Zoey let out a long breath. “Fine.” She turned toward the man. “Jamie, give me my keys.”
Shock coursed through Harold. “You let this guy have your keys? He’s been driving your car?”
“You’re mad. I get it.” Zoey took the keys from Jamie’s hands then started toward Harold’s truck. “Can we just go home?”
Harold glared back at Jamie one last time. “I think you need to be heading on home now.”
Jamie lifted his hands in surrender. “Fine. I’m gone.” He turned and slithered back down the street.
Harold took several long breaths and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. The age-of-consent comment Jamie made raced through Harold’s mind repeatedly. What had Zoey been doing with that guy? Why was she so rebellious? Yes, she’d lost her father, but her family had been overwhelmingly supportive, and he’d tried, how he’d tried, to be good to her, her mother, and her sisters.
Before walking to the truck, he peered up at the clear, blue sky. The day couldn’t be more beautiful—sun shining, slight breeze blowing. Thank You, Lord, for stopping me before I pounded that boy. Give me wisdom with Zoey.
Harold walked to his truck and slid into the cab. “Empty your pockets.”
“Excuse me?”
Harold peered at Zoey. “You heard me. Empty your pockets.”
Zoey’s face turned scarlet as she pulled a few candy bars and a package of gum from her side pant pockets. Harold reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He pulled out a twenty-dollar bill. Grabbing her hand, he shoved it into her palm. She looked up at him and he locked onto her gaze. “I don’t know how much you two stole, but you’re going to take that candy and this money in there to Bill, and you’re going to apologize. Hopefully, he won’t press charges.”
Shame wrapped Zoey’s features, and for the first time, Harold witnessed a twinge of regret at what she’d done. A tear started to slip down her cheek, but she wiped it away in one swipe. “Fine. Give me just a minute, then you can take me home, pop.”
The sarcasm and hatred were back, but Harold had seen a glimmer of hope. It twisted his heart in a way he hadn’t expected. As much as she drove him to near insanity, the twist proved he cared for Zoey more than he realized. He wanted to see her straighten up, not just for her family, but for herself. God, heal this little girl. Continue to work in my heart toward her, too.
three
Kelly popped the last bite of cracker into her mouth. The first few weeks of a new school year always sent her stomach into a tailspin. She loved teaching, but the getting-to-know a new batch of teenagers, the settling into a routine, and the always-new requirements by the state and administration never failed to take a toll on her nerves. It’s why I’m able to stay a pretty good weight. One month of the year I live on crackers. She chuckled to herself as she unlocked her classroom door, walked to her desk, and dropped her school tote and lunch bag on the floor beside the file cabinet.
Thankfully, it was Friday. She’d made it through the first three weeks of school, as well as having Zoey as a student, without a hitch. She noticed the three pictures of the bridesmaid dresses she’d narrowed her choice to sitting on top of a pile of ungraded essays on her desk. Adding planning her own wedding to everything else she needed to get done only enhanced her stomach’s inner turmoil. She plopped into her rolling chair, making sure not to rest her elbow on the broken, left arm of the chair.
She picked up the three pictures. Her daughters would be her bridesmaids, or three maids of honor, as they chose to be called. Zoey didn’t even want to go to the wedding, let alone be in it, but Kelly and her younger daughters deliberately ignored Zoey’s pessimism and included the seventeen-year-old when they could.
Kelly clung to the slight change she’d noticed in Zoey after the night a few weeks before when Harold brought Zoey home for dinner. She never got a complete answer from Harold or Zoey about what happened that night, but she and Harold had gone to get Zoey’s car at a gas station. Normally, Kelly would have demanded Zoey tell her what was going on, but something had changed in her daughter. It was small, almost unnoticeable, but it was enough that Kelly knew the Holy Spirit was instructing her to trust Harold.
