Race to a Happy Ending

Chapter 3

After leaving Cameron's race shop, Kate found her way to the gas station and filled her car the rest of the way up. There was no way she was going to run out of gas and get herself in that predicament again. The outcome might not be so happy the next time. Her father would kill her if he found out how careless she had been. And it certainly wouldn't help her cause in proving she was independent and could do things on her own.

She then went back to the apartment complex she had stopped at earlier. The salesperson showed her around the model apartment, and then took her on a golf cart to tour the apartment complex amenities. Overall, Kate felt good about it, but wanted to keep looking at other options. This place looked nice, but she was really hoping for a more secure parking lot with a gated entrance. She would be a single woman and she wanted to make sure that everyone would be comfortable with the arrangements. That included her dad and brothers, who would most likely be the ones helping her move, and when they came up to see her place, she knew they'd be going through every possible scenario in their heads to make sure she was safe. It seemed since everything had happened, her family had reverted her back to a little girl who needed taking care of. And while she appreciated their gesture while her grief was still new, they didn't realize that their overprotective ways and treating her with kid gloves was holding her back from moving on from her grief.

She got back on the interstate and made her way back to the Charlotte hotel where she was staying. Once in her room, she shed off the expensive suit and the designer heels. She laid on the bed for a few minutes to cool off. She momentarily considered taking a nap. But all she could think about was tonight. What would she wear? She got up and went through her suitcase. Her choices were limited since she'd only packed clothes for a few days. She laid out a few options and then decided to put on her running gear and head out for her daily run. Running helped keep her in good shape. She had worked hard the past year to get her body back to pre-children condition. She hadn't taken good care of herself after having the twins because she had been so busy taking care of them. So the post baby weight had taken on a few extra pounds. But after the accident, Kate's grief had taken over her body and she had lost so much weight that she didn't look healthy. Once she started training, though, her body began to take on a more healthy shape. And having a healthy, good looking body, was one way Kate began to feel better about herself. Running was the way she did it. It also helped clear her head and think things out better. She glanced at the clock and realized she probably wouldn't have time to drive to the park that Cameron had mentioned earlier in the day at lunch, so she opted for a run on the treadmill at the hotel facilities. She never cared for the treadmill, she'd rather have the wind in her hair and the sun on her face. But, if she wanted to run AND still have time to shower and look her best for tonight, then she needed every spare minute she could find.

She stuck her ear buds in, turned on her music, and started her run on the treadmill. Her mind drifted back to the events that had happened over the course of the day. This could very well be one of the best days of her life, at least the best one in a really long time. She started early with a promising interview for what she considered to be a reputable position at a large bank. Never in a million years did she think the interview would go so well. And although she knew it wasn't 'in the bag', she still had to make it through the second phase, she felt confident about her testing abilities and had a good feeling about the entire situation. The pay was good, there was still room for advancement, and she felt she could survive on the salary without having to dip into the insurance money too much. She felt like she was on the right track to proving to herself that she could make it on her own. Even when things looked like they were going downhill fast when she ran out of gas, she held it together and got help. And that help turned out to be a nice person, it sure didn't hurt that he was nice looking, that she ended up having a really nice afternoon with. She was encouraged that the apartment listings she had looked at all seemed to be decent apartments in decent areas with a decent price. She was hopeful as she made mental plans to visit two more apartment complexes the next day. Her mind turned to tomorrow when she has her interview at Fifth Third Bank. The interview wasn't until 2:00, so she had plenty of time to catch up on her sleep and still have time to mentally prepare herself for the interview. She wondered what tonight would bring. She didn't want to get her hopes up, but she had had a really great connection with Cameron and she thought, at least she was hoping, he felt the same way. She knew she had just met him and he really was the first person she'd ever thought about in even a slightly romantic way since her husband. It was an awkward, but nice feeling. However, Kate didn't want to get her hopes up. Perhaps since she is new to the whole dating arena, she thought maybe she is overthinking things and seeing things that aren't really there. She decided to play it cool tonight and be herself. She didn't want to think of things as more than a friendship until she was sure Cameron felt the same way, too. As far as she knew, he was just being friendly to a new person in town. Or maybe after hearing her sob story, it was a pity date. Lord knows, she'd already had one of those and it was terrible. But she hoped it wasn't either of those things. She didn't think someone with the noteriety and high profile that he had would go around being this friendly to all the new people in town, much less take out a woman with so much baggage. Her baggage meant any relationship she hoped to ever start would never be "normal". She hoped this night would be a nice evening between two people. No expectations beyond tonight, she decided. Just a good time.