Looking in the mirror that morning, I tried to remind myself that what I was saying in my head was true, it wasn’t until I pulled my bike out onto the track that I started to believe it. The peacefulness of the morning was as undisturbed as the dirt on the freshly sculpted and settled track. The same track where I’d learned to be great. Where I’d learned that hard work and dedication can absolutely pay off. I would put in the same dedication to winning back Nora and the second I felt my tires bite down in the turn and shoot me onto the straight away I knew that I’d get her back.
I stayed on my bike until my brother forced me to get off and help get everything set up for the party. It wasn’t much—a few coolers and dragging the grill off the porch of the cabin. Burgers and beer for all. A part of me really wanted to pop open a bottle and numb a little bit of the tension I was feeling, but I didn’t drink when I was riding and I planned on putting on one hell of a show today.
“So what’s the game plan?” Hoyt asked.
“Well for starters,” I chuckled, just thinking about how this was all going to play out, “I’m going to remind Beau Gregurich why he never made it on the pro-circuit. And then I’m thinking when he’s good and pissed off about that, I’ll sneak away with Nora so I can tell her how I feel.”
“Could work.” Hoyt shrugged. “If you weren’t my brother I’d totally think you were a dick, by the way.”
“Ouch.” I slapped my hand over my heart. “Good thing you’re my brother then.”
“I just hope you’re really doing this for the right reasons.” Always the rational one. “I mean, I know you cared about her, but what you’re about to do is some serious shit. This isn’t a competition. It’s people’s lives and emotions. You sure she’s the one?” Not only was he rational, he was apparently a big ole softie. I appreciated his concern, and I had thought about the ramifications if this didn’t work out the way I’d hoped.
“I’m sure,” I promised. “I know it might seem like a dick move, but I can’t just stand by and watch her waste her life with Beau. You know as well as I do that he’s probably only with her because she was mine in the first place.”
“Very possible.”
“But if there is even the slightest chance that she’s willing to give me an in, I’m going to take it.”
“Well, let’s see what happens,” Hoyt said, nodding his head toward the roadway that led back to where we were standing. A convoy of trucks and trailers, all filled with bikes and four wheelers, was making its way toward us. Easily a hundred plus people. “I don’t think we have enough food.”
“I seriously only called like ten people,” I promised Hoyt.
“I might have invited a few more people,” Brett’s voice called out from the porch. Hoyt and I both turned to find him standing there with a smile. “Gotta love Facebook.”
“I’m glad you’re here,” I said to my sister, who was sitting on the tailgate of Beau’s truck next to me. The roar of multiple engines made it difficult to hear one another, but when she nudged her shoulder against mine, I knew she could read my mind. The whole thing was surreal. I was watching bikes go around a track that I’d swore I’d never see again. I almost felt guilty for not cheering for Reid. He was the one who’d introduced me to this sport and he was the reason I’d fallen in love with it. Nothing in my life was making a damn bit of sense.
“I can’t believe Beau wanted to come,” she said into my ear. “I mean, I’d get it if they were friends, but we both know that is not the case.”
“This is why,” I pointed at the race track. Beau and Reid’s bikes went rushing by us. They were so close that it was impossible to tell who was in the lead. “He thinks he has something to prove.” I rolled my eyes.
As soon as we had arrived at the track, Georgia found me, thankfully. Beau readied his bike to ride and put on his gear. He looked pretty good all dressed up. It had been so long since I’d seen a man in racing gear that I almost forgot how sexy it was. I’d purposely avoided looking at Reid. He’d had a fantastic ass in riding pants years ago, I was sure it looked even better now, and I had way too many memories of taking those clothes off of him to even consider it. I was there for Beau, not for Reid.
“Be careful,” I’d suggested to Beau, knowing that it was an unheeded warning.
“I should have stayed home,” Georgia said. “This is so nerve wracking. I don’t know how you did it all those years.”
“I missed it,” I replied once all the bikes started zooming around. The noise, the adrenaline. It was exhilarating and I was just watching from the sidelines. I used to love going to the races, but I hadn’t been back to one, or even watched one on television, since Reid left. I thought it was for the best, but maybe if I’d kept watching I would have seen how much faster and harder bikes were now. And how aggressive Reid Travers had become. He was always a good rider, but now he was a beast. Relentless and calculated, much more polished than the guy I remembered. Beau was doing his best to keep up, but I knew he was pushing his limits. I just really hoped he didn’t hurt himself.
I tugged at the hem of my shorts and pulled down the sleeves on the long sleeve t-shirt I was wearing. September in Illinois was hard to dress for—blistering hot one day, freezing cold the next. The fall was as unpredictable as the racing.
Georgia and I continued to watch the two of them go around the track. Reid would take the lead, but every time he started to back off, Beau was right there beside him pushing him into a turn and forcing him to throttle harder. It had been going on for at least four laps and neither showed any signs of stopping.
Brett and Hoyt watched on, and I could see the nervousness in their eyes from all the way across the track. The faster they seemed to go, the more Hoyt wrung his hands. Brett began to pace the side of the track like a caged wolf. They had to be thinking the same thing that Georgia verbalized.
“What happens if Reid gets hurt?” she asked. I’d thought it, but I didn’t want to be the one to put those words into the universe. “Doesn’t he have a contract or something that says he can’t be...doing whatever it is he’s doing out there?”
“I would imagine,” I surmised. “But I highly doubt Reid is the one that gets hurt out there. Why would he keep pushing Beau to ride so hard? He knows that he’s the better rider.”
“Men.” She shrugged.
“Well, they’re both idiots.” We laughed, because that’s really all we could do.
Brett had finally had enough and waved a flag to indicate the final lap.
Thank God.
I waited for Reid to rocket off and leave Beau behind, but the strangest thing happened. Reid relaxed—not enough that anyone but me would notice, but he wasn’t full out riding. I knew the move. It was the same one he used when he was racing against his brother back in the day. He’d explained to me that sometimes Hoyt needed an ego boost. Sometimes he needed to let him win to keep him wanting to ride. I understood the move with Hoyt, but why in the world would he think Beau needed an ego boost?
Beau zipped past him and crossed the finish line. The wheelie he popped and rode across the straight away led me to believe that he actually believed he’d won that race fair and square.
Reid came to a stop and ripped off his helmet before tossing it to the dirt. He clenched his jaw and proceeded to put on a real good show. Everyone seemed to believe that he’d actually just lost to some amateur rider.
“Son of a bitch,” he yelled when he shut his bike off. He walked over toward us. Beau was pulling his bike to a stop. I looked at Georgia, wondering if she’d witnessed what I had, but she was oblivious.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” she said. “He actually beat him.”
“Looks that way,” I replied. By the time Beau was off his bike, Reid was standing in front of us all.