Revved Up Hearts by Kristy D Kilgore Page A

trying to get it. She finally managed to touch it, but she knocked it off balance. Jeremiah jumped up from his seat at the table to catch it just before it hit Dawn on the head. Jeremiah sat the vase on the counter and looked down at Dawn. She had ducked her head and covered it with her hands. She was beginning to peek out from under her elbow. Jeremiah found this adorable. He was still looking at her when he realized that she was trying to move but couldn’t because he had her pinned against the counter. Suddenly, he felt awkward and took a step back.
    Moving quickly, she grabbed the vase and went to the sink to fill it. He noticed that her cheeks were pink. Obviously, she was feeling the awkwardness as well. Once the vase was full, Dawn moved back over to the counter to unwrap the flowers. Then she arranged them in the vase. She put it on the table, avoiding looking at Jeremiah the whole time. “Have a seat. I’ll plate the lasagna and serve you. What would you like to drink?”
    “Do you have iced tea?” he asked as he took a seat at the table.
    “Is sweet tea okay?”
    “You bet. You know, when I moved here from Montana, I hated iced tea. But I’ve learned that if you’re going to live in the South, you’d better learn to like it.”
    “I know. I grew up in Arkansas where everybody drinks it. I didn’t like it until my family became friends with some people who moved to town. We’d go over to their house, and that would be all they had to drink. At first, I just tolerated it, but I eventually learned to like it.” She had been talking while putting food on plates. She had lasagna, garlic bread, and tossed salad. “I’ve always helped my mom cook for our family,” she said as she turned toward the table. “I know how to cook, but I only know how to cook for five. I guess it’s true what they say about how hard it is to cook for just one. I hope you like it,” she finished as she put a plate in front of Jeremiah. “What kind of dressing do you want for your salad?”
    “Ranch please, if you have it.”
    She went to the refrigerator and brought him a bottle. “Do you need anything else?”
    “No. I’m fine. Sit down and enjoy this with me.”
    She sat in a chair on the other side of the table. She bowed her head for grace and noticed that Jeremiah did the same. One small step in the right direction , she thought as she blessed the food.
    An hour later, after Jeremiah had helped himself to two servings, he helped her clear the table and load the dishwasher. They moved to the living room where they sat and talked and watched TV. Then the phone rang. “It’s probably my mom. I’d better answer it.”
    “Okay.”
    “Hello,” Dawn said. “Oh, hi Emily. Did you get the e-mail I sent you?”
    “Yes,” Emily answered. “I can’t believe that you met James Jr.! What’s he like?”
    “He was nice. I only met him for about five minutes. Barely long enough to say hi and take the picture.”
    “Did you get his autograph?”
    “No. I didn’t have time. I’ll get it for you, though. I did get you someone’s autograph. It says, ‘To Emily. Thanks for being a fan. Love…”
    “Love who!” Emily practically screamed into the phone.
    “It’s a surprise. I put it in the mail this morning. You should get it in two or three days.”
    “Not fair,” Emily replied. “So what about Bryan Richardson? What is he like?”
    “He is a really nice man. I’ve met his wife and daughter. They are all great people. I think I’m going to love working for them. So how is school?”
    “I’ve got a huge bruise on my left wrist that I got in softball practice. Daniel asked me to prom, but Dad says I can’t go because I’m just fifteen and can’t date until I’m sixteen.”
    “You can’t talk him into it? You’ll be fifteen at the prom in May, but you’ll turn sixteen in July.”
    “I’m working on it, but you know him. It won’t be easy.”
    “Oh, Emily, we’ve talked a lot about NASCAR, but you