Home > Race to a Christmas Reunion(4)

Race to a Christmas Reunion(4)
Author: Brenda Jackson

“You’ve been dating a lot.”

Ronald’s statement intruded into his thoughts and he glanced over at him while unbuckling his seatbelt. “How do you know?”

Ronald smiled. “We still get the tabloids here, Myles. Mr. Jones over at the grocery store always manages to put the papers out front, right next to the vegetables bin, putting you and all the details of your affairs right in plain view. Everyone thought it was kind of cool when you were dating that movie star.”

Myles rolled his eyes. “I never actually dated her. It was a promotional gig, nothing more. We’re just friends.”

Ronald chuckled. “Hey, I wished I could brag about being friends with her.”

Before he cut off the engine, Ronald turned to Myles and asked, “So what do you plan to do about Lisa? You’ll be in town for almost a week.”

Myles knew he needed to have his head examined for agreeing to hang around and stay at Ronald’s place while the new furniture Ronald had ordered as a surprise for Sheila was being delivered. Ronald and Sheila were leaving right after the wedding reception to drive to Jacksonville to catch a cruise ship to the Bahamas for four days. They would return before New Year’s, in time for him to leave to attend the New Year’s Eve charity race in Daytona. He wouldn’t be racing this time around, but wanted to be there to support his good friend and boss, Bronson Scott.

“I know. I’m sure there’s something I’ll be able to do to stay busy. I might drop in on your dad’s dealership and mess around in the garage like the old days.”

Ronald laughed. “Hey, the old man will just love that, to be able to boast about having you there. Hell, he might sell tickets. You’ve become a celebrity in these parts.”

That statement should have given Myles a sense of satisfaction but it did not. He didn’t want the townspeople to accept him because of his celebrity status; he wanted their acceptance because he was one of them and always had been. He had been born and raised right here in Chiefland, although it had been on the poor side of town. But still, he had roots here. And being the only member of his family still living, they were roots he was proud of.

Although Ronald joked a lot about his dad, it had been Mr. Harris who had opened up his garage and made it possible for Myles to hang around and learn things and work under Joe Spivey, the best mechanic in the South. Myles had known he was a goner when he had changed his first spark plug under Joe’s watchful eyes. He had taken all the things Joe had taught him about the best way to get a car to run and had used those skills in his professional racing career, first as a mechanic then—after convincing Bronson to let him try out—as a driver for his team, Scott Motorsports.

And as far as Chiefland was concerned, another thing Myles hadn’t been able to forget was the woman he had left behind. More than once after racing in Daytona he’d been tempted to get on Interstate 95 and head west toward Interstate 10 to Chiefland and see the one woman he had loved. The only woman who would ever have his heart.

“Ready to go inside?” Ronald asked as he secured his hair in a ponytail before opening the car door.

Myles smiled over at him. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

* * *

LISA TRIED TO REMAIN calm as Myles sat next to her. But when his thigh brushed against hers, she immediately felt a tingle in the pit of her stomach. And from the way he looked at her, she knew he had experienced it, too. Some things just wouldn’t go away.

Lucky for her, Judy Small, who was known to be a chatterbox, sat on the other side of her. Judy was Sheila’s cousin and loved talking about just about anything and had kept the conversation going. Every once in a while one of the guys would squeeze in a question for Myles—wanting to know about the upcoming season and how he was preparing for it.

Since it was Christmas Eve, most people had wanted to eat quickly and leave, because they had the morning for opening presents before heading to the church for the wedding. By the time the waitress returned to clear the table the only persons left were Sheila and Ronald and Lisa and Myles. Lisa glanced down the long table and saw that Ronald and Sheila were engaged in tense conversation. From the frown on Sheila’s face, Lisa figured Ronald was trying to plead his case as to why it would be okay for her to spend the night with him. A smile touched Lisa’s lips knowing Ronald was wasting his time. He of all people should know that when Sheila made her mind up about something, that was it.

“Do you want to take a bet on who’s going to win?”

The warmth of Myles’s breath when he leaned close to her reminded her he was there. Not that she had really forgotten. His cologne was still getting to her on a level that was totally provocative. In her book he was drop-dead gorgeous and he didn’t need to add anything to boost his sexiness.

“No need for us to place bets. You will be taking Ronald home and I’m taking Sheila to my place. However, the big question is when that will happen, since it doesn’t appear they’ll be leaving anytime soon.”

Myles nodded as he glanced down at his watch. “It’s almost ten now. I thought most places closed up early on Christmas Eve.”

Lisa couldn’t help but smile. “Most places do but, like you, Victoria is probably willing to wait it out just to see how the evening will end. She and her husband probably have their own bets going.”

Lisa took a sip of her coffee and then said, “Besides, you’re here and you’re a celebrity. They will probably not wash the plate and utensils you used and put them on display next week.”

Myles rolled his eyes. “Aren’t you getting a little carried away?”

“No. This is Chiefland, Myles. Remember? The biggest event we host each year is the Watermelon Festival. It’s not every day that we get a famous race-car driver to grace our town. And what makes it even more special is knowing that he’s one of us.”

Her words stuck in his brain. She had always considered him one of them. But it had taken him winning the race at Talladega, one that had gotten national attention, for the townspeople to admit to anything. He was certain there were still a few out there who would rather not claim him. Namely her family. For that reason he decided to bring them up.

“How are your parents?”

He could tell his question surprised her. “Mom and Dad are doing fine. Dad finally retired from being a weatherman and Mom taught her last class at the middle school in May. Now they just hang around the house and get on each other’s nerves. My sisters and I are thinking about putting our money together to send them someplace this spring.”

Myles lifted a brow. “Someplace like where?”

“We’re checking into a seven-day Alaskan cruise.”

Myles smiled. “What can happen in a week?”

“For one, being together without any distractions will remind them why they got married in the first place. Over the years, their workaholic lifestyles kind of drove them apart.”

Myles decided not to say it hadn’t been that way on the night her parents had shown up at his place. George and Lilly St. Claire had presented a united front when it came to their daughter’s future and their belief that he would do nothing but ruin it.

“And how are your sisters doing?”

He could tell from her expression that she knew he was asking just to be polite. “They’re doing fine. Still single and bossy as ever. Sunnie replaced Dad at the television station earlier this year and is now the Chiefland meteorologist. Wendy is busy with her accounting office, gearing up for tax season. And Noraine, like me, commutes every day into Gainesville where she works as a counselor on campus.”

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