by Tara Wentz
Joshlyn smiled as one girl blushed when the woman patted her on the shoulder. It was easy to see the little girl was enamored with the striking woman. It was hard to tell how tall she was since she was still squatting, but the black driving suit hugged her body in all the right places, giving the impression of a sleek and well-toned physique. She had one side of her long dark hair pushed back behind her ear, and when she smiled, an even row of white teeth contrasted beautifully against her tan skin.
Based on the reactions from the girls, Joshlyn felt the driver had a good rapport with people or at least children, who, in her opinion, seemed to be great judges of character.
The girls said their goodbyes and the woman waved. Joshlyn hid a grin when the blushing girl turned back and hugged the slightly startled driver. She was somewhat curious when the woman placed a hand on the little girl’s head, leaned down, and whispered in her ear. The girl grinned, nodded her head, and turned to catch up with her friends.
Joshlyn followed the girl’s path until she was reunited with the others and then glanced back at the woman. She was unnerved to find those riveting eyes fixated on her. She stared back as the woman handed something to another driver and then walked in her direction. Shit! She’s coming this way.
The closer the woman got, the more Joshlyn noticed the stark contrast between the woman’s light colored eyes and her dark hair. The picture in the program did not do her justice.
Joshlyn was still staring as the woman smiled, showing a dimple on one cheek, and clapped Emerson on the shoulder.
“Great race, Emerson.”
Emerson peered over his shoulder and turned. “Thanks, K. Hey, I’d like you to meet my sister, Ami, and her friend, Joshlyn. Ladies, this is Kellen Reynolds, one of the finest drivers I’ve ever had the pleasure to race against, even if she is a woman.”
“Hey!” Kellen exclaimed. She shook hands first with Ami. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Ami. I’ve seen you around before, but haven’t had the pleasure of a formal introduction.”
“It’s nice to meet you as well, Kellen. You looked great today, too.”
“Aw, thanks. It was a lot of fun out there.” Kellen turned to Joshlyn and clasped her hand next.
Joshlyn tried to pull her gaze away from the blue eyes holding hers captive, but failed miserably. The longer she stood there with this woman’s hand in hers, the more unsettled she felt. Very rarely did she meet someone that rattled her so quickly.
Joshlyn cleared her throat. “Hello. You really did look good.”
Kellen quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing.
“Out there.” Joshlyn thumbed towards the track and hurried to explain. “Racing.”
“Thank you, I appreciate the compliment,” Kellen responded in earnest.
Joshlyn held Kellen’s gaze a moment longer before extracting her hand. She rubbed her hands together and turned to Ami.
“Um, are you about ready to go?”
Ami gave her a funny look at the abrupt comment, but nodded her head. “Uh, sure.”
Joshlyn turned to Kellen. “It was nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Kellen said with a warm smile.
Joshlyn turned slowly away from Kellen and, finally breaking eye contact, she walked away from the drivers and the pit.
****
Kellen watched as the attractive blonde made her way across the pit area. Wow, what a gorgeous woman!
“She’s a looker, huh?”
Kellen, almost forgetting that Emerson was still standing there, glanced up at him. She remembered his teasing comment about her being a woman and was going to harass him about it, but she knew all his teasing was in jest. He was a damn good driver and a fair one at that. “Yeah, what do you know about her?”
“I don’t know anything about her.”
At Kellen’s raised eyebrow, Emerson responded, “Seriously, man. Ami hasn’t said much other than she wanted me to meet her.”
Kellen nodded in understanding and cuffed him on the shoulder again. “Well, I better get back over there,” she said, gesturing towards her crew. “It was good seeing you again, Emerson. Take care.”
“You, too, K; always a pleasure.” Emerson gave a mock salute with two fingers and moved back towards his own crew.
As Kellen walked back over to her area, she couldn’t stop thinking about Joshlyn and her warm brown eyes. They captivated Kellen completely. She wondered what her story was and why she seemed so standoffish. “Maybe she’s just shy,” Kellen mumbled. “There is a lot of testosterone to take in down here.” She glanced around and sighed. There weren’t many women Kellen dated that could handle all the grease and noise either so what was she expecting? Not that she made much effort to date anymore. It seemed easier to just go about her daily business and continue the focus on her driving.
****
Joshlyn waved goodnight to Ami, closed the front door, and punched in the code to reactivate the home alarm system. Laying her jacket over the chair, she tossed her keys on the foyer table and kicked off her shoes. She glanced around the room, taking in the various pieces of furniture and sparse decorations. This should have felt like home, but Joshlyn doubted it ever would.
“Even with the lights on it still feels so dark in here,” she said with a sigh.
She tapped her fingers lightly against the table and reflected back on the day at the races. It really was a lot more fun than she had expected. What was more surprising was the way she reacted towards Kellen. She had lived in Kansas City long enough to have met plenty of people, but never had she felt the need or desire to really get to know someone. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had that type of feelings towards anyone. She wanted to get to know Kellen better, yet the thought of it scared her into running. Ami hadn’t asked a lot of questions on the drive home, but Joshlyn knew they were in the back of her mind.
