A Courtesy Call (Green Division Series Book #2) (16 page)

“Oh, man up.  You’ll be fine.”

“Man up?”   Mike repeated her smartass words.

“Yes, man up.  I’ll be right back.”  She disappeared into a back room and returned with a helmet.  “For you.”

The apprehension in Mike’s face was clear.  He’d trusted her in the driver’s seat when on the highway, but this was a race track, in a race car.  Her partner had burned to death.  It didn’t comfort him.

Though it was a production Mike succeeded in fitting his frame into the seat made for a much smaller figure.  The close quarters due to the equipment inside had him sandwiched like a canned sardine.  He put his helmet on and secured it tightly.  Raleigh did the same. 

“Are you ready?”  Raleigh asked, fingers on the ignition.

“No,” Mike answered honestly. 

Raleigh started the car and backed it out of garage.  “It’s a five mile track and changes from dirt to pavement.”

Sounds safe.

Raleigh started slow, working her way up to a halfway decent speed.  Without proper safety precautions such as people at the garage, fire suits, or anyone knowing they were there, she wouldn’t be hitting the track at full speed.  They drove around the track twice and returned to the garage.

“What do you think?”

“Thank you for keeping it under a hundred.”

“It was tough.”  She pulled off her helmet and faced him.  “Do you want to have a go?”

“I shouldn’t.” 
I don’t want to wreck a car that costs most than I make in a decade.

“Shouldn’t means you want to.”  Raleigh pulled herself out.  “Come on, get in.”  She walked over to the passenger side.  “I trust you.”

“Brave.”

“Come on.”  She pulled at his arm. 

Mike swapped seats with her.  He was a very conservative driver, the speedometer never hit above 70 mph.

“Test her out.”  Raleigh enticed him, but Mike refused. 

He brought it back to the garage and pulled it into the bay. 

“You drive like an old lady.”  Raleigh nudged him playfully.  Mike set his helmet on the counter and faced her.

“I find myself being more careful than I used to be.  Call it old age.”

“You’re not old.”  Raleigh placed her helmet next to his.

“A lot older than you.” 

“You’ve gotta be what, thirty four?”

A wide grin crossed his face.

“Keep in mind I have a nineteen year old daughter.”

“Damn, you started young.”  She raised a brow.

“I’m forty one.  Flattering though.”

“You are an old man.”

“I take back that flattering bit.”  He looked over at her.  “And you are a kid.”

“I’m thirty two, hardy a kid.”

“What I wouldn’t give to go back to being thirty two.”

“Wasn’t it you who lectured me about living in the past.”  She put her hands on her hips.

“I don’t live in the past.  But my young thirties were some of the best years of my life.  Cass was an innocent little girl.  My family was...”
 
Mike stopped his train of thought.  “I have fond memories of my life at your age, that’s all.”

“No fond memories in your forties old man?”   Raleigh decided not to pry.

“I’m working on it.”   Mike realized his statement sounded quite different than he intended.

“Hmm...what does it take to make a fond memory?”  She stepped forward into his space.   Raleigh’s body and mind were at war.  She very much wanted to NOT be attracted to Mike.  To not care.  To not get involved in any way with him, but it was too late.
 

“
Happiness, contentedness.”  His voice was very low.  Her close proximity awakened a side to Mike that he tried to suppress.  “That’s because I’m an old man though.”

“You’re not old.  I’m teasing you.”

You certainly are. 
Mike thought.

“So.”  She took a deep breath.  “This is your last day here.”

“Yeah.”  Mike got his composure back.  “Went by quick, that’s for sure.  We didn’t see much of Jen.  I told Cass we should have called before coming out here, but all you women are stubborn.”

“Jen’s ah, she’s not one who likes to be fussed over.”  Raleigh tried to redeem her innocent friend.  “She would have told you not to come out, if you’d called in advance.”

“I hope she knows how grateful I am.”

Raleigh squeezed his hand.  “She knows.”

Silence followed her statement.  The way Mike looked at her—it was like he knew.   She let go of his hand.  A shudder of apprehension came over her.
  What if he finds out?

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” 

Almost.  You came pretty close to being one. 
“Sorry, I was thinking about something else.”  She sat on a stool, her legs all of a sudden felt like Jell-O.  She needed to get away from Mike before she got in too deep, but she didn’t want to.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”  She plastered a fake smile on her face.
And thank god you are too.

Mike didn’t know what to think of her sudden change of emotion.  She went from being happy, to playfully flirty, to flat out strange.  He saw her hands tremble even though she tried valiantly to hide it.

“Did I saw something to upset you?”

