“Graham Decker. Great
to finally meet you.” I try hard not to blink at the strong odor, a mixture of
cleanser, steel and rubber, as we shake hands, his grip firm and confident.
The man lapped a
track at almost two hundred miles per hour. His grip should be firm, and with
the number of wins and top five finishes he’d accumulated, he’d earned the
right to be confident.
“Come in. Please.” With
his trademark smile, Graham gestures for me to enter his office and sit. “Is
this your first time visiting Graham Decker Racing?”
“Yes. What gave it
away?”
He chuckles, the
sound genuine and down-to-earth, as he settles way back in a leather chair. “Might’ve
been the wrinkled nose. If you’d like, my assistant can give you a tour after
we’re done.”
“That’d be great. So
tell me a little about yourself, Graham. Besides the fact that you’re a highly
competitive racecar driver. Everybody knows that.” I push the record button on
my phone and set it on the desk.
“Let’s see. I just
got married.” Graham’s face lights up and he leans forward abruptly. As if he
couldn’t wait to ditch me and head home.
I couldn’t blame the
guy. I’d seen pictures of his wife. “Rori, right?”
He nods.
“Wasn’t her father
the—”
“Yes.” The warm
welcome slips away. His jaw snaps closed tight as a jail cell.
Hmm. Interesting,
but I better switch tracks. “So do you still live in Charlotte?”
“No. In Harrison at
the Forever Family Animal Sanctuary. Rori’s like a llama whisperer. She works
wonders with the animals that come to live with us.” Pride laces his tone.
“Actually, that’s how we met.”
“Through your
non-profit?”
“Yes. My sister does
a fabulous job running the Foundation, but she was on bed rest because of
complications with her pregnancy. She asked me to make a site visit since Rori
had applied for a time-sensitive grant.”
“Not the typical way
to pick up a woman.”
He smiles, wistful
like, as if he remembers something special. “Rori’s anything but typical. And
so was our meeting.”
“Care to elaborate?”
His mouth stretches
to a grin. “Nah. She values her privacy and might not appreciate me sharing all
the details. Let’s just say it involved mistaken identity and a llama delivery
and leave it at that.”
He was going to
leave me hanging with that juicy tidbit? I make a mental note to redirect
later. “Ohhhkay. So how did you know Rori was the one? After all, you’ve been married before, right?”
“Yeah. That didn’t
turn out so well, but it was my fault. God wasn’t at the center of that
relationship. Unlike with Rori.” He scrubs a hand across his whiskered jaws,
his expression lightening as if the sun just came out. “And Rori didn’t
recognize me.”
Really? How was that
possible? I have no words.
He steals a glance
at the clock and drums a pencil against the desk.
I’m losing him. “So was
it love at first sight?”
“Definitely on my
part, but not so much hers. We had some issues to work through before she’d
commit.”
“Like what?”
“For starters, I had
to prove that I wasn’t going anywhere. That I could be there for her—” His cell
phone buzzes, and he checks the number. “Excuse me.”
I can’t help but eavesdrop.
I lean forward slightly, refusing to miss any opportunity for a scoop. Besides,
I’m sitting close enough that I can almost hear her voice. At the very least,
my recorder might be picking up their conversation.
“Jumbo did what?” He
launches from the chair, banging my phone off the desk.
So much for that. I
bend over, retrieve the recorder, and hit the off button. It didn’t take a
doctorate degree to know that this interview was over.
“No problem,
sweetheart. I’m just finishing up here. Be there soon. Love you.” He
disconnects, mashes a cap on his head. “It’s been a pleasure, but—”
“I understand.” I do.
Really. The guy’s practically still on his honeymoon. No wonder that fat grin
is plastered across his face. Jealousy sprouts and curls up my spine like a
weed. “Hey, does Rori have any unattached sisters?”
On his way to the
exit, Graham angles over a shoulder. “Sorry. Just twin brothers, Beck and Burk.”
He dives into a
sports car and cranks the engine, those high-performance tires squealing out of
the parking lot. Nope. He doesn’t look the slightest bit sorry to be going
home.
Rori's Healing
****
Still stinging from the
publicity surrounding her father's death, social phobic Rori Harmon prefers the
solitude of her animal sanctuary, accepting that marriage isn’t in her future.
Racecar Driver Graham Decker refuses to be wrangled into a relationship by
another money-hungry female. On a philanthropy mission, he arrives just in time
to assist Rori with a llama birthing, but his appearance thrusts her into the
media spotlight again. Has Graham found a woman who doesn't care how deep his
wallet extends? Has Rori finally met a man who will stick around when times get
tough? Is healing for a hurting heart finally within Rori's reach?
Labels: #RorisHealing, crazy about writing, Dora Hiers, Harmon Heritage, healing, hero interview, inspirational romance, Pelican Book Group, race car driver, reading, Rori's Healing, social phobia, suicide, sweet romance
