Page 32 of Rivals

Sutton gives me the smallest smile. “Well, can we set the alarm earlier so that way you can stay here until then?”

My chest warms with her request. “Anything you want darlin’.” I climb back into the bed and Sutton lays beside me. She falls asleep long before I do. At some point she stirs and before I realize it her head is on my chest. I’ve never been one to cuddle. I’m not even sure I’ve held someone like this before but with Sutton, it just feels right.

Thirty-Three

Sutton

When I wake up Rathe is gone and the sun is coming through the windows. It’s scary how my heart sinks a little at his absence. I mean in retrospect we don’t even really know each other but there’s something about him that makes me feel safe and that’s not something I’m used to feeling. As I roll over, I check the time and see my original alarm will go off in about ten minutes, so I decide to get a little head start. Today, Rathe and I, will be at a grand opening of a miniature Indy track for children. It’s basically a go-kart track but it looks a lot fancier, at least in the photos that I’ve seen. Luckily, I won’t have to be overly dressed up for this event and I look forward to hanging out with some of the kids.

Over the next two hours I’m fed, primped, and dressed with just minutes to spare before I have to head down to catch the ride with Rathe and Jowanna. I take a minute to just breathe. My room has been a flurry of people and I’m going to enjoy the quiet for a moment. I look in the mirror and at least I can kind of recognize myself today. Black, distressed skinny jeans hug my legs with a grayish blue satin tank and black leather jacket. I tried to insist on wearing a pair of Converses but the dream team as they call themselves refused, so I now have some black high heels on with the outfit. They pulled my hair up into a messy ponytail, which I’m sure I’ll be grateful for once I’m in the Florida heat. My makeup is on the light side too. My cell phone pings and I know it’s time to go, so I grab my clutch and head out into the hallway.

I’m pulling my door shut when I hear the low whistle come from behind me. When I spin around, I’m shocked to see Rathe, looking like sex on a stick, leaning against the wall. His dark eyes roam my body and instantly my skin prickles in anticipation. I’d give almost anything to cross this hallway and pull his mouth to mine, kissing the hell out of him. Sadly, that is not an option. He looks illegally good. His light wash denim jeans hang low on his hips with a simple black t-shirt hugs his biceps. The aviator shades that he seems to love so much are tucked into the collar of his shirt and I’m envious of his shoes. “Why do you get to wear normal shoes?”

Rathe chuckles. “Because there’s no way in hell I could pull those off, let alone walk in them.”

“Yeah, well I can’t exactly walk in them either, but they keep throwing them on me,” I say, as I roll my eyes.

Silence falls between us and when I look up the heat in Rathe’s eyes is almost my undoing. His teeth have sunk into his plump bottom lip as he watches me. “I’m kind of glad they do. You make them look damn good. Although, you could probably make anything look good.”

I scoff and roll my eyes. “Yeah, sure.” The elevator dings in the quiet hallway and I move towards it. We’re going to be late if we don’t get going. I hear Rathe behind me, but I know I have to act normal, so I don’t turn around to see where he’s at. I don’t really need to because my body seems to be hyper aware of his presence.

I move to one corner and Rathe moves to the other corner, but I can feel his eyes on me. “You really don’t see it do you?”

Are there cameras in these elevators? I want to look at him so badly, but I know I shouldn’t. “See what, Rathe? You’re talking in circles again,” I tell him as I raise my head, giving him a look that I’ve often given him in the past.

“How damn gorgeous you are,” he says. It’s so quiet, I’m not even sure I heard him right. I’m stunned into speechlessness and by the time I finally find my voice, the elevator doors slide open and Jowanna is in front of us.

“It’s about damn time. I was fixing to come back up there.”

I shake off Rathe’s comment. “Sorry, you know Rathe. He’s always got to have that extra beauty time,” I tell her, with a roll of my eyes as I step out of the elevator.

Rathe chuckles and I can hear the extra sarcasm he’s added for Jowanna’s benefit. “Well, I’m so sorry I don’t have a whole glam squad to make me presentable to the general public.”

I make a point to bite back the smile threatening my face right now. “Ha-ha, you’re so funny,” I tell him.

“That’s enough!” Jowanna swings around to stare us down. She’s got that mom look about her right now and it’s a little intimidating. “I know you two have this competitive type of relationship that is super annoying and unnecessary if you ask me, but stick a cork in it. Today, I don’t want to deal with it. Just go back to ignoring each other if you have to but can the two of you at least pretend to be nice to one another for today?”

Rathe and I exchange a glance but it’s so much more. Who knew a brief glance could say so many things at one time? “We’ll call a truce for today to make it easier on you,” Rathe tells Jowanna, in his silky-smooth voice.

