Page 64 of Happy Hour

I grasped this wasn’t the right moment, but I kind of giggled to myself at how he was acting like a bull in that moment and he had the sexual stamina of a bull, ironic, huh?

“Get out of the car!” Jameson roared at Darrin who was currently taking his helmet off to get out of the car. “What the fuck was that?”

“You better be ready to finish the fight if you start one Riley.” Darrin warned pulling himself from the car ready to throw down it seemed.

Before either of them could get to each other, most of their team, along with two NASCAR officials were dragging them apart. News reporters hovered everywhere eating this up along with Chelsea and Mariah standing on the other side of Darrin’s garage bay.

“I’m ready to finish this right now.” Jameson pushed pass Spencer throwing his arms up taunting. “C’mon Darrin, I’m right here. Let’s see what you got.” He added trying to provoke him further, not that it was really needed at that point.

You could tell Darrin wanted to take the first swing but with a NASCAR official standing there, he lowered his arm reluctantly. “See you on Sunday, Riley.” he replied curtly and turned to walk away with the rest of his team that had gathered around.

“Don’t start something you can’t finish.” Jameson advised using Darrin’s previous words against him.

When Jameson turned towards me, it wasn’t hard to understand the now malevolent grin he had plastered across his face. I knew then what Darrin was stirring up in Jameson and I had a feeling Darrin was about to see a side of Jameson he never saw coming.

Alley was immediately in his face. “Youand Darrin are wanted in the NASCAR hauler.”

NASCAR hauled around a big red hauler where you were summoned if you’d been bad. This wasn’t the first time Jameson had to go there to discuss his on the track conduct. And though he wasn’t really a frequent flyer, they didn’t call him “Rowdy Riley” for nothing.

Jameson shook off Kyle and Spencer and began walking towards me, his eyes trained ahead, unmoving. “Come with me, Sway.” He grabbed me by the hand.

I was being dragged around a lot today.

On the way towards the hauler, a reporter with ESPN shoved a microphone right in Jameson’s face as he was trying to walk. “Jameson, we see that you and Darrin had an altercation back there and on pit road, can you tell us what happened?”

Jameson kept walking but answered with brusqueness. “I don’t know what happened.” He told him unwilling to stop. “He was all over me during practice and when I pulled onto pit road, he spun me. I just wanted to see what his problem was.”

Before Jameson could say anymore, Alley was beside us advising him to keep his mouth shut.

“Decline to comment.” She told him pushing him forward.

“They only want the truth.” Jameson snapped jerking away from her. “I’ll give ‘em the goddamn truth!”

I wasn’t sure what to say to him so I said the first thing that came to mind. “Are you okay?” Alley walked away towards the hauler leaving us alone.

He huffed, turning to glare at me while we continued walking. “I just wrecked the car during practice.” He threw his arms up in the air. “Now, my team has to get the back-up car ready to go before qualifying in two hours. So, yeah, I’mfuckinggreat, Sway.”

“Jesus,” I balked. “Why did you ask me to come with you if you’re going to talk to me like that?”

Jameson snorted. “I just...look,” he stopped walking and turned towards me. “I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”

I nodded feeling myself close to tears. There were people walking around us, so I knew this was no time for us to be having an argument. But I also didn’t appreciate this being taken out on me.

Jameson noticed, abruptly I was brought tightly against his side as he whispered in my ear. “Ireallyam sorry. I’m just pissed that my team is the one suffering from this because Darrin is an asshole and seems to have something to prove.”

I nodded again. “You go ahead. I’m going to wait at your hauler.”

Without another look, I turned and walked towards the hauler where the crew was unloading the back-up car with the dented hood.

Jameson always reacted like this when angry. Anger first, lucidity later. I doubted that would ever change, so I never took it personally. It was just him—he didn’t mean anything by it.

Not that it was okay to treat people like that but I knew he needed to simmer down before he said something he’d regret.

With Jameson, he put everything he had into racing and when someone threatened that, he reacted the only way he knew how. The only way I could describe this to someone was comparing it to a mother and their child. It’s the exact same instincts for him.

If you understood his passion for racing, you’d understand his reactions.

Back at the hauler, everyone was hard at work preparing the back-up car for qualifying. Jimi was there now but wouldn’t be staying since he had a race in Knoxville tonight.

---