Hart's Victory (10 page)

“I…” She stopped and shook her head. He couldn’t want her, and even if he did, Hart traded women every few months. No matter what he said about fear, smart women didn’t walk through minefields just to prove they weren’t afraid. “This is too fast. Too sudden. I’m not one of those weekend women.”

He shook his head and laughed, his tone incredulous. “Heck, no. You wouldn’t be here if I thought that.” He tenderly stroked her cheek. “As for moving too fast, we’ll slow down. How about we get out of here tonight? Go to a little hole-in-the-wall I know of that has authentic Italian food. Get to know each other.”

“Charlie,” she said, reminding him of her son.

“Is coming, too,” Hart said, without missing a beat. “This weekend is not just about you and me. You and Charlie are a package. While I want some time alone with you, I’m not asking for that at his expense.”

“I don’t know if being alone with you is wise,” Kellie said, weakening. She’d been impressed with what Hart had just said. He’d wanted Charlie, too.

“We’ll cross each bridge as we come to it. No hurries. No pressures,” Hart said. He brushed a loose strand of hair off her face, the motion caring and intimate. Kellie’s skin heated. Why had she said yes? She couldn’t resist this man. Maybe she’d been off the dating scene too long. Maybe…

His lips lowered, and the trill of her cell phone sounding from the front of her jeans pocket was the only thing that stopped him from kissing her again. Hart stepped away and Kellie stood, digging out her phone. “It’s Charlie,” she said, recognizing the ring tone. “Hello?”

“Hi, Mom. Taylor’s mom said he had some chores to do, so I’m on my way back with Stuart. I brought some anime in my suitcase, so we’re coming in to get those. You know, just wanted to warn you.”

In case you were busy with Hart.
He didn’t have to say it, but Kellie knew that’s why he was calling. Her son had a maturity to him that was frightening, and a strong wish that his mother was doing something with Hart�which she wasn’t. Only a kiss. That didn’t count, she lied to herself. “Hart and I are talking in the kitchen. We’re thinking of going out to dinner after he qualifies. How about that?”

“Sounds good,” Charlie said. “See you in a few.” He hung up and Kellie pressed the button ending the call. She set the phone on the counter.

“That’s pretty ancient,” Hart said, indicating her cell.

“Yeah. It’s like a lot of things. I refuse to pay for a phone, so I’ll upgrade when I’m eligible in another two months. I don’t do any of that multimedia stuff, so we just have the cheapest family plan. My mom got it for us.”

“So what was Charlie calling about?” Hart asked.

“He and Stuart are on their way back here. Charlie’s got some anime magazines that he wants to share. They’re in his suitcase.”

Hart glanced at his watch. The motor home was pretty insulated, but every now and then the roar of engines could be heard as a truck sped by on one of its two qualifying laps. “How much time do you have?” Kellie asked.

“About an hour,” Hart said.

The door opened and Charlie and Stuart bounded in, followed by a woman carrying a baby. “Hey, Alyssa,” Hart said.

“Hart, these guys aren’t going to bother you, are they? I’ve just got a busload of people over there. Since it’s Betsy’s birthday, everyone’s here.” She stood on the steps, the baby waving her fists and sucking on a pacifier as she took everything in.

“They’re fine,” Kellie said, moving forward before Hart could speak. “I’m Kellie, Charlie’s mother.”

“Nice to meet you. Alyssa McDougal, temporarily insane wife of Ronnie. And this is my ten-month-old daughter. What was I thinking doing a birthday party right after qualifying? And Ronnie’s over there trying to take a quick nap. It’s a good thing he can sleep through just about anything.”

Kellie shook Alyssa’s hand. Alyssa appeared to be in her late thirties. Her curly hair was cropped short and she appeared stressed. “Stuart’s welcome to stay as long as you like,” Kellie said. The boys were already out of sight, having gone into the back bedroom to dig into Charlie’s suitcase.

“That’d be a lifesaver,” Alyssa said. “You’d be amazed how one less kid in the mix makes the craziness lessen. This way, he and Betsy won’t fight. Five TVs over there, and they fight over one. Just send him back sometime before six-thirty.”

“Will do,” Kellie said. With that, Alyssa left.

“That’s going to win you tons of brownie points,” Hart said.

“I didn’t do it for points,” Kellie said, frowning.

