Page 23 of Be Still My Racing Heart
“How did it go?” Blake asks.
“About like we expected.” I reach over and take Blake’s hand, bringing it to my mouth before turning it over and kissing the inside of her wrist. “The sad thing is that your dad honestly feels that he has both of your best interests at heart.”
“As long as they align with his,” Teague grunts. “Where to?”
“Bed. I’m exhausted,” I say.
Teague leans forward in the cramped back seat, waving his hand between Blake and me. “Separate beds, right?”
Blake, who’s stuck in the middle, shoves her brother into the door. “Yes, you dweeb. You know my rules. Marriage first.”
My heart begins pounding in my chest at the notion that Blake has been saving herself for the person she plans to spend forever with. Teague uses the back of his hand as he slaps my chest and shares my secret. “Funny thing, that’s Ryder’s stance, too. Why do you think he’s been single for so long? He’s unwilling to bend and trust me, women have tried.”
Blake’s face registers a moment of shock while mine turns twenty shades of pink. Then a smile forms on her face as she kisses the heat from my cheeks. “Hopefully, the woman you’re seeing now is the one that sticks.”
“I hope so,” I say, kissing her temple. “It will be well worth the wait.”
Teague covers his face with the palms of his hands and then stretches the skin as exasperation takes hold. “Ugh! That was sappy! We had a deal!” Teague asks the driver to input his home address first. “I’ll tip an extra 50 bucks if you can get me home in under 15 minutes. Any longer, and I’m likely to explode from a sugar rush. It’s much too sweet in the back seat.”
Race day rolls around like clockwork, and I embrace my crew chief along with the rest of the pit crew. “I’m sure going to miss you guys. Every victory can be attributed to the teamwork and speed of your efforts.”
“So can every loss,” Soup grumbles.
Teague nudges me aside as he addresses my guys. “Ryder doesn’t like to call them ‘losses,’” he says, and then uses air quotes as he adds, “They’re ‘learning experiences.’ Good luck today. May the force be with you.”
“You, too.” Teague informed me yesterday that he would be finishing out the season with Morrison Motors. I guess Randall decided that it was in his best financial interest to keep his son on if he was going to be doling out the cash regardless. However, Teague also let me know that he has two sponsors waiting to pick him up when the season ends—Slickster, a synthetic motor oil company, and Cold Start, the producer of a new energy drink.
I notice Reggie Buchanon head in my direction, but I expect him to keep on walking by like he always does. To my surprise, he holds out his hand for me to shake. I gratefully accept the offer. “You’ll be team Morrison soon enough,” I tell him.
He doesn’t respond, only nods, and then heads to the black Chevy parked two spots over. I turn back to my crew. “Let’s turn and burn, making this last race count.”
Soup grins and leans into talking just loud enough for me to hear over the commotion surrounding us, but not enough for anyone passing by to eavesdrop. “You can’t get rid of us that easily, Ryder. Mr. Morrison has been good to us, but Mark Daugherty made us an offer we can’t refuse. We’ll still be your pit team next season, and I get the feeling that Reggie won’t stick around.”
It’s a cryptic statement, but I don’t have time to ask or worry about it at the moment. I have a race to win first. I enter the car through the window and run my hands over the equipment as one of the crew attaches the safety net. I perform a quick comms check and rev the engine. I pull up behind Darrell Stinson, who won the pole for this race. My time earned me the number three starting position. Teague earned the eighth spot, so he’s a few cars behind me. Reggie is further back on the outside, but with his aggressive driving, it won’t be long before he’s at or near the front of the pack.
The green flag waves, and the race begins. The Circuit of the Americas is not your typical oval track. It’s a road course with 20 turns, including a hairpin at turn 1 coming off an uphill climb. There used to be one at turn 11 until the track layout changed this year for NASCAR. There are several S-turns and four turns at 90 degrees or close to that. It’s one of the most exhilarating courses to drive and is a much grander version of Harris Hill. Win or lose, today is going to be a lot of fun.
Soup’s voice booms in my ear. “When coming around turn 20, stay to the outside of the track. Number 8 busted a hydraulic line, and there’s fluid on the inside of the track. Yellow flag is being waved.”
“Got it. Where’s Teague at?” I ask.
“Two cars behind you,” he barks.
“What about Reggie?”
“Reggie just came out of turn 15 and moved into fifth place, with times getting faster after every lap,” Soup says bluntly. “Reggie is coming after you, make no mistake about it.”
“He’s just getting the feel of the track. He’s toying with us,” I say, gripping the wheel tightly.
“Trust me, keep your speed and don’t let loose just yet. You know this course like the back of your hand, but don’t tip your helmet.”
I downshift while braking through the last turn on the course, taking the outside line just as Soup advised. Either Darrell’s crew chief didn’t give him the memo, or Darrell didn’t listen, because he tries to overtake me on the inside and ends up sliding into the infield. That’s going to cost him dearly. The green checkered flag waves at me like a friend as I cross the line to begin stage two.
“Your fans in the VIP box are going wild,” Soup announces. I invited Trevor, Mina, and their families to join my friends and family from Baggersville. It’s a bit crowded, but that only makes the energy in the box more contagious.
“Did you see Blake?” I ask, weaving through turns 2 through 6. It’s not exactly a straightaway, but the curves are shallow enough that it gives me the moment I need to regain some of my lost speed before I lose it again in turn 7.
“How would I know that? I’m in the pits, Ryder. All I can see from here is a gaggle of people jumping up and down,” Soup retorts. “Get your head in the race and stay focused.”