Joshlyn wandered down the hall to her bedroom, turning lights off as she went. She unbuttoned her shirt and, pulling a clean T-shirt and panties out of the dresser, she looked nervously to the windows, a habit born out of necessity to assure her that the blinds were closed and nobody could see in. She rubbed the scar near her shoulder, sighed, and sat heavily on the bed, tossing her clothing aside. She hesitated briefly before she opened the drawer on her nightstand and removed an old wooden box. Running her hand lightly across the top, she carefully lifted the lid. Her eyes scanned the contents of the box, but she couldn’t bring herself to touch them. Closing her eyes, she massaged her temple with the fingers on her left hand.
“God, when will I ever get past this? Does it ever get easier?”
She opened her eyes, closed the lid on the box, and placed it back in the drawer. Frustrated, Joshlyn slammed the drawer shut, grabbed her clothes, and headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed.
****
Kellen held a long past warm beer in her hand while gazing up into the dark sky. She could see a few errant clouds lit up by the bright half-moon and lots of twinkling stars. Most of her crew had already called it a night, but she and her crew chief, Bob, remained lounging in their chairs.
“Bob, do you ever wonder why some people grab your interest more than others?”
“I quit thinking about that long before my third wife left. Figured it just wasn’t in the cards for me.”
Bob had been her crew chief for the entire four years she’d been driving for this group, but she’d known him a lot longer. Bob was the brother of Mason, who was one of her grandfather’s best friends. Mason took her under his wing after her grandfather passed away so she’d seen Bob around here and there. Mason was the one that got Kellen into driving in the first place. It wasn’t until after Mason died that Bob approached her with an offer to keep driving and ultimately put her in the position she was in today. He was a great guy, but never struck her as the family type. Racing and cars were his wife and kids.
Bob took a swig of beer then asked, “What makes you ask a question like that anyhow?”
Kel
len shrugged and remained silent for a bit. “I don’t know. Sometimes I just get a little introspective. I start wondering if this,” she waved her hand around her, indicating the track and cars, “is all there is; will I find that special person to spend my life with or not. You know?”
“Kellen, she’s out there, just give it time.” Bob paused, thinking. “You’re what, twenty-eight?”
“Twenty-nine and soon to be thirty.”
“See? Plenty of time. Quit thinking about it so much. It’s not like you haven’t gone out on dates or had a lack of company.”
“Yeah, I suppose.”
Kellen knew exactly why she had asked Bob this question. Joshlyn had been on her mind since the moment she’d left the pit area. The woman was beautiful in a down-to-earth, girl-next-door kind of way. She was wholesome looking to a fault. Her peaches and cream complexion made Kellen’s fingers beg to caress it. She’d had sexual responses to women before, but this was more. It wasn’t just a sexual longing.
Kellen took a sip of beer and set it down. “Blech, that’s nasty.” Standing, she nudged Bob’s shoulder. “I’ll see you later. Don’t stay too late.”
“See ya later, kiddo. You did good today.”
“Thanks,” she said with a grin.
Bob’s praises always meant a lot because he didn’t give them away freely. He was more of a father figure than she’d ever had. Her own father had never acknowledged that she existed, much less to be around for any of her accomplishments. He was a drunk and cared only about himself. Last she’d heard, he was doing time in prison.
Kellen walked past Emerson’s pit area and stopped. Backtracking, she poked her head around the corner and saw Emerson and a couple of his crewmembers.
“Hey, Emerson…guys,” she said with a nod, acknowledging the others.
Emerson glanced at his watch then back at Kellen. “You’re here kind of late.”
“Yeah, one of the perks of being your own boss; you get to make your own hours. I get to start my day whenever I want.”
Laughing, Emerson said, “Then that makes you one lucky gal. You on your way out?”
She nodded then waited while Emerson said goodnight to his crew. Most of the drivers seemed to hang out awhile after the race, letting the adrenaline rush work its way out of their systems.
As they walked towards the parking lot, Kellen fidgeted with her keys nervously. She took a deep breath and blew it out. “Um, are you going to the Pit barbeque next weekend?”
Emerson grinned, watching as Kellen looked everywhere but at him.
Kellen felt irritated with her nervous behavior. It was so out of character for her. She always wanted to give off the impression of self-assuredness and confidence.
He cleared his throat before answering. “I had planned on it. How about you?”
“Same here. Do you, uh, think your sister will be coming?”
“I’ll see if she’s busy and ask her. Want me to see if she’d like to bring Joshlyn along?”
Kellen grinned shyly. “That would be great, Emerson. Thanks.”
Emerson nudged her with his elbow. “No problem. Listen, I’ll talk to you later, K.”
“Good night.”
Kellen drove home thinking about the Pit barbeque and how much fun they usually were. It was a time when the drivers, including friends and family, could get together and mingle. Although she enjoyed herself, she always felt like something was missing. She attended out of an obligation, but this year she wondered if it would be different.
