Happy Hour (Racing on the Edge) (69 page)

Resting my elbows against the table, I ran my hands through my hair and then along my jaw. “I
...
don’t know. I get that everyone is trying to warn me but I’m not going to stop racing just because some jealous fucker can’t get over the fact that his girlfriend wanted my dick
...
” my voice trailed off when I realized Lane was present. “I mean penis.”

Spencer just laughed. I had a feeling Lane was use to this cause he never looked up, just continued his coloring.

“I don’t understand
how
Darrin gets away with half the shit he’s pulls on the track.” Aiden added pouring himself a glass of beer from the pitcher the server finally brought over. “It’s like NASCAR just looks the other way.”

Placing the hot wings in the middle of the table, the waitress focused on me. “Is there anything else I can get you, honey?” she pushed her tits together leaning forward.

“No, that’s all.” I smirked when Spencer and Aiden started laughing.

Knowing Spencer was moments away from embarrassing me, I turned my head towards Lane. “What are you coloring buddy?”

His answer was to push a red crayon in my hand. A clear indication I was to color, I assumed.

The waitress didn’t leave. Instead, she bent down to my ear and whispered. “Here’s my number, call me later. I’m off at ten.”

I pulled back to look at her nametag. “Jen is it?”

She nodded with a flirtatious smile; her hand rubbed my back.

Dropping the crayon, I reached for the note she placed in my pocket and handed the note back to her. “I have a girlfriend.”

“She doesn’t have to know,” was her response.

Aiden made a disgusted snorting sound, Spencer grinned.

Lane, who’d said little since his tantrum getting off the plane, piped up in his little chipmunk voice. “Yes she does, I’ll tell her. I love my auntie Sway.” He never even looked up from his coloring.

There wasn’t a straight face around our table as we laughed at Lane. Jen left.

I didn’t think he could hear her let alone understand what she was implying. Though Spencer acts stupid, he is not. I was beginning to realize Lane was the same way.

Eventually the conversation drifted back to Darrin when our food arrived.

“You know who his aunt is, right?” Spencer asked Aiden who couldn’t understand why Darrin wasn’t being held more accountable for his behavior on the track.

“No, who?” we both asked.

 “Deanna Reynolds.”

Reynolds?
I only knew one Reynolds that would make for
...
That would mean Gordon was Darrin’s uncle.

 “No shit?” I choked on my beer. “How did you find this out?”

“The power of Google my dear brother,” he nodded his head arrogantly. “You’d be amazed what is available on the internet.”

“Wow, I’m impressed.” I took another drink of my beer. “You’re actually kind of clever.”

“I am
really
clever. People think I’m stupid but I’m really not.” he shrugged. “Shit, have you seen Lane?” he started looking for his son, who we thought was still coloring beside us.

Alley really should have thought twice before she allowed us to take Lane with us. But then again, she should be able to trust his father at some point. I’d like to think Spencer had grown since leaving Lane at the grocery store and bringing home the wrong child.

When we found him, I burst out laughing. Lane was peeing in the corner of the restaurant. A waitress with wide-eyes was telling him he shouldn’t do that.

Lane’s response, “I can’t read signs. I’m three.” He shrugged. “How’d I suppose to know that the bathroom? I had to pee.”

Aiden nudged my arm watching Spencer try to explain
why
his son was peeing in the corner of the restaurant. “Do you think that’s why Darrin hasn’t been penalized?”

“He
has
been penalized for his actions.” I clarified pouring myself another beer. “Just
...
not enough.” My eyes shot up when I heard my name announced in the distance.  “He won’t stop until I’ve given up. But I’m not going to.”

Aiden stared at me warily. “Jameson, just be careful.”

My name was said again, this time by another group of people near the entrance of the small restaurant. I knew then my time here was up, or at least my quiet time here was at an end.

“I didn’t get where I’m at today by being vigilant, Aiden.”

I understood
why
everyone was warning me but I will be damned if I was going to let Darrin Torres push me around or end my career—a career that I worked so hard for and sacrificed so much for.

The night fell into a steady pace of signing autographs and posing for pictures. Somewhere in between all this, my attention shifted towards Spencer and Lane.

It made me think of Sway, wondering if she was in fact pregnant. I wanted to ask Spencer what Alley was like but I knew what that would turn into—I had no intentions for brotherly bonding right now. It’d probably be more embarrassing than informational, especially with the intuitive Aiden around.

Staying in a hotel room with two beds, three adults and a three year old was not exactly the best experience I’d ever had, including the night I was stalked by a deadly predator that had every intention of mating with me.

