A Courtesy Call (Green Division Series Book #2) (15 page)

“What are your plans for today?” 

“I’m going to hit the shops downtown and hang around the pool.  Aiden’s going to pick me up later for dinner.”  She beamed.

“
You’re sure you don’t want to come to the battlefield?”

“Positive.”  She wasn’t going to interrupt their budding romance, or so she thought.

Cass walked downtown and Mike sat on the patio waiting for his phone to ring.  Nine came and went, followed by ten, then eleven.  It was a four hour drive to Bentonville and if she didn’t call within the hour, it would be a short visit.

A phone call would have been nice.
Mike stood and grabbed his keys.  He wanted to see Bentonville and tomorrow would be his last day to wander, so he was going, with or without her.

*****

“Shit!”  Raleigh looked at the time and nearly fell out of bed.  After her long nap in the afternoon, she hadn’t been able to fall asleep until dawn broke and obviously overslept.  “Mike’s going to think I’m a real bitch now.” 

She looked for her cell phone.  Of course she couldn’t find it.  She jogged down the stairs to the living room.  There it was.  Five missed calls, all from Aiden and Tom.  She’d worry about them after she called the number Mike had given her.

“You must be backing out on me.  It’s almost eleven thirty.”

“I’m so sorry, I overslept.  I couldn’t sleep last night.” 

I never sleep. 
Mike thought.  Memories from the past prevented a peaceful sleep.

“Don’t worry about it.”  Mike turned onto the highway toward Bentonville.  He’d given up on her and started the drive to his destination.

“Is it too late?  Do you still want company?”

It would be a thirty minute drive back to pick her up.  Mike didn’t debate whether he would backtrack or not.

“I’ll be there in about thirty so long as Tom-Tom gives me good directions.”

“I’m really sorry,” she said remorseful.

“It’s okay.  We should still get there by four and have a few hours until dark.  Be ready in thirty.”

“I will.”  Raleigh clicked end and then quickly called Aiden and Tom back.  They’d expected to see her in the morning as well, though after the previous day, didn’t fault her for being AWOL.  She informed them she’d be taking the rest of the week off and requested they find candidates for a female co-driver.  She would put her trust in Aiden and Tom to hire a new partner, but that was the stipulation.  A girl.

“So what are you up to today, Miss?”  Aiden asked as though he already knew.  “Going on a fieldtrip, that’s the real reason isn’t it.”

“Saw it off.” 

“Bugger off,” he said surprised. 

“Be good to Cass, Mike will kick your ass.”

“She’s the one tempting me.”

“I wouldn’t say that in front of him.”

“Have fun, Miss.”

“You too, not too much fun though,” she said seriously.

“I think it’s you we have to worry about, not me.”

“Oh shut up Aiden.  Bye.”  She hung up the phone and hurried to get ready. 

*****

“Can you stop at Burger King?”  She pointed to a fast food joint in the distance.

“Will do.” 
She eats like a trucker and looks like a model.
Mike thought to himself.

A quick stop for fast food and they were back on the road.  The four hour drive wasn’t uncomfortable considering the length of time they’d known one another.  A four hour drive with a friend could be trying, for them it was fun.  During that time Mike learned she was a terrible singer.  She sounded like a drunk out of pitch karaoke singer.

“Has anyone ever told you, you are a horrible singer?”

“Shut up.”  She pushed his arm. 

“Driver, keep your hands on the wheel at all times,” he joked.  Raleigh drove his car of choice, the GTO.  Mike was in heaven. 

They pulled into the parking lot of the historic battlefield.  There were a fair amount of people there for a Friday afternoon at the end of tourist season. Before getting out of the vehicle she donned her oversized sunglasses and cowgirl hat to match the boots she’d worn looking like a true southern girl. 

“That’s your disguise?”  Mike nearly laughed at her poor attempt to conceal her identity.  If anything, her outfit drew attention to herself.  The boots she wore made her as tall as Mike.  Her white lace tank top showed off her tan beautifully.  It was conservatively cut, which made his mind further wander.  And her jeans appeared to be tailored specifically for her.

“What?”  She thought she could pull it off.  “I thought I looked okay given that I only had twenty minutes to get ready, lead foot.”

“You don’t look okay.”  Mike paused.

“Well mister you look—”  She interjected.

“You look beautiful.”  He too donned sunglasses and gave her the compliment while keeping his gaze straight ahead.  “How do I look?  I think you were going to say something before I finished.”

Silence.  Mike had a hard time not teasing her further.  He knew she wasn’t going to compliment him on his beauty.

