Page 18 of Be Still My Racing Heart
“Doubtful. I only moved to Texas about a month…. Oh my! Is that Joelle Summers?” I ask the moment I see the petite woman with jet-black hair. “She’s supposed to be on her summer concert tour right now! I tried to get tickets to see her Labor Day concert in Houston in a couple of weeks. Tickets were sold out almost as soon as they went live!”
Ryder laughs. “I’m surprised your dad couldn’t pull a few strings and get you one.”
I sneer. “I don’t use my family name to get anything, Ryder. You should have already figured that out about me.”
He raises his hands in surrender. “I know! I know! You may not get to go to Joelle’s concert, but do you want to meet her?”
A beautiful woman with blonde hair notices us before I can respond. “Ryder! Yay! You made it! We weren’t expecting to see you until tomorrow!” She gives him a warm hug and an even warmer smile. When she looks at me, she asks, “Who’s this?”
Ryder’s touch at the dimple in my back sends delightful shivers down my spine, as it always does when his fingers graze my skin. Even through my clothing, I can feel the heat from the contact. “Blake, this is Elise. Elise, this is Blake.”
Oh! This is the woman he had in his car when he got pulled over. She doesn’t bother to shake my hand; instead, she wraps me up in a firm hug. “What a pleasure!” She takes my hand and drags me over to the group in the corner, leaving Ryder behind to fend for himself.
“This is my boyfriend, Ace,” she says, gesturing to a very handsome and muscular man with short, brown hair and eyes that can pierce the soul. “He’s opening up a gym a few doors down. The grand opening is October 1st. You should come. Next to him is his brother, Tim, current CEO of Cornhole for a Cause. Then there’s Gabby. She’s an artist.”
I scrunch my nose in confusion. Gabby looks familiar to me, but I can’t quite place her. “I feel like I’ve seen you before,” I say, introducing myself to the group. “I’m Blake Morrison.”
Gabby giggles. “Your father sponsored one of my art shows when I was first getting started. He hired me to paint a photorealistic portrait of his first car. He didn’t know I was in attendance, but you and I had a conversation about secret identities and how you wish you could be someone else for a day.”
I try to laugh it off, but my voice hitches as I respond, “The 1973 Ford Mustang in cherry red,” I say. “I thought Iana Cross painted it.”
“SheisIana Cross,“ Ryder says. “Although everyone around town uses her real name; Gabby. You already know who Joelle Summers is.”
The famous singer shakes my hand. “My friends call me Connie Jo.” She lets go and drags a man over to her side. “This is my husband, Hayden, and over there is his twin brother, Hunter.” She points toward a couple tossing beanbags into a hole. “Next to her is….”
“Merdy Bird!” I shout excitedly.
Everyone laughs at the nickname, but I’ve seen Merdy promote worthy causes on her YouTube channel,Cause and Effect with Merdy Bird. She highlights their efforts and shines a light on charitable initiatives.
“Did I hear my name?” she asks, walking over to us with Hunter following behind her. “Is someone going to finally ask me for my autograph?” she teases. “It’s so hard to live in everyone else’s shadow, but I knew that my light would eventually shine!”
Ryder laughs. “These are The Beanbaggers of Cornhole County—recent champions of the National Cornhole Tournament. They’ll be heading to the World Championship soon. If you want to invite some people to attend your annual event, Blake, then now’s your chance.”
Connie Jo rubs her hands together. “Color me intrigued. What event are you talking about?”
I tell them all about the organization, Play It Forward, and how athletes mentor youth. “The Shuckley location is new, but the goal remains the same. It’s to foster a sense of self-worth, dedication, determination, and confidence in children so that they can be successful in life. We do that through sports.”
The group of people all beam proud smiles at me. Ace steps forward and asks, “How can we help?”
Ryder
Withthehometrackadvantage this Saturday at the Circuit of the Americas, today’s simulator training is cut short. It’s a good thing too, because Blake and I didn’t leave Baggersville until almost midnight, leaving me less than energetic this morning. Teague and I decide to make the best use of our time and go to Harris Hill for some fun before I head to Play It Forward. I send a quick text to Blake, inviting her to join us.
“I’m inviting your sister,” I say, typing away on my phone. “I hope that’s okay.”
Teague snorts as he leans across the hood of his car. “Do I have a choice? You know I don’t approve of the two of you spending time together, and I’ve expressed my concerns as to why. I’m not going to stop you, but the more risks you take, the harder it’s going to be to keep your secret.”
I hesitate to tell him about the visit to see my father on Sunday but then figure that there’s really no harm in doing so. “Blake went with me to meet my father. It was an eye-opening experience.”
Eyes wide as saucers and blood draining from his face, Teague stares at me in disbelief. “I’m sorry. Can you say that again? Why would you take my sister into the lion’s den?”
“I wanted answers, Teague. I wanted to know if my father was behind Reggie’s failed inspection. The man who was hanging around his car is Doug, and he’s a member of the Savage Scorpions,” I tell him in my defense. “Blake wanted the same answers since she knows Reggie.”
“She more than knows Reggie,” Teague mumbles. Before I can ask what he meant by that comment, he continues. “What did you find out?”
Blake pulls up beside us, and I glance at Teague. She must have already been on her way to get here in such a short amount of time. He shrugs and answers the unspoken question. “I already invited her, but only because I knew you were going to do it anyway. I don’t have to agree with your decision, but I do love and support my sister. All I ask is that you don’t kiss her and get all sappy in front of me.”
“It’s a deal—for now. I make no promises for the future.”
