by Kaylee Ryan
I feel a slap on the back of my head just as I’m taking a huge bite of bacon. “I raised you better than that,” Mom says.
“It’s okay, Robin. I’d hate to be a further inconvenience.”
“Nonsense,” Mom tells her.
Slowly, I turn to face Aubree. She’s dressed in a pair of short cut-off jean shorts and a T-shirt. This time it’s just me and my number that adorns the front. “What happened to your uniform?” I ask her, taking another big bite. I don’t comment on the fact that she took the world’s fastest shower. I didn’t know it was possible for a woman to get ready that fast.
“Technically you’re not racing today, right? So, I’m off the clock. However, I still feel like it’s important to support the team. This is more comfortable than the polos they had made.” She shrugs as if it’s not a big deal that my name and number are stretched tight across her chest.
I don’t reply; instead, I shovel in my food while Dad hands her a plate and offers to get her something to drink. I have to make an effort to not look at her. It’s like she’s this… force and is constantly pulling me to her. I have to find a way to eliminate it. To form a shield to keep her out of my head. I need to distance myself from her today. Keep my eye on the prize. That’s the goal, that’s what I need to do. Aubree who? That’s my new motto.
“So, today there’s a race, but Blaine isn’t racing? Why?” Aubree asks.
“Yeah,” Kevin answers. “Today is more of a fan favorite. The purse is nothing compared to the big event Saturday. Two thousand versus one hundred thousand.”
“Makes sense,” Aubree says.
“Yeah, Blaine decided the risk of tearing up the car wasn’t worth it.”
“Because of the championship?”
“No. This race isn’t a points race, which means it doesn’t count toward the championship. However, it gets your name out there, and the purse is nothing to shake a fist at,” Rick chimes in.
“So, it’s for the money?”
“No, Aubree. It’s not for the money. It’s for the love of racing. For the notoriety that comes with saying you won the Dirt Late Model Dream at Eldora Speedway. It’s for hundreds of reasons.”
“Blaine!” my mother scolds me.
“I’m out. Thanks for breakfast.” Tossing my plate in the trash, I put Camber on her leash and take off to walk the pits. Distance, I need distance. I stop at a fellow driver’s trailer, John Frankie, and offer my help. I set Camber up in the shade, and get to work. It’s a nice change of pace to not worry about the race and just enjoy working with my hands. This is exactly what I needed today.
After Blaine stalked off, Robin, Ashley, and I opened up the T-shirt trailer for a few hours. We were swarmed with business, and it didn’t take long for me to realize that Blaine “Checkmate” Bishop is a definite fan favorite.
“Now what?” I ask. We’ve just finished restocking the shelves from boxes and closed up shop.
“Now it’s time to watch a race. You ready for this?” Ashley asks.
“Yeah, I’m kind of excited about it, really,” I confess. “This is a new experience for me.”
“Here’s the thing about racing,” Robin chimes in. “You either love it or you hate it. I, for one, am a fan,” she adds with a laugh, pointing to the Bishop Racing T-shirt she’s wearing.
“I admit, I looked it up online. I’m excited to see what it’s like in person.”
“I have a good feeling that you’re going to love it.” Robin winks, causing us all to laugh.
I follow them to the pits where the hauler is parked. I don’t ask where Blaine is, no matter how curious I am. I feel kind of bad that he stalked off. I’m sure if I weren’t here, it would have been a different day for them all together.
“Coming?” Ashley asks, walking toward the back right side of the hauler.
“Yes.” I stand and follow her. She stops at a small ladder and begins to climb. “Uh, Ashley, what exactly are you doing?” I ask her.
She looks down at me, her grin wide and infectious. “We’re watching the race, silly. There is no better view that on top of the hauler.”
“Can we, I mean, is that safe?” I can’t help but worry. That’s me, that’s who I am. Growing up without affection and in constant worry you are going to do something wrong or say something that might set your father off in a fit of rage does that to a person.
“Yes, we can. We are, and it’s perfectly safe. Are you afraid of heights?” she asks.
