Revved Up Hearts Page 3

  “Yes,” Dawn said, but she was still a little confused. She thought he had said at the garage that he didn’t drink, but just then he said he couldn’t have anything alcoholic tonight. What did it mean?

  He got two sodas, handed one to Dawn, and then grabbed her hand while looking for a table.

  He found one in the corner. While it was still noisy, it was quiet enough that they could talk without yelling. The dance floor was packed as the DJ played the latest hip-hop and R&B songs. “Do you like the music?” he asked.

  “What?”

  Jeremiah leaned in closer so she could hear him. He could smell strawberry. He thought he had smelled it yesterday at the beach, but he hadn’t been sure. Now he knew it was her. He liked it. “Do you like the music?” he repeated, a little louder this time.

  “It’s okay. It’s a little loud. Being a country girl from Arkansas, I prefer country, but I can listen to just about anything except rap.”

  “Do you line dance or two-step?”

  “I could do both at one time. I even won an electric slide contest once. But it has been a long time since I tried either. I haven’t done the bar thing in a long time.”

  “I know what you mean. It’s fun to watch other people, but I don’t come to places like this to pick people up, if you know what I mean. I like to hang for a little while, but I usually get bored and go home. Anyway, they aren’t playing country right now, but would you like to dance?”

  This isn’t my thing, she thought. But isn’t this part of the experience? “You bet,” she decided. He got up and helped her from her chair. He took her hand again and led her on to the dance floor. Since he was a step ahead, Dawn took an opportunity to check him out a little. He wore black Dockers that emphasized his lean waist with a dark-green shirt. She had noticed earlier that it was the same color as his eyes. They had only been dancing for a few minutes when the DJ played something they could salsa dance to.

  “Can you salsa?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he said as he placed his hands on her hips. She put her hands on his shoulders, and they began to sway to the music. She moved so gracefully. He had just met this girl. After their encounter on the beach, he knew she had been hurt. Take it slow, he thought, and don’t do anything to scare her away.

  They had stopped talking and now there was an awkward silence between them. Maybe this had been a bad idea after all. She should’ve told him no, left the garage, and went back to the hotel and to bed.

  At that, she stopped and started looking around. It was as if she were looking for a way to escape. Since they were no longer dancing, people on the dance floor around them started to stare. Just then, the song ended. “I’d like to go back to the table,” she said. The table they had occupied earlier was now taken by another group of people. She slid into one side of a booth, and he slipped in on the other. Then he took her hand and squeezed. She tried to pull away, but he held on tight.

  “You confuse me,” he told her. “One minute you act like you really like me in a more-than-friends way, but when I try to get close, you pull away. Why?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “That is what you told me yesterday. I think I deserve a little bit of information. You don’t have to tell me everything.”

  “I just ended a serious, long-term relationship. I do like you, but I’m not ready to start anything new.”

  “I take it that ending the relationship wasn’t your idea.”

  That made her laugh. “No, it wasn’t.”

  “What happened?”

  She didn’t reply at first. There was another moment of awkward silence. “I told you something about me. Now you tell me something about you.”

  There she goes again, changing the subject when she got uncomfortable, he thought. It was okay. She had opened up a little.

  “What do you want to know?” he asked.

  “Where did you grow up?” she asked.

  “Cedar Springs, Montana.”

  “Cool. I’ve never been to Montana but always wanted to go. When I think of Montana, I think of cowboys and cattle. Did you live on a ranch?” She wanted to know.

  “No. My mom was a high school art teacher and my dad managed the local movie theater. We had a house in town, but I had plenty of friends who lived on ranches. They taught me how to ride horses. I spent my summers in the hayfields to make money,” he answered.

  “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

  She hit a nerve with that one. There were things that she didn’t want to talk about, and he didn’t like to talk about this one. But it had been so long ago that it didn’t hurt that badly anymore. “I had a younger sister, Elizabeth, but she died when she was ten and I was thirteen.”

  Jeremiah looked down and played with his drink napkin. Dawn squeezed his hand in sympathy.

  “I am so sorry. How did she die?”

  “She was riding her bike to a friend’s house. A lady in a car wasn’t watching where she was going, ran a stop sign, and hit her.”

  “Oh, my goodness. That must have been awful.”

  “I wanted to die too. We had been so close. My parents took it really hard, and they were never the same. They divorced about a year later. They said that Elizabeth’s death didn’t have anything to do with it, but I never believed them.” He hadn’t looked up during the entire story, and now his napkin was in shreds. “I don’t think they could look at each other or the house or me without thinking about her. So they divorced and sold the house. Mom and I moved into an apartment closer to the school where she worked. The movie theater where Dad worked was part of a chain, so he got a transfer to a bigger theater the next town over.”

  “That’s awful. I feel so bad for you.” She squeezed his hand again. He looked up then and saw the tears in her eyes. “I have two younger brothers. I can’t imagine what that must’ve been like.”

