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“I can’t believe I’ve lived here my whole life and never actually went to any of the races.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah, it wasn’t really something we could afford after my dad passed, and truthfully, I probably wouldn’t have been interested in going until the last few years, anyway.”
She shrugs her shoulders like it’s not really a big deal, but the idea hits me, and I don’t give it a second thought before I ask, “Do you want to come to the race on Sunday?”
“What?”
“Yeah,” I sit up and face her, suddenly extremely enthusiastic about this idea. “If you don’t work on Sunday, you should definitely come down.”
“Yeah, but doesn’t the race start at like nine o’clock in the morning? I’d have to leave by midnight just to get down there and find a seat in time. And that would be assuming that I could afford the ticket in the first place.”
“Like I would actually let you pay for a ticket,” I scoff.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that after you get off work tomorrow, you should pack an overnight bag and drive down to Clear Creek. I’ll get you set up at the motel we’re staying at and then you can drive over to the raceway that morning.”
“Bodhi, I can’t let you do that. That’s too much,” she argues, but I’m not having any of it.
“You’re not letting me do anything, Princess,” I say, and she scowls at me. “Listen, I’d love for you to be there, and you can think of it as me repaying you for helping me practice this week.”
She looks hesitant, like she might still turn me down, so I pull out the big guns and sweeten the deal the only way I can think of.
“If you come, I’ll introduce you to Lacey.”
Her eyes flare infinitesimally before she catches herself.
“All right, I guess I could swing that,” she agrees nonchalantly.
“Oh, could you?” I say mockingly.
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Good, we’ll make a day of it,” I say, taking a shot and reaching out, squeezing her thigh just above the knee for the briefest second before I give it a pat and suggest heading back up to the house.
I pretend not to notice the hitch in her breath or the way her fingers shake as she closes her tiny hand over the stick shift.
Suddenly I’m looking forward to this race a lot more than I had been this morning.
Chapter 24
Later that night, I’m standing in my kitchen making a cup of tea while the events of the day play through my mind. Never in a million years would I have expected to open up that way, especially to Bodhi. But I’d be lying if I said that he didn’t evoke some kind of emotion in me. He listens and understands, and hasn’t judged me once, and that goes a long way with me. Finding out that we have a similar connection to Mateo makes me feel closer to him, but on the same hand, I don’t want him figuring out just how close of a connection that may be. Something tells me that Bodhi would make a big deal out of me paying off Mateo for Eli, and that just isn’t something I’m willing to discuss with him. I’m doing what I have to do for my family.
Then there’s the fact that he invited me to a race, knowing I’ve never been to one, and he wants to put me up in the same hotel the racers are in. To say that I’m excited is an understatement. Not that I would tell him that. I’m not at a point with him where I feel like I can completely drop my guard, but part of me really wants to.
The only problem is, I don’t know if I can leave Ma alone for two days. Sure, she’s doing so much better these days, but the thought of anything happening while I’m over eight hours away is enough to have me second-guessing going all together.
The light shuffle of my mother’s house shoes on the kitchen’s tiled floor alerts me to her presence.
“Hey, what are you doing up?” I ask her, looking over my shoulder as she sidles up next to me.
“Couldn’t sleep,” she says, pulling her house coat together beneath her chin and burrowing down into it for warmth.
“Is everything okay?” I ask, furrowing my brows while I look her over, as if any kind of ailment she may incur would be visible.
“Would you stop fussing over me? I’m fine. I just heard you get home and knew you were in here making tea, so I decided to join you,” she explains, reaching into the cabinet for a mug.