“I don’t know,” I confess. I’ve never really been in a situation where I needed to find out.
“How is that even possible?” Blaine’s deep voice asks from behind me.
Slowly, I turn to face him. “Didn’t have a lot of… experiences growing up.”
“Come on now, you’ve never been to an amusement park? Ridden a roller coaster? What about the county fair?”
“No, no, and yes, but I wasn’t allowed to go off on my own and ride rides. When I was old enough to go alone, I was working or spending time with my Uncle Bobby. He wasn’t in the best of health.” I don’t know why I spill all that to him, but the words are out before I can stop them.
“Bree,” he says softly.
“Hey, what’s the holdup down there? You’re going to miss the race,” Ashley calls out.
With more courage than I actually feel, I grab ahold of the ladder and slowly begin to climb. As my foot hits a new rung taking me higher, I find I’m not really of fan of being in the air. Then again, maybe it’s this tiny ladder and the fact that I’m climbing on top of a trailer. What if I fall? My hands begin to shake and my knees begin to quiver.
“Hey,” his deep, husky voice greets me. Not just that, but I can feel the heat of his body pressed against mine. “I’ve got you. I won’t let you fall.”
“I-I should just go back down,” I manage to croak.
“Bree.” His lips are next to my ear, his hot breath sending shivers down my spine. “I’ve got you. I promise you, I won’t let you fall.”
“Y-you don’t even 1-like me,” I remind him.
He chuckles. “Trust me, liking you is not the issue.”
I want to ask him what he means, but now is not the time for deep, meaningful conversations. My palms are sweating, and I feel as though my hands are going to slip and I’ll be the cause of both of us falling to our death.
“Death? We’re maybe four feet off the ground.”
“S-shit,” I mutter. “I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”
“Come on, you. We’re going to miss the race. I’m going to keep one hand on you at all times. I will not let you fall,” he says with conviction.
“Okay,” I agree meekly. “My hands are sweaty.”
I feel his large hand grip my hip. “I’ve got you. Wipe one then the other on your shorts, then slowly make your way up. I’m right here. Right behind you.”
I do as he says, slowly wiping my hands. Then, without further instruction, I grip the ladder and move up a step. Blaine is right there behind me, his body heat soothing me, his words encouraging as I continue to the top. When I reach the final step, Rick is there with his hand out, I take it and let him help me up onto the top of the hauler.
“You good?” he asks, squeezing my shoulder, bending to look me in the eye.
“Yeah, I’m okay.” I can feel my face heat with embarrassment. I’m an adult and acted as though I was a three-year-old. I’m humiliated, but at the time, there was nothing I could do to stop it.
“Come on over.” Ashley gives my arm a gentle tug and pulls me to a row of lawn chairs looking out over the track.
“Wow,” I say, taking in the sight before me. You can see everything from this angle.
“Pretty cool, huh?” she asks.
“You sure you’re okay?” Rick asks.
“She’s fine.” Blaine joins us and hands me a bottle of water.
“Thank you.” I don’t get a reply as he turns to Kevin and they begin to talk racing. Something about the track being h
ooked up… whatever that means.
“Look at you,” Ashley whispers.
“Huh?” I turn to look at her, I’m sure wearing a look of confusion from her laugh.
“You have them falling at your feet.” She nudges me with her shoulder.
“What? Who?”
“Blaine and Rick, and I’m sure Jacob would be too if he were up here. He met up with a few friends of his to watch the race.”
My mouth falls open in shock. “What are you talking about?”
She links her arm through mine and lowers her voice, so only she and I can hear. “Both of those guys are ready to offer you the universe,” she teases.
“First of all, Rick is just grateful that I helped him. He’s being nice. And, Blaine, well he hates me, but felt sorry for me I’m sure.” Even as I say the words, I can’t help but wonder. He’s hot and cold with me. One minute he’s all sexy and tempting and the next he’s back to being an asshole.
“You know, it’s funny, what sometimes is right in front of us is invisible.”
“Are you talking in riddles?” I laugh.
