Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
Jason, Sam, and the six men were taken to the local jail; a small, two cell building. Sam, being the only woman, was placed in one cell while Jason was put in the same cell as their six new 'friends'. This arrangement wasn't bad at first, until the men started to awaken. They decided this would be a good time to teach Jason a lesson, except that Jason ended up doing the teaching.
"Knock it off," the sheriff yelled.
"I was just defending myself, sheriff." Jason said.
"Yeah, I'm sure you were," the sheriff replied as he opened the cell door. "Come on." He led Jason over to Sam's cell. "Even think of touching her, pal, and you'll be sorry."
Sam sat curled up at one end of the cell's cot. Jason sat down on the other end.
"I'm sorry, Jason," Sam said quietly.
"Well, it wasn't like I had any other plans for the rest of the night. Did you make your phone call?"
"Yeah. Mr. Pitney will be here in the morning. He wasn't very happy."
"I can imagine. Where'd you learn to fight like that?"
"Here and there. A girl needs to know how to defend herself. What about you? That was a pretty amazing show you gave back there." Sam sounded impressed.
"Here and there."
The night dragged on. Sleep didn't come easily, so Sam and Jason attempted to make small talk. Morning finally arrived bringing a very unhappy Jack Pitney and a slightly amused Mike along with it. Mr. Pitney silently paid Sam and Jason's bail. He remained silent as the two jailbirds signed for their belongings. When they walked out of the jail, Sam broke the stillness.
"Mr. Pitney, I take full responsibility. Jason was an innocent bystander."
"Jason has never been an innocent bystander in his life," came the heated reply.
Sam opened her mouth to say something else, but Jason put a hand on her arm and shook his head. "He won't listen until he calms down," he whispered to her.
"Has he had a lot of experience bailing you out of jail?" Sam asked quietly.
"Nope. First time."
In the days that followed, Mike had a great time telling the pit crew that Jason had spent the night with Sam.
"What he failed to tell you is that it was a night in jail," Jason informed them.
Mr. Pitney kept Sam busy, so busy that it was several weeks before Jason saw her again.
"Hi," Sam said when she showed up at the track before a race.
"Hi," Jason replied. "What brings you here?"
"I wanted to wish you luck."
"You came all this way just to wish me luck?"
Sam shrugged. "I'm sorry I got you arrested."
"Water under the bridge, Sam."
Sam smiled and then quickly kissed Jason on the lips. "Good luck," she whispered. She then turned and left the pit.
Jason just stood staring after her.
"Hey, Jase? You gonna race anytime soon?" Mike asked as he walked by. "Jase?"
"Hmm?"
"Car? Race? It's gonna start soon."
"What?"
"What's wrong with you? The race is gonna start in a few minutes."
"Huh? Oh!" That brought Jason out of his fog and he finished getting ready.
Several hours later, Jason sat in the track bar with Mike and a couple of guys from the pit crew. He had barely touched the drink in front of him.
"What's your problem, Jase? You've been in a funk since before the race," Mike asked.
"It's nothing. I just have a lot on my mind," Jason replied.
"A lot? Or just one woman in particular?" He earned a glare in reply.
Jack Pitney entered the bar with Sam and after locating his people walked over to the booth where the men sat. Mr. Pitney slapped Jason on the back. "Good work, Jase."
"Thank you, Mr. Pitney," Jason said as he slid over so Sam and Jack Pitney could sit down.
"Sit down, Sammy," Mr. Pitney said as he motioned for her to slide over next to Jason.
Sam did as she was told. "Hi, Jason," she said softly.
"Hey, Sam."
"Hey, Jase," Mike said loudly. "Did you know that Sam is an amateur driver?"
"Amateur is the operative word, Mike," Sam replied.
"Really? Why didn't you say something before?" Jason asked.
"I'm nowhere near your league and I only race occasionally."
"How did you get started?"
"When I started working for Mr. Pitney, some of the drivers thought I needed to know what it was like to get behind the wheel of a racecar, so they put me in a car, gave me a few pointers, and let me go."
"Have you won any of your races?"
"A few."
"She's being modest, Jase," Mr. Pitney said. "She's won 25 of the 30 races she's been in."
"That's great! Why don't you turn pro?" Jason asked. He was impressed, something that wasn't easily accomplished.
"It's just a hobby."
"I think Jase is right. You should try a professional race, Sammy," Mr. Pitney told her.
"I don't know, Mr. Pitney. I might like it too much and give up my design job," Sam teased.
* * * * * * * *
The next thing Sam knew she was getting ready for her first professional race. Jason coached her every chance he got and Mr. Pitney listed her as one of his drivers. She even had her own pit crew. Sam's biggest fear wasn't losing the race or crashing into the wall; it was making herself look like a fool in front of Jason and Mr. Pitney. Mr. Pitney she should understand, but why should she care if she looked like a fool in front of Jason?
Thanks to Jason's coaching and several major mistakes by some of the other drivers, Sam won her race. Mr. Pitney, Mike, and Jason met her at the winner's circle. After she had been presented with her trophy, Mike picked her up, and swung her around.
"Hey, Jase, heads up!" Mike said as he tossed Sam over to the unsuspecting man.
"Whoops." Jason caught her easily, but was afraid that he would drop her.
"Nice catch," Mike called.
Sam hadn't said anything, but gave Jason a slightly embarrassed smile that he returned.
"Jason?" Sam said quietly.
"Yeah?"
"You can put me down now."
"Oh, right." He set her down gently, never taking his eyes off her.
Sam blushed and let go of the death grip she had on his shoulders.
"Hey, you two. That's enough of that," Mr. Pitney said as he walked over to his newest winning driver.
Jason took a step backwards to put some room between himself and Sam. The sound of his rapidly beating heart pounded in his ears.
