Dad reached over and wrapped his arms around me. He’d never been a touchy-feely person, but he held me to his chest to comfort me. I was touched that he felt comfortable enough to share this moment with me, but a small voice inside me felt resentful. I heard my phone ring again and stepped back from Dad. “I love you, Dad. I hope you know that.”
“I love you too, honey. I’m sorry for being a jerk. Forgive me?”
I wanted to forgive him right then and there, but I still had the clinic on my mind and I wouldn’t be lying if I’d said the last few years with Dad had been hell. “Dad, I jus—”
His desk phone jangled and he instinctively reached over to answer it. So goes our moment. “Yes, okay. I’ll meet him in his office in fifteen minutes.” He was himself again—all business, all composure.
“So, you will think about my offer?” Back on that again? “The clinic will get the funds they need and I’ll get you safe and sound at University. Let me know soon and I’ll write the check.”
“I’ll think about it and let you know something soon, thanks.”
He shuffled some papers together and slid them into his leather portfolio. “Is that it, Mollie?”
I walked to the door. “I guess so. Thanks for your time.” I left the office and said goodbye to Julie on my way out the door.
“Will I see you again soon? I’d love to have lunch sometime.” Julie had been Dad’s assistant for years and I’d always believed she had feelings for him, but I couldn’t imagine that Dad cared anything about her. I wished he would date again. Maybe falling in love would soften his heart.
I had a lot to think about on my way home. Dad had made me an offer that I had to consider. It wasn’t a fair one, in my opinion, but at least it was something. Well, it would make a huge difference for the community, but again—Dad had found a way to control me. He would give me the desire of my heart, as long as I obeyed his will. The more I thought about it, the more frustrated and angry I became. Why couldn’t we have a normal father-daughter relationship? It wasn’t like I wanted a new car or some designer clothes. I wanted to help people who needed it.
I drove down the highway and thought about all the people and businesses that had agreed to help with the fundraiser. I still had a page of contacts to call and email, so maybe someone would step up and help. I thought about calling Judith for more leads, but I wasn’t sure yet. I decided to go home and make some follow-up calls.
I tapped my voicemail as I drove home to give myself a head start and saw I had two new messages. One was Natalie wanting to make plans to go out this Friday, but the next one was intriguing. I heard Jack’s voice. “Hi, Mollie. This is Jack, the guy you helped stitch up the other day. I got your note. Obviously. Anyway, how about some dinner before my race tomorrow night? I saw the flyers about the clinic, and after I win, I’ll be in a position to help.” He didn’t leave a phone number in the message, but it was displayed on my phone. I had Jack’s number. So he was inviting me to dinner before the race? Hadn’t he made it a point to slobber all over that brunette racing groupie the other night, right in front of me? But then again, he did say he didn’t have a girlfriend. Hmmm…I’d have to think about this before I called him back. Dinner would be nice, as long as I was the only girl on the menu.
I decided I was going to give it forty-eight hours before I answered Dad. That would give Mr. Race Car Driver a chance to step up. If he didn’t come through and nothing else showed up, I’d have to give in to my dad. There was no way I was letting the clinic shut down, no way in hell. If my being away at University Hospital would keep it going, then I’d just have to do it.
Unless Jack came through…that might be a game changer.
Chapter Thirteen — Jack
It was still a few hours before I had to race and it had been an amazingly quiet day. Mollie had finally called me back last night and we’d talked for a little while. I was nervous as hell, but she’d agreed to go out to dinner with me tonight before the race.
I’d sprung for some new jeans and a button-down shirt. I wanted to look good on our first date, and I sure the hell wasn’t about to take her out for some greasy burger. Oh, hell no, I wanted to take her out right. Maybe the steakhouse right on the outskirts of town.
Tonight would also be the first time Mollie had ever gotten up close and personal with my other baby, the Camaro. Sweet. I threw on a shirt and went outside to clean up the car and take it down to the car wash. They frowned on the residents washing their cars in the yard, and the only reason I got away with working on my baby was because I paid off the manager. Yeah, sometimes money talks and I hoped after I’d won the race tonight, it would talk to the clinic and keep it open.