  “My mom and dad became friends again after a few years. Dad uses his business skills as my business manager. He lives in Mooresville, just outside of Charlotte. Mom stayed in Montana but went back to school. She’s a pediatric physical therapist. She says helping injured kids helps her deal with Elizabeth’s death. She says that Beth watches from heaven and smiles.” He finally looked up at Dawn and smiled himself. “We are supposed to be having a good time, not talking about sad things. Change the subject, and ask me something else.”

  “Okay. How did you get into racing?” she asked.

  “Well, after Elizabeth’s death, but before the divorce, I started hanging out at a friend’s house. My friend and his dad were big into racing, and they taught me all about it. I went to the races with them at a local dirt track, and we built racecars in their garage. At first, we thought my friend Wes would be the racer, but after a really scary accident when we were fifteen, he couldn’t get back into the car. He wasn’t badly hurt, but the scare was enough. I tried it and was instantly hooked. It’s such a rush. The three of us kept working at it. Then one Saturday night, we were at this dirt track in North Carolina, and we won. Then Jerry Rush walks up to me and says that he was really impressed with what he saw. I about flipped. I couldn’t believe it. He was impressed with me! He kept his eye on me until a ride opened up in one of his trucks. From there, we worked our way up to the Sprint Cup.”

  “What happened to Wes and his dad?” Dawn asked.

  “They are both still with me,” Jeremiah answered. “Wes is my crew chief, and his dad is my spotter.”

  Dawn looked at her watch; it was a quarter till twelve. “Don’t you have a curfew on the night before a race?”

  “Yeah. NASCAR wants all drivers to get a good night’s sleep and be as alert as possible for the race. I have to be in my coach by 12:30 a.m.”

  “It’s almost twelve now.”

  “Then we had better go.”

  “Do
I have time to visit the ladies room?”

  “Yes,” he said with a wink. “I drive fast.”

  When Dawn came out of the restroom a few minutes later, she saw that a large crowd had gathered around Jeremiah. They were asking for pictures and autographs. Jeremiah, as always, was happy to sign autographs, pose for pictures, and talk to his fans. It was very clear that he appreciated his fans very much. When Dawn continued to walk toward him, she was grabbed by a blonde in a tank top that was just too tight. From the smell of her breath, she had had way too much to drink. “No cutting in line,” the blonde slurred.

  “I’m with Jeremiah,” Dawn said as she shrugged to get lose from the grip the woman had on her arm.

  “Sure you are, honey,” the blonde said. “We all are. That is why you have to get in line!”

  “I’m Jeremiah’s date,” Dawn answered as she continued toward Jeremiah.

  The blonde grabbed Dawn by the hair. “I said get in line!” she slurred again.

  “Ow!” Dawn turned to defend herself. Her hands were clinched into fists at her side. She was not going to let this woman get away with that. She took a step toward the blonde but stopped when she heard Jeremiah’s voice.

  “Let her go!” Then she saw him pushing his way through the crowd toward her. The club’s security officers were right behind him.

  “No, Jeremiah. I’m sorry,” the blonde begged. “I’m your biggest fan. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble. I just wanted my picture taken with you. I’m sorry. Please!” she yelled as she was escorted out of the club.

  Jeremiah didn’t even hear her. He was concentrating on Dawn. “Are you okay?” he asked. He used his hands to gently work his way down her arms as if checking her for injuries.

  “I’m okay. Just a little mad, but I’ll get over it.” Dawn’s dress had ridden up a little in the altercation. She took a moment to straighten it and to calm her nerves. Jeremiah was very disappointed when she smoothed her skirt back into place and her thigh disappeared.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” He put his finger under her chin and forced her to look at him.

  “Yes, I’m sure.”

  The look in his eyes said that he didn’t believe her.

  “I really am okay. I grew up with two brothers and more male cousins than I can count. I’ve survived a whole lot more than what a big, blonde hussy can dish out.”

  That made him laugh. “Okay. Now I believe you,” he said with a sigh of relief. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead, took her hand, and led her toward the door. “Let’s go.”

  Back at the hotel, Jeremiah walked Dawn to her door to make sure she got to her room safely. He hugged her good-night and told her that he would see her tomorrow. After he’d gone, she shut the door and prayed, “Dear Lord, please forgive me for my actions tonight. I was not acting like a Christian at all, and I have paid the price for it. I might even lose my job because of it. Not only that, but I may have killed any witness I started. I am so sorry. Please forgive me, and help me not to be led into that temptation if it arises again. I don’t deserve your grace right now, but lucky for me that is not what your grace is about. Thank you for your love and your Son who died on the cross for a wretch like me. I love you. Amen.” She opened her eyes, walked across the room, and picked up her Bible. She had finished Esther last night and didn’t know what to read next. She closed her eyes and opened the Bible. She opened her eyes again and laughed when she realized that she had turned to the book of Job. Ironic that she had found the story of a man going through all kinds of trouble and heartache. Wasn’t she going through that herself? That was God’s grace for you. She had read Job’s story many times but always had trouble understanding all of it.

