The Champion (Racing on the Edge) (50 page)

“As did I honey and by all means, let’s go to dinner.”

So we went to dinner and I checked out those shaved legs,
removed off the bra and took my fucking lady to dinner.

I wasn’t sure I was ready for retirement yet as racing
was too important to me. But I was ready for a little relief. Tommy has
expressed interest in taking over more responsibility with JAR Racing so that
was an option. We had enough help that I could easily step back and just race
cup and help out with Axel’s racing. Sometimes you needed to back-out at times;
to reevaluate and think about what’s important. For me, that was this family
and the woman currently in my arms.

I enjoyed the road and my lifestyle for the most part but
there were times, late at night, when I thought maybe where there was
loneliness there would adaption. What if I came home one day and it didn’t seem
as though my family missed me? What if they learned to deal with my absence and
eventually had a life without me?

21.
        
Cold Pits – Jameson

Cold Pits – This
term is referred to no racing activity on the track and the pits are open to
people other than team members and racing officials.

As the off-season progressed testing and sponsorship
commitments crushed me to the point where I was physically exhausted. Having
never really been one who caught diseases
...
well
I had one hell of a cold that I was sure had turned into pneumonia by the time
early February rolled around.

While hacking up my spleen, I made my way into my office
at Grays Harbor. It seemed I still suffered from problems with my lungs and was
susceptible to pneumonia.

Mallory found me before I wanted her to. “Jameson, we
really need to take care of this.”

Nodding was my only response. Nodding was all I could do
these days. I just didn’t have time for any of this. Too much responsibility
led to me having too much on my mind.

We had schedules to finalize for the season, get the
insurance policies in order and line up track promoters for the events. This
may seem simple but it’s not. Track promoters are constantly trying to swing
their own deals and sponsors for events want everything under the sun.

For the last nine hours I’d been at the track with Axel
and Casten and I was ready to go home. I loved my kids but I could only handle
them for so long. I could only handle anyone for so long before my patience
wore thin.

Currently Axel and Casten were down on the track watering
it with Spencer. The only problem with this situation was that the boys were
helping by attaching inner tubes to the back of the truck with a rope.

They were water skiing in mud.

Idiots
. I muttered to myself glancing back at the
mountain of paperwork. One of them was sure to get hurt with Spencer driving.
Pouring myself a glass of whiskey, I had to laugh because there were
many
times when Sway and I did this as well when we were growing up. Our spaz
children weren’t much different.

Sighing deeply, I began looking through everything while
sipping my, much needed, drink. It was overwhelming and if Mallory hadn’t been
there I probably would have given up by now. I couldn’t thank her, Andrea and
Jen enough for all the work they did keeping Grays Harbor running. Even though
I couldn’t be there as much as I wanted, I had absolutely no intention of
selling.

Shortly before eight that night, Andrea came in the
office with Macy following behind her. “Hey Jameson, we are leaving for the
night. Sway called and asked that you come home.”

I nodded focusing on a few insurance claims that had been
filled last year by a driver racing in the street stock division. He was
claiming that we didn’t tell him he had to wear gloves. In turn, his hands were
burnt when his car caught on fire. You’d think some of these assholes would
have common sense but no, they lacked that at times. Those were the jerks that
gave everyone the impression racers were dumb.

On the way home that night after getting the boys cleaned
up enough to get inside my car, we stopped by the Ranch House and picked up
dinner.

I spent most of the drive home listening to Axel and
Casten in the back seat.

“Well damn
...
I
didn’t think of that.”

“No. No. There can’t be a damn in this scenario. Take it
back.” Casten told Axel, his voice serious. This was the first alarming part.
Casten was never serious.

“Oh yeah, well it’s not that easy, Casten. Might I add
...
this was your goddamn idea?”

Hearing my twelve-year old and eight-year old cussing was
a little alarming to me. But not surprising. By the time Axel was five, we had
to “out” the money when cussing or else Axel would be a millionaire now.