My cell phone buzzed in my pocket. I hurriedly grabbed it and answered it without thinking. “Hello?”
The scratchy voice of a woman who smoked and drank too much was on the line. Mom. “You sorry piece of shit, you better come get me out of here, now!”
Fuck! “Hi, Mom, how you doing?”
“I’m in fucking jail, you asshole. Now come get me, or else—”
“Relax, woman, I’m on my way,” I lied.
“You’d better be,” she screamed, then she hung up abruptly. I’d get her out tomorrow. It would cost me a chunk of change but fuck, she was my mother. I had no delusions about her—and she’d be bat-shit crazy when she got home.
I slid into the driver’s seat and turned the key. Nothing. Fuck! Not today! Fucking car wouldn’t turn over. Not good. I popped the hood, got out and stomped around to the front of the car to see if I could spot anything obvious. I looked for a few minutes but couldn’t find anything wrong then ‘Dre and Emilio stopped by on their way to the basketball court and helped me run through the checks. They were a great pit crew and although I tried to keep the swearing down to a minimum, I was frustrated and some of the words just flew out. I couldn’t believe this had happened—today of all days. “Fuck! I can’t fucking believe this!” How was I going to take Mollie out to dinner with no car? And what about the race? The money for the clinic?
“Fitz, relax. Calm down, dude.”
“You know what, you’re right. I can fix this thing. Hell, I built it. Let’s check all the connections one by one. You start with those.”
“All right, man, but you gotta chill.”
I looked at Andre and smiled. “I’m chilled. Let’s get this fixed. I have a date with a beautiful girl tonight and I have to have my car.”
“We’re on it, bro.” He flashed a big grin back at me. After a few ‘hmmm’s’ and ‘oh’s’, and ‘oh fuck’s’, we figured out the problem and it all boiled down to a loose connection on the starter solenoid. A wire had come loose and, after securing it, my Camaro purred like a kitten again. I gave my helpers high fives, handed them a few bucks and then peeled out of the neighborhood to the car wash.
As I sat and waited for the cycle to finish, I thought about texting Mollie. I felt like I wanted to be with her every minute of every day, but I didn’t want to scare her off. I swiped the letters to form the message How’s it going? Then thought twice about sending it. I felt stupid. I was going to see her tonight anyway, so I erased it. Fuck me. I’d been so wrapped up in the racing, the free pussy and getting high, I’d totally forgotten how to treat a girl, but she just felt so right.
God, I’m a fucking mess. Damaged. A loser. A grown man, but a fucking loser.
I shook those thoughts from my head and handed the dude drying my car a tenner. Baby was looking good and all I had to do was go home, shower and then pick Mollie up. She didn’t want her dad to know we were going out, so I was meeting her at the mall. Her car was safer there than at the clinic on a Friday night.
I stepped out of the shower, dried myself off and slicked my hair back as best as I could. I had forty-five minutes to touchdown, and the mall was only fifteen minutes away. I pulled out my cigar box and opened it. There was a half a blunt and a little baggie of leftover blow. I wanted it. Bad. I knew I could function okay if I t
ook it, but would Mollie know? She was a nurse, after all, and she’d probably seen a lot of druggies and crackheads at the clinic. They were all over the place. I sighed, the little bit of blow I had left was calling my name. Fuck me. I’d already thrown the mirror I used for the Charlie into the trash, and since Mom had been away, I’d cleaned up the whole house and the trash was long gone. I sat there, thinking, contemplating. Yes? No? Yes? No?
I loved the warm feeling I got when I snorted a line, and the power it gave me. I stared at the baggie. I’m a fucking loser, hypocrite. Just like my mom said. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
I knew this would happen. Finally, something good was happening in my life and here I was just about ready to fuck it up before it had even begun. “No! No, I’m not going to do this!” I said out loud, and slid the cigar box back under my bed, grabbed some cash from the closet, and headed out the door.
