The Race For A New Life

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A couple days later Russell, John, and Steven were in Russell’s office talking about the race. “Well guys, we are all set for next week. All the other teams are on their way, so our little race will be starting on time.”, said Russell. Steven got off of his phone and turned to his friends, “All the communication protocols and equipment is set and ready to go.” John put down his tablet on his lap, “And all the highway patrol is informed about who, what, and where to expect from us.” Russell looked pleased with the information, “Darren will make sure all the cars are in peak condition. Rae and William are going over the route and giving the other teams coordinates for each state.” “Good. So far, the weather looks good for this also.”, Steven said. John nodded, “Everything is looking good this year. Hopefully it will stay that way.”

Russell closed his laptop after turning it off, “So is there anything else that we need to talk about?” John looked to Steven before looking back to Russell. “Yeah, actually there is.”, John said. Russell gave him a frown, “What’s on your mind, John?” John leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands. “I’m just a little concerned about Matt Reed and two of our children, that’s all.” Russell slowly nodded in confirmation about the concern. “Well, as far as I know. He and Rae are no longer together, she won’t tell us why but she wants to keep it that way. But if the real concern is about him and Graham… Then yes… I do believe that we might need to tread lightly there.” Steven took a seat next to John before asking, “Do you think that this can turn badly for the three of them?” Russell gestured with his hands, “All I know is that we need to keep a close eye on them. Make sure that Graham and Matt don’t kill each other. And as for Rae, … I think she will be fine as long as Graham is okay.” John nodded, “Graham is very protective of Rae. They might not acknowledge their feelings for each other, but it’s evident.” All the guys silently agreed and went on to do other things. “Do you think that is why Matt is pissed at Graham?”, Steven asked. “It’s possible”, John murmured.

Meanwhile, William and Rae were in the den overlooking maps and possible construction spots for the race. “I think that we are going to be okay this year, Rae.”, William said. “There haven’t been any bad accidents, land wise, and any construction has been minimal. And according to our dads, the weather is holding up.” Rae looked at her cell phone to check a couple of things before nodding, “Apparently, we have everything for communicating to each other. And yeah, there hasn’t been any bad storms yet.”

William smiled, “I really think that this is going to be a good year.” Rae glanced over to him, “I think you’re right. And knowing me, I don’t like to jinx anything.” William walked over to her and nudged her shoulder, “You won’t jinx anything, you never have. Probably the only thing that you are jinxing is your relationship with my brother.” She raised an eyebrow at him in confusion, “What relationship? Graham and I are not in a relationship.” William closed his laptop and put it in his business bag. “Come on Rae, it is so apparent that you still have feelings for him. I know that he still has feelings for you.” Rae still looked confused, “I really don’t have a single clue as to what you’re talking about, William.” He let out a sigh, “Really?! I’m talking about that night three years ago. You and Graham were inseparable and were happier than I ever seen you guys.” Rae started to look upset and tried to look anywhere but at William, “Look, nothing happened, okay. We were and are still friends, William. Nothing is going to change that. Now can we please finish this and give everyone the revised coordinates?” William nodded to her and dropped the subject feeling that it was a sore subject for her.

During this time, Graham was in the kitchen when he got off the phone with his assistant. He went and got a soda from the fridge when all the moms came in. “Hey sweetie!”, said Julia. “How is everything going?”, she then asked. Graham put down his drink onto the counter before speaking, “Everything is good, and the party for tomorrow is set.” Tracy looked relieved, “Well that’s good, because then Lacy can be busy with the reporters and other drivers.” Graham frowned at that, “Only for a little bit. Then she’ll try to find way to always be near me.” Tracy gave him a sympathetic look, “I’m so sorry that she is dragging you along like this. It’s not like you’re together.” He gave an exasperated look, “We’re not, we’re not together, but she thinks that since she is in the lime light and that I promote this race, that we belong together! That we are this picture-perfect couple.” Tracy patted his arm, “It will all end eventually.” She then left the others in the kitchen and went up to her room.

Julia and Susan then both looked at each other before looking back at Graham, “So have you talked to Rae yet, Graham?”, said Susan. Graham arched an eyebrow at the question, “About what?” Julia sighed, “About your feelings for each other? It’s so evident that something is there. Also, we’ve seen how both of you look at each other.” Graham took another swig of his soda, not believing that he was being put into this situation, “There’s nothing going on, we’re just friends. What is it with you guys trying to be match makers?” Susan then joined in on the conversation, “You know Rae feels the same way about you, right? Ever since that night three years ago, she has been different around you.” He looked shocked at what Susan had just said, “Okay, once again, nothing is going on between the two of us. That night at the party, three years ago, it was something called alcohol. Now if you will please excuse me, I’m going to my room.” Graham slid in between the two women and headed for the guest house to get away from anymore questioning.

“When do you think that they will finally acknowledge their feelings for each other?”, asked Susan. Julia shook her head, “I don’t know, but I do know one thing. That night, neither one of them was drinking anything alcoholic.” Susan let out a big sigh, “And knowing Rae, she won’t admit her feelings anytime soon.” Crossing her arms across her chest, Julia said, “Even though I love my son, he is too much like his father. Just too damn stubborn for his own good.” “Men”, Susan mumbled. “I know, right”, Julia agreed as she shook her head.

