Harlan

 

“You’re doin’ an amazin’ job, Harlan,” Lou Jenkins, the crew chief, said. “How’s the car feelin’ now?”

“It’s pretty much perfect. How are my times?” I raced around the practice track at Turner Racing, trying to get a feel of the car and the team. I’d practiced most of Monday in the practice car. Now, in the number sixty-five, I was feeling more at home. We had done a lot in the past two days to make the car fit my size and driving. Each time I got behind the wheel after an adjustment, the car felt more like home.

“You’re hittin’ all your marks. Averagin’ 135 miles per hour, which is a good average. Lap times are around forty seconds, which is good.”

“Good enough for Bristol?” I asked. Throughout the day, I’d come to find that Lou was very open about his opinion. He had no problem telling me when I wasn’t pushing the car enough or when I was doing something that would be reckless with thirty-nine other cars out there on the track. I trusted that he would be honest and tell me if I sucked or not.

“Definitely good enough for Bristol.” A different voice came over the radio, surprising me. It was Axel. “Come on in, and we’ll talk.”

Downshifting the car, I drove into the garage area. I pulled off all my safety equipment and slid through the window. Axel and Lou stood talking, both nodding as they spoke.

“There she is. How’d it feel?” Axel asked, a grin on his weathered face.

“It felt great. Once Lou moved things around for me, it was perfect. I can’t believe how the feel changed just from shifting components a little.”

“We needed to adjust the seat and move some of the switches since she’s so much shorter and her arms aren’t as long. But it didn’t take long to make the adjustments. If she becomes our permanent driver, I’d like to get the seat fitted specifically for her.”

“Good to hear. I understand Jules mentioned you could be racin’ at Bristol. How do you feel about that after today?” Axel asked.

“I’m ready. I understand the banking to be steeper in Bristol, is that correct?”

“Significantly steeper, speeds aren’t as fast, but you’ll find it’s easy to fall a lap behind during a pit stop. Lap times at Bristol are only around 15 seconds.” Axel paused, looking at me and the car. “I think you’re ready. So, we’re gonna get this car ready for Bristol. Do you need any more than one hotel room?”

“Yes, I’ll need two. I’d like my grandfather and son to be able to come.”

“You have a son?” Lou asked. “You didn’t say anything.”

“Well, we’ve been talking about the car and the setup. It didn’t come up until right now.”

“How old is he?”

Happiness came straight from my heart, thinking about my little boy. He was the light of my life. He was the person who gave me the strength to break away from what I was used to and blaze a new path. “He’s four. He’s my world. If all goes well, I’d probably like to consider the motorhomes that other drivers have for their families. If I can convince my grandfather to retire altogether, I’d love for them to travel with me.”

“I can help you with that,” Axel said. “If nothing else, I can let you use the company’s motorhome. It was mine, but the wife convinced me to splurge and get a more modern motorhome. It’s kid friendly, my grandkids spent a lot of time with us.”

Emotion swelled in my chest. I wasn’t used to people being so nice to me. “That would be amazing. Are you sure no one else needs it?”

“Nope, I was gonna sell it, but you just inspired me to keep it around for my drivers who may need it.” Axel grinned and winked.

I couldn’t believe how nice everyone was at Turner Racing. I’d never met anyone who would offer so much to someone they barely knew. When my parents died, no one from my extended family in Ireland offered to help and when Dillon came along, it just got worse. They loved to give their opinion about the teenaged mother though.

When we got back to the garage, the crew got busy adjusting the cars that would go to Bristol while I gathered my things.

“Go ahead and go back to the hotel,” Axel said, walking into the garage. “I’ll have Margie arrange everything for your grandfather and son.”

“Thank you so much for everything. You don’t know how much I appreciate it.”

Axel’s face turned serious. “You earned it. Now get outta here and get some rest. We’ll see y’all tomorrow mornin’, eight o’clock.”

The drive to my hotel seemed to fly by as I thought about everything that had happened in such a short amount of time. I couldn’t believe how quickly my life was changing. I just hoped that I could make it all permanent.

***

“Hi Grandpa, how is everything?” I announced into the open air of the car.

“We’re good, honey. How’s everything there?”

“I have some news. Do you think you and Dillon will be able to get here tomorrow morning?”

“I’m sure we can. What’s goin’ on? Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s good,” I said. I turned into the parking lot for the hotel in which I was staying, parked the car, and just sat there. My nerves were in overdrive and I knew the moment I stopped completely, I’d crash for the night. “Great actually. I’m racing at Bristol this weekend.”

“Honey, I’m so proud of you. We will be there. No problem at all.” Pulling the phone away just a little, he called out to Dillon. The affection he felt for my little boy was evident in his voice. “Dil, you wanna talk to your momma? She’s on the phone.” He came back for just a second while the thudding of little feet running echoed in the background. “What time do you need us?”

