16. The guys were sitting around the bunk house. With 15 of them, it gould get pretty crowded. But they were basically a congenial lot and were enjoying getting to know one another. They were well aware that only one could go home with Emily, so they might as well come away with some friends.
Only Bentley set himself apart. The other men thought there was something oddly, well, primeval about him, but they couldn't put their fingers on it. They hadn't really found a reason to dislike him. Richard had mixed feelings. He was drawn to Emily, but his feelings were more spiritual than what he was accustomed to thinking of as romantic. He was glad he'd had a chance to talk to her, a bit concerned about Bentley's intentions, but otherwise relieved that there didn't seem to be any other relationships developing--yet.
The fellows were already having their fun with Gilles, who had treated them to his skill in French cooking. Then there were the guys who had left at the first rose ceremony, plus Bentley, Beamer, Dodge, Ford and Mini Cooper. What were all these names that reminded them of cars? They were especially amused by Mini Cooper. He was at least 6 '4" tall!
"Well," Cooper laughed. No question, he was an engaging man. "I played basketball in college, and I was the shortest man on the team! Now, I couldn't score the most points, or snag the most rebounds, but I could be the best sport. I got the nickname from my teammates."
And Beamer? "Why to they call you Beamer?" Owen asked.
Beamer flashed a smile that lit up the room. "We get it!" the men said in unison.
While they were thus shooting the breeze, there was a knock on the door. Guy ran over to answer it. Russell Crow was standing on the stoop with a card in his beak. He shook the card. Guy took it, and went inside. Before he could close the door, Russell Crow followed him in.
Suddenly there was a din of excitement. Guy read the outside of the envelope.
"Bentley, Beamer, Dodge, Ford and Mini Cooper."
"The car guys!" someone exclaimed.
Guy read the card. "It's a drag over here. We should go out and do something racy."
The room burst into testosterone driven catcalls in various pitches. Russell Crow squawked.
The guys took a just a few minutes to shower and dress. Together, they walked over to the mansion. Emily was waiting for them outside. "Hi, y'all! Are you up for some friendly competition?"
"Since when is competition among Bachguys friendly?" chuckled Dodge.
"That's right," added Ford. "When there's a prize at stake, everyone's an enemy."
"Well, come with me," Emily replied. They all piled into a van and took off. Before too long, they arrived at the parking lot of a local high school. It looked set up for the driver training program, with a strip several lanes wide and about 1/4 mile long. Off to the side was a grassy area adjacent to some spectator bleachers. It had a large picnic table. The whole complex was surrounded by a dirt track.
Parked at tbe beginning of the strip were five cars. The group got out of the van. Emily jumped up and down with glee. "We're going drag racing!" she squealed. The men were amazed, for each car matched one of their names. They all laughed! "I guess you each know which car you're going to drive," Emily said.
Everyone went to claim his car. Emily decided to ride with Bentley. She got in the front passenger side. Instead of the expected leather upholstery, she snuggled into thick, soft, sheepskin seat covers.
All of a sudden, Chris's voice blared over the loudspeaker. "Gentlemen, start your engines." There was a great roar.
Vroom! Vroom! The testosterone was downright noisy. The automotive posturing was in full swing. The light on the training course turned green. The cars took off. Bentley sprung ahead immediately. Beamer turned on his headlights but couldn't seem to get the hang of the shift. Ford was fully focused and chugged along steadily. Mini Cooper just kind of sputtered jovially. All of a sudden Dodge darted forward like true charger and made a challenge. He pulled ahead of Bentley and crossed the finish line first. But even before Beamer could get his car under control it lurched ahead, strayed off the course, raced through the dirt and came to a stop. The door flew open and poor Beamer hit the ground, face first, like a crash test dummy.
Everyone rushed over to make sure Beamer was all right. He seemed dazed, but conscious. Having been summoned almost immediately, the EMT's arrived to take Beamer to the hospital to be checked out. Emily frowned. Beamer was no longer beaming; instead he seemed to have a mouthful of dirt. She said, in her most soothing voice, "I'm sure the EMT's will take great care of you. I'd love to come with you to make you feel better, but it's in my contract that I can't miss a picnic. I'm so sorry. I do hope you had a nice time in Care-A-Lion, though."
It took everyone a few minutes to realize that Beamer wouldn't be coming back.
Cooper said, "Don't worry; there are plenty of other birds in the aviary."
Ford said, "It's not that bad. Just think how much mileage you'll get out of the story."
Bentley said, "Another one bites the dust."
Dodge said, "Winning!" Bentley glared at Dodge.
Then a woodpecker in a nearby tree, annoyed that his own model had already been sent home, stopped tapping for food long enough to say, "That's all, folks!"
17. Emily was relaxing in her sitting room, comfortably barefoot, and enjoying a foot massage from Tanner. The gentle caressing helped take her mind off all the things she had to do. This business of finding romance was hard work!
She knew she had to find a way to introduce Tanner to the rest of the men. And then she sat bolt upright! "Ugh! I have to plan another date!"
A sweet little chickadee flew off to find Ugh.
No comments:
Post a Comment