“She knows that,” Hart said. “You’re a mother and you understood. That’ll go a long way with Alyssa. Don’t be surprised if she takes you under her wing.”

“I’m not going to be around long enough for that,” Kellie said skeptically.

Hart simply arched an eyebrow at her, reached for a remote control and flipped the television on. “What do you want to watch?”

The satellite station was tuned to an old Julia Roberts and Richard Gere movie. “That’s fine,” she said, as Hart settled himself onto the couch. “An oldie but a goodie.”

“Just so you know, you won’t scare me off with a chick flick,” Hart said.

“Wasn’t trying,” Kellie replied.

“Uh-huh,” Hart said as he settled in. While quality time really wasn’t watching a classic movie, the fact that Hart would rather be with her than in his own motor home spoke volumes. Kellie curled up her legs, safe on her own cushion a foot away from his. He smiled at her movements, but didn’t comment.

As for Kellie, like the character in the movie, she’d entered a totally different world. Of course, she wasn’t being paid anything, but Kellie still felt slightly like Alice dropping into Wonderland. She had no idea what would happen next. She had butterflies in her stomach. But she couldn’t let herself go.

Whatever these feelings were, surely they would fade. Charlie had tests scheduled next week, and she’d worry about those the minute they returned to Myrtle Beach.

But for now, she forced herself to relax and enjoy Hart’s company. As the movie played, a rare sense of comfort and normalcy settled over Kellie. This weekend, if only for a short time, she would let herself loose in the fantasy of Hart. Then she’d go home, savoring the memories. She took a sip of the diet cola she’d carried over with her. He’d kissed her. Sweetly. Maybe…

Kellie pushed those dreams from her head. This was a vacation. An aberration. No matter how much she was suddenly wishing otherwise, the clock was ticking. Come Sunday, reality time.

S
HE
’
D NEVER SEEN
anything like qualifying. Since Hart already had a spot in the Challenge, his qualifying would involve three laps�instead of the regular two�with a four-tire-change pit stop. She and Charlie followed Hart’s team as they pushed the car to pit road, leaving Hart behind to change into his race gear. The entire event was scheduled to last approximately forty-five minutes, and Hart would go out seventh. Ronnie McDougal was up first.

“How are you liking it so far?” Russ asked as he came up behind them. He sat down on the pit road wall and gestured. “Take a load off. It’ll be a while.”

Kellie glanced around. The cars were lined up, and people walked up and down in between. She recognized other drivers because they were already in their uniforms, most of them unzipped and folded down at the waist.

“Mom, that’s Kyle Doolittle,” Charlie said, pointing. “And next to him is Dusty Burke.”

Kellie glanced over. Indeed, the front-runner for rookie of the year and the former NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion were standing just about ten feet over, deep in their own conversation. When reporters approached, the drivers paused, answered questions, and then resumed their conversation once the reporters moved on. “I don’t know how they can get used to that. I can’t imagine being in that situation,” Kellie said.

“If you hang around, I’ll give you some PR training,” Russ said.

“That’s sweet of you for offering, but we’re leaving Sunday.” Kellie reached into her pocket and drew out two pairs of earplugs. She handed a set to Charlie before putting in her own. Qualifying went quickly. Charlie and Kellie stood at the entrance to pit road as Hart pulled out, then they moved to get a better view of his pit stop. By the end of his qualifying run, they’d walked to the entrance of pit road, where Hart came back in after posting the second-fastest time. He parked the car, took off his helmet, detached his steering wheel and climbed out. Only the NASCAR officials stood on the track by his car. Charlie used his digital camera and snapped a few pictures.

“Hey Hart! Pretty good!” Charlie said, reaching up to give Hart a high five once he’d climbed over the pit road wall.

“Thanks,” Hart said. “Walk with me. I want to get out of this uniform and I can’t strip it off out here.”

“What about the car?” Charlie asked as they left it on the pit road.

“The team will retrieve it and roll it back to the garage,” Hart said easily. He’d donned a baseball cap of his sponsor. Since pit road was closed to only those with proper hot passes, no fans impeded their way.

They’d almost reached the garage when a woman holding a microphone stepped in front of Hart. Kellie recognized her from earlier. “Hart, how are you feeling?” Eileen Swikle asked.

“Great. I just had a fantastic run. I’m sitting in second position so far,” Hart answered. He’d slowed his pace, but hadn’t stopped.

“So your weekend at camp was refreshing?” she persisted, moving with him. Kellie and Charlie wisely fell a step behind.

“Absolutely refreshing. Did you see I’m holding the second-fastest time?”

“Yes, I did,” she said, a little frustrated that Hart wasn’t giving her the information she fished for. As they made a turn toward the hauler, Eileen Swikle caught a glimpse of Charlie and Kellie. She eyed Charlie’s Hampton Racing hat. “Are these the friends you met at camp? Are you two the ones Russ and Cynthia were talking about earlier?” she asked, approaching Kellie and Charlie. “Hi. I’m Eileen Swikle. Besides working for the network, I also host a show called
Inside Groove.
So you met Hart at camp?”

Kellie glanced at Hart for help, and saw him glance down pit road for Russ. Russ saw them and began to jog their direction.

“Hart was kind enough to invite me to watch him race. I’m extremely grateful that he’s provided me and my mother with this amazing opportunity,” Charlie said.

Kellie blinked and stared at Charlie. Hart had stopped a few feet away, and Kellie exchanged a glance with him.

“So Hart invited you here?” Eileen asked.

“Yes,” Charlie said. His glasses hid his eyes, as the lenses had once again darkened. “When we met during a session at camp, he asked me if I wanted to come to a race.”

“That is so sweet,” Eileen said.

“It is. I have acute myelogenous leukemia, and Hart has been very generous in extending this offer. He and all of Hampton Racing have been fantastic. Now if you don’t mind, I need to stop by the medical center for a quick blood pressure test.”

“Oh, of course. Thank you,” Eileen said, looking delighted with her scoop.

“Hey, Eileen. Can I help you?” Russ asked as he came up to the group.

“I’m good.”

“Let’s go,” Kellie said. She dropped her arm on her son’s shoulders and drew him away as Eileen moved on to the next qualifier. Russ shielded them the rest of the way. Hart, seeing Russ had them, had gone into the garage.

“Great answer, Charlie,” Hart complimented him as Kellie and Charlie caught up with him at the garage. “I heard most of it.”

“Thought a version of the truth might work best,” Charlie said with a grin.

Hart laughed. “Not only would you make a good journalist, but you could maybe give Russ a run for his money. Who knows how Eileen will spin all this on Monday? You’ll have to tune in. Or better yet, we’ll make Russ do it and send you a tape.”

“Will do,” Russ said.

Cynthia was waiting at the hauler. “Nice run. You’re still holding second.”

Automatically they all glanced at the scoring pylon, where Hart’s Number 413 remained second from the top. “Thanks,” Hart said. “Now, if you don’t mind, we’re all going out to dinner just as soon as I get a shower. Cynthia, can I take the Suburban?”

“That’s fine. Liam and I aren’t leaving, and we brought our car should we change our minds,” his aunt said.

“Good.” Hart glanced at Kellie and Charlie. “How about I meet you at your motor home in a half hour? Pick you up then? What you’re wearing is fine. This place has the best food, but it’s nothing fancy.”

“Giancarlo’s?” Cynthia asked.

“Yep,” Hart confirmed.

“Oh, their bread is heavenly. Made on-site,” Cynthia told Kellie. “I love that place. We found it when we all first moved here. You’ll be eating better than I will tonight. They beat any catered food hands down.”

Russ and Charlie were talking about Eileen Swikle, and Kellie nodded at Hart. “A half hour’s fine. I figured you might need to talk to Wally.” The time would also let her change into fresh clothes. She was starting to feel a little grimy from being out in the pit.

Hart winced suddenly.

“What?” she asked.

“I wanted Charlie to see the car tonight and have Wally explain how we set it up. If we go to dinner…”

Kellie reached out and touched Hart’s arm. All she could feel was the texture of Hart’s uniform, but her touch seemed to calm his agitation. “You’ve already done so much. We can do that tomorrow,” she said simply.

“Once the garage opens, that can be arranged,” Cynthia said.

“Then we’ll see you in a half hour,” Kellie told Hart. “Charlie, let’s go.” She and her son began walking toward the motor home lot, leaving Hart with his aunt as Russ disappeared inside the hauler.