Page 28 of Drive Me Wild (Owl Creek #2)

C aleb guides me toward the bleachers after we buy some hotdogs and beer. I stuffed the dog down before we were seated, not realizing how hungry I was until I smelled the sweet aroma of grilled meat.

He lays out the blanket for us to sit on, a comforting barrier between the metal of the bleachers and our butts. Then he wraps the blanket around my legs before sitting next to me and wrapping the other side around himself.

“If the top half of you gets cold, I have another blanket I can grab. I just thought you’d be warm enough with the sun hitting the bleachers and the hat, scarf, and three layers of clothes you put on.”

“You can never have enough layers.”

“Never?” He bumps my shoulder, teasing.

Caleb looks around and catches the eye of several people, offering a nod or a wave. He knows a lot of people here.

There’s a guy announcing the next race, and Caleb starts to break it all down for me.

“Alright, the next race is a drag race. See those cars lined up over there? They’re driving a short distance at top speeds. The design of the car allows them to go very fast, very quickly. It’s also pretty loud.”

The announcer keeps talking, and suddenly, the cars are moving. Smoke is coming from the back tires, and they rip down the track in a few seconds before stopping.

“That’s it? They don’t go around the curves?”

“Nope. Imagine you’re in a car like Renée’s and at a stop light.

Some guy pulls up in the lane next to you and revs his engine.

There’s no one in front of you, so you decide to race.

When the light turns green, both cars floor it, and whoever gets to the next light first wins.

Drag racing started out as illegal street racing. Still happens in some places.”

“Okay, what’s next.”

“There are different classes of cars that are going to do this same race.”

“Did you ever drag race?”

“When I first started, I raced on some back roads and then found this place when I got caught. Luckily, the sheriff was friends with Buzz. I got off with a warning. After a while, I got into production car and stock car racing.”

“What was your favorite?”

“Probably stock car.”

“Why?”

He squinted at me, seeming to weigh how much he wanted to say.

“It’s the most thrilling. Probably the most dangerous.

Stock car racing started in the Prohibition era.

The bootleggers altered their cars so they could outrun the police.

Stock cars look like regular cars on the outside, but they’re modified to be fast. Then, the bootleggers started bringing their cars to racetracks to compete, and a new class of racing was born.

That’s what NASCAR is—National Association for Stock Car Racing.

“Wow, that’s interesting. I never knew.”

He bumped me with his shoulder again. “Are you glad you came?”

I leaned into him, burying my face in his neck.

“Thrilled. Didn’t you say a friend is racing one of your cars today?”

“I sold him one of my stock cars.”

“One?”

Caleb fake-coughs into his hand, trying to hide a laugh.

“I have several in a garage I rent near here.”

“Are you going to race again?” My heart thumps in my chest, thinking of him risking his life on this track.

“Not planning on it.”

Just then, a lanky guy in a Canadian tuxedo comes over with a beer in his hand.

“Hey man, good to see you. My race is coming up soon.”

“And you’re drinking a beer? Don’t be stupid.”

“It’s just one to calm the nerves.”

“If you get caught, you’ll be disqualified.”

“I’m not going to get caught. Look.” He finishes his beer and tosses the cup in the nearby garbage can. “See, not drinking.”

“You’re an idiot.”

He slaps Caleb on the back and sits down on the other side, pulling out a can of chewing tobacco. I notice Caleb stiffen.

“You gonna introduce me to your date?”

“Sorry, man. This is Zoe. Zoe, this is Tommy. He’s the one who bought my Barracuda.”

“My Bella Baby.”

“He’s also a big Twilight fan, so he named the car after Bella.”

“Nice to meet you, Tommy. Does everyone name their cars?”

“Pretty much. They don’t always tell you they did, but you can almost guarantee the car has a name.”

Tommy seems jovial. I don’t know if it’s the beer or because he’s going to race soon.

“Listen, man, I just wanted to pop by and say hi. And to give you a warning. Laura saw you coming in the gate, and she’s madder than a hornet. I heard her griping about you turning her down a few weeks ago.” Tommy stands up and tips his hat at me. “Nice to meet you, Zoe.”

