling Mill will always be your home, too.”

She nodded, but I knew she was only being polite. She’d only been back once to Sterling Mill, and that was five years ago, to bury her grandparents. Despite her brother and sister still living there, they went to visit her, not the other way around.

“It doesn’t feel the same,” she said, and I knew she was thinking about her grandparents who’d helped raise her and her older siblings.

“I’m just glad we caught you guys whenyou’rein town. You’ve been on the road a lot.”

“Yeah. We’ve been testing out a new engine on different tracks.” She grinned at me. “So, you finally found Zach. I couldn’t believe it when Cam told me what was going on.”

I nodded. “It was crazy.”

“He and Iain seem to have hit it off.”

“He’s a great dad, and you know Iain. He’s pretty easy most of the time.”

“What’s your plan once his time in Sterling Mill is over?”

I glanced at her. “That’s the million-dollar question everyone wants to know. I think he wants us to consider moving here. He’s hoping to get a surgical internship with the vet he works for, but it’s very competitive. He’s worked so hard for it, and it’s not something that he can find near us.”

“Would that be so bad?”

“I’m not sure. It would be a change, that’s for sure. Everyone thinks I should hire some more help at The Dogtrot. I think we can afford it now, but I worry about using up the cushion I’ve built. What happens when the next big thing falls apart?”

She pursed her lips and shrugged. “From what I’ve heard from Cam and Chase, you’ve done so much updating, I can’t imagine there is anything old enough to fall apart. And even if something happens, you’ll deal with it. Just like you’ve always done.”

---