That Saturday was the party; every team was there. Lacy was busy dancing on the dance floor with every good-looking guy she could find, even though she wished it was Graham. William and Grace were by the pool enjoying their drinks and subtle conversation. Darren and Graham were with interviewers about the upcoming competition. Meanwhile, Rae was standing in the shadows observing everybody. All of a sudden, she noticed a pair of eyes on her, which made her feel like a deer standing in headlights. They belonged to someone that she really didn’t want to see or talk to, at all. So, Rae quickly made her way out of the party scene, and went towards the front of the house.

Rae then stood on the front steps of the house, slowly taking a sip from her drink. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone offering her a cigarette. Giving a small smile, she tried to not show her unease, she shook her head. “You know that I don’t smoke anymore, Matt.”, she said. The over six-foot man loomed over her his brown eyes were intense as he looked down upon Rae. “Oh, I remember, baby girl. I remember a lot about you. Where your ink is, your birthmark, hell baby, I remember all your favorite things. But then again, I couldn’t satisfy you like a certain driver that we both know.” Rae glared at him, “You know that nothing is going on there, Matthew.” He smirked quickly turning into a full-blown grin. “Sure, baby girl.” His brow furrowed as his smile faded away. “Then why did end things between us?” She was still glaring at him, “I wasn’t happy, okay? It wasn’t what I wanted. Not to mention what you did to me. Now if you will please excuse me, I’m starting to get a little hungry here and I don’t want to be near you anymore than I have to.”

She turned to go back to the party, but Matt grabbed her arm and forced her to the rough exterior wall next to them. “We’re not done here, baby. You still owe me something”, he said. Rae struggled to get away, but he slammed her against the wall again. Causing her to lose her breath at the sudden impact she tried to grasp what was going on. “What do you want?”, she tried to say as she gasps for air. Matt leaned in and caught her mouth with his. Rae immediately tried to push him away from her with no luck. Pulling away from her, Matt growled, “I want you, baby girl, you and you only. And you will give yourself to me! Or else.” Rae shook her head furiously, “No, no I won’t! You know that I won’t! I’m done with you.” He went to strike her, but instead got knocked out from behind and crumbled unto the ground. Rae looked up to see who had hit Matt, only to see infuriating stormy blue eyes piercing through strands of hair. Graham dropped the remainder of the bottle that he had used to knock out Matt. He stepped over Matt and picked up Rae, carrying her in a bridal carry. Meanwhile, Rae was still in shock about what had just happened in front of her.

Walking inside and up the stairs, Graham took Rae to her room. As soon as he put her down on her bed, he kissed her temple before pulling back. “Are you okay?”, he asked as he looked down on her. Looking up at him, Rae let out a deep sigh. “I’m fine Graham, thank you though. I’m really okaaay…”, she said as she reached for her back in pain. He rushed over to her side and lifted up her shirt only to grimace at the sight before him. “You got some cuts on your back. Let me get a first aid kit and take care of that for you”, Graham said. Rae was hesitant but eventually told him where to find her first aid kit. He walked into her bathroom and pulled out the kit from underneath the bathroom sink. Sitting up on her bed, Rae moved over so Graham could sit. Lifting her shirt again, he proceeded in taking care of the cuts as gently as he could.

“There you go, all done.”, he said as he put away the kit. “Thank you, Graham, you didn’t need to do that.” He waved his hand at her, “It was no problem. Honestly, I’m surprised that there wasn’t more damage.” Rae winced at his choice of words… damage. Graham saw her wince and immediately started to comfort her. “Hey, hey, Rae. I didn’t mean it like that, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”, he said as he wrapped his arms around her and carefully rubbing her back. “It’s fine. Graham, really it is. There should be more damage, considering what Matt did. But I don’t know, … I just, I just.” Graham started to hush her and rubbed small circles into her back. She leaned in more into his comforting embrace, feeling safe from anyone who hurt her.

“Question”, said Rae. Graham smiled, “Answer.” Rae nudged her nose into his shoulder. “Has anyone else asked you about that night?”, she quietly asked. He reluctantly pulled away from her before asking, “Has your mom and my mom asked you about it?” Looking down at her hands, she shook her head. “No. It was William who asked”, she confessed. Graham closed his eyes and lifted his head towards the ceiling, while letting go a deep breath. “It’s okay, Graham”, she said looking up at him. He opened his eyes and moved his head to look straight at her. Cupping her face with both of his hands, Graham replied, “No Rae, it’s not okay. Our own families trying to barge in on a private matter between you and me.” She nodded in agreement, “You’re right. Besides, it was three years ago. And I’m sure whatever feelings that you had for me are gone, so.” Graham looked hurt at her words. Of course, he once had feelings for her… still does have feelings for her. But he knew that he had to change the subject soon before she saw his hurt. “Well, hey, today was a long day. So, you should get some rest”, he said as he tried to smile at her. Rae smiled back at him, “Okay, thanks Graham.” He quietly got up from her bed and left as she laid down.

