de Franceâ and that was it.
âNot this year. Iâm still retired.â
Mark, a plumber in town, punched him in the arm. âYouâre too young to retire, but not too rich. Am I right?â
Josh nodded and smiled, then wondered why heâd bothered to come into the bar.
He wasnât interested in winning another race. At this point, he simply wanted the ability to compete. To do what he did before. What he took for granted.
âMy kidâs pretty good,â Mark said when Jo handed him a beer. âFast on his bike. He wants to race. You know, like you did. Weâre thinking of sending him to one of those schools. Heâs begging me every day.â
âThere are a couple of good places. How old is he?â
âFourteen.â
âThatâs kind of young.â
âThatâs what his mom and I say. Heâs too young to be on his own. But he wonât leave it alone. Werenât you going to open a racing school here, in town?â
That had been the planâback before the accident. Josh had several bids on construction, most of the money and his eye on a piece of property. But to do that, to commit himself to being a part of the school, meant riding again. Not a humiliation he was willing to take on right now.
âIâve thought about it,â he admitted, then wished he hadnât.
âYou should do it. Solve our problem. Youâre famous, man. Lots of people would come to ride with you. I bet theyâd do a story about you on CNN.â
Thatâs what he was afraid of, Josh thought grimly.
âSomething to think about,â he said and drained his beer. He dropped a few bills on the counter, then stood. âSee you, Mark.â
âYeah. Think about it. The racing school. It could be great.â
It could, Josh thought as he left the bar and headed back to the hotel. It could be a damned miracle. Because thatâs what it would take.
Â
W EDNESDAY NIGHT C HARITY followed the directions Pia had given her, walking to the west part of town where the houses were older and larger, seated majestically on huge lots with mature trees. She saw the well-lit two story on the corner and walked up to the front door.
Pia opened it before she could knock. âYou came. Welcome.â Pia giggled. âOkay, I brought tequila and margarita mix and Iâve been sampling. What the hell. Weâre all walking, so letâs have fun.â
Tequila? âI just brought a couple of bottles of wine,â Charity said, wondering what sheâd gotten herself into. Girlsâ night out had sounded like fun, but she couldnât afford to get really drunk. She had meetings in the morning.
âWine is great,â Pia said, swaying slightly, then grabbing the door frame for support. âMaybe Iâll have some.â
A tall, pretty brunette appeared behind Pia and wrapped an arm around her waist. âYou need to lie down, kid.â
âIâm fine,â Pia said. âDonât I look fine to you? I feel fine.â
The woman smiled at Charity. âDonât be frightened. Every now and then Pia feels the need to live up to the party image. Itâs not a big deal.â
âI can respect that,â Charity said.
âMe, too. Iâm Jo, your hostess for this monthâs girlsâ night. Come on in.â
âIâm Charity.â
âI figured that. Weâre glad to have you.â Jo maneuvered Pia away from the door.
Charity followed the two of them into the house.
It was one of those great old places, with hardwood floors and plenty of built-ins. She suspected what had once been a lot of little rooms had been remodeled into several larger rooms. A fireplace large enough to hold an entire cow dominated the far wall. There were several sofas, comfy-looking chairs and a group of women looking at her curiously.
A thin blonde stood and reached for Pia. âYou sit by me,â she said.
James Kakalios
Tara Fox Hall
K. Sterling
Jonathan Maberry
Mary Balogh
Elizabeth Moynihan
Jane Hunt
Rebecca Hamilton, Conner Kressley
Jacquie Rogers
Shiloh Walker