Layne Jackson's been living life in the slow lane, despite racing at her local dirt track every weekend. She longs for a touring team to whisk her into big-time racing, where the money flows like water.
When her chance comes, offering more fans, more sponsors, more money, and, most of all, more horsepower, she doesn't hesitate to take it.
She leaves her little sister, her parents, and her track friends to join Schaeffer Motorsports, and it's everything she dreamed it would be. The fans cheer and beg for her autograph. Her teammates help her rise to become a fan-favorite.
When she comes back to DSS for a visit, with her face in TV ads and her voice on radio commercials, will her old friends still accept her as one of their own, or will they push her away?
Will Layne's sister Presley still confide in her like she used to? Or will her rising talent driving an Eco Stock and the distance between them make it impossible?
And Dustin Fletcher, the quiet, talented driver who always caught Layne's eye on Saturday night, but continually ignored her, will he be replaced by Tucker Schaeffer, Layne's handsome new teammate?
Elliot's partner was his whole world, but after Allan's death, his ghost haunts Elliot's dreams. Everyone tells Elliot to move on, but he isn't sure he can.
*****
It's been a year since the love of Elliot's life, Allan, passed away. Everyone thinks he should have recovered after that much time, but Allan still haunts Elliot every night. He struggles to maintain relationships with his family, and despite a coworkers interest he can't summon up the courage to date. Elliot is living for the past, because to live for the present means he'll have to live with a hole in his heart. But the question Elliot has to face chases him through his monotonous days: is mourning Allan with everything he has truly living?
[[word count: 40,000-50,000 words]]