“I was going to say you are...” 
He said you’re beautiful. 
She smiled.  “You’re a not bad looking

chap yourself
.”  He wasn’t a bad looking man at all.

“Not bad looking, thanks.”  She was good for the ego. 
Not bad looking.  I am getting old. 

“Oh, stop.  You know what I meant.”  She put her hand in the fold of his arm and held it.  They walked arm in arm to the information office.

They spent three hours at the site, Mike took it all in.  Raleigh, well, she tried to act interested.  The Civil War wasn’t an area of history that interested her.

“You look like you’re ready to fall asleep.”  Mike nudged her as their guide finished their tour.

“No, I’m very intrigued.  I was taking it all in,” she lied.

“Liar.”

She looked at the ground and smiled.  “Maybe.”

They walked back to the parking lot and Raleigh tossed him the keys.

“You’d let me drive?”  His jaw dropped.

“Don’t wreck it.”

Mike stared at the car as though he’d won the lottery.

“There’s a stipulation.”

“What’s that?”

“You need to stop somewhere for ice cream.”

“Strange stipulation, but I think I can do that.”

They got into the car and Mike pointed it toward Charlotte.  Only one pit stop was made at a truck stop for dinner and ice cream.  That was Raleigh’s pick.  She didn’t fail to surprise him at every turn.

Mike parked the GTO and felt a sense of loss.  That would be the last time he would touch one of those in his life likely. 

“Thank you for letting me tag along today.” 

She opened the door and walked inside.  It was after midnight and both were exhausted.  He stood outside, she inside. 

“Thank you for coming.  I had a good time.” 

“Me too.”  Raleigh was nervous, not knowing what would happen next.  Butterflies returned to her stomach.

“Well, I guess this is goodnight.”  He put his hands in his pockets.

“You should come to the track tomorrow, let me take you for a ride before you go home.”

Ride...

Mike had a gut feeling it wasn’t a good idea.  “I’ll go along if you keep it under a hundred.”

“No promises.” 

Though Raleigh intended on taking the weekend off, she needed to see the progress of the car and co-driver.  Aiden would fill her in if she called...hell, she was looking for an excuse to spend more time with Mike, who was she kidding.

“What time?”

“How about two?”

“Does that mean I should plan for about midnight?”

“I’ll be on time tomorrow.  Mornings aren’t my time of day.”

“Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow at the track.”  He turned.

“Mike.” she called before he walked away.  “Thank you for everything these past few days.”

“No need to thank me.”  He smiled and walked away.

Raleigh made it upstairs and plunked down on the bed, clothes and all.  Walking around a battlefield and riding in a car for eight hours had exhausted her.

*****

“You lecture me about me spending time with Aiden, but I’m not the one coming in at one in the morning.”  Cass sat up on the couch in the living room. “What have you two been up to?”

“What I told you we were doing.  Going to the battlefield.  It’s a four hour drive one way.  What time did you come in?”

“If I told you eight you wouldn’t know any different.”  She sunk back into the couch exhausted.  “So I’ll say eight.”

“What are we doing tomorrow?”

“I’m spending the day with Aiden.”

“I should have guessed.”  Mike sat beside her on the couch.

“What are you doing tomorrow?”

“I’ll have to find something else to do since my daughter is ditching me, yet again.”

“You already had plans to spend the day with Raleigh.”  She had him figured out.  “I can’t believe my father has the hots for a race car driver.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.”  Mike stood.  “We’re friends, that’s it.  And that’s all you and Aiden had better be too.  I’m going to bed, be good.”

“Night Dad, love you.”

“Love you too, hun.”  He kissed her forehead and walked off to bed.

Mike woke up to a note on the table.

Aiden
’s taking me on the town today :)  You and Raleigh have fun!  Love Cass

Mike slept a record amount of sleep.  Six hours of peaceful slumber with only one thing on his mind.  Raleigh. 

*****

Raleigh arrived at the track early and squared away her affairs.  They were interviewing six potential co-drivers the week to follow, all females.  Tom respected her request.  After her meeting with Tom, she attended to more pressing matters. 

She fished through the gear in the garage.  There were fire suits, but none that would fit Mike’s frame.  All her co-drivers had been rather short and rail thin.  Mike had a muscular medium build.  At 6’0”, he was taller than any suit she had.

“Shit,” she said.  She didn’t normally give rides without a fire suit.  Not that it saved Luke, but it gave a person a fighting chance if needed.

“That doesn’t sound good.”  Mike walked into the open bay.

“Jesus, you scared me.”  She put her hand over her chest.

“I’ll knock next time.”  He walked to her.  “I’m having second thoughts about this if you’re saying ‘shit’ before we even get in the car.”