Page 67 of Truck You

“This was my first time, but my friends come here every year.” I point to Mac and his brothers.

“It’s our first time, too. Which is funny considering two of my friends grew up in West Virginia. Rafted all over the world but not in their own backyard.”

I smile. “Isn’t that how it usually goes?”

He shrugs, his eyes trained on the bridge. “That’s what they say.”

“What’s the best river you’ve rafted?”

A slow smile spreads across his face. “The Zambezi, in Africa. Hands down, the best and most beautiful. I also love The Futaleufú in Chile.”

“Wow. Sounds like you travel a lot.”

“Yeah, my wife hates it, but she loves me, so she doesn’t complain too much.”

“She doesn’t travel with you?”

“Sometimes.” He gets a wistful look in his eyes as he watches someone base jump off the top of the bridge. “But it’s hard with kids. Especially international travel. I don’t travel nearly as much as I used to.”

“Yeah, I worry about that too sometimes,” I say without thinking. I never talk to others about my hopes and fears about having a family someday. I’ve always wanted to get married and have kids at some point, but I don’t know how that will work with my dreams of racing. I may have missed my opportunity to make it to the Sprint Cup, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still make a career out of racing in other, less prestigious divisions.

“Do you travel a lot too?” He looks at me for the first time since stopping to talk to me.

I nod. “But not for adventurous activities like this. I’m a racecar driver.”

“No shit!” He looks surprised, yet pleased, at my confession. “You any good?”

I shrug. “I do okay. I won my last race. Beat that guy right over there, and he qualified for the Sprint Cup a few years ago.” I point at Mac, who looks in my direction at that exact moment. A deep furrow replaces his relaxed expression.

The guy chuckles as Mac strides in our direction. He doesn’t look happy, but he also doesn’t look like he’s going to go all caveman on me again either.

When he reaches us, he leans in and gives me a kiss on the cheek. “Who’s your friend?”

I smile at Mac. He’s trying to keep his jealousy in check, but I still sense it. “I don’t actually know his name.” I glance over at the man I’ve been talking to.

“Oh yeah.” He holds his hand out to Mac. “I’m Rob.”

Mac takes his hand, and I’m pleased to see it’s a civil handshake. “I’m Mac. Sophia’s boyfriend.”

My eyes snap to his in surprise. He winks with a grin when our eyes meet.

“It’s nice to meet you. She was just telling me about how you both race cars. I bet that’s quite the rush.”

Mac nods. “Nothing quite like handling a car at two hundred miles per hour. But adventures like this are a close second.”

“Hey, Rob!” One of his friends calls for him. “You ready?”

He nods before he smiles at us. “Well, it was nice chatting. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

He waves before he rushes off toward his friends. I look up at Mac and smile. “Boyfriend?”

He shrugs before he takes a step closer to me. “What would you call me?”

I step out from against the tree and move backwards. My smile grows as I tease him. “My friend.”

“Friend?” He quirks a brow.

“Sure.” I hold my smile and struggle not to laugh as I say this next part. “It’s not like we’ve talked about being more. Just because we had one night of hot sex doesn’t mean we’re exclusive.”

---