AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Not that. You’re the only father Julie has ever known. Folks who knew Jake Jenkins said he never wanted a kid, and some believe the kid he never wanted was your child, anyway.”
“I wish that were true,” Frank said, bowing his head and studying his hands.
Duke pulled up a chair and sat next to his old friend. “Frank, you’ve always been there for Julie.” He cleared his throat and tried to find the right words. Finally, he just spoke from the heart. “I thought you might have turned on us.”
“I know,” Frank said, tears welling in his eyes. “I ain’t well enough to tell you what I think about that, so we’ll just say it happened and never speak of it again.”
Duke thought if the old man cried right there, he’d go ahead and sob right along with him. The enormous guilt he felt was incomparable to any he’d ever been burdened with carrying in the past. “Frank, I want you to know how sorry I am.”
“If it’s all the same to you, I’d prefer not to speak of it again, as I said. It’s water under the bridge. Me, you, and your brother…we’ve been through a lot of rocky tides together. Ain’t no reason for us to drown our friendship now.”
“But, Frank, I owe you an explanation.”
“Friends and family don’t owe one another explanations. They just say what they mean and mean what they say. You said you were sorry and I don’t want to speak another word about it. Ya hear?”
“I hear ya, Frank,” he said, patting the old man’s arm.
“Good, now listen here. I got us a plan, and we need to start working on it right away. Bend an ear and pay attention. If I’m gonna be in here, then I can’t execute the works of this notion the right way. These people have me hooked up to all sorts of monitors and machines. Sort of makes mobility difficult.
“You, on the other hand, can march right downstairs and talk to the administration. If you get this done, we’ll call it even then. What do you say?”
“You want to go home.”
“Yep. Right now would be right nice.”
Chapter Sixteen
Hank heard the door slam. He counted every step her high heels struck against as she walked upstairs. He stared at the clock and did his best to allow her the time she needed to undress. Then, he counted down the seconds and waited out the time needed for her to slip into the bathroom, brush her teeth, and head for bed.
That’s when he joined her.
He’d waited until he was certain she was tucked under the satin sheets he’d specifically requested for her bed, and then he stretched out beside her. Her eyes looked like milk chocolate candies as they sparkled in the moonlight, and if he’d ever found her more beautiful than right then, he’d love to know when.
“I was worried about you,” he told her as his lips met hers. “You took too long.”
“I took a detour.”
“Where?” he asked, placing his hand on her hip.
“I went out to the garage to check on the guys,” she said, studying his eyes. “They’re out there working late, and I thought I’d drop by and see how things were coming along.”
He felt the tilt to his lips, the easy way she made him smile. “What’d you go and do something like that for?”
She shrugged. “Frank won’t be happy until I give stock cars a fair shot.”
“What do you want, Julie?” he asked, snuggling against the pillow as she did the same. They stared at one another longingly and he anticipated her answer, fully expecting her to stand by the fact that she’d give racing another shot for Frank, and only because racing made Frank happy.
Hank knew better, but he realized at this point and time, all things considered, Julie may not have recognized the fact that she still needed racing as much as Frank needed to see her behind the wheel. “I think if I don’t race, I’ll never be the same again.”
His next breath caught in his throat.
“You seem surprised.”
“Only because you admitted it,” Hank said. “I’ve always known what makes you happy. Fast cars and faster men.”
She grinned. “You might be shocked to know that I’ve grown up since the last time we had a heart-to-heart pillow talk.”
“You might be pleased to discover I’ve grown a lot, too.” He took her hand in his and guided her toward his groin. His cock swelled under her palm, and he moaned. “See what I mean? Lately, I mature by the second.”
