Elizabeth’s face scrunches up in concentration. She rolls her shoulders a few times and re-grips the steering wheel. “Got it.”
“Here we are. Drop your speed to twenty. Brake and turn, now!”
She listens and follows my instructions, never once complaining or getting upset when it doesn’t happen right away. By the fifth try, she has it.
“Atta girl!”
We circle the track several more times and she executes a drift every time. Some aren’t pretty and one time I think we’re going to fly off the course into the side barrels. We come back around and she puts the car into neutral and lets it idle.
Elizabeth’s smile is wide. “That was awesome!” she exclaims and tries to turn her head to face me but the HANS prevents the movement. She bursts out laughing at herself and my heart does a Grinch where it grows two sizes larger at the sound. “Alright, big man. Your turn.”
“You want me to drive your car?”
“Yes, I do. I want to see what you can do.” No way am I going to pass up that invitation. We get out to walk around and exchange seats.
I feel a little bad when I see that her tires are already shredded. With how much fun she was having, I completely forgot about the damage all that drifting would do to her tires. I send a quick text to Fallon and ask him if he could get some replacement tires sent to the track within the next hour. He responds immediately with a thumbs up. It’s a perk of having a rich-assed friend. I need anything, Fallon will make sure it happens. In return, he gets free car work done at my dad’s garage and knows that no matter what, I will have his back.
I store my phone in her glove compartment. “Buckle up, darlin’. You’re about to have the ride of your life,” I tell her.
“That’s what I’m counting on.”
Chapter 8
Elizabeth
The CU campus, even in the heart of summer’s unrelenting heat, is vibrantly green and lush. Various fragrant blooming flowers and plants burst with a kaleidoscope of colors. Old beech, cedar, oak, and poplar trees expand their top canopies to give plentiful shade throughout the grounds. I like it because it’s a great place to write music, and today, I’m inspired to do just that.
As I strum my guitar, my thoughts keep going back to Ryder. What is it about him that I am so drawn to? It’s ridiculous how often I look at my phone hoping he’s texted me again. When we were at the track last Saturday, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of him. There is just something about him that causes my body to react, my stomach to flip, and my heart to race. And the man put new tires on my car. For me, that’s way better than getting a bouquet of flowers. I was shocked to see the damage the tires endured at the track, but it was so worth it.
A hot breeze eddies around the tree, ruffling my hair. Pulling my long locks over one shoulder, I readjust the guitar in my lap and play a few measures. Closing my eyes, I hum a melody to go with the notes my fingers are playing.
“I thought that was you.”
Opening one eye, I squint up to find Ryder standing next to me. He’s wearing a dark gray T-shirt with a Randy’s Garage logo across it. A curl of his hair falls over his forehead as he looks down at me, and I feel that stomach flip.
“Hey,” I manage to answer.
“Mind if I join you?”
“Not at all. Please,” I reply, motioning for him to sit down beside me. I can smell the soap he used this morning wafting off his tanned skin and my damned stomach does yet another little cartwheel. My verbal acuity goes all tongue-tied and I don’t know what to say to him. It’s like his close proximity is a cue for my hormones to go haywire.
“What were you playing?” Ryder asks, thankfully interrupting my sudden social awkwardness.
“To be honest, I don’t really know. I was just messing around.”
“Whatever it was, it sounded beautiful. Then again, I always loved to hear you play.” The smile he graces me with captivates me and I just stare at him.What the hell is wrong with me?
“Elizabeth?”
“Huh?” Ryder chuckles and shoulder bumps me. He smiles again and I blush all over.Get a grip, Elizabeth.
My tongue decides to finally untangle. “We seem to run into each a lot on campus. What are you doing here?” The guys text me all the time every day, but Ryder never said he was coming to campus today. I have a feeling that they’re trying very hard not to crowd me too much. I appreciate it, but I also like hanging out with them. Especially Ryder.
“Some financial aid stuff I had to get done before the semester starts up in a couple of weeks.” Oh, that makes sense.
I look around at all the students walking around. “You would think that a college campus wouldn’t be so busy over the summer, but every day I come here, there are people everywhere.”
“CU is a big deal even though it’s not an Ivy League college like Duke. About half the students live here year-round.”