“Yeah, I know I’m sorry. We’re not trying to make your job harder.” There’s a chance that Rathe and I are being a little over the top and I’m crossing my fingers that Jowanna doesn’t catch on.

Jowanna eyes us carefully, trying to decide if she believes us or not. Finally, she nods her head, causing her dark bob haircut to bounce. “Alright, good. Then let’s go do this thing.”

The ride to the Go-Kart Indy track is a quiet one but I felt Rathe’s eyes on me more than once. I didn’t need to look his way to know I was right. The heat of his stare was all I could feel. Ignoring him was going to be nearly impossible. When we pull up to the track, I see a large crowd of people, many of them press. We all climb out of the car. Rathe and I are stopped for questions and pictures. We even sign a few things. I never thought I'd be asked for my autograph. It was certainly a surreal moment for me.

Once we make it past the fence and into the actual track area, I see a line of kids, dressed like miniature Indy race car drivers, standing next to their cars. It’s one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen and for some reason I grab my phone and snap a picture of it. We are introduced to the owners of the business before being ushered onto the stage where we give our speeches. My speech is short and sweet. I don’t have a lot to say because as I was growing up my only goal was to survive. I didn’t consider racing or anything else. It was just about making it out of the system, getting a job and trying to find my place in the world. Racing came into my life much later than most of the kids standing behind me. However, as Rathe takes the microphone I can tell by the look of passion in his eyes that his speech is going to be the crowd pleaser.

“Growing up, cars were everything to me. My father worked forty plus hours to ensure that my mom, sister and I had everything we could ever need and most of what we wanted. He went to work early and came home late. A lot of the time I missed his presence at our dinner table or during a movie on our couch, but he always made it a point to be home on the weekends. At first, I tried my hand at sports like so many young boys do. I wanted to impress my father and he never missed a game even though it was obvious that football, soccer and baseball were not my passion. Then one weekend I found my father in the garage of our home. There was this beat up, old car, basically a piece of junk sitting there and the look in my father’s eyes shocked me. He looked so proud of this car. I remember asking him about it and he told me the story about his father and a car he had just like this one sitting in our garage. Something about the way he told the story made me want to be part of it. I asked my father if I could help him and of course he told me yes. Sports quickly became a thing of my past. Every weekend we’d spend hours in that garage, fixing that piece of junk up. Then one day I walked into the garage and realized it wasn’t a piece of junk anymore but a work of art. We ended up having the car completed within a year. My father took the whole family out for milkshakes and we cruised around town. Two years later on my sixteenth birthday, he slid the keys into my hands and told me it was mine now. It was the day that changed my life because before I slid behind the wheel of that car, I wanted to be a mechanic. However, the moment I pulled out of the driveway of my childhood home and pushed the gas pedal down, the wind hit my face and the feeling of freedom sat in my bones, I knew I wanted to race. That was the first day of the rest of my life and also the day I got my first ticket and the first time I got my car taken away from me, but it wouldn’t be the last. I had gotten bit by the speed bug and I quickly discovered a world of racing and knew that I wanted to be a part of it. These kids behind me and any other kid that takes this track might end up with the same need for speed that I did all those years ago. This could be the first day of the rest of their lives. This could be the moment that changes everything for them, and I hope it does.” My heart slams violently in my chest as the crowd roars with applause. We step forward and cut the red ribbon that is entwined with the black and white checkered ribbon.

Afterwards, we make our way to the stands of the Go-Kart Indy racetrack and take our seats as the kids climb into the Go-Karts. The go-karts look just like an Indy race car, but my mind is lost in the man sitting next to me. He’s so much more than I thought he was, and it scares me. The Go-Karts come to life and the announcer's voice bellows through the stadium speakers. A green flag is waved, and the kids take off. Rathe catches my eye and winks at me. My heart beats a mile a minute. The race is over too soon and if I’m being honest, I didn’t see much of it. My mind is running in circles.

Rathe and I are ushered down to the track where the kids are standing. We sign more autographs, take pictures and hang out with mini drivers. One little girl named Luna hasn’t left my side. She’s adorable and it warms my heart that I can help inspire someone like her. Once her parents come to take her, I scan the crowd to find Jowanna or Rathe. I hear laughter fill the air when I turn around. I see Rathe spinning two little boys around while they laugh with delight. The scene before me makes my heart stop before kick starting again. I realize that I’m falling hard and fast for Rathe McCall, and I’m not sure what to do about it.

Thirty-Four

Rathe

Watching Sutton with the kids was an experience. She can be so cold and distant at times. I guess I expected her to be that way with them. Instead, she was warm and caring, laughing at their jokes and smiling the whole time. She got down on their level every chance she could. I also noticed the moment her feet started to bother her. There were only a few kids left on the track, so I made my way over to Sutton. “Are your feet surviving?”

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