"Sounds like a good time,” I said. “I'm in for a track day.”
Bill smiled. "Excellent. If I'm right about you, you’ve got potential."
"And if you're wrong?"
"Then we both walk away from the day with an interesting experience. No harm, no foul.”
I thanked Bill and shook his hand again.
By that time, our burgers had arrived. Bill left us to eat in peace and continued to mix and mingle throughout the bar. No stranger to the track, Bill was the kind of guy who knew everybody in the paddock.
Jack muttered, "Well, that was interesting.”
"I'll take a free track day,” I said.
We stuffed our bellies, and I washed it all down with a cold brew.
My nemesis pushed into the bar as we were finishing up. As far as nemeses go, she wasn't a bad one. Stunning blue eyes, classic features, full lips, and a svelte little figure that had more curves than the switchbacks on the track. I couldn't stay mad at her for long.
She spotted JD and me, hesitated, then made a beeline for us.
"Uh oh. Here comes trouble," Jack muttered.
3
"I'm sorry," the neon demon said with a face that looked like she swallowed kerosene.
"That looked like it hurt to say," I replied.
Her eyes narrowed at me. She bit her tongue, sucked it up, and said in a measured voice, "It was my fault. I came into the corner too hot. You ran a good race." She stared at me for an awkward second, nodded, then spun around and marched in the other direction.
"Hey, wait! I didn't even catch your name. Or should I call you Smash?”
She paused and stood for a long moment.
“How about Skids?”
“More like reckless,” Jack muttered under his breath.
Hot Wheels turned around. With a sneer, she said, "My name is Kendra.”
I smiled.
She didn't.
"I'm Tyson. This is my buddy, JD."
Jack forced a smile and waved.
"Maybe we should exchange numbers in case we need to contact one another," I suggested.
Her face wrinkled with confusion. "Why would we need to contact one another?”
"Well, that way we can keep in touch. You can tell me when you're going to be at the track, so I know which days to avoid," I said with a grin.
I don't think she was amused by my little jab. She flipped me off, spun around, and marched across the bar.
"Smooth move," Jack muttered.