Never again would I do that again, both camping in the woods and sleeping in the same room with these crazies.

Between Spencer’s snoring, Aiden’s concern for Darrin and general quirkiness, and Lane saying he had to pee every five minutes
...
I wanted to rip my fucking hair out.

I finally had to say, “Listen, when you have to pee, just go.”

It was as though he had a bladder the size of a goddamn humming bird.

I wasn’t wild about his lack of bladder control and felt as though we’d made a connection about when to go and when not to around midnight.

All that went to shit when he took my advice of “Just go” literally and peed in the goddamn bed.

When Wednesday rolled around, I was once again back to racing and grateful not to have to be around them all day.

Instead, I was back in Sarver racing sprint cars with Justin West and Tyler Sprague.

Lernerville Speedway was a 4/10 mile dirt track located right outside of Pittsburg Pennsylvania. Being back on the dirt reminded me of the good ole days when Sway was with me every day.

When speaking with her throughout the week, she avoided my lingering questions all together. I threatened to fly home if she didn’t tell me what was bothering her but again she changed the subject to something inconsequential. I had a gut feeling she knew she was pregnant but was afraid to tell me.

So many times, I typed out the text message to her, asking if she was pregnant but erased it when I realized that was retarded.

You don’t ask something like that through text messages, even I knew that.

As soon as I landed in Pocono later that week, race day was there before I knew it. Media, sponsor obligations and team meetings filled my days.

I qualified second, behind Darrin. This meant that we both visited the NASCAR hauler prior to the race where Gordon explained that they would not tolerate any bullshit on the track today.

I just chuckled to myself that here Gordon was telling his nephew this. If only I’d known that months ago all this would have made much more sense.

Darrin was hardly a
good
driver. Sure, he could drive, there was no way to make it to this level without the ability but he didn’t have it in him to be a champion in the series and he lacked a serious sense of sportsmanship.

I tried calling Sway before the race but it went straight to voicemail once again. The Modified Nationals were last night in Elma so I assumed she had a late night.

Making my way towards the grid for driver introductions, I saw Alley approaching me, in tears.

Alley never cried.

She slipped her Blackberry in her pocket before she approached me. Wrapping my arms around her, I attempted to comfort her. “What’s wrong?”

“Jameson
...
you can’t go out there today.” She choked on her tears, her eyes held worry.

“What?” I pulled back holding her at an arm-length. “What are you talking about?”

“Mariah
...
she
...
told
...
” she blinked quickly. “I overheard her on her cell phone
...
in the bathroom.” Alley wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her Simplex sweatshirt. “He’s going to wreck you.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time.” I mumbled with a sigh. “Look, Alley
...
I get that everyone is concerned, I really do. But this is
my job
. If I don’t go out there and do what Simplex and my dad are paying me to do, we lose sponsorship. That means
...
I lose my ride and you’re out of a job too,”

“I know but—”

“I have to get to driver introductions.” Holding my hand up, I began to walk away. “Just let me handle this,
please
. Stay out of it.”

Alley followed nodding. Watching her, I could tell something else was wrong; her body language was different. This wasn’t just about Darrin. Her eyes flickered to mine once and then quickly towards the ground.

“What are you not telling me?”

She grimaced looking away. “Nothing Jameson,” Alley reached up, her arms snuck around my neck for a hug. “Be careful. We’ll talk after the race.”

“No, no
...
what is it?” I forced her to look at me. My stomach fell as I thought something might be wrong with Sway. “Is everything okay with Sway?”

“Sway is fine.” She met my tortured expression quickly diverting her eyes. “Axle
...
” her voice trailed off and I knew what she was telling me.

He died.

Nodding, my eyes fell to my feet and I began to walk away. I thought I heard her mumble an “I’m sorry”, but I couldn’t be sure over the loud thumping in my ears.

An hour later and one trip to the bathroom to compose myself for interviews, I was standing next to my car, doing pre-race interviews, trying my hardest not to get emotional over that little boy who fought so hard to make it.

Ashley approached me as I leaned up against the car with Spencer.

Spencer being Spencer attempted to embarrass me. “Hey Ashley, how’s the vertical smile these days?” he laughed slapping me on the back.

“Ask Jameson, he’d know,” Ashley snarked back.

“Uh
...
no
...
I would not,” I interrupted their bantering. “Is there something you want Ashley?”

Ashley turned on her faux smile, glaring towards Spencer. “So Jameson, you’re starting second
...
how’s the car?” she shoved her recorder in my face.