“What if what?”
“What if I could put you in the car with me so you could see how safe I am?”
He looks suspiciously down at my car and its lack of extra seats.
“That seems doubtful.”
“We have a special car for ride-alongs.” I laugh.
“I don’t know….”
“Come on, it’ll be fun.”
“Uhh…”
“Amy!” I shout. “We need the buddy rider.”
“Big man is going to ride along?” she asks like it’s the funniest thing she’s ever heard.
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Luna adds.
“Let’s go get you some gear.” I quickly shuffle him back to the locker rooms and manage to find a fire suit that will fit his massive frame. He’s already wearing boots, so he just needs a stocking cap, helmet, and gloves.
“Where do I put my gun?” he asks me once he’s all dressed.
“Uhh…”
“Never mind. I’ll figure something out.”
“Great,” I say with a little too much enthusiasm. There’s nothing quite like being forced to face the danger you’re in over and over again.
I lead King back to the track, where the girls now have the buddy car pulled in and gassed up. I show King where he needs to go, and he looks supremely unhappy as he tries to fold his massive body into the passenger seat.
I help him get strapped in and then climb into my own seat so Amy and Luna can buckle me in. Once they clear the car, I pull out onto the track and really open it up. I hope King can handle a little speed.
I don’t even try to hold back the smile that spreads across my face, because I finally feel like I can breathe again. A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
Chapter 5
Lesson Learned
Two weeks later
Inervously stuff a strip of sour watermelon candy tape into my mouth as I stare at the outfit I’m supposed to wear for this photoshoot.
Why did I sign up for this? Right now, I’m not sure.
I can do this, right?
Right.
This photoshoot is about women in racing with a spotlight on me and my crew. Sure, we’re outnumbered by men on the crew by a lot, but the girls and I are women in racing. And sure it has a sexy twist to get attention, but once we have that attention, we can show them all what women can really do.
As soon as our call time hit this morning, we were ushered into hair and makeup, not something you usually see around a professional racetrack, but it was fun to get to be a little girly for a change. The girls and I laughed and cackled as our hair was rolled up in victory rolls and a vintage red lacquer was painted on our lips and nails. If we weren’t all in our matching wardrobes of leggings and Victoria’s Secret Pink sweatshirts, you would think we rolled right off the pages of WWII pinups.
But then we walked into the locker room to change, and I swallowed the watermelon candy ribbon whole. One look at the outfits and I knew this was a mistake. Sure, I dress a little sexy. I’m young and I have a nice body, and that’s not me being conceited. That’s me knowing how many hours I train to prepare for my sport. But this is a little more than I was expecting.
The girls, on the other hand, look adorable. Like modern-day Rosie the Riveters with red polka dot bandanas tied around their curls. They were given red satin demi bras to wear under white girly tank tops, their men’s coveralls tied low around their waists. It’s a fun and sassy spin on the men’s attire they wear every day. I love it. They’re going to look amazing across the magazine’s glossy pages.