She glanced at the pictures again. Two of them Brittany and Candy simply loved. The third dress her two younger girls didn’t like, but it was the one Kelly knew Zoey would be most willing to wear. All of the dresses were practical, ones the girls could wear to church or to an occasion that called to be more dressed up. One of the dresses that Candy liked seemed just a bit old for her. It was appropriate for Brittany and Zoey, but …
Kelly cupped her hand over her mouth. “Oh my, why didn’t I think of this before?” Favoring the right side, Kelly leaned back in her chair. “They’re all in the same family of the deep emerald I’m using as my primary wedding color.” She shook her head and laughed out loud. “And, they’d never be willing to wear the same dress after the wedding. I’ll just have each girl wear a different dress all in the same color.”
Still chuckling, Kelly turned toward her computer and booted it up. The students would be coming down the hall in five minutes or less. She clicked her e-mail to skim as many as she could before then. To think I’ve been stressing over that for several days.
She took a sip of her coffee, allowing the heavenly scent of hazelnut to wrap around her. It wasn’t until after she started teaching seven years before that Kelly fell in love with the warm, caffeine-laden drink. Now, she couldn’t start the day without it.
The first e-mail was from Harold. A smile bowed her lips. Each morning her man sent her an “I love you, and have a good day” e-mail. As she did every day, Kelly responded with the same message.
Before she could check any other messages, her students started to filter into the room. Extraordinarily tall and thin Logan Huff made his way through the door first, as he did every morning. “Hey, Ms. C.”
“Hi, Logan. How has your morning been?”
“Good.”
Logan made his way toward Kelly’s desk. Most of the students congregated in the hall, spending every second they could with their friends before they were stuck in the classroom for over an hour. Not Logan. Instead, he spent his last few minutes talking with Kelly.
“I really enjoyed the reading last night,” Logan went on. He pulled out a paper, and Kelly noticed Zoey walk in, place her books on her desk, and look toward Kelly and Logan. The boy continued, “I even made a few notes for our class discussion.”
Zoey rolled her eyes then made a gagging motion. Kelly suppressed a smile. Zoey’s action didn’t contain the hatred it once had; it was done more in jest. Plus, Kelly loved to see that each day Zoey’s makeup became a bit lighter and she wore a few actual colors of clothing on occasion.
The bell rang, and Kelly stood and walked around her desk. “I look forward to your comments, Logan. Now, go ahead and take your seat.” She walked to the front of the room as the students made their way to their desks. “Good morning, everyone. Get out your warm-up sheets.”
Harold slid the keys out of the ignition, opened the truck door, and slipped out. Excitement coursed through him as he made his way up the sidewalk toward Kelly’s door. He’d been planning this Saturday excursion since before school started. Between starting back to school, the girls, and the wedding, Kelly had been stretched to the max. This date will take things off her mind. He smiled as the door opened before he had a chance to knock.
Kelly stood in the door, biting her bottom lip. “That smile looks quite mischievous. Should I be scared?”
Harold took in her long-sleeved T-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes. Most of her hair was swept up in a ponytail, except the strands that weren’t long enough, and her face appeared free of makeup. He whistled and winked at her. “You are adorable.”
Kelly huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Are we going hiking? We better be doing something outside. You said to look natural, but if we end up at a nice restaurant, I’m gonna—”
>
Before she could finish, Harold wrapped his arms around her capturing her lips against his own. He could never get enough of the sweet scent of her perfume and softness of her lips. Pulling her closer to him, he deepened the kiss and she curled her fingers around his neck. The light scratch of her fingernails sent shivers racing down his spine, and Harold forced himself to pull away. “A little over two months until you’re mine,” he growled, then planted one last kiss on her forehead.
“That’s too long,” Kelly whined as her fingers traced a path through the back of his hair.
Harold took a step away from her and exhaled a long breath. “Woman, you are dangerous. Get your purse, and let’s go.”
Kelly giggled as she escaped back into the house, then reappeared seconds later with her purse strap over her shoulder. She shut the door and followed Harold to the car. “Can I get a hint?”
Harold opened the passenger’s door for her then made his way to the driver’s side. “Nope.” He buckled his seat belt and started the truck. Kelly intently looked at her surroundings as Harold made his way toward Highway 1 South.
