door. “He wouldn’t hurt you. He’s just hungry for breakfast. What can I do for you?”
The house smelled like Jamie’s grandmother’s place. Lots of old wood and linoleum. The boards creaked in the front room when she took a step. And it was hot inside—about 10 degrees warmer than it needed to be.
The man who had given her the bad check stomped downstairs, stretching into a work jacket. When he saw her, his steps slowed.
“I need a word with you, sir,” Jamie said.
“This is the Maxwell girl, dear,” the man said when he reached the bottom step.
“The racer’s daughter?” the woman said.
“More than a daughter—she’s a racer too. Anda good one, I hear. Now you’re not wanting that car back, are you? Because my grandson has his heart set on driving it this afternoon. He’s sure excited.”
“I’m glad,” Jamie said, pulling the copy of his check out of her pocket. “But I’ve got a problem. I went to cash this, and they said there were insufficient funds.”
He took it and held it at arm’s length. “How in the world? There must be some mistake. . . . Oh, I know. The mortgage payment probably came at the same time. I’ll go write you another one. There shouldn’t be a problem now.” He moved to the kitchen and took out his checkbook.
Jamie cleared her throat. “If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, do you think we could go down to the bank and get a cashier’s check or a certified check?”
He turned and his face went a little white. “Now that won’t be necessary, Jamie. I’m sorry for your trouble, but it was an honest mistake.”
Jamie glanced out the front window. Sparky was looking in at her. “I believe that. I’m sure you didn’t mean to do this, but I can’t afford to pay for another bounced check.”
“Well, that’s what I’m saying. This one won’t bounce. I’ll write you another one right now, and you can be on your way.”
Jamie locked eyes with him and tried to calm thebutterflies in her stomach. “Mister, I’m only 16. I don’t know a lot about selling cars and doing business, but a guy at the bank said I should never take a personal check for something this expensive. If you don’t have the money, I can call a friend and come out here and get the car. But I have to either have the money or the car.”
The man looked at his watch. “I’m late to work as it is.”
“If I don’t get paid for that car, there’s no way I can get into a school that I want to attend. So if you don’t have it, let me take it and sell it to somebody else.” Her teeth were chattering like global cooling had begun.
The woman stepped into the shadows of the front room and turned to her husband. “Go down to the bank and make this right. This girl had to drive all the way out here.”
His voice became meaner. “I told you—I have to get to work.”
Jamie let the two look at each other.
Finally the man sighed and shook his head. “All right. Get in your car and follow me down to the bank.”
Chapter 17
Race Prep
TIM WOKE UP LATE and couldn’t remember where he was. The bed he was in had a big white comforter that was thicker than he was. Hotel , he thought. The big one near the speedway in Fort Worth. But where was Dale? He got up and walked through the suite. He had been sleeping in one room while Dale slept in the other. He opened the curtains, and the Texas sun blasted the room. He saw the speedway in the distance and a sea of colorful cars, RVs, and haulers. He wondered how much a room here cost on race weekend.
He closed the curtains and headed for the bathroom but stopped at Dale’s bed. On the nightstand was an open black book, and Tim hovered over it, not turning any pages, just looking. It was a Bible, and beside it was a leather notebook with scribbling in it. He couldn’tread the writing very well, but it looked like personal stuff and what God was teaching him and junk like that. At the bottom were the initials P.R . Under that were three names:
The house smelled like Jamie’s grandmother’s place. Lots of old wood and linoleum. The boards creaked in the front room when she took a step. And it was hot inside—about 10 degrees warmer than it needed to be.
The man who had given her the bad check stomped downstairs, stretching into a work jacket. When he saw her, his steps slowed.
“I need a word with you, sir,” Jamie said.
“This is the Maxwell girl, dear,” the man said when he reached the bottom step.
“The racer’s daughter?” the woman said.
“More than a daughter—she’s a racer too. Anda good one, I hear. Now you’re not wanting that car back, are you? Because my grandson has his heart set on driving it this afternoon. He’s sure excited.”
“I’m glad,” Jamie said, pulling the copy of his check out of her pocket. “But I’ve got a problem. I went to cash this, and they said there were insufficient funds.”
He took it and held it at arm’s length. “How in the world? There must be some mistake. . . . Oh, I know. The mortgage payment probably came at the same time. I’ll go write you another one. There shouldn’t be a problem now.” He moved to the kitchen and took out his checkbook.
Jamie cleared her throat. “If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, do you think we could go down to the bank and get a cashier’s check or a certified check?”
He turned and his face went a little white. “Now that won’t be necessary, Jamie. I’m sorry for your trouble, but it was an honest mistake.”
Jamie glanced out the front window. Sparky was looking in at her. “I believe that. I’m sure you didn’t mean to do this, but I can’t afford to pay for another bounced check.”
“Well, that’s what I’m saying. This one won’t bounce. I’ll write you another one right now, and you can be on your way.”
Jamie locked eyes with him and tried to calm thebutterflies in her stomach. “Mister, I’m only 16. I don’t know a lot about selling cars and doing business, but a guy at the bank said I should never take a personal check for something this expensive. If you don’t have the money, I can call a friend and come out here and get the car. But I have to either have the money or the car.”
The man looked at his watch. “I’m late to work as it is.”
“If I don’t get paid for that car, there’s no way I can get into a school that I want to attend. So if you don’t have it, let me take it and sell it to somebody else.” Her teeth were chattering like global cooling had begun.
The woman stepped into the shadows of the front room and turned to her husband. “Go down to the bank and make this right. This girl had to drive all the way out here.”
His voice became meaner. “I told you—I have to get to work.”
Jamie let the two look at each other.
Finally the man sighed and shook his head. “All right. Get in your car and follow me down to the bank.”
Chapter 17
Race Prep
TIM WOKE UP LATE and couldn’t remember where he was. The bed he was in had a big white comforter that was thicker than he was. Hotel , he thought. The big one near the speedway in Fort Worth. But where was Dale? He got up and walked through the suite. He had been sleeping in one room while Dale slept in the other. He opened the curtains, and the Texas sun blasted the room. He saw the speedway in the distance and a sea of colorful cars, RVs, and haulers. He wondered how much a room here cost on race weekend.
He closed the curtains and headed for the bathroom but stopped at Dale’s bed. On the nightstand was an open black book, and Tim hovered over it, not turning any pages, just looking. It was a Bible, and beside it was a leather notebook with scribbling in it. He couldn’tread the writing very well, but it looked like personal stuff and what God was teaching him and junk like that. At the bottom were the initials P.R . Under that were three names:
Similar Books
