Please note: The giveaway mentioned in this post is closed.
A Camaro. The smooth lines on the bumper and door make it more aerodynamic, so it grips the track better and goes faster.
Most of you probably know by now that I have recently published the second book in my racing series. Georgie’s Redemption sounds like it’s all about Georgie Darcy, but in reality, the book shows how Will and Liz handle her teenage rebellion and the family crises that arise from it.
Of course, seeing that Will is, in this series, a stock car racing driver, there is some racing action in the book. I have moved the Daytona 500 to Tampa for a scene, and before that race, Will does some “testing” in Arizona. NASCAR allows teams to test new tires and tire compounds, as well as new “aero” packages. Aero packages are changes the series makes to the cars that make them less or more aerodynamic. Teams like to test these things out ahead of time, so they’re not surprised come Daytona when things don’t work like they expect them to. 🙂 Anyway, I’ve been told the racing is described very well. I’ll let you judge for yourself. 🙂
Georgie’s Redemption is now live at my Gumroad store and all the major e-book retailers (and a couple small ones.) It is available in print from Amazon. I will leave you with an excerpt from the book: all of the first chapter. At the end, I will give details for the giveaway.
Chapter One
Liz Darcy sat in her husband’s SUV outside the local police station. Will and his dad were inside the building, picking up Will’s younger sister, Georgie. While she waited, Liz diligently scrolled through her social media automation accounts, reloading client posts. After what felt like hours but was only about thirty minutes, she saw her family exit the building. She slipped the phone into her purse and was just zipping the bag closed when doors began to open, and Will, Coach, and Georgie climbed in. With them, they brought a tense silence. Liz wasn’t sure she should say anything at all, but since she couldn’t bear the tension, she did.
“Will?” His name was quiet, but Will Darcy heard the uncertainty in his wife’s voice. He stretched his right hand across the vehicle’s console. When she grasped it with her own, he squeezed, giving his head a small shake to let her know that now was not good.
Liz knew that Will would fill her in later, so she simply nodded, but retained her grip on his hand.
~~~***~~~
The silent drive back to Coach’s house was the longest twenty minutes of Liz’s life. She breathed a huge sigh of relief when Will parked his SUV at the end of his father’s long driveway. He had barely come to a stop when Georgie popped open her door and flew into the house. The adults followed more slowly, happy for a moment to be separated from the teen and the anger radiating off her.
“Welcome home, Mr. Darcy.” Edie Reynolds, the Darcys long-time housekeeper and nanny, greeted her employer when he stepped into the house.
“Thank you.” Coach Darcy hesitated a moment. “Did Georgie go to her room?”
Nodding, Mrs. Reynolds indicated it was so. “She flew past me without a word. That’s so unlike her, but I thought I should speak to you before I go to her.”
“She’s angry. Come on into the family room with us, and I’ll fill you in. Liz hasn’t heard the story yet, either.”
“Let me grab a snack tray; I’ll be right there.”
When Mrs. Reynolds returned, Will and Liz had settled on a loveseat, snuggled close together. Coach Darcy was standing in front of the sliding glass door that led to the deck, staring out into the inky blackness of the night. As she set the tray on the coffee table in the center of the seating area, the ice in the lemonade pitcher clinked, alerting Coach that she was there. He turned, joining the rest of the group and sitting down.
Coach sighed and began his tale. “You all know, of course, that I received a call this evening from the police department.” He watched as his companions nodded. “They were called to a fight at a party being held in a cornfield just outside of town. When they got there, they found about a dozen underage kids and three or four adults. There were three coolers of beer, and every single person at the party had been drinking.”
Everyone was silent for a minute or two, as that information sunk in. Will was the first one to speak. “Who was hosting this party?”
“And how did Georgie get there? The cars are all sitting in the garage; I looked after you rushed away.” Mrs. Reynolds, while not necessarily shocked, given her charge’s recent disobedience, was stunned that the girl had managed to get out of the house without her notice.
“One of her friends picked her up at the end of the drive. She must have disabled the alarm so it wouldn’t sound when she opened the door. I know we just changed it, Edie, but somehow she got around it.
“Anyway, one of the boys she hangs out with drove her out there. I’ve not gotten out of her yet which one, or if anyone else was with them. She refused to tell the police officers anything, so they can’t tell me either. They did make it clear to Georgie that if she gets picked up again, they’ll take her to juