leader in points after the first race of the season?” the announcer said.
“Feels real good to get a win. A win is good anytime of the year but especially to start the season. I’m happy as a clam. Of course, it’s a long season, so we’ll just have to see what happens.”
Burrowing around Jamie’s brain was the conversation she’d had with Butch Devalon. Was he setting her up, or did the Devalon team really want to sign her? She couldn’t talk with her dad about it and wouldn’t, unless Kellen opened his big mouth.
“Hey, Dad,” Jamie whispered. He turned down MRN on the radio, and Jamie looked at her mother, fast asleep beside him, her face illuminated by the dashboard lights. “Did Scotty tell you what he ate that made him so sick?”
Scotty had been taken to a nearby hospital and had to stay overnight. The doctors said he needed fluids, and they wanted to watch him.
Her dad chuckled. “You know Scotty. He’ll eat almost anything that isn’t on the move. He made the rounds of the different haulers. It’s hard to tell what it was, but I can tell you this: as sick as he got, he’ll stick with our food from now on.”
Jamie’s mind swirled with everything from Chad to her dad’s interview after the race.
Her dad’s familiar voice came on the radio, answering a question from a reporter. “Well, it’s just one of those things that happens. The car was running well, and I felt like we had a good chance, but you have to take the good with the bad. Everything happens for a reason, and we’ve got a long season ahead.”
She looked at her dad and could tell from his face, even if no one else could, that he was mad.
“How’d you feel up there with the spotters?” her dad whispered.
“Good, I guess. I hate that I couldn’t get you out of that mess.”
“You did great,” he said. “I was real comfortable with you watching my back. Maybe you were the one who gave Scotty the bad food.”
Jamie laughed.
“Any more thoughts about selling your cars?”
“Yeah. This is something I really want to do, Dad. I know you’re against it. . . .”
He stretched and put his arm on the seat back and patted her arm. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot. I want to give you the go-ahead. I want to work with you so you can reach your dream. I just have this gut feeling that it’s not the right time. And if I was to give in on this when I feel so strongly, it wouldn’t be right.” She leaned back, and he looked in the rearview mirror. “Let’s keep talking. Gonna be a hairy few days, trying to get the car in shape for California, but wecan hash this out. There’s nobody who’s more on your team than me.”
Jamie closed her eyes. Butch Devalon’s face flashed through her mind. She leaned forward and touched his shoulder. “Thanks for trusting me with the spotter’s job. Maybe you can return the favor someday.”
“You got it, kid.”
Jamie looked at her mom. Did she sleep with a smile, or was that there because she’d heard every word?
Chapter 22
Caught
TIM WALKED TO Community Church, a sprawling building with a parking lot as big as a shopping mall’s. There were flags around one building with windows that ran from the ground all the way to the roof. He spotted the red SUV toward the front of the lot. He glanced at the building to make sure no one was watching. The place looked deserted.
He pulled out his pocketknife and went to work, shoving the blade into the sidewalls. He thought about smashing the windshield, but that felt a little like overkill.
The tires were flat within a couple of minutes, and he walked away slowly, like he’d just been out for a stroll. Headlights shone in the distance, and two vans pulled in. He froze, a deer in the headlights. More like a deer holdinga sharp knife in the headlights. He quickly closed the knife and shoved it in his pocket.
The van stopped near him, but he kept walking. A door opened on the other side, closed, and the van sped away. He
“Feels real good to get a win. A win is good anytime of the year but especially to start the season. I’m happy as a clam. Of course, it’s a long season, so we’ll just have to see what happens.”
Burrowing around Jamie’s brain was the conversation she’d had with Butch Devalon. Was he setting her up, or did the Devalon team really want to sign her? She couldn’t talk with her dad about it and wouldn’t, unless Kellen opened his big mouth.
“Hey, Dad,” Jamie whispered. He turned down MRN on the radio, and Jamie looked at her mother, fast asleep beside him, her face illuminated by the dashboard lights. “Did Scotty tell you what he ate that made him so sick?”
Scotty had been taken to a nearby hospital and had to stay overnight. The doctors said he needed fluids, and they wanted to watch him.
Her dad chuckled. “You know Scotty. He’ll eat almost anything that isn’t on the move. He made the rounds of the different haulers. It’s hard to tell what it was, but I can tell you this: as sick as he got, he’ll stick with our food from now on.”
Jamie’s mind swirled with everything from Chad to her dad’s interview after the race.
Her dad’s familiar voice came on the radio, answering a question from a reporter. “Well, it’s just one of those things that happens. The car was running well, and I felt like we had a good chance, but you have to take the good with the bad. Everything happens for a reason, and we’ve got a long season ahead.”
She looked at her dad and could tell from his face, even if no one else could, that he was mad.
“How’d you feel up there with the spotters?” her dad whispered.
“Good, I guess. I hate that I couldn’t get you out of that mess.”
“You did great,” he said. “I was real comfortable with you watching my back. Maybe you were the one who gave Scotty the bad food.”
Jamie laughed.
“Any more thoughts about selling your cars?”
“Yeah. This is something I really want to do, Dad. I know you’re against it. . . .”
He stretched and put his arm on the seat back and patted her arm. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot. I want to give you the go-ahead. I want to work with you so you can reach your dream. I just have this gut feeling that it’s not the right time. And if I was to give in on this when I feel so strongly, it wouldn’t be right.” She leaned back, and he looked in the rearview mirror. “Let’s keep talking. Gonna be a hairy few days, trying to get the car in shape for California, but wecan hash this out. There’s nobody who’s more on your team than me.”
Jamie closed her eyes. Butch Devalon’s face flashed through her mind. She leaned forward and touched his shoulder. “Thanks for trusting me with the spotter’s job. Maybe you can return the favor someday.”
“You got it, kid.”
Jamie looked at her mom. Did she sleep with a smile, or was that there because she’d heard every word?
Chapter 22
Caught
TIM WALKED TO Community Church, a sprawling building with a parking lot as big as a shopping mall’s. There were flags around one building with windows that ran from the ground all the way to the roof. He spotted the red SUV toward the front of the lot. He glanced at the building to make sure no one was watching. The place looked deserted.
He pulled out his pocketknife and went to work, shoving the blade into the sidewalls. He thought about smashing the windshield, but that felt a little like overkill.
The tires were flat within a couple of minutes, and he walked away slowly, like he’d just been out for a stroll. Headlights shone in the distance, and two vans pulled in. He froze, a deer in the headlights. More like a deer holdinga sharp knife in the headlights. He quickly closed the knife and shoved it in his pocket.
The van stopped near him, but he kept walking. A door opened on the other side, closed, and the van sped away. He
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