“I think about nine in the morning should be good. Axel said we fly out about noon.” I knew it was a lot to expect, but I needed them with me at my first race.

“Hi momma,” Dillon said. His sweet little voice warmed my heart. I hated so much being away from him, but that was about to end. I would have him with me, no matter what. I’d hire a nanny if my grandfather couldn’t retire. Daycare, babysitters, whatever it took to take care of my boy and have my dream. I could do it. I had to.

“Hi baby boy. Are you having fun with Grandpa?”

“Papa took me to play. I rode in a big truck.”

“You did!” I exclaimed excitedly. “That sounds like fun.”

“When’re you coming home, momma?”

“You and Grandpa are going to go for a ride to come see me, sweetheart. Then you’re going to watch momma race.”

“Momma go fast?” he asked, sweetly.

“Yes, momma’s going to go fast.”

I talked to Dillon for a few more minutes before my grandfather returned to the phone. “We’ll be there tomorrow morning between nine and ten.” Then he dropped the bomb I wasn’t expecting. “Har, your father’s sister called here looking for you today.”

Groaning my displeasure, I took a deep breath to calm the anger bubbling inside. “What in the world did she want?”

“She just said she had some news for you and she wanted to speak to you.”

“I can’t imagine what she would need to tell me. I’ll call her at some point.”

“Could it be about Dil’s father?” Worry was unmistakable in my grandfather’s voice. It was true, he could push for the right to see his son; if he knew Dillon was his son and if there was anything indicating that Dillon was his.

“I never even told him I was pregnant. He made it clear he didn’t want to know anything about me, and I never saw him again. I didn’t even put his name on the birth certificate.” But worry made my heart thump harder. In my despair after my parent’s death, I mistakenly told one of my cousins who Dillon’s father was. Would they be so vindictive to tell him about my son and where we were? Even as I could hear a relieved breath escape my grandfather’s chest, worry filled mine.

***

The morning was clear. The sun shone cheerfully, right into my face as I drove toward Turner Racing headquarters. It was so bright and low in the sky, and that made it almost impossible to see where I was going. Even with the use of sunglasses, a visor, and my hand, I still struggled to see beyond beams of light accosting my vision.

I might have to consider moving south of the shop, so I don’t have to be blinded by the sun every morning. Or maybe one of those visor things you see on infomercials late at night. I need to sleep more.

The campus was bustling even more than the last time I was here. Two trucks were parked in the back of the parking lot and looked ready for their journey to Tennessee. One had Fuller’s car emblazoned in living color across the side, his black signature, large across the door. The truck parked near had the bright red and silver, number sixty-five car adorned on the side. The bright red tractor didn’t have anything on it to tell who the driver would be like Julius’, but I didn’t care. I knew the cars sitting inside that hauler were set up especially for me.

Across the parking lot near the garage, a pit crew practiced. The group of men jumped over the wall and raced around the car, removing and replacing tires, and adding fuel. Only moments later the car peeled out of the spot only to stop a few feet away and reverse right back into the stall. It was a familiar scene, and I wondered if my team practiced as much.

A tall man with sandy-blonde hair stood to the side and watched. The rest of the guys had on helmets, gloves, and other protective gear, but not the blonde. His body was tense as he watched the others run around the car, practicing their pit stop. His body was huge and solid, like a tank, and more muscles than I’d ever seen on any man. The kind of physique that shirts molded to, so you could see every dip and bulge. And his huge, tight thigh and calf muscles that emerged from the loose gym shorts were just as powerful looking. The man was distractingly attractive.

“Jeff!” the tall, blonde man bellowed. “You’ve gotta stop settin’ yourself so fast. You’re wastin’ seconds every fuckin’ run through. Do it again.” The man made a circle gesture in the air, and the car drove around the lot. Moments later, it slid into the stall again and the entire process restarted.

“That’s our pit crew,” a feminine voice sounded behind me. It came from a tall, beautiful woman with mahogany brown hair and warm honey brown eyes. She stood there smiling and I instantly recognized her as Toni Rizzo, car chief for Julius Fuller, and his fiancée. “The man standing off to the side is Cade, he’s the pit crew coach. He’ll be workin’ with you and your team a little too.”

I nodded my head in understanding as we stood and watched the entire stop once more.

“I’m Toni, by the way. I’m the car chief for the fifty-five.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Harlan.”

“I know who you are.” Her smile was kind.

Our heads jerked back toward the scene across the parking lot when the blonde man bellowed again.

“Dammit, Jeff. Get behind the fuckin’ wall!” Cade, even his name was sexy, howled. Turning to the rest he yelled, “Do it again!”

