Chapter 9
9
Robbie
Charly: Talk to you before you leave?
Shit. I’d glanced at my phone only after the race while we were getting ready to hit the road and by then we couldn’t delay.
Robbie: Sorry, just saw this.
Charly: It’s alright. See you in Oklahoma?
Robbie: Definitely.
I feel like I’ve missed some big seismic shift, but all I can focus on is that she’s talking to me again.
She wanted to reach out at the race. Where people could see us. Could she be wanting to get back together?
Robbie: What did you want to talk about?
Robbie: I could call when we get to the hotel tonight.
One thing was for sure, whatever the conversation we were about to have was, I didn’t want all of my guys to listen in on it.
Charly: I think this might be best in person.
Shit. What does that mean?
Red Dirt Raceway is in a tiny town just outside of Oklahoma City. When we approach the track, I can tell Eddie’s nervous. The championship is close enough between him and Charly that he needs to perform well these next two days.
And that likely means he needs to win. The two of them have been swapping the lead all season with only a handful of other winners. The driver in third place is dozens of points behind, so they won’t threaten Eddie and Charly’s duel.
I pull the hauler around behind the track and into the pit area, pleased to see that Charly’s team is already there. Seizing the door she’d opened by texting me, I’ve been sending messages to her all week. Simple things like pictures of the team working or things I think she might find interesting.
She’s been responding, but so far we haven’t gone past those surface level interactions. Maybe I’ll have time to talk to her right away. The guys can get everything unloaded and set up without my help.
I throw the rig in park and jump out, glancing around to see if anyone else is here before hustling over toward Charly’s hauler. I’ve gotten used to parking as far away from her as possible so we can avoid any whispers of gossip that might still be lingering.
A couple of her guys see me coming and they turn, hollering into the trailer. Before I even get close, Charly’s jogging down the ramp and coming toward me. She looks nervous and I notice how she’s twisting her hands together. She’s usually so calm that it ratchets up my anxiety.
Oh God. What if she is telling me she doesn’t want to try again?
I tamp that thought down, focusing on the fact that she’s been responding to messages all week. If she were breaking things off, wouldn’t she have just given me the cold shoulder?
“Robbie.” She tries to smile, but it looks more like a grimace than anything happy.
“You okay?” I reach toward her but drop my arm, not sure if she’d reject me or not.
“Yeah.” She shoves her hair behind her ears. “Just nervous.” With a wave of her hand, she gestures away from the haulers. “Would you walk with me?”
I nod and we fall into step next to each other. I shorten my stride so I don’t make her hustle after me and we walk in silence around the turns of the track until we get closer to the small grandstands on the front stretch.
By unspoken agreement, we head toward the seats and settle into the first row, facing out toward the deep red dirt of the track.
“I.” She starts and then seems to shake her nervous off. “I want to apologize for running away from you like I did after the accident.”
“You didn’t run.” I rush to defend her actions. There wasn’t any doubt in my mind that she’d done the right thing in distancing herself from me. I would never let myself put her career at risk. Even if it broke my heart.
She lays a hand on my knee. “I did. The gossip scared me and it was the only thing I could think about.”
“You don’t have to apologize for something that wasn’t your fault.” I’m adamant because I don’t want her to feel guilty about this. I’ve never blamed her or thought ill of her.
“I’m sorry.”
She’s insistent. I lay my hand over hers where it still rests on my knee, giving it a light squeeze of reassurance.
She glances toward me and then away, and my stomach clenches when I see the sheen of tears in her eyes. “I’ve really missed you.” She whispers the words so low the wind almost carries them away.
“God, I’ve missed you too.” I want to pull her to me, kiss her, and reassure myself that we’re both on the same page, but I hold still, not wanting to do something she’s not ready for or might not welcome.
“Do you think you would ever trust me enough to try again?”
I wait for her to look at me before I say. “I’ve never not trusted you.” With a tug, I pull her toward me and our lips crash together. Her hands circle my neck and I lose myself in the feel of her. The sweet taste of her mouth and the unique scent that’s just Charly.
One of the track workers clangs against something behind us and we spring apart, both panting. For a few moments, we just stare at each other before her chest shakes.
For one horrifying second I think she’s about to cry, but then laughter spills from her throat and I laugh too.
“Where do we go from here?” I ask when we’ve finally settled down.
She stands and holds out her hand to me. “Well.” She pulls me up and I crowd close to her, slipping a hand around her back. “I’m going to do my best to beat Eddie tonight.”
“Oh, really.” I tease.
“Yes, really.”
We walk back around toward the pits and it feels like a weight’s lifted off my shoulders. “And what are you going to do if Eddie wins tonight?”
Her grin is wicked. “You’ll see.”
Eddie won last night, keeping us within two points of Charly and laying it all on the line for the second night at Red River.
After the race, we lingered at the haulers until it was time for us to drive back to our hotels. Which were, unfortunately, miles apart from each other. That didn’t stop us from video chatting long into the early hours of the morning.
I’m feeling the effects of the lack of sleep, but with our fall and winter break coming up, I tell myself I can always catch up on that later.
Just talking to Charly again settled the restless part of me that’s been eating at me since this summer.
We’ve avoided each other all night, needing to focus on the race. Now the cars are getting pushed off for the A Main and Eddie and Charly are wheel to wheel next to each other in the front row.
In about a half hour, we’ll find out if Eddie wins his third championship or if Charly will get her first. After the engine fires, I run for the back of the truck so I can stand in the bed and watch the race.
Eddie and Charly swap the lead on every other lap and I’m honestly not sure who I want to win. Either way, the fans are getting a great show and they’re both racing better than they have all season.
Our teams have meshed together, and we’re both cheering with each pass and slide that comes. When the white flag flies, Eddie’s in the lead coming into turn three from the backstretch, but Charly slides around him on the outside, shooting forward as they round the fourth turn.
Both cars speed up the front stretch, but Charly gets ahead by the barest margin of the front wing. My heart leaps in excitement for her and regret for Eddie’s loss. Around me, my guys are cheering for Charly just as much as they would for Eddie.
Charly pulls the car around to the scale and then steers up onto the winner’s platform, Eddie waiting in line behind her.
Flashbulbs pop as she climbs out of the car and a confetti cannon explodes, spraying paper squares everywhere. Eddie pulls the car off to the side so when it’s his turn, he can get his picture taken with the giant check.
Both of our crews jump and hug each other, shaking hands and slapping backs as we try to get ourselves organized. In the chaos, I catch Eddie congratulating Charly and then moving aside so the focus can remain on her.
I linger in the back of the stage, not wanting to intrude on her moment until she looks around, catching my eye and motioning me forward. When I step out from the crowd, she throws her arms around me and plants a kiss on my cheek. A mile wide grin lighting up her face.
The flashbulbs are blinding, and I lean close so she can hear me over the cheers. “Are you sure about this?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything.” She smiles, keeping a hold of my hand and pulling me forward with her. “I’m keeping you, and that’s all there is to it. Let them take as many pictures as they want.”
My heart swells and I force myself not to cry. “I love you Charly Dane.”
“I love you too, Robbie.” Without hesitation she plants a big, sloppy kiss on my lips and I dip her low as we’re surrounded by the loud cheers of the crowd.