  The basic story was about a man who trusted God and lost everything when he was tested. Job’s faith had held strong, and he passed the test. God rewarded him by restoring double what he had lost. Dawn knew that the story had a much deeper meaning, and that was the part that she struggled with. She read the first chapter but found that she couldn’t continue. Her eyes were drooping, and she was falling asleep. She put the Bible on the nightstand beside the bed. “Okay, God,” she prayed as she drifted off, “I think you are trying to tell me to put all my faith in you, and you will give me peace. I’ll work on it.” It was her last thought until morning.

  When Dawn got to the track the next morning, she learned that Bryan and the crew had decided to go to the backup car. The primary one that had been wrecked yesterday was beyond repair. It would go back to the race shop in Charlotte, be stripped down to the chassis, and then rebuilt. But going to a backup was a major change that would send the team to the back to the pack. The crew was in good spirits this morning. They had decided to switch cars last night, not long after Dawn left. So the crew had gotten a good night’s sleep. But now they were busy getting the backup ready to race. When Dawn entered the garage, Bryan was looking under the hood of the car. He motioned for her to come over.

  “How was your date with Jeremiah last night?” he asked.

  “It wasn’t really a date. We’re just friends. But it was okay I guess. Why?”

  He picked up a newspaper and pointed to a picture on the front page of the local section. There, in black and white, was her fight with the blonde. “What happened here?”

  Dawn was speechless. She stared at the picture while she tried to think of something to say. She was probably about to get fired. “I’m sorry, Bryan. There’s no excuse for this.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “My behavior. You haven’t even known me for a week, and I get my picture in the paper for fighting at a nightclub. It doesn’t make me look very good or leave a very good impression. It certainly doesn’t help my witness as a Christian. But I assure you that this is not how I normally behave, and it won’t happen again.” Dawn was still looking at the picture. She was afraid to look at her boss.

  “The article says you were attacked, and you were defending yourself. Is that true?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then look at me, and tell me why you are apologizing to me?” Dawn looked at him but couldn’t say anything. Bryan continued, “If you had started the fight, I would probably be putting you on a plane back to Arkansas right now. But all you did was defend yourself. There’s no harm in that.”

  “Thank you,” Dawn whispered, her voice full of emotion.

  “So tell me,” Bryan said as a huge grin spread across his face, “did you whip her good?”

  Later, after Dawn had repeated the story at least a dozen times, it was time for the Twin 125s. After switching cars, Bryan would start at the back of the field in the first race. Jeremiah would start fifth in the second race. Dawn had heard the powerful cars running before so she knew they would be loud, but she still wasn’t fully prepared when all those cars fired at once. The noise was so loud it caused her whole body to shake. She joined the crew in a prayer for safety and then watched Bryan’s race from the top of his pit box with his crew chief. He offered her a headset to wear so that she could hear race conversations. The headset had a microphone, but she traded it for one that didn’t. She was afraid that she would say things like “Oh, my !” or “Oh, no!” that would distract Bryan and the team.

  The race was amazing. It was like nothing she had ever seen before. She had seen races on TV, but that didn’t compare to being there live. Not only were the cars going 180 mph, they were so close to each other! Any driver could reach out his window and touch another vehicle without even extending his hand out all the way. Not that they would actually do that but they could if it wasn’t so dangerous. No wonder NASCAR was such a popular sport. On a superspeedway like Daytona, the drivers drafted off of each other. It was something about wind resistance and aerodynamics that Dawn didn’t quite understand. Somehow, if one car got right up on the bumper of the car in front of it, they “shared air.” The car
in the back pushed the other car while the one in the front pulled the other. The result was that both went faster together. But they were so close to each other that even the smallest mistake could mean disaster. Also, at a big racetrack like this, everyone waited for “the big one,” a huge wreck that happened as a result of one of those mistakes. Everybody said that is wasn’t a matter of if it happened but when. Bryan’s race ended without the big one. He raced from the rear of the field to finish second, just a car length behind the winner. That meant that Bryan would start in the second row of the 500.

  Dawn was climbing down from the pit box after the race when she saw Jeremiah walking with his car toward pit row. As soon as all the teams from the first race clear out of the way, the teams for the second race would set up and then race. “Good afternoon,” Dawn said to Jeremiah as he approached.

  “Good afternoon,” was his terse reply. He didn’t stop walking when she greeted him. She had to fall in step beside him and walk faster than normal to keep up.

  “Is something wrong?” she asked.

  “No,” he snapped.

  “Well, I’ll be going now. It was nice to see you again.” She wasn’t about to hang around where she obviously wasn’t wanted. She turned and walked away.

  “Wait!” Jeremiah called after her when she had only gone a few steps. “Come back here, please.” His tone was softer. Dawn stopped and thought about it for a second before turning and going back. “I’m sorry for being so short with you. I’ve got the race on my brain, and I get tunnel vision before a race,” he explained. “I didn’t mean to be rude.”