Toni shook her head and sighed, “Cade wasn’t kiddin’ when he said Jeff wasn’t followin’ directions. He’s gonna end up bein’ replaced.”

“Being replaced?” I asked.

“Yeah. If the guys can’t get the stop done fast and efficiently, they’re replaced. Those couple tenths of a second can make a dramatic difference on the track. Watch this time. Cade’s gonna show him how it’s done.”

“If he is so much better, why doesn’t he just take the job?”

“Cade’s not a crew member. He’s the coach. He’s a physical therapist and a personal trainer by trade. He owns a gym in town with his brother. He’s just damn good at this and has been trainin’ for years.”

“I’m confused,” I said, looking at Toni. “Why train for years if you don’t want to do that job?”

“Because, he did it for me. When we were kids, all I ever wanted to do was build cars and race, so we started with go-carts, and progressed from there. I’d build them, his brother would race them, and Cade would help with the pits. When I was in school, he helped me train for just about every job in this place. Helpin’ me made him extraordinarily good, plus he just understands how the stops should work. That’s why Ky hired him to coach the pit crew. Watch.”

We stood and watched the car come around again. The team was perched on the wall just like last time. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Toni bring her watch up to her view. Her hand flexed the moment the car stopped. This time the coach, Cade, was in front. His tree trunk-like legs propelled him quickly around the car. He didn’t struggle at all when his powerful arms lifted the tire and placed it on the car. The team moved efficiently, like every step was choreographed. Before I knew what was happening, the stop was complete, and the car was pulling out.

“You see?” Toni asked, turning the stopwatch toward me. “The last two stops were just over twelve and a half seconds. Cade, doing it right, helped shave several tenths of a second. They just hit a pit stop that was eleven and nine-tenths seconds long. That’s amazing. Nowhere near the record, but it’s fast and good enough to gain spots on the track.” Looking down at her wrist she said, “Axel’s waitin’ to talk to you inside. Lou’s in there too.”

We walked toward the building in time to hear the energetic coach yell at his team. “Eight tenths, fellas. We just shaved eight-tenths off the last two stops. Now are you gonna do this shit right, Jeff, or are we gonna have to bring in someone who will?”

The last we heard before entering the building were three furious words. “Fuck you, Cade.”

“Will there be a problem out there?” I asked Toni as we walked through the large lobby toward Margie.

“It should be fine.” She paused and looked to Margie. “Hey Marg, you might wanna send someone out there and check on the fifty-five’s pit crew practice. Cade may kill Jeff before the day is done.” Then she gave me a small grin. “Just in case, ya know?”

“I heard a few people say Cade was gettin’ pissed. What’re y’all gonna do about that situation?” Margie asked.

“I know what I wanna see happen,” Toni said shrugging. “But what I want and what Cade agrees to ain’t always the same. Besides, Ky and Jules must agree too. We’ll see I guess.”

“Hey, Harlan, welcome back, darlin’. Ready for Bristol?” Margie chirped, smiling.

“Yes, mam, I most certainly am. Thank you.”

Margie laughed, “Darlin’, we gotta work on the proper way you speak. You sound like royalty or somethin’.”

“Don’t listen to her, Harlan. I love your accent. We probably sound like a bunch of hillbillies to you.”

“No, not at all.”

“Well,” Margie started, “Ky, Jules, Lou, and Axel are all waitin’ in the conference room. Go ahead back.”

Toni nodded and gestured toward the conference room. “We’re gonna give you the rundown of the weekend. NASCAR is a weekend event between practices and qualifying, and of course the race.”

“Toni, Harlan, it’s time. Let’s go,” Julius shouted from across the room.

Walking into the conference room, I thought I’d be intimidated or nervous, but this group of people didn’t scare me. They were welcoming and seemed genuinely kind.

“Hi, Harlan. I’m Kyle Redding, crew chief for the fifty-five,” Kyle said, thrusting his hand out to shake mine. He was tall like Julius with light brown hair that curled around his Fuller Enterprises baseball cap. Yet another younger, ridiculously handsome man. “Please, have a seat.” He gestured toward the table where Lou and Axel sat. Toni sat next to Julius on the opposite side from the other men.

“Let’s get started,” Axel said. He ran through procedures for the teams flying to the race track, what happened once we got there, and how the race weekend would play out. “We fly out in a few hours. The teams have their itinerary and will be leavin’ shortly.”

Suddenly Margie barged into the room, her face red with a worried look in her eyes. “Y’all better get outside before Cade does kill Jeff.” She turned to me and met my eyes. “Harlan, there’s an older man and a gorgeous little boy in the lobby lookin’ for you.”

Without another word, everyone leapt from their chairs and ran for the doors.