Speed of My Heart Read Free Page B

over with a strange mix of longing and frustration, but it passed so quickly that I wondered if I had imagined it. His eyes were clear and playful when they met mine again. "I work in the auto industry."
    I was a little surprised. I had expected him to say something else. I'm not sure what, just something that fit him better. I wondered if he was a car salesman or mechanic. Somehow, neither of those sounded right. He had the kind of underlying edge that said he'd do something more exciting or dangerous, maybe. He didn't look older than twenty-three or twenty-four, so perhaps he was still in school? I got the feeling he didn't want to talk about it and decided not to press, even though my curiosity was definitely up.
    "So, you said you're visiting family? I've lived around here my whole life,” I told him. “I probably know them."
    He took a sip of his coffee, before answering. "Well, I'm staying alone in a family-owned cabin right outside of Russell Springs; just to get away from the craziness of my job while I'm healing. My family are the Davenports that live in Russell Springs. I'm sure you know them."
    My mouth dropped open. I definitely knew the Davenports. "You're kidding me?! Jack is a really good friend of mine. He dates my best friend, actually. And Mr. and Mrs. Davenport have run the car dealership in town for as long as I can remember. They're practically like family to me."
    Okay, so that explained things. I guess him being in the auto industry wouldn't be so odd if it was a family business. Still, it didn't seem like something he'd do. But, then again, I didn't really know him.
    "Yeah, Jack's my cousin," he confirmed. "It's been several years since I've been here to visit, but he comes down to see me a couple times a year."
    "Oh, do you work at a dealership too?" I asked, wondering if they shared that in common.
    Cole laughed. "Uh, no."
    At my quizzical look he paused, eyeing me a minute before saying, "I race cars."
    I just stared at him. Race cars? Could he make a living off of that? It was probably exciting and dangerous, and I could definitely see him being a thrill seeker. But, I knew absolutely nothing about racing, except that the idea of watching a car go around and around bored me to death.
    "That is... an interesting career choice," I said, trying to hide my less than enthusiastic response.
    Cole chuckled,  shaking his head in amazement. His eyes were bright with laughter when they snagged mine.
    "You know what? I think I like you. It's been forever since someone didn't give a crap about what I did for a living."
    I looked at him skeptically. "Yeah, I don't think racing would be something I'd be interested in. I hope it doesn't offend you, but I never have understood the appeal of watching cars repeatedly drive the same loop over and over."
    Cole shook his head at me, smiling. "I'm pretty sure I could change that opinion, but right now I'm just going to enjoy the fact you're unimpressed."
    "People get really excited when you tell them you race cars?" I asked, doubtfully.
    He nodded and then shrugged. "Well, most of the time I don't have to tell them. They recognize me."
    "You must be successful at what you do then?" I prompted.
    "I try. If I want to keep my sponsors, I have to be. Course, it helped winning the Daytona 500 this year."
    I raised an eyebrow. He probably thought I was an idiot, but, really, racing wasn't my thing. "I take it that's a pretty big race?"
    Cole grinned, showing off killer dimples in both cheeks. "Yeah, the biggest." His smile faded a bit when he glanced down at his cast. "Being out of racing for the next six weeks is going to suck. For a lot of reasons. Would you believe this broken arm came from a car accident that didn't happen on the track?"
    I shook my head in disbelief. "That's crazy. What happened?"
    "I was riding with a friend of mine," he explained. "He was talking, not paying attention, and ended up running a red light. I broke my arm in several places and had a