Jason, Sam, and the six men were taken to the local jail; a small, two cell building. Sam, being the only woman, was placed in one cell while Jason was put in the same cell as their six new 'friends'. This arrangement wasn't bad at first, until the men started to awaken. They decided this would be a good time to teach Jason a lesson, except that Jason ended up doing the teaching.
"Knock it off," the sheriff yelled.
"I was just defending myself, sheriff." Jason said.
"Yeah, I'm sure you were," the sheriff replied as he opened the cell door. "Come on." He led Jason over to Sam's cell. "Even think of touching her, pal, and you'll be sorry."
Sam sat curled up at one end of the cell's cot. Jason sat down on the other end.
"I'm sorry, Jason," Sam said quietly.
"Well, it wasn't like I had any other plans for the rest of the night. Did you make your phone call?"
"Yeah. Mr. Pitney will be here in the morning. He wasn't very happy."
"I can imagine. Where'd you learn to fight like that?"
"Here and there. A girl needs to know how to defend herself. What about you? That was a pretty amazing show you gave back there." Sam sounded impressed.
"Here and there."
The night dragged on. Sleep didn't come easily, so Sam and Jason attempted to make small talk. Morning finally arrived bringing a very unhappy Jack Pitney and a slightly amused Mike along with it. Mr. Pitney silently paid Sam and Jason's bail. He remained silent as the two jailbirds signed for their belongings. When they walked out of the jail, Sam broke the stillness.
"Mr. Pitney, I take full responsibility. Jason was an innocent bystander."
"Jason has never been an innocent bystander in his life," came the heated reply.
Sam opened her mouth to say something else, but Jason put a hand on her arm and shook his head. "He won't listen until he calms down," he whispered to her.
"Has he had a lot of experience bailing you out of jail?" Sam asked quietly.
"Nope. First time."
In the days that followed, Mike had a great time telling the pit crew that Jason had spent the night with Sam.
"What he failed to tell you is that it was a night in jail," Jason informed them.
Mr. Pitney kept Sam busy, so busy that it was several weeks before Jason saw her again.
"Hi," Sam said when she showed up at the track before a race.
"Hi," Jason replied. "What brings you here?"
"I wanted to wish you luck."
"You came all this way just to wish me luck?"
Sam shrugged. "I'm sorry I got you arrested."
"Water under the bridge, Sam."
Sam smiled and then quickly kissed Jason on the lips. "Good luck," she whispered. She then turned and left the pit.
Jason just stood staring after her.
"Hey, Jase? You gonna race anytime soon?" Mike asked as he walked by. "Jase?"
"Hmm?"
"Car? Race? It's gonna start soon."
"What?"
"What's wrong with you? The race is gonna start in a few minutes."
"Huh? Oh!" That brought Jason out of his fog and he finished getting ready.
Several hours later, Jason sat in the track bar with Mike and a couple of guys from the pit crew. He had barely touched the drink in front of him.
"What's your problem, Jase? You've been in a funk since before the race," Mike asked.
"It's nothing. I just have a lot on my mind," Jason replied.
"A lot? Or just one woman in particular?" He earned a glare in reply.
Jack Pitney entered the bar with Sam and after locating his people walked over to the booth where the men sat. Mr. Pitney slapped Jason on the back. "Good work, Jase."
"Thank you, Mr. Pitney," Jason said as he slid over so Sam and Jack Pitney could sit down.
"Sit down, Sammy," Mr. Pitney said as he motioned for her to slide over next to Jason.
Sam did as she was told. "Hi, Jason," she said softly.
"Hey, Sam."
"Hey, Jase," Mike said loudly. "Did you know that Sam is an amateur driver?"
"Amateur is the operative word, Mike," Sam replied.
"Really? Why didn't you say something before?" Jason asked.
"I'm nowhere near your league and I only race occasionally."
"How did you get started?"
"When I started working for Mr. Pitney, some of the drivers thought I needed to know what it was like to get behind the wheel of a racecar, so they put me in a car, gave me a few pointers, and let me go."
"Have you won any of your races?"
"A few."
"She's being modest, Jase," Mr. Pitney said. "She's won 25 of the 30 races she's been in."
"That's great! Why don't you turn pro?" Jason asked. He was impressed, something that wasn't easily accomplished.
"It's just a hobby."
"I think Jase is right. You should try a professional race, Sammy," Mr. Pitney told her.
"I don't know, Mr. Pitney. I might like it too much and give up my design job," Sam teased.
* * * * * * * *
The next thing Sam knew she was getting ready for her first professional race. Jason coached her every chance he got and Mr. Pitney listed her as one of his drivers. She even had her own pit crew. Sam's biggest fear wasn't losing the race or crashing into the wall; it was making herself look like a fool in front of Jason and Mr. Pitney. Mr. Pitney she should understand, but why should she care if she looked like a fool in front of Jason?
Thanks to Jason's coaching and several major mistakes by some of the other drivers, Sam won her race. Mr. Pitney, Mike, and Jason met her at the winner's circle. After she had been presented with her trophy, Mike picked her up, and swung her around.
"Hey, Jase, heads up!" Mike said as he tossed Sam over to the unsuspecting man.
"Whoops." Jason caught her easily, but was afraid that he would drop her.
"Nice catch," Mike called.
Sam hadn't said anything, but gave Jason a slightly embarrassed smile that he returned.
"Jason?" Sam said quietly.
"Yeah?"
"You can put me down now."
"Oh, right." He set her down gently, never taking his eyes off her.
Sam blushed and let go of the death grip she had on his shoulders.
"Hey, you two. That's enough of that," Mr. Pitney said as he walked over to his newest winning driver.
Jason took a step backwards to put some room between himself and Sam. The sound of his rapidly beating heart pounded in his ears.