Revved Up Hearts (18 page)

“We’ll have to rent this one the next time,” Jeremiah said. “Would you like to see it?” She didn’t answer. She was sound
asleep.

Bryan felt a little better the next morning. He felt like going to the garage, against Dawn’s advice and against Valerie’s direct order. “I know that you two don’t think I should go, but I wasted a whole day yesterday. I need to find out what is going
on.”

“I understand, but you don’t need to overdo it. It will take you that much longer to get better if you
do.”

“I’ll just go see what’s going on and talk to the guys for a while. I’ll be back in bed in an
hour.”

“Yeah, right.”

“I
promise.”

“You
better.”

“Hey, I’m the boss. Remember?”

“But I’ve got your wife on my side. Don’t
forget.”

“How could I? One of you is always reminding me. If I ever find myself looking for a new personal assistant, it will be your last duty to make sure I pick a guy. Maybe that way I can get someone who will listen to me every now and
then.”

“Ha-ha. Very funny. It’s for your own good.” Dawn laughed. “Sit in that chair, and stay
put.”

“You’re not supposed to boss
me.”

“Valerie’s orders,” Dawn told him. “We both know that she’s the real
boss.”

Bryan
nodded.

“I’m going to go see if I can find Jeremiah. I’ll be back in one hour to take you back to the motor
coach.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Bryan
saluted.

“That’s more like it,” Dawn teased. They both
laughed.

“Seriously, Dawn. Thanks for taking care of me. I know how I am when I’m
sick.”

“You’re welcome.” Dawn walked out of that garage stall and headed toward Jeremiah’s. He wasn’t there. One of his crew told her that he had stepped away for a few minutes to get some air. The car had developed a vibration during the morning practice session. Jeremiah and the crew had been working on it ever since. The crew member told Dawn that they thought they had found the trouble, now they just needed to fix it. She stayed out of the way until Jeremiah returned a few minutes later. He did not look
happy.

“I need to talk to you,” she said as she approached him. “Do you have time to walk a little
more?”

“Sure,” he said as he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. “Lead the way.” He motioned with the
other.

“I’m sorry about last night,” she said as they walked past other garage stalls. “I really wanted to hang out with you and watch
movies.”

“It’s okay. You had a rough
day.”

“When I woke up and you were gone, I felt terrible. Especially when I realized that you had put a pillow under my head, slipped off my shoes, and covered me with a blanket before you left. That was very nice of you. Thank
you.”

“You’re welcome. Did you spend all night
there?”

“Yes. I woke up just long enough to realize what had happened and fell back to
sleep.”

“You said you felt
guilty?”

“I did. I want to make it up to you. Can I cook you dinner
tonight?”

“What about your
patient?”

“I’m leaving him alone tonight. I’ll fix him something to eat and hopefully he won’t need me after that. If he does, he’ll call
me.”

“So, he’s feeling
better?”

“Yes, thank God. He’s over in his garage stall now. Maybe the fresh air will do him some
good.”

“Or spread the flu germs
around.”

“You must be having a bad day. You’re usually not such a
grump.”

“My neck hurts. I crawled under the car this morning to see if I could figure out what was wrong. One of the guys was up above me, looking down, and dropped a wrench. I jerked to keep from getting knocked in the head, but I must’ve pulled something in the
process.”

“Did you go to the care
center?”

“No. What can they
do?”

“An X-ray to make sure you didn’t do any serious damage. At least give you some ice and
aspirin.”

“You saw me yesterday. You know I don’t do well in
hospitals.”

“So your fear of hospitals includes you being treated as
well.”

“Oh, yeah. I was afraid of needles before Elizabeth’s death anyway. If I have to go for me, I freak
out.”

“What if you crash during a race and have to
go?”

“It’s not fun. The doctors hate to see me coming. They check me out as quickly as possible. So far, I’ve been lucky and never had to have an extended exam or be transported to the
hospital.”

“Do you want me to go get you some
ice?”

“No, but thank you. I’ve got too much to do. Maybe
later.”