“I feel a little dizzy, that’s all.  Motion sickness.  Happens sometimes when I get out of the car.”   It sounded like a believable lie.

Motion sickness?  A driver having motion sickness?  That makes no sense.
  Mike walked to the cooler on the far side of the garage and pulled out a bottle of water.

“Thank you.”  Raleigh sipped it.  Mike looked at her concerned. 

“Maybe I should bring you home.”  He offered.

“I’m okay now.”

“You don’t look okay.”  He’d never seen a face as pale as hers on a living person.

“I swear, I’m okay.”

“Come on, I’ll give you a ride.”

“Mike—”

“It's non-negotiable.”  He offered his arm to help her.  “I’m driving you home.”

Mike walked her to her car after she locked up the shop.  He would take a taxi back to get the rental later.

The ride was quiet, Raleigh didn’t offer a word.  The radio broke the silence between them.

“You’re listening to QMBC and this is your sports news minute.  Top of the news is rally driver Raleigh Jo Dawson’s most recent fight.” 
Raleigh looked at the radio in utter horror.
  “This time it is reported her co-driver, Jon Rosseau, was arrested on charges of assaulting Dawson following an accident during practice.  Some things don’t change folks and Dawson’s wild child side is one of them.  Keep your boxing gloves on Raleigh.”

Mike clicked the radio off seeing the effect it had on her. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

“We know the truth.  Don’t let it get to you.”  Mike put his hand on her thigh trying to reassure her. 
Get your hand off her, what are you doing?

Raleigh shocked him when she covered his hand with hers and held it tightly. 

Raleigh wanted to be comforted.  She was tired of living under a microscope.  Tired of the way everyone treated her, slandered her.  But Mike—somewhere along way he changed in her eyes.  He wasn’t one of
them. 
One of the people who kept her under that microscope.

Their hands didn’t part until they pulled into Raleigh’s yard.

“I’ll help you walk in.” 

“I'm feeling better, I swear.”

Mike walked her to the door despite her protest.

“I’ll call a cab to take me back to the shop.  Are you going to be okay?”  Raleigh again didn’t answer the question.  She unlocked the door.

“Earth to Raleigh.” 

She took his hand and led him inside with her.

“Stay.”

Mike subconsciously hoped she would ask.  Hell, it wasn’t subconscious, he wanted her to ask.  He closed the door behind him. 

“Why are you upset?  Don’t tell me the news because you were this way before that came on the radio.”

“I already told you I had motion sickness.”  She flipped her hair nervously.

“I don’t believe you.”

Raleigh walked away from him, through the patio door, and out to the pool.  It was a steamy 86 degrees out and the sun beat down on her shoulders.

“You want me to stay, then you run away.”  Mike followed her to the pool.

“I’m complicated.”  She crossed her arms in front of her and looked straight ahead. 

That’s the truth. 
Mike wanted to figure her out, find out what clearly tortured her soul.  Luke was only part of the equation.

“Why won’t you tell me what’s bothering you?”  He stood beside her.

The pool suddenly looked very appealing to Raleigh. 

“Do you want to go swimming?”  Raleigh kicked off her sandals and slid her capris down her hips.  “I’m hot, I need to cool off.”  Off her tank top came. Her underwear was far more conservative than the average bikini.  She stood before him in a black sports bra and black boy shorts underwear.  And damn, couldn’t she wear them.  Mike certainly noticed.

I’m in trouble. 
He thought.

Raleigh dove in and swam the length of the pool underwater.   She stood up in the low end.  Water dripped sensuously down her torso.  Mike starred shamelessly in admiration.

“Well?”  Raleigh motioned with her hand for him to join her.  “Are you coming in?”

“I don’t have a suit.” 

“So, neither do I.”  She ducked under the water.

“What are you doing?”  Mike talked to himself as he disrobed to his matching black boxer briefs.  He jumped in the pool.  When he came back up, Raleigh splashed his face.

“Playing dirty.”  He wiped the water away.  She continued to splash him.  Mike returned the favor.

“Keep it up,” Mike threatened.

“Or what?” She teased.  “Are you going to stop me?”

Mike stood up in the shallow water, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her back into his chest.  Her arms were pinned at her sides to prevent her from splashing him.

“There, I stopped you.”  He spun her around in the water.  “You didn’t put up much of a fight, slugger.”

“Maybe I don’t want to fight you.”  She melted into him, her head leaned back against his shoulder. 

Mike adjusted his hold on her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

“What do you want to do?”  He asked curious, yet nervous.

Raleigh turned and faced him, bringing her arms to the sides of his neck.  Another scar below his collar line jarred her memory.  She ran her fingertips lightly over the scarred tissue and flashed back to that day.