Then he read the text message from Tamara waiting for him on his cell phone.
It started out well enough, but headed south almost immediately.
Congrats on your finish! You drove a great race. ? Enjoy the moment. I know this is bad timing, but I wanted to give you plenty of notice . . . I can’t make next Mon. It’s just too complicated with my kids and work, etc. Maybe at some point in the future, but for now, I just don’t see it working out. I had a great time last nite, thx for everything.
Elec read it three times. It sounded crappier each time he read it. She was not only canceling their date, she was effectively saying she wasn’t going out with him. Ever.
Well, that sucked six ways to Sunday.
CHAPTER SIX
RYDER had just finished his victory interviews and was feeling downright good as he headed back to his coach. He had four wins under his belt and the season wasn’t even halfway gone.
It didn’t surprise him to see Elec Monroe standing in front of his coach, obviously waiting for him, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
“Hey, Elec, congrats again.” The rookie had driven a great race and Ryder was impressed with his aggressiveness.
“Thanks, Ryder. You, too. You’re having a great season.”
“Trying.” He stopped in front of Elec and waited for the real reason the guy was standing there looking like he’d finished last instead of third.
“So, uh, about Tamara . . .” Elec managed.
“Yeah?”
“I’m sorry we were, uh, in your coach. That’s not cool and I apologize.”
“No big deal. Sex happens.” Ryder almost laughed when Elec winced. “You want to come in for a beer?”
“Thanks, but I’d better get home and shower. Maybe another time.”
“Sounds good.” Then his curiosity got the best of him. He was damn fond of Tammy and thought it was great that she was finally enjoying herself again after Pete. “So, you like Tammy?”
There was no hesitation. “Yeah, I do. But I asked her out and she said no. Then she said yes, then she just canceled on me in a text message. I don’t know what the hell any of that means.”
The poor guy did look confused.
“I mean, I thought we had fun and all, so why the brush-off?”
Ryder eyeballed the rookie. He did look miserable. It was amazing what chicks could do to a guy. Here Elec had just had the best finish of his cup career and he looked like he was going to toss his lunch. “I’m guessing that Tammy is feeling a bit embarrassed. She isn’t exactly a one-night-stand kind of girl.”
“Well, I made it clear that’s not what I wanted it to be.”
“She’s probably just worried about what people are going to think of the two of you hooking up. Tammy is a worrier, you know. Always has been.”
“She’s got nothing to worry about from me. I really just want to see her again, get to know her better. I’m really digging her, Ryder.”
Oh, dude. Ryder recognized that look and knew what it meant. Elec was whipped already.
It happened to the best of men, and Elec had his utmost sympathy. “So don’t let her say no.
Go after her.”
“I don’t want to come across as a stalker.”
“It’s not stalking if you happen to be at the same places she is.”
“True. But where does she go?”
Hell if Ryder knew. He thought that Tammy pretty much went to work and raised her kids.
He hadn’t seen her out and about in years, which struck him as unfortunate. He was starting to really think Tammy could use someone like Elec in her life. “How about I throw a party and invite her?”
“That might work. You don’t mind doing that?”
“Hell, no. I throw barbeques all the time. Nobody will think anything of it. I’ll make some plans and I’ll give you a call.”
“Thanks, Ryder, I appreciate it.”
Ryder clapped Elec on the shoulder. “My pleasure, buddy. See you later.”
Whistling, Ryder stepped into his coach. It was a good day. He had won the race, and he was helping others. All in all, time well spent. His jubilant mood was snuffed out when his cell phone rang and he saw his ex-wife’s name on caller ID. Suzanne rarely called him anymore, and while he always felt a jump of anticipation at hearing her voice, he was also wary of what exactly she could want. Their divorce was somewhat of a mystery to him, and he didn’t understand her post-marriage any more than he had when they’d been wearing their rings.
“Hey, babe, what’s up?” he said as a greeting, heading to his kitchen. He was really interested in an ice-cold beer.
“Congratulations, Ryder. That was an awesome race.” Touched for some stupid reason that she would take the time to call him, Ryder paused in front of his refrigerator. “Thanks, Suz.
A little skill, a little luck, and it worked out for me.”
“Well, I’m happy for you. You’re having a great season.”
Her voice was warm and honest, and Ryder was unable to resist poking a little. He missed Suzanne more than he generally cared to admit to himself, and he was thinking fondly of all the times he had won a race during their marriage and exactly how Suzanne had helped him celebrate. “Thanks. Though a victory just isn’t the same without your pie as my reward.”
She sucked in her breath. “Don’t go there, Ryder.”
“Why not?” Ryder dragged out a bottle of beer and popped the cap with the edge of his countertop. Suzanne had always feared for the safety of their granite counters when he’d done that, but he had always figured the whole reason they had spent an arm and a leg on the granite was because it was supposed to be indestructible. “You know the best part of winning was looking forward to your pie afterward.”
“I’m not that good of a cook.”
“But you make a mean apple pie. And you know that it was never just that flaky crust you were offering up.”
“I appreciated the double entendre when we were married, but it’s not really appropriate now.”
Ryder made a face and took a sip of his beer. He had wanted her to flirt back a little. Why, he wasn’t really sure, but it was damn disappointing that she didn’t. “When have I ever been appropriate?”
“Good point. Which leads me to another reason I’m calling. What the hell happened between Tammy and Elec Monroe?”
That made Ryder grin. “If you don’t remember what happens between a man and a woman at midnight in the bedroom, maybe you need to get out more, sugar.”