“Be careful, okay.”

“Okay. What time will you be at my motor coach tonight to start cooking?” Jeremiah
asked.

“Is five
okay?”

“Sounds good. What are you
making?”

“I haven’t decided yet. I’ll have to go to the store
later.”

“Okay.” They had circled the building during their talk and were back to Jeremiah’s stall. “One more
thing.”

“What?”

“Can you do something for me? Something that will make my neck feel
better?”

“Sure. What?”

“Kiss
me.”

“On the
neck?”

He laughed at her joke. At least he hoped it was a joke. “No. On the lips. We’ll save the necking for later
tonight.”

“You’re terrible.” Dawn laughed but stepped closer to him. “Let the record show that I am only doing this for your health,” she said as she stretched up to her tiptoes to press her lips to his. Just as quickly as she started it, she ended
it.

“More,” he
said.

“I can’t,” she
replied.

“You
could.”

“Probably, but I’ve got to get back to Bryan. I pray that I can get him back to his motor coach without a fight. Then maybe he’ll take a nap, and I can catch a few winks on the couch. I’m so
tired.”

“Are you sure you want to cook
tonight?”

“Yes. I’ll be
okay.”

“Okay. I’ll see you at five. I can’t
wait.”

Dawn was shocked that Bryan went back to the motor coach without an argument. She could tell that he was wiped out. He went straight to bed when they got back to the coach. She heard him snoring within minutes. Dawn was getting comfy on the couch when she saw Bryan’s Bible sitting on the table. When was the last time she had read hers? In Charlotte.
Lord, forgive me
, she thought. It had been almost a week. She picked up Bryan’s Bible and flipped through it. She saw something that had been highlighted. It was Psalms 91 about the safety of abiding in the presence of God.
That makes sense
, she thought, for a race car driver to highlight a passage about safety. Dawn read the passage and a few more from Psalms. It had been a while since she read this book of poetry. Maybe it was time to read it again. She turned to the beginning of the book and read some more. After a few chapters, she put the Bible down and prayed. “Dear Lord, thank you for this day you have given me. Forgive me for neglecting you for the past week or so. I have been busy settling into my new life, but you knew that. It’s no excuse. I’m sorry. Please help me to do better. How will I ever help lead others to you if I am not where I should be in my walk with you? Thank you for the gift of salvation you have given me. Help me to share the good news with others. I love you. Amen.”

It was a few minutes after five when Dawn knocked on the door to Jeremiah’s motor coach. “It’s open,” she heard him yell from
inside.

“My arms are full of
groceries.”

She heard movement from inside, and then the door opened. Jeremiah stood there, still in his fire suit. “Let me help you with those,” he said as he reached down and took the bags from
her.

She followed him up the stairs into his coach. It was the first time she had been here. It was nice, maybe even a little nicer than Bryan’s. “I was going to make you chicken alfredo, but that takes a while and I’m tired. How do tacos
sound?”

“Great. I’m so hungry. My granddad used to say, ‘I’m so hungry that I’d chew off my own arm if I didn’t think I’d need it later,’” he told her as he unloaded the bags. “Do you need any
help?”

“I don’t think so, but I’ll let you know if I
do.”

“How’s
Bryan?”

“Much better. I made him some chicken noodle soup before I left. He promised to stay in the motor coach tonight. In the morning, he’ll go back to the infield care center for more fluids, and then they’ll decide if he can race on
Sunday.”

“That’s great
news.”

“I know,” Dawn said, while rummaging through cabinets. “Where is your
skillet?”

“In the oven, I
think.”

“No, I already checked
there.”

“Then I don’t have a clue. I’m a bachelor. I don’t cook so I don’t keep up with where the skillet is,” he said as he walked into the kitchen to help her
look.

“Your mom didn’t teach you to
cook?”

“She tried, but I didn’t pay attention. I took a home-ec class in high school but just because that was where the girls
were.”

Dawn laughed as she opened another cabinet. “I bet all those girls just loved to help you, didn’t
they.”