“How far are we driving?” Kelly quipped without looking his direction.
“It’ll take us around an hour.” Harold shook his head. The woman couldn’t stand surprises. He assumed it was the teacher and the mother in her. She had to have everything planned to the last second, and she had to know what was going on.
“We’re going to Dover, aren’t we?”
Harold grabbed Kelly’s hand, raised it to his lips, and kissed her knuckles. “I want you to sit back and enjoy our date.” “Okay. Okay.”
Harold bit his bottom lip. He hated to say it, but he had to get Kelly’s mind off their day’s excursion. Mentally preparing himself for the onslaught of words, he planted a smile on his face. “Why don’t you tell me where we are with the wedding plans?”
Kelly’s face brightened. “Okay. Well, I picked out the dresses for the girls. I decided to let each wear a different …”
Harold listened as Kelly talked about dresses, ribbons, flowers, and other stuff he really didn’t care much about. What he did enjoy was watching the happiness and excitement in Kelly’s tone and expressions. He’d do whatever it took to make the woman he loved happy.
“You and the guys will need to get fitted for your tuxes in the next couple weeks.”
Tuxes? He’d forgotten all about the fact that he’d have to wear a monkey suit. There had been only a select few times in his life that he’d worn a sports jacket and tie, never a fullblown tux. He was a jeans and T-shirt kind of guy, and the idea of someone taking a tape measure to him seemed weird. “You’re going to go with us, right?”
Kelly clicked her tongue. “Nope. You, Cam, and your work buddies are going to go by yourselves. I don’t want to see what you’re wearing until our wedding day. Just make sure you don’t get pink.”
Horror smashed Harold in the gut. “They come in pink!”
Kelly laughed. “I’m kidding. Just pick black and white.”
“Black and white, I can do that. I think.” Harold turned toward his destination. Anticipation gurgled within him. He couldn’t wait to see Kelly’s expression. “It’s just up ahead.”
Kelly peered through the windshield. Harold peeked and noticed her eyebrows furrowed into a line. “I don’t see a hiking trail or anything like that.”
“I never said we were going hiking.” He pointed toward the mammoth structure in front of them.
“The Dover International Speedway?” Kelly looked at Harold. “We’ve been together a year, and I never knew you liked to watch NASCAR.”
Harold shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t watch NASCAR.”
Her frown deepened. “But?”
Harold grinned. “We’re not watching. We’re driving.”
Overwhelmed, Kelly followed Harold toward the Dover International Speedway, known as the “Monster Mile.” She’d never been to a racetrack before and as they approached the main entrance the humongous monster statue mesmerized her. “Wow.” She peered at the structure. The monster was a huge, gray, stonelike creature that burst through the top of a circular structure containing plaques of two hundred Dover Speedway winners. With his left hand gripping the top of the structure, the monster’s right hand held a red and white racecar high into the air.
“It’s something else, isn’t it?” Harold pointed at its face. “His red eyes glow at night, making him even more fierce looking.”
Kelly giggled. “His teeth kinda remind me of the abominable snowman in Rudolph.”
Harold laughed. “Yeah. I can see that, but I don’t think that’s what they were going for.” He grabbed her hand then pointed at the car in the monster’s grip. “Come on. I can’t wait to take a spin in one of those babies.”
Kelly experienced a rush of stimulation overload. The place was huge, holding well over 100,000 spectators and the track itself was a mile long. Everywhere she turned she saw massive metal and concrete structuring and fences that seemed forever tall around the track. The bright-colored signs displaying various products were splattered all over the walls. Not to mention all the men and women clad in red shirts or a blue bodysuit of sorts.
While Harold took care of getting them set up, Kelly drank in the families who were taking pictures beside and inside the various cars. A person had to be eighteen to drive, but there were still plenty of young boys and girls rooting on their older siblings, parents, and even some grandparents.
Before Kelly knew it, she and Harold were in a “special van orientation” driving around the racetrack. She listened intently and thrilled when the time came for her final instructions with an in-car driving counselor. She was about to “ride and meet the Monster.”