I feel my throat tighten as Tommy ambles off. Caleb snakes his arm around me and squeezes my hip.

“So, who’s Laura?”

“Just a woman I know from the track.”

“Then why is she mad at you?”

“You know I’ve been with, um… a lot of women, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, she’s who I used to hang out with when I was here at the track. Or, she’s the last one.”

“So there’s more than one woman here who you’ve had sex with?”

Caleb looks down at his feet and nods his head, and I feel sick in my stomach.

What if they’re better at sex than I am? Will he get bored with me and come back here?

If they hang around the race track, they probably have more in common with Caleb than I do.

My mind starts spinning as I think about all the pretty women we passed walking to the concession stand and through the bleachers.

I’d noticed a lot of people looking at us, but I just figured it’s because he’s been racing here.

What if they were women he’s been with? What if they think I’m just like them?

“Caleb?” I whisper.

“Yeah?”

I don’t know what I want to say because I suddenly feel like I’m in a fishbowl, and all eyes are on us.

“Why me?”

“What?”

“Why did you decide to be in a relationship with me and not one of them?”

He turns toward me and gently puts his hand on my cheek, turning my face toward him.

“Because when I’m with you, I feel like I can be the man I’ve always wanted to be. I don’t have to hide behind a mask. I don’t have to be the person everyone expects. I can be more.”

“But what if you grow tired of that? Isn’t it exhausting trying to be someone new?”

“Zoe.” He plants a kiss on my lips and lingers there a few moments, his nose pressed to the side of my nose, his lips only a hair’s breadth away. “You inspire me. You ignite me. I’ll never grow tired of that.”

I nod, but my stomach is still doing somersaults, and I wonder if I need something to settle it down. “I’m going to go get some french fries and ginger ale. Do you want anything?”

He shakes his head and hands me his wallet. I thank him, stuff it in my pocket, and walk to the concessions, trying to stop myself from looking at every woman here.

I duck into the toilet first to check on my hair. Even though I know he believes what he says about us, I can’t help but want to appear worth it. It seems shallow, but I want him to think I’m the prettiest woman here.

I touch up my lipgloss and run my fingers through my hair, replacing my stocking cap. Suddenly, I regret wearing all these layers. I feel frumpy, and there’s nothing I can do about it.

After washing my hands, I walk out to the concession stand and get in line. There are a few boisterous people around, and the announcer is talking about the next race. Cars are entering the track and revving their engines, and the whole thing is loud and dirty.

Part of me hates it, and I worry about that. I worry that this thing that he obviously loves is something that we won’t have in common. I worry that we have very little in common, and again, my mind starts to spin.

The line moves forward, and now there’s one person ahead of me when I hear a voice close to my ear.

“So you’re the new girl.”

I spin around to face a blond woman. She’s a few inches taller than me, with long silky hair and perfect makeup. She’s wearing a tight tank top with a flannel over it and knee-high boots over her jeans. Even I can see that her body is banging.

“What?” I pretend I don’t know what she’s talking about, even though I’m sure this is Laura.

“You’re with Caleb Barone, aren’t you?”

“Yeah… yes.” My stomach is in my throat because I suddenly think she might punch me.

She makes a show of looking me up and down and then spits out her words. “Don’t get too attached.”

Then she turns on her heel and walks off. I watch her join a small group of women who are all looking at me. They all have what appears to be a sneer on their face, and then they disappear into a crowd that has formed near the base of the bleachers.

“What can I get you?”

“Huh?”

“You want to order something, or you just want to keep holding up the line?”

“Oh. Sorry. I need a beer and some fries. Actually, make that two beers and some fries.”

I’m not ashamed to admit that I want to drink my feelings away.

When I open Caleb’s wallet to pay, a yellow piece of paper falls out when I pull out the cash. I pick it up and start to tuck it back in, but jealousy is already eating at my guts, so I open it to read it.