“Nope, think about it. Often we don’t see what’s right in front of us.”
“I see it, Ashley. I see a race track, lots of fans, some dirt,” I tease. I also see him. Just like I can also feel his body pressed next to mine. The attraction that seems to ignite between us. I keep telling myself to ignore it, that it will go away.
“I’m telling you, sparks are flying. Maybe not with Rick, but with Blaine.” She wags her eyebrows.
“He hates me.”
“There is a thin line between love and hate.”
“Not that thin.” I smile, shaking my head at her theory.
“I know him. He’s different around you. Although I don’t know you well, I can see it. The hopeful way that you look at him.” I thought I was doing a good job of hiding my body’s reaction to him.
Guess not.
I close my eyes and cover them with my hands, which causes her to laugh out loud.
“What did we miss?” Kevin calls out.
“Nothing, dear, just girl talk,” Ashley calls back. He smiles at her as if she’s the answer to every unanswered question he’s ever had. “Blaine’s a good guy,” she assures me.
“Yeah, I’m sure he is, but he’s mean and short one minute and then nice and sweet the next. He gives me whiplash. Not to mention, he’s a fling type of guy. He told me that himself. I’m not sure I’m made for that.”
“He’s focused. He really wants to win the championship this year. He wants to make history. He loves the sport, hell, they all do. He wants this for them, his team, his parents, and himself. That’s a lot of pressure.”
“I get pressure, but he’s… an asshole.”
“You talking about me again, Bree?” Blaine chuckles from beside me.
“If the shoe fits,” I banter back, proud of myself for not jumping at his interruption.
Before we can take it any further, the announcer starts the race. He introduces the drivers while they drive slowly around the track. When the green flag drops, dust flies, the wind whips, and the crowd is on their feet cheering. It’s exciting and unlike anything I’ve ever been to. I don’t know who I’m supposed to be cheering for, but the car leading is number eighteen with the name Babb written in the bottom of the number. He’s leading, and that’s good enough for me. I cheer him on when the car behind him gets close.
“Go, Babb!” I hear myself cheering for him. I turn in circles watching the race, not wanting to miss a minute of it. It’s a lot to keep up with. There are cars on all areas of the track, so much so that I can’t watch them all, so I keep my eyes on the leader as he flies across the finish line and takes the checkered flag. I’m covered in dirt, my hair is a mess from the wind from the cars, and I’m surprised to find I don’t care. I loved every minute of it. This is nothing like the races my father used to watch on TV on Sunday afternoons.
“Thought you’d never been to a race,” Blaine says from over my shoulder.
Turning to look at him, he’s closer than I thought. He leans down and our noses touch. He grins and backs away. “I haven’t but he was winning.” I shrug.
“What if he was my biggest competitor?”
“Am I supposed to cheer for you?”
“You’re a part of the Bishop Racing team, you cheer for me,” he says, stone-cold serious.
“Oh, am I a part of the team?”
“Come on now,” he says, placing his hand over his heart as if he’s been wounded.
“Could have fooled me. I thought I wasn’t welcome.”
“It’s the distraction that you bring,” he explains quietly.
“I told you I would stay out of the way,” I counter.
“Bree.” He shakes his head, resting his hands on his hips. “Are you breathing?”
“What?” Is he losing his mind?
“You heard me, are you breathing?”
“Obviously,” I sass.
“Exactly.” He throws his hands in the air.
“How is that a distraction?”
He steps closer. “It’s you, Aubree. All you. Your green eyes, the red hair, those long tan legs. You are one gorgeous distraction. So, yeah, if you’re here and breathing, living in my hauler, you’re a distraction.”
I open my mouth to reply, but no words come out. Nothing. He’s rendered me speechless.
“You guys coming?” Ashley calls out as she stands on the top rung of the ladder. She’s wearing an “I told you so” grin, and suddenly I’m worried if anyone heard him. He’s messing with me, and I don’t want her to take his comment for more than what it is. She already has crazy ideas in her head.
