Page 76 of Call it Fate

The way she said it made it sound so simple and easy. But maybe she was right.

She leaned into me. “You deserve to live your life, too, you know. You don’t have to be tied down there. There are a lot of other places to see.”

That stung. “I am living my life,” I snapped. “I’m not you, who can just decide to leave everything they know and go off in search of adventure.”

Bristol stiffened next to me.

Crap. What was wrong with me? “Oh, honey, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t mean it.”

“Yeah, you did. But I know you didn’t mean it in a mean way. I know you’ve got more to work around than I did. But I also wasn’t afraid to leave everything and live my dream. You deserve the same.”

Why did everyone assume I was unhappy? “I love Sterling Mill, and I love The Dogtrot. I’m proud of everything I’ve accomplished there.”

“And you should be. But are you living your dream? You forget, I lived with you for three years. I remember how excited you got anytime we passed that gourmet kitchen store and how you loved trying out new dishes for me and Dad. You used to talk about the kind of restaurant you wanted to work in until you could start your own.”

She echoed Zach almost word for word. It had been a long time since I’d let myself think about those old dreams. I’d packed them up when I’d moved back to Sterling Mill. I’d found a new dream and sunk all my energy into it.

“I’m happy with running The Dogtrot.”

Bristol smiled. “But are you fulfilled by it?”

Her words struck me. I didn’t have an answer, but I don’t think she expected one. If I did nothing else but run The Dogtrot for the rest of my life, I knew I wouldn’t be unhappy. But if I gave in to it, there was still a piece of me that always felt empty. A lot of it had been filled by Zach’s return to my life.

But there was still a piece, a small one, that sometimes would flare up occasionally, like a blister from a pair of shoes you only wore once in a while. It hurt for the moment, but then you’d put it away and go back to what was comfortable. I’d put aside my ambitions of running a restaurant because it had been more important to help Mama turn our family bed-and-breakfast into a success. That was fulfilling.

Wasn’t it? I know everyone meant well, but so many people asking me about my dreams made me question myself. Was I giving in to their impressions, or was I finally dealing with my own?

Regardless, now that words had been ascribed to my subconscious feelings, I wasn’t sure I could stuff them back into their box. Even more so, I wasn’t sure I wanted to. Zach had asked if I wanted to return to cooking school to finish my degree. Maybe it was something I should consider. But could I pull Iain from everything he knew? At least he’d still have family here.

A flurry of activity pulled me from my musings.

Iain was being outfitted with a helmet. I snapped pictures as a crew member helped him through the window of the passenger door. For a moment, I panicked, knowing there wasn’t a seat on that side, but I knew Uncle Brock wouldn’t let anything happen to him. Brock revved the engine a couple of times, the noise extra loud on an otherwise quiet day at the racetrack, before they circled the raceway and pulled a burnout as they finished the lap.

Bristol and I cheered as the Mustang came to a stop, and Iain was helped out of the car by his dad. An assistant walked over to him and guided him to the center of the track. Uncle Brock spoke to Zach for a few minutes, then watched as Zach hoisted his feet into the driver’s side, perched on the window, and looked up.

I waved and blew him a kiss as his eyes automatically found me in the stand. He gave me a thumbs up and settled all the way inside. A tech spoke to him through the window, pointing and giving directions. In a few minutes, he backed away, and the Mustang slowly edged back onto the main track and idled for a few seconds.

Bristol grinned. “I bet he punches it.”

“I hope he doesn’t wreck,” I muttered, suddenly thinking this wasn’t a good idea.

“He won’t,” she answered with a confidence I wished I had. “They’re pros, and they’re talking to him through the headset. They’ll tell him what to do and keep him at a safe speed. As long as he listens, he’ll be fine.”

Slowly, the car started to pull forward, gaining speed as it rounded a corner and accelerated along the backstretch. It slowed again at another curve, then took off even faster, the engine roaring as it whizzed past us on the front stretch. Despite Bristol’s promise, it still looked like an unsafe speed to me. I held my breath as he made one more loop, and then slowed and pulled onto the pit road.

Zach high-fived the crew after he climbed out and took off his helmet. Even from here, I could see the huge smile that rivaled Iain’s.

“Come on.” Bristol stood and headed to the stairs. “Let’s go greet the racers.”

Later that night, after an excited Iain settled into bed with Milo on the floor right beside him, Zach pulled me close. “To quote our son, today was the best day ever.”

I smiled against his chest. “You looked pretty sharp out there.”

“I mean, I was only going ninety miles an hour. I can’t imagine what it’s like going twice that speed. I could get addicted to that.”

“You going to change careers?”

He chuckled. “No, I’m happiest doing what I do.”

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