“I’m aware of that.” Casten replied with a chuckle.

“I want no part of this then,” was Axel’s response.

Casten laughed. “It’s a little late for that.”

“All right,” I finally interrupted. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” they said together.

Axel cracked under pressure when I laid down the law.
Always did.

“Someone better tell me.” I warned eyeing them in the
rearview mirror. The passing streetlights provided just enough light to catch
glimpses of their eyes.

As I expected, Axel cracked after five minutes of
silence. He didn’t like to see me upset in fear I’d take his race car away.
“Casten,” Axel began when his words were cut off by a grunt. I heard the punch
to Axel’s shoulder Casten delivered with Axel whispering “you asshole” to him.
“Casten
and
me,” he corrected. “well
...
we
told Arie to uh
...
she was tired.”

“And
...
”

“Well she was tired and we told her to just sleep in the
back of Spencer’s truck.”

“So?”

“Well Spencer he’s not exactly going back to Summit Lake
tonight.”

I knew that already. Spencer had plans to drive up to
Burlington tonight and then he was heading to Canada for the weekend to go
skiing with some of his buddies before testing began.

“Wait a second,” by now we had pulled into the garage. I
turned to face the boys. “You’re telling me that your sister showed up at the
track today, without me
knowing
. You told her to get in the back of
Spencer’s truck to take a nap and then didn’t tell him or me that she was back
there when he left.”

“That’s pretty much it.” Casten nodded with wide eyes.
Axel just stared at me in horror that I was going to freak out. And I did. My
little girl was in the back of a goddamn truck in the middle of winter, going
down the freeway with my crazy reckless driver of a brother.

“You’re both grounded.” I told them slamming the car
door. They followed me inside the house with the bags from Ranch House. “And
another thing,” they stopped dead in their tracks knowing damn well what was
next. “No Duel in the Desert.”

Axel looked as though he was going to cry and Casten
could care less. Even though he raced, he just raced because he enjoyed it but
he held nowhere near the passion Axel held for it.

“What’s going on?” Sway came bouncing into the kitchen
behind us.

Casten hopped onto one of the stools next to the island
digging through the bags from Ranch House looking for his dinner. “Dad lost
Arie.”

“I did not. You two did.” I pointed to both of them. “I
mean it—you’re both grounded and will not race in Phoenix.”

“What do you mean Arie is lost?” Sway began to panic.

Casten, being a complete mama’s boy poured it on thick.
“I’m sorry mama.” He hugged her while batting his eyelashes; she was a sucker
for that. “But look at it this way
...
you
won’t have to drive her to those stupid dance classes anymore.”

Sway slapped his shoulder. “Don’t be a jerk.” Her
panicked eyes found mine. “Where is she Jameson?”

By now, I was already calling Spencer and waiting for him
to answer. “Apparently, your boys decided to convince her to take a nap in the
back of Spencer’s truck.”

“
Okay
...
so
where is Spencer?”

“Burlington. Actually, he’s on his way to Burlington and
then Canada.”

It took her about thirty six seconds before she finally
grasped the meaning behind this. “Oh my god!”

“Now you finally understand.”

She turned toward the boys. “That was not a very nice
thing to do.”

Emma walked into the kitchen just then with Noah
following her.

“Why are you two here?” I asked annoyed when Noah kicked
my shin as he walked past. For being eleven now, he was still an asshole and
even more dangerous around cars then he was at two. He was a little fucker.

“We came over for dinner. Aiden and Charlie will be here
in a few minutes.” She looked around the kitchen. “Is Arie with Lexi?”

“Nope,” Casten replied. “She’s heading for Canada eh.” He
added a Canadian accent on the end.

“Canada?”

“Yep,” He nodded. “Axel’s fault,”

Axel’s temper was exactly like mine. How do you think he
reacted?