“I wish,” he murmurs just for me, before turning to face her. “Yeah, we’re right behind you.” When he turns back to me, he holds out his hand. “Ready to do this?”
Just like that, he turns off the attraction, or the flirting, or whatever it is he does like a light switch. I don’t know how he does it. “Yeah, I can’t stay up here forever,” I say, taking his strong, slightly roughened offered hand, and let him guide me to the steps.
“I’ll go first, then I want you to follow right after me. I’ll tell you when to step. I’ll be right behind you the entire time.”
I can already feel my knees start to shake. “I’m not so sure this was the best idea.” There’s an obvious quiver in my voice.
“Hey.” His voice is soft and soothing. “I’ve got you, Bree. I won’t let you fall. Just take it slow and I’ll help guide you.”
I nod. “The sooner we do this, the sooner my feet are back on the ground.”
“Is it the height or the ladder that scares you?”
“Both, but I admit once I was up here I settled down, especially with the excitement of the race.”
“Yeah? You a dirt track fan, Bree?”
“I can see the appeal. I mean, tonight was my first race. I wouldn’t go as far as saying I’m a fan.”
“You’re right. We’ll save that moment of clarity for when you see me out on the track.” He grins and turns, stepping on the first rung of the ladder. “Come here.” He holds his hand out for me.
With wobbly knees, I turn my back to him and bend to hold the ladder, taking my first step on the top rung. “O-okay?” I ask as I white knuckle the bars.
“Relax.” His hot breath touches my neck. “I’m right here. I’m going to keep one hand on your back and leave the other on the ladder. I’m going to take another step down. When I tap you like this—” He taps my back to show me “—I want you to take another step down.”
“Got it,” I say with more confidence than I feel. I actually feel pretty ridiculous; I’m a grown woman freaking out about a ladder. However, on the flip side of that, I do have the sexy Checkmate at my service. It’s kind of a win situation for me. Step by step, we make our way down the ladder. When my feet hit the ground, my legs wobble just a little, but strong arms wrap around me.
“You good?”
His voice is husky.
“Yeah.” I step away from him. “I’m actually pretty thirsty. I’m going to go grab a drink.” I turn to walk away toward the concession stand when he reaches out and stops me.
“There are plenty of options in the hauler.”
“I know that, but I’m not freeloading. I need to take a walk on my shaky legs anyway. Thanks for your help.” I turn and walk as fast as I can to get some distance between us. I should have shut him down, told him that I didn’t need his help, I could have managed on my own. I could have, but having his attention on me when he’s being nice is something that’s hard for me to say no to.
This is going to be a long racing season.
“Hell yes!” I shout, pounding my fist on the steering wheel. I just took the checkered flag for the main event. I’m the new Dream winner, and a hundred grand richer. Of course, I’ll be passing along some of that to my crew. They are with me day in and day out. I couldn’t do this without them. That includes my parents.
Slowly, I make my way to the scales. When I drive on the platform, I keep my eyes on the light, and when it turns green, the crowd roars. I didn’t expect to not make weight, but I’ve seen it happen plenty of times to my competitors. Driving away from the scales, I head to victory lane. My team is there and waiting as well as the track officials and the trophy girls. I kill the engine once I’m up on the platform and pull off my helmet, setting it to the side. Kevin is there and hands me a bottle of the same nasty-ass energy drink that sponsors me. As always, I play the game. This is my life. I get paid to do what I love, and I’m damn good at it. This win solidifies that I need no distractions. We are on our way to making Dirt Late Model Racing history. I will make that happen. There is no other alternative. I have my crew, my family, and my sponsors. The car is on point, nothing is going to stop us from our third consecutive championship.
We’ve got this.
I’ve got this.
With my helmet off, I take a minute to catch my breath, both from the intense racing and the exhilaration of winning. Climbing out of the car, Kevin is the first one to greet me with a slap on the back. Followed is a hug from Ashley, and my parents, and pats on the back from Jacob and Rick. Then, she’s there. Aubree’s smile is wide, her eyes shining as she launches herself at me. I catch her easily and wrap my arms around her.
