Living my life in the Fast Lane (Chase Elliott)

Chapter 9: Job Offers and the Glass Case Family pt 2

I just stood there in the boardroom taking it all in that I now had sort of two jobs doing what I loved. Kate came over to me and she said that she had known about this after I had left from MRN. Kim, Chuck, and Ryan came over to where Kate and I were and they said that they were going to help me take my gift basket to my office and then we were going out to lunch to celebrate. Kate said to go have fun and that she would see us when we get back to the Speedway. We then began to gather up my things to take back down to my office before we loaded up in Kim's Suburban. Kim drove, Chuck sat in the passenger seat and would change her radio stations back and forth waiting for some good music to come on, while Ryan and I sat in the back behind them. 

Ryan and I began to have our own conversation in the back of the car on the way to lunch. I told all 3 of them that I truly did love my gift basket and I am so happy to be apart of their Glass Case family. I leaned over and whispered to Ryan that I noticed they/him has slid some of Chase's merchandise in there also, he laughed and then whispered back to me that Chase wanted him to add some of his things into there for me. Ryan mentioned that he and Chase were on the phone with each other as he was putting my basket together anyways. He then asked me had I recently talked to Chase at all, to which I told him that I had actually texted with Chase earlier that morning to wish him a safe flight back to Georgia. Of course he then went "ooh you've got more game than I thought." I laughed and then began to blush and get all giddy thinking about it...Thanks for that Blaney 

Finally we pulled into the parking lot of the Cheesecake Factory for celebratory lunch. We parked and Kim said to all of us "who's ready to eat a yummy lunch and celebrate with our new family member?" I told them that I was so excited and that I am so thankful for them to give me this opportunity. When we got inside the restaurant we were told to wait 5 minutes so they could clean a table off for us to sit down at, we wanted one of those large circular booths in the corner of the restaurant so we all had room to spread out. Even though it was only the four of us we still wanted the larger booth, it ended up being Kim and I in the middle next to each other and Chuck on the end next to Kim while Ryan was on the end next to me. A waitress came up to the table and began talking to us and taking our orders for drinks first; Chuck ordered a Coke, Kim ordered an Arnold Palmer, I ordered a Sweet Tea, and Ryan also ordered a Sweet Tea. 

We received our drinks and then ordered our lunch which consisted of some Alfredo pasta, Spaghetti, and a Lasagna. They began to tell me how Kate had helped set this whole surprise up for me and that she had special access and listened to our podcast taping the other day before it's official release date on Thursday. I couldn't believe that and wondered who else knew that they were going to offer me a job with them. So I thought that I would ask them just to see what they would say, they said besides Kate and the 3 of them of course Ryan had gossiped to both Bubba and Chase so they knew also but that was it. Ryan then went on to say that he was glad that Chase was a good friend that didn't spill the beans to me about all of this this morning or last night. That then lead to a conversation that Kim and Chuck did not know that Chase and I had been texting each other ever since the day of the taping. 

They all began saying how cute that Chase and I would be together and that they totally "shipped it", I told them that I didn't know what was going to happen between us yet. I also said to them "from your lips to God's ears." Ryan said to me that if I get set up with his friend that hopefully I had a friend for him to date. I then told him that I actually did have a friend that he might be interested in; I began telling him about one of my close friends that I had in college named Mikayla Paterson. I explained that we had met at UGA when we went to school and that she was now an on the rise fashion designer. She also loves music, going to concerts, reading, writing, tattoos, and cute dogs. Ryan then said to me "Okay I have to meet and get in touch with this girl, it sounds like we would have a lot of stuff in common with each other. Maybe she's the person I've been waiting for my whole 25 years of living." 

We had got our food and ate while still continuing talking to one another. After we had finished eating we were still talking and Ryan said that he wanted to get a picture with me for his Snapchat to let the fans know. So we took a picture together and we then got a big group picture for them to post and make the official announcement on all of their social medias. Ryan's phone buzzed and he looked down to see that he had snaps from both Bubba and Chase. Bubba said "oh she is pretty Clyde needs to get her before someone else does." Ryan wouldn't show me what Chase had texted him, but he just told me that he thought I was pretty and that was all I needed to know. The check came and I tried to pay before they said that they were treating me to lunch to celebrate me. We paid and then left the restaurant so they could take me back to the Speedway and they could get back on the road to Moorseville. Ryan and I talked some more and he said he really would like to get to know Mikayla, so I told him that I would talk to her first and make sure it's okay and that I would then send him her phone number like he did to me the other day. 

We arrived back to the Speedway and all went back inside to Kate's office. We all talked for a few minutes before they left, and then Kate told me that the new report I was going to write is about my surprise job offer from the podcast. I then went to my office to began getting to work.