I drove up to the spot where Mollie had asked me to meet her and parked. I got out of the car, leaned against the trunk and checked if I could see her Beemer coming. I glanced around, and as I turned to my right, she was already walking toward me. God, she looked beautiful. Her long, blonde hair blew around her face in thin little wisps and the blue dress she wore fit her body perfectly. She was amazing. I’d only ever seen her out of her scrubs once, and it had been dark, but to see her like this in daylight made my heart race.
“M-M-Mollie, you look beautiful,” I choked out.
She smiled a half-smile and replied, “Thank you. You look pretty hot yourself.”
I shrugged and walked her around my car, opening the passenger door. “This is my baby. I hope you enjoy the ride.” God that was stupid. I got in the driver’s side and started the car. I was nervous, probably more than she was, but once we got on the highway, I was in my element. Mollie sat there with a smile on her face, not saying anything, but she was looking at me.
She finally spoke up. “So where did you learn about cars? Did your dad teach you?”
“I learned myself. I don’t have a dad.”
“I’m so sorry,” she replied, and bit her lip as she looked out the window.
We pulled up to the steakhouse and parked. “You like steak?” I asked, though I realized I hadn’t even asked her what she liked to eat.
“Love it. Thanks.”
The restaurant was on the outskirts of town and from where we were parked, the big, red sun looked incredible as it set on the horizon. We sat in the car for a few minutes and watched it go down, then I looked straight at her,
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” She blushed, and it was the first time I’d really looked into her big, blue eyes. “So…you hungry?”
“A little,” she answered, with a coy smile. She was so confident and professional at the clinic, I couldn’t believe I’d made her shy.
I got out of the car, walked around and opened her door. “Shall we?” I said, and I put my hand out to help her out of the car. She smiled and took my hand, “Are you just gonna smile all night, Mollie? I mean—it’s okay if you do, I’ve just never seen you so quiet.”
“Jack, it’s just—I’ve heard so many things about you and you’re nothing like I’d thought you’d be—you’re more like I’d hoped you’d be.” She smiled again then looked away nervously.
“Interesting—and how’s that?” I grinned back at her.
“Nice. Handsome and the car is totally hot,” she said. “Now, are we gonna eat or just stay here all night?”
“Let’s get something to eat. I need my strength for the race,” I chuckled, and we walked through the door arm in arm.
The restaurant was quiet, dark and I heard glasses tinkling like they did at the fine dining establishment I’d seen in the movies. I’d hoped this was good enough for Mollie. I knew she came from a very wealthy family and I didn’t want to disappoint her.
The hostess seated us in a corner booth and took our order for drinks. Mollie ordered wine while I ordered a beer. She chose a rosé, pink and girlie. I liked that, and the waitress was back in no time.
“So, tell me about the street races,” she said, peeking over her wine glass. I could barely contain myself. Just sitting here with her made my palms sweat and my heart race.
“What do you want to know?”
“Why racing?”
“Oh, Mollie, until you’ve felt the power of a muscle car going a hundred and eighty miles an hour, you don’t know what the feeling of real power is.” Her eyes seemed to glass over and I could tell she knew nothing about racing. “Sorry. When I’m racing, it’s like I’m in my element, like it’s my reason for living. I get a little carried away sometimes,” I laughed. All the nervousness I’d felt earlier had subsided and as the evening progressed, we ate and chatted about our lives just like two old friends.
“So, why do you want to work at that clinic?” I asked, then took a sip of the beer I’d been nursing all night. I drank slowly because I could only have one with such precious cargo riding along with me.
“I really like to help people, and the people in that neighborhood have nothing good going for them, except the clinic. I heard they were building a new school over there. I mean, my residency is just a temporary thing, and I’m not even getting paid, but the kids are so cool and they have nothing. I’d like to do everything I can to help in the time that I’m there.” She smiled again.
“Are you always so smiley? Because I think it’s beautiful.” I took a bite of my dinner and continued with the questions. “So, we both know I know your dad. What about your mom? Is she around?”
