Love in Victory Lane (A Chase Elliott FanFic)

Chapter Six

Before I begin chapter six, I just wanted to thank everybody for my 100 reads I hope it has been interesting so far! Feel free to leave comments and advice! xoxo ~ Author

*Hunter's POV*

I probably looked like an idiot while Emily and I were walking to the diner, because I would be fine one minute and them smiling like a weirdo the next. Chase Elliott kept crossing my mind. Thoughts of both him and our conversation would not leave me alone. I can barely even remember our walk to the diner; all I remember is almost getting run over by a tire that had gotten away from a crew member.

After a few minutes, we finally reached the diner. I knew we would probably find a lot of drivers in here and that made me very nervous. I took a deep breath and pulled open the door. Oh my God I thought to myself. Standing at the counter ordering food was my hero Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Act naturally I thought.

"Um....Hunter? Is that Dale Jr.?" Emily asked.

"Yes. OMG yes it is."

"Wow...this is crazy. Are you gonna go speak to him?"

"I'll wait a few minutes until they sit down then maybe go say hi," I replied.

"Okay, let's go get in line," Emily stated.

I calmly walked up to the counter and got in line right behind Dale and his girlfriend Amy. I could not believe I was standing right behind my favorite driver of all time. He was my idol, my hero, my inspiration. I looked up to him in so many was. I tried to be calm and collected like he was, and I strove to be as dedicated as he was. Dale was a guy who did not blow up at people when he was mad, but he did not hide his feelings. You could always tell when he was worried, upset, happy, or stressed. He was a great role model for me, and I desperately wanted to let him know that.

His girlfriend Amy was also a huge role model for me. She was beautiful without even trying to be, and she was always so sweet and caring. She even replied to a tweet I had sent to her one time. She was a true lady; she was graceful and gentle. These were not the only reasons I liked her. I also liked her because she made Dale happy. I had never seen Dale as happy as he was when he was with Amy. She lit up his world, and everyone knew she was good for him. I think she even gave him a reason to win again, because the year they got together, he broke his four year winless streak by winning the race at Michigan. Amy was there with him in victory lane with him, and he never looked happier. Since their relationship, he had been winning more races than ever, and he was even a top contender for the championship this year.

Dale and Amy walked away to go to their table, and I almost died when they both smiled at me and Emily. I smiled back then proceeded to order our food.

After ordering, the waitress said our food would be delivered to our table in a few minutes, so I tried to work up enough nerve to go speak to Dale and Amy. Emily came with me.

I walked up to their table and said, "Excuse me, I really hate to interrupt y'all's meal, but I am your BIGGEST fan, and I was wondering if you would sign a few things for me?"

Dale and Amy both smiled up at me kindly, and Dale replied, "It's no problem. I would be happy to sign them. What's your name?"

"It's Hunter Roberts," I answered.

"Okay, Hunter," Dale winked. I almost fainted.

"I can't believe I actually got to meet you. It has been a dream of mine for forever! You have always been my favorite driver, no questions asked! Well I also like Chase Elliott, but you're still my number one," I admitted shyly.

"Aw! Thanks so much for your support. It means a lot to me."

"You're so welcome! It's an honor to meet you. You have had so much of an impact of my life. You are my role model; I try to be like you. I appreciate and respect the way you conduct yourself and how you control your emotions. It's so inspirational for me. I am going to college to be an engineer, and my dream job is to work for you. That's my life goal."

"You have no idea how much what you just said means to me," he said quietly. "I don't deserve all of that praise, but I am happy I had such an impact on your life. It's nice to know I actually made a difference."

""You deserve all that praise and more. You have been through alot, and I'm sorry you have had so much heartache, but you handled it all so well."

"I made my fair share of mistakes after Dad died," he said.

"We all make mistakes, Dale. It's how you recovered from your mistakes that made the difference."

"I have to admit, Hunter, you have just made my day," Dale said.

I kind of just stared at him for a minute. Did he really just say that I had made his day???? "Well I guess we made each other's day."

"I guess we did. Here you go. Enjoy your merchandise."

"Thanks so much. It means a lot to me."

"You're welcome! Would you like some pictures with me?" he inquired.

"If you don't mind, that would be so awesome."

First, we took a selfie. We both smiled really big into the camera and I took the picture. Then I gave my phone to Emily who had been talking to Amy. Dale put his arm around me, and I put my arm around him. It was an amazing feeling. Dale Jr. had his arm around me. I was freaking out, despite my calm appearance. I leaned into him a little closer, and Emily took the pictures. Then I gave Dale a bear hug and he squeezed me so tight I could barely breathe. Emily better have gotten a picture of that. He released his hold on me, and I took my phone back.

Dale sat back down, and I went to go take a picture with Amy. I took a selfie with her, then let Emily take a few pictures of us. I gave her a quick hug then started telling her how much she was also an inspiration to me. "You are also a role model for me. You are so beautiful, graceful, and lady like without even trying to be," I said.

"Aw! You're too sweet!" she replied.

"I also wanted to thank you for being there for Dale. I am so happy he found you; I can tell how much y'all mean to each other, and I can see how good you are for him."

"That means so much to me. I love him more than anything," she commented shyly.

"Oh, Dale, before I leave," I caught his attention. "At this same racetrack three years ago, you was coming into the garages after making a practice run, and I was standing right beside the entrance to the garage. I started waving and clapping at you, but I wasn't expecting you to actually notice me. But you did. You waved back at me as you drove by, and that made me so happy I could have died. One of the best memories I have."

"That's so cool that you finally got to meet me after all these years. That's an amazing story!"

"Yeah, it's pretty awesome! Nice to meet you guys! I hope to run into y'all again one day! Have a good day, enjoy your meal, and good luck today and tomorrow Dale! I know you can win!"

"Thanks you too! Enjoy the races," Dale said. "See y'all later."

"We will! See y'all later I hope!"

I took a few pics of Emily with Dale and Amy, and she had him sign a few things. She spoke to him, and then we walked toward our table. We was just about to sit down when Dale called my name. "Hunter?"

"Yeah?"

"You said you wanted to work for me one day, right?"

"Yes! I would love to! It's my dream." I wondered where he was going with this.

"When you get out of college, and you need an intership, come to JRM and hand them this," he said as he handed me a napkin. It had his writing on it, and it said: I Dale Jr. promise to speak to Hunter Roberts about an internship when she finishes college and delivers this napkin back to me at JRM. He had signed it at the bottom. I read it and looked up at him with my jaw dropped.

"Omg, Dale. Thank you so much this is awesome!" I said excitedly.

"No problem, Hunter, Bring this back to JRM and I will consider you for an internship. Not promising you will have one, but I promise I will consider it."

"Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome, Hunter. Have a great day," he replied smiling at me.