Read Online Heart of Gold by Beverly Jenkins - Free Book Online Page B

to be asleep last night. She knew that to be the case because Reggie snored. In fact, some nights he snored so loudly she had to place her pillow over her head to muffle the sound so she could sleep. There’d been no snoring last night. But instead of asking, she answered his question with a shake of her head. “Nope. I’ll let you get back to your reading.” And she withdrew.
    Upstairs she looked in on Zoey. “Whatcha doing, shortcake?”
    Zoey grinned, but her eyes never left the flat screen on the wall. “Watching Danica Patrick.” The room was loud with the drone of race car engines.
    â€œCan I join you?”
    â€œSure!”
    Roni walked over to the bed, where the thoroughly enthralled Zoey sat cross-legged in the center, and settled her hip on the edge. Cars were zooming like crazy around the track. “Now which car is she in again?”
    â€œThe green one. Number ten. The Godaddy.com car.” She pointed at the screen. “See, there she goes. She driving a Chevy SS, but sometimes she’s in an Impala.”
    Roni had no idea if that was significant, but she was impressed by Zoey’s knowledge.
    Zoey’s eyes were going around and around with the flow of the race. “She’s the only girl to ever come in third at the 500. And the only one to win the pole.”
    â€œWow.” Roni’s sports were football and basketball. NASCAR was a whole ’nother world.
    â€œAnd she started driving go-karts when she was ten. Same age as me.”
    When Zoey looked her way, Roni chuckled and asked, “And you’re telling me this why—like maybe I don’t already know?”
    â€œI really want to drive go-karts.”
    â€œDo you now?”
    â€œI really, really do.”
    â€œIs there a go-kart track somewhere near town?”
    â€œI think so. Amari’s dad takes him all the time.”
    â€œOkay. Let me talk to your dad and Trent, and I’ll get back to you.”
    Zoey beamed before refocusing on the race.
    Temporarily setting aside her inner fears that Zoey might get hurt driving go-karts, Roni took a moment to glance around at the changes in Zoey’s room decor. Gone were the Disney princess posters and all the Barbie stuff. Instead the walls were now graced with the likes of a smiling Danica Patrick holding her helmet on her hip and members of the WNBA in various basketball poses. Serena Williams, bent at the waist, fist balled up in triumph, held court on the wall by Zoey’s closet. And her prized green-and-black Patrick leather jacket hung on a hook on the wall next to the flat-screen. Everyone knew green was Zoey’s favorite color—it was the color of her late mom’s eyes. Roni glanced over at the framed picture of the smiling Bonnie on Zoey’s nightstand and wondered if it was Patrick’s signature color that had initially drawn her to be a fan, but thinking about that, she decided probably not. This was all Trent and Amari’s doing. The day Trent allowed Zoey to help him and Amari at the garage, her little girl’s life changed. She’d become confident, more self-assured, and car crazy. The shy little girl they’d adopted three years ago and thought mute because she didn’t speak now had so much confidence that Roni’d be willing to bet there wasn’t anything in this world Zoey didn’t think herself capable of doing. Unfortunately, being at the garage had also altered her relationship with her former BFF, Devon. “How’re you and Devon doing?”
    Zoey made a face. “If he’d stop being so fussy all the time. He acts like an old lady.”
    â€œThat’s who he was raised by, honey.”
    â€œNo kidding. He thinks he knows everything. If he tells me one more time that I’m not supposed to like working on cars, I’m going to punch him.”
    She thought back on the fight they’d had last year. “No punching