California Girls(83)

“I’m ready for my motocross lesson,” she said as she walked into the house.

Daniel stood in the kitchen. He stared at her from across the kitchen island, his eyes wide.

“What?” she demanded, then remembered her haircut. Her heart instantly sank. Did it look bad? Did he think she’d made a mistake? No! She loved her new hairstyle and if he didn’t then he was stupid.

“You look incredible,” he said, setting down the coffee mug. “Your eyes look bigger and your face is just...” He motioned vaguely in her direction. “You look great.”

“Thank you. I feel good. Now let’s go conquer some motorcycles.”

He put his coffee mug in the sink and pointed to her flip-flops. “You’re going to need closed-toe shoes. Also a long-sleeve T-shirt. The jeans are fine.”

She collected tennis shoes and socks, along with a jersey, then met him by the truck.

“My pedicure will have dried by the time we get there,” she said. “I’ll put on my shoes and socks then.”

“Beauty over safety.”

She wiggled her toes. “Duh!”

He grinned and held open the door for her.

On the way to the track, he talked to her about the class she’d be taking. “It’s for beginners, so expect there to be little kids.”

“How little?”

“Seven or eight years old.”

She groaned. “Great. I’ll feel large and uncoordinated. That’s perfect.”

He grinned at her. “You’ll do fine. The instructor will take you over the safety basics, then we’ll get you your protective gear. You’ll need body armor, goggles and a helmet.”

“Body armor? Seriously?”

“We dress for the crash, not the ride.”

“Oh, that’s a cheerful saying. Note to self—avoid crashing.”

They got on I-5 and headed north to Sun Valley. Ali had been to Daniel’s business a couple of times with Glen. She knew there were three different tracks, a grandstand, a service center where bikes were repaired and modified, along with several buildings that were used for everything from classrooms to locker rooms to the office staff. From what she’d been able to piece together, the business had been a lot smaller when he’d inherited it. Daniel had worked hard to grow it into a success.

She was impressed by how he’d taken something good and made it better—not that she was surprised. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, remembering their kiss. She still wasn’t sure what it had meant, but it had been pretty fantastic. She was willing to admit there was something between them. At this point, she had no idea what, but whatever it was, she liked it.

Two hours later she’d gone through a forty-five-minute safety class, been fitted for gear and had survived her first two laps of the track. She stopped by the instructor and pulled off her helmet. Eight-year-old Brandon pulled up next to her and give her a high five.

“You were really good, Ali,” he said with a grin.

“Thanks. You were better. You went so fast.”

His chest puffed out a little. “I’m going to be the best. You’ll see. When I’m famous, we can hang out if you’d like.”

She did her best not to smile. “That would be very cool.”

Daniel strolled over. “Hey, my man,” he said to Brandon. “Have a good time?”

“The best! My mom’s gonna sign me up for the summer session. I can’t wait.”

“I look forward to seeing you around.”

Brandon flipped his visor closed, then headed off for another circuit. Daniel leaned close.

“It seems I have competition.”

She laughed. “When he’s famous we’re going to hang out, so yes, I would say you do.”

“How’d you like it?”

She thought about the speed, the dirt track, the way the bike had leaned into the turns. “I was scared and I loved it. I want to come back and learn more.”

She stood up and felt her legs protest. Muscles not used to that kind of workout were going to be sore later.

“I’m glad,” he said, taking her bike from her and walking it toward the rental building. “Motocross is intense. You really have to concentrate, which means it’s a great way to clear your head. When you’re out on the track, you can’t think of anything else.”

He returned the bike while she stripped out of her protective gear. Her clothes were covered in dust and she felt a little gritty all over.

“I need a shower,” she said.

“That is a hazard of the sport. Let’s head back to the house. You can clean up, then pack a bag.”

She looked at him. “For what?”

His dark gaze met hers. “We’d agreed we were going to fill the day.”

For a second she had no idea what he was talking about. Learning how to ride the bike and navigate the track had taken all her concentration. There’d been no room left for anything else, including remembering that today was supposed to be her wedding day. And the fact that he’d promised her dinner.

“We did,” she agreed.

“I thought we’d head up to Santa Barbara for the weekend. I’ve booked us a couple of rooms at a great hotel. We’ll walk around town, have a nice dinner, drink a little too much wine and call Glen names.”