Page 79 of Love Complicated

I can’t concentrate. I’m sure you can understand why?

All I fucking think about is Aly and what she said to me the other night. She gets herself off thinking about me. Of course I’m going to be focused on that and only that until I’m the one doing it for her.

My assessment Friday after last weekend’s races? I know nothing about running a track on my own. Never paid any mind to it when I was younger and now I’m drowning. And Glen thinks this shit is funny.

I’m not one to back down to a challenge.

“How do you do it?”

Jameson shrugs. “A good wife?” And then he laughs and reaches for his water bottle on the seat of the four-wheeler. “My situation was similar to yours, you know.”

“With Grays Harbor Raceway?”

He nods. “My wife’s dad died and left the track to me. I had no clue what to do nor did I have time for it. I race full time in the Cup Series and at the time was running two teams with the Outlaws.”

“What’d you do?”

“I ended up hiring a general manager to keep things running. Just make sure you have a good promoter to draw in the crowds. Do that and you should be fine. You got a good head on your shoulders.”

He clearly doesn’t know me well. Why would he? The last time I saw him I was nine years old.

A promoter? General manager? Immediately I think of Aly and wonder if she’d be interested in doing that?

The action starts quickly that night with Jameson and Tyler on the front row for the feature. I watch from the pit stands as Jameson comes on strong and has three cars passed by the time lap five rolls around, but his car has nothing on Tyler’s at his home track. If anyone knows every groove here, it’s Tyler Sprague.

He pulls out a two and four car lead over Jameson and stays there through the all-green feature event. The track dries out halfway through, leaving one line and a cushion that seems bitter and shreds tires like a monster.

I make my way down to the concessions afterward where I’m hoping to find Aly. She’s there, cleaning up and watchful of everyone around her, like she’s waiting for someone. I like to think I know who she’s waiting for.

I approach her with a grin, one I can’t hold back when I’m around her. “Where are the boys?”

She looks past me for a moment, then to me. “With my parents. They’re staying the night with them.” And then her words trail off. They’re meant to because she’s leaving it open for me to make my own assumptions.

And I do.

I lean into the concession stand and wink. I make it look like I’m going to kiss her, but instead, I whisper, “I have a proposition for you.”

“And that would be?”

Wanting to tease her, I take a straw in my hand and stoke it. “Actually, it’s more of a request.”

“What?”

“Come by my trailer later.”

Her eyes widen, a smile ghosting across her lips.

My dick jerks to life. God, I fucking want her so bad.

She swallows, shaky words follow. “Okay.”

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