However, she couldn’t fall asleep. Her mind was racing about what had happened earlier. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Graham come back into her room. He was carrying a plate of food and a small note. “Thank you, you didn’t have to bring me anything.”, she said. Graham jumped at her comment, “Sorry I figured you were asleep.” Still looking at him out of the corner of her eye, “Nope… I’m a bit restless unfortunately.” He put the plate and note down on her dresser. “I heard you tell Matt that you were hungry, so I went and got you a plate. I’ll get going now.” Rae rolled over to her side, “Graham, thank you again. But how did you know what was going on?” He slowly turned to her. “You were busy doing an interview with a reporter”, she said. Graham took a step towards her, “I noticed that he was looking at you and Darren started talking to the reporter, so I excused myself. By that time, he had started following you and I grabbed an empty vodka bottle. I didn’t know what his intentions were and I wanted to make sure that you were okay.” Rae’s eyes started to fill with tears, she forced herself not to cry. “Thank you, Graham! Really, thank you, I appreciate it”, she softly said. He nodded, slowly turned around and walked out of her room again. Rae let out a deep breath and somehow found sleep.

Rae woke up early the next morning, she moved off of her bed and stretched her sore and stiff muscles. Looking over to the dresser, she saw the plate of food that was left for her. She smiled at Graham’s kind gesture. Then she realized that his note was next to the plate. Carefully lifting it, Rae started to read it.

Hey Beautiful,

I know that I shouldn’t be the one to be apologizing, but I’m so sorry about what happened earlier. That should have never had happened. A guy like that doesn’t deserve a girl like you. You are too precious to be treated like that.

Anyway, get plenty of rest, you will need it for the race. And please take care of your back! I don’t want you to be in constant pain. If you ever, and I mean ever, need anything, please don’t be afraid to let me know.

Yours Truly,

Graham

Rae felt her heart tug in her chest. It was rare to get a note him, but she knew it what was really behind it. Trying to convince herself that he was only a friend, she kept wondering why he called her “beautiful”. There was only one other time he called her that, and that was three years ago when he saved her. She quickly shook her head and moved the idea to the back of her mind. Grabbing the bunch of grapes from the plate, Rae went to go take a shower.

Meanwhile, all the families and teams were busy doing last minute checks. Everyone was anxious and bustling around. The race was to start the next day. The mechanics checked all the cars and equipment. Everyone started to pack up the other vehicles that carried the suitcases and emergency kits. Sleeping was not really an option that night, too many tensions were mounting that night.

With what had happened the previous night, Rae tried her best to stay away from Matt. She and Graham would share the occasional glance with each other if they saw one another. She really hoped that there wouldn’t be any kind of conflict during this race. But luck sometimes wasn’t always on her side.

Russell had called for a quick family meeting. Susan walked into Russell’s study with their kids right behind her. Darren and Rae both looked anxious, it wasn’t always a good thing with family meetings. Especially before a race. Taking seats in the chairs across from their dad’s desk, they waited for their dad to start talking. Susan went to the other side of the desk to join her husband. “So, are you kids ready for tomorrow?”, asked Russell. First sharing a nervous glance with each other, they both answered a wary “yes”. Nodding, Russell continued to say, “Well I just wanted to make sure that we were okay and ready for the race. Especially you, Rae.” She gave her father a confused look. “I’m fine. I don’t know why you’re worried.”

Susan then walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “We are just concerned about Matt being back in the race. Sure, he has been gone for three years. But now that he is back, we’re just making sure that you are okay with that”, Susan calmly said. Rae went wide-eyed, remembering the night before with her interaction with Matt. But she knew that she couldn’t let her parents worry about her. “Well like you said, it has been three years since he has raced. We broke up three years ago and honestly, I’m fine with him being back. As long as there is a friendly competition between us, I’m fine”, Rae responded. Russell nodded with his acceptance to what she said. “Okay, well, that’s all that we wanted to talk about. So, go on ahead and finish getting ready.” Rae quickly got up and left the room to get away from the awkwardness of that family meeting.

Darren then looked at his parents, “How come I get the feeling this conversation isn’t over?” Russell glanced over to Susan before looking back at his son. “We just want you to keep a close eye on her, that’s all”, Russell said. Rolling his eyes, Darren sighed his response, “She’s a big girl. She can handle herself.” Susan then put a hand on Darren’s shoulder, “We know, but we don’t want to take any chances.” Lifting his hands in surrender he replied, “Okay, okay. Just know that I’m not happy about it.” Susan smiled at him, “Thank you, Darren.” Darren looked at both of his parents, “Am I free to go now?” Russell nodded, and Darren quickly left his parents in the room to also get out of the awkward tension.

Susan went back to her husband and wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind. “I pray that everything will be all right”, she whispered in his ear. Russell took one of her hands and kissed it. “They be fine, Susie. They’re strong and stubborn kids. Just like your side of the family”, Russell said with a smirk. Wanting to hit her husband for the comment, Susan instead tightened her hold on him, Susan sighed with uncertainty.