Chapter Two
Kellen scooted her chair away from the desk and leaned back. She reached under her glasses to rub her tired eyes with the pads of her fingers. Sighing, she steepled her fingers under her chin and gazed at the computer screen. How many days and nights had she sat in this same spot working for hours without a single thought except for the program on which she was working? This was definitely the best part about being your own boss. The list of jobs she routinely did or could do was a mile long. Between software development and graphic art design, she was constantly busy. She rarely turned a job away. Kellen loved the challenge and diversity of each job and even had some contracts for ongoing support.
She reached for the ringing phone that had interrupted her thoughts. “KR Design and Development.”
“Hey, Kellen, it’s Lance Bowman with OSM. I was wondering if you had time to drop by this week. We’ve got some new forms that need to be dropped into the system.”
Kellen had been working with OSM for over a year now. They did medical exams for life insurance policies as well as disability and long-term care policies. She had developed a cataloging system for the different insurance companies and various medical forms that were used.
“Sure, Lance, that won’t be a problem. How about…” She trailed off while shuffling through her appointment book. “Here we go, how about Wednesday? I have anything from nine until eleven-thirty open.”
“Sounds great, how about nine? Oh, and can you bring some sample copies of those brochures you designed? I think we’re about ready to venture into that avenue,” he said rather proudly.
“You got it. See you then.” Kellen hung up the phone after his goodbye and chuckled. She had been trying to convince him for six months that the flyers, at a minimum, would improve business.
Kellen stretched her arms above her head and arched her back. Hearing it pop, she gracefully stood and decided it was time for some lunch.
“C’mon, Chigger. Let’s go grab something to eat,” Kellen said, watching her Welsh Corgi stand and stretch. He liked to lay by her feet near the computer tower because of the heat the fans generated. It didn’t matter what time of year it was, Chigger loved the heat.
She walked through the living room and flipped the switch on the stereo as she walked past. An upbeat rock song blared through the speakers as she danced her way into the kitchen.
****
Joshlyn clipped the last group of pictures to her dry line and stepped back. She never liked to stack her photos after printing them for fear the ink would smear or smudge. The dry line gave the prints time to dry while also affording her the opportunity to study them without touching them. There were plenty of pictures to submit this time around and Joshlyn knew Ami wouldn’t be disappointed in the quality either. Ami was her direct contact with a firm that used her photos. She glanced across her large L-shaped desk and smiled. It had turned out nice and she loved the large working space. She wondered sometimes if she would have been as involved with photography had she not been forced to choose another career path. Photography was something she enjoyed, but always considered a hobby up until three years ago.
Joshlyn shook her head, ridding herself of the unwanted thoughts. Thinking of the past always left her stomach feeling a little queasy. She pulled off her gloves, cleaned up the mess on her desk, and then moved to look at the prints prior to the ones she had just finished. There was a mixture of scenic and animal prints. She stopped at one picture in particular.
“Wow, that turned out really nice.” It was a black and white of a baby bird hatching. The little beak barely protruded through the shell as it worked its way out. After spotting the nest and climbing part way up the tree, Joshlyn couldn’t believe her luck at capturing the event through the entire sequence. She snapped several frames before lowering the camera and watching the joy of nature at its best.
Joshlyn glanced at her watch and placed the dried prints in an envelope. She had just enough time to get cleaned up and eat before Ami came to collect the photos.
****
Ami glanced through the photographs one last time before looking up into Joshlyn’s anxious eyes. After three years, Joshlyn was still nervous about sharing her photographic results.
“These are really good, Josh,” Ami said, knowing they would be whether she looked at them or not.
“Thanks,” Joshlyn said with a wide smile.
“You outdid yourself with these, my friend.” Ami laughed outright at Joshlyn
’s blush. “C’mon, don’t tell me you don’t know how good you are.”
“Stop it, Ami. Why is it that you like to pick at me so much?” Joshlyn asked, not really expecting an answer.
Ami patted her knee, but continued to smile. “Listen, Emerson called and asked if we were interested in going to the Pit barbeque this Saturday. He specifically asked that I invite you. Interested?”
“Um, I don’t know. Are you going to go?” Joshlyn knew that since Ami’s husband, Jaxon, was out of town on business a lot, chances are he wouldn’t be able to make it and she also knew Ami didn’t really like to go out and do things on her own.
“I think it will be fun. I’ve been before and enjoyed the people and the great food. It’s a very laid back, relaxed atmosphere.”
Joshlyn chewed nervously at her bottom lip and glanced down at her hands.
“Joshlyn, it’s no big deal if you don’t want to go.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to go. It’s just that…” Joshlyn hesitated, wishing she could explain. I hate this!
“Okay, how about if we go and at any point you feel you need to leave, then just say so and we’ll go, no questions asked.”
Joshlyn knew Ami was always true to her word so she reluctantly agreed.
“Okay,” she said, nodding.
“Great,” Ami exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “I promise you’ll have a good time.”
Joshlyn couldn’t help but smile at Ami’s excitement. Maybe this really was what she needed
Ami stood, grabbing the envelope of pictures. “Well, I better get these turned in before they come hunting me down.”
Joshlyn walked her to the door. “What time do I need to be ready Saturday?”
“I’ll come get you about 2:30, so be ready.”
“Do I need to bring anything?”
“Nope, I got it covered. Dress comfortable though,” Ami said as she stepped out the door and onto the porch.