Mollie hesitated. “No, Mom died a few years back of breast cancer.”
Shit! Not the right question to be asking.
“Oh, God. I’m so sorry.”
“Oh, don’t be. How could you know? Anyway, we took care of Mom as long as we could, and that’s when I decided I wanted to be a nurse. I want to help people and after I went to school, I changed my ambitions to become a pediatric RN. You know, like, work in NICU?”
“Uhm, you got me there. I have no idea what that is, but it sounds smart. Like, you’re really smart, and I’m sorry about your mom.” I sighed inside—she was way out of my league.
We finished up dinner, I paid the tab and held her hand as we walked out to the car. “So, you’re sure you want to go see me race? You don’t have anything to do tomorrow? They do get kind of late.”
“Yeah, I’m sure, and nope, I’m free and clear for the night. I mean—” She bit her lip and giggled. “I mean—” She smacked my arm playfully. “You know what I mean.”
The full moon shone on her face and I stopped and turned in front of her. I moved some wisps of hair from her cheek and she looked up at me. She let out a sigh and I bent down and pressed my lips against hers. God, she was sweet. Fuck. Shit. The taste of her lips and her little breaths were intoxicating. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer into me. Her tongue was so soft. Her lips. She pulled me in tighter to her—this was heaven.
Absofuckinlutely heaven. I had to make her my girl. I had to have her. Mine. No matter what it took.
Chapter Fourteen — Mollie
Oh, my God, Natalie was going to kill me. When I kissed him, my whole body felt like it was floating on air. She’d warned me about him and after that kiss, I realized I probably should have listened.
“Wow, that was a surprise.” My toes were still tingling in my shoes and he hadn’t let go of me yet.
“A good surprise, I hope?” he said, and I just smiled again as I looked into his eyes. I felt like a goofy teenager. Jackson Fitzgerald took my breath away and after we’d talked for hours in the restaurant, I realized that he wasn’t a bad person; he’d just had a really rough life, and his heart was definitely in the right place.
“Yes, a very good one,” I beamed. He bent down again and I pulled him closer to me. His lips met mine and the delicious tingle went from my lips to my toes again, and made them curl in approval. His body was so fine, muscular, powerful. I wondered
what he’d feel like naked next to me. He sucked my breath and tickled my lips playfully.
“Ahhh,” I groaned into his mouth. I didn’t want him to stop. My hand snaked up under his shirt and I felt the dimples in his back. I knew it was wrong to think it, but I wanted him and I had to have him. Maybe next time we went on a date, though. There was going to be a next time, wasn’t there…please? I didn’t want to come across like a sleazebag skank, but I could see why girls wanted to get him naked. His kisses were unreal and left me euphoric, blissful.
“Oh, Jack.”
“Yeah?” he asked, and raised an eyebrow at me.
“Don’t you have a race soon?” I practically choked out. My heart was pounding so fast my words came out in beats. I could feel my panties getting wet, and that had never happened to me before with just a kiss. Wow.
“Yeah, I have a race. You ready to go out there? Are you sure you want to go?” he said between kisses.
“Mm-hmm. I do.” I was excited to see Jack race for real. I wasn’t too excited about girls crawling all over him, but he’d show his true colors if they did. One last slobbery kiss and we were on the highway out of town.
“I’m really excited about this race,” he said. “I’m racing for a purpose today. Not to just race, but I feel I actually have a purpose. I’ve made up my mind that I’ll get that spot with Stockton Racing they offered me. They’re a professional racing team.” He looked over at me, placed his hand on mine and with a smile, he continued. “You know, that could change my life in so many ways. Maybe I could get my mom the help she needs and get some money for the clinic. It’s a big race. Twenty-five grand.”
“You’re gonna win that much?” I asked. I was shocked that the race payout was so high.
“Yeah. There’s a lot of competition tonight and people are betting big on their favorite drivers. That makes for a big pot, probably the biggest in the state.”
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