In a very quick movement, he had his younger brother on
the ground and in a headlock while Casten screamed bloody fucking murder for
Sway to rescue him.

Spencer answered so I let the boys wrestle around on the
kitchen floor while Sway tried to get them away from each other.

“Spencer?”

“Yeah?” I could hear the faint sounds of his truck’s
engine in the background.

“Where are you at?”

“I’m just outside of Burlington, why?”

“Because
...
Arie is
the back of your truck,”

“What?” he panicked. “How the fuck did she get back
there? Jameson, it’s snowing and has been for the last half an hour.”

Jesus Christ!

“Pull over.” I demanded. Now I was the one panicking.
Sway was beside me urgently clinging to my side trying to hear everything we
said. Emma rushed behind her knocking all three of us forward into the granite
counter.

There was silence for probably close to five minutes
while I heard Spencer getting out of his truck.

“Jameson
...
”
Spencer’s voice was amused. “Your daughter would like some words with you.”

Shit.

Arie must have taken the phone because the next thing we
heard was her screaming. “Those two better pray for lives because when I get
home,” she growled. “I’m gonna
...
I’m
gonna kill those assholes!” Her voice marred slightly by her shivering.

“Without a doubt
...
you
are your mother’s daughter.” I laughed at my ten-year old daughter’s use of
words. We tried to teach them to not swear but really, were we good examples?
No.

After that night, the boys kept their practical jokes to
a minimum.

I ended up having a conversation with Axel later that
night after Arie arrived home and we were sure she was all right.

“Hey buddy.” The door creaked open as I stuck my head
inside.

Axel looked up with a furtive glance. “Hey Lil, I gotta
go
...
dad’s here
...
yeah
...
all right
...
see you then.” His cheeks flushed as she
said something else. “I
...
love you too.”
He whispered and then hung up quickly.

Chuckling, I moved inside his room. “Love huh?”

He shrugged leaning back on his bed tossing his phone on
the night stand. I noticed a picture next to his lamp of him and Lily when they
were about four when he began to speak. “Why not love?”

“Love is a strong choice to use when you’re twelve, buddy.”

“I know that
...
but
it’s true.”

“Fair enough
but
you need to be careful. You’re
young and so is Lily.”

He sighed, that same sigh I used. The one I used when
someone warned me about Sway when I was younger. Sure, it turned out well for
us; we just celebrated our twelfth wedding anniversary. I was still just as
much in love with her as I was the day I said “I do”. I also knew enough about
Axel that his intentions with Lily were genuine. Without a doubt, he loved her.

“Do I really not get to race in Phoenix?”

“You need to learn there are consequences, Axel. You and
Casten both. What you did with Arie today could have really hurt her.”

“I know
...
but dad
...
” he whined. It was difficult for me
because if someone had told me at twelve I couldn’t race
...
I would have had a shit fit of epic proportions, no lie. I
think I actually did at one time or another, I’m sure of it.

“All right buddy
but
if you mess with Arie again
...
I’m turning her loose on you.”

“Oh dear god,” He teased with a smile. He knew damn well
what she was capable of. Arie had repercussions down to a goddamn art.

Patting him on the back, I stood. “I say the same thing
about my sister.”

I found Sway in our room rubbing Arie’s back as she slept
in our bed. “How is she?” My hand ran up Arie’s back brushing her rusty locks
to one side, her breathing, slow and steady.

“She seems good. I called Dr. Sypher. She said to keep
her warm and hydrated.” Sway’s eyes met mine and I could see the wariness in
them. “Her temp is 94.5
...
that’s a
concern.”

Sway and I spent the rest of the night in bed with Arie,
scrutinizing every shiver and breath she took. Something very strange happens
when you become a parent. Suddenly, and in an instant, you’re not longer
focused on you and you alone. There is this tiny human looking up to you for
comfort, reassurance, care and most of all
...
love.
It was a huge responsibility and I thought being a NASCAR champion was hard.
Parenthood had nothing on that.