“So, do you think you’ll like it?” Harold asked as he slipped one foot into the protective suit.
“Truthfully”—Kelly picked up her silver helmet with the yellow and red MONSTER RACING logo on the front—“I can’t remember the last time I’ve had such an adrenaline rush. I can’t wait.”
Harold grabbed her close and planted a quick but firm kiss on her lips. “That’s what I wanted to hear.”
Kelly peered up at her man. The blue bodysuit mixed with the late morning sun gave his oceanlike eyes a brilliant glow. She touched his clean-shaven face. “You know, I’ve snagged myself quite a good-looking man.”
“You don’t look so bad yourself, Ms. Coyle, in that protective body gear. In fact, I’d say you look pretty enough to kiss again.”
Kelly smiled as she allowed him one more kiss. Within moments, she slipped into the car. She rode as a passenger for four laps, studying how the instructor drove the vehicle as well as the course. Soon it was her turn to drive herself.
Trepidation raced through her as she considered driving the mammoth track in a speeding car … all by herself. She looked at her driving instructor. “How many laps do I drive by myself?”
“Ten.”
Kelly’s heart thrummed in time with the engines. “Okay.” “You’re going to do fine. Remember, you don’t have to go super fast. Just go at a pace you feel comfortable.”
Kelly looked at the bright yellow stockcar that in only a matter of minutes she would be driving. When had she ever had an opportunity like this? To essentially let her hair down and let the wind rush over her. She’d always been a planner, a detail kind of girl. Not spontaneous. Not a daredevil. And yet her adrenaline pumped at the idea of throwing away her inhibitions and driving as fast as she could around this track. Determined to conquer her queasiness, Kelly nodded at the man. “It’s going to be great.”
She maneuvered her way through the window and into the driver’s seat. Tubing covered nearly every crevice of the inside of the car. She couldn’t imagine how someone as big as Harold would fit into one of these cars; she felt like a sardine being shoved into its tiny tin.
When it was time, she started the engine and followed the instructor’s car out onto the track. Harold drove behind her in a three-
car “follow the leader” formation. The car rattled so hard, which the instructor had promised was normal, that Kelly felt her insides would be tossed into wrong positions. It’s a good thing I ate a light breakfast.
The first lap around was not too fast but more thrilling than Kelly expected. She followed the instructor without a hitch and even enjoyed the jolt to a higher speed as they started the second lap. The whiz of her own car and the changing of the gears sent tingles of excitement through her, and Kelly found herself focusing on nothing more than the joy of the ride.
Too soon her trip was over, and Kelly found herself scooting out of the car’s window. “How was it?” asked one of the workers.
“A blast!” Kelly pulled the helmet off her head and fluffed her fingers through her hair.
“That was awesome!” Harold approached her from behind.
Kelly turned. He’d already taken off his helmet and unzipped his suit. “I was hot as a July day in Bermuda, but that was so cool.”
Kelly giggled at Harold’s animation. He reminded her of one of her high school students instead of a forty-year-old business owner, but she understood his enthusiasm completely. “I agree. We need to do this again.”
“You mean it.” Harold raised his eyebrows in surprise. “I wasn’t sure what you would think. Did you know we got up to ninety miles per hour?”
Kelly nodded. “I don’t think I’ve ever driven over seventy-five.”
Harold stripped off his suit then wiped small beads of sweat from his brow. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
“I think my insides remained intact.” Kelly slipped her arms through the suit. “I think I could handle grabbing a bite to eat.”
“All right, let’s turn this stuff in and hit the road.”
Kelly enjoyed the animation dancing in Harold’s eyes. Tim had been a wonderful husband and father, but he’d never surprised her as Harold had. Tim would have never even considered taking his always-have-to-have-a-plan-and-be-safe-about-it wife to go NASCAR driving. Harold brought out the spontaneity in her. He brought out a need for adventure, and he wanted to have fun with her. She loved that about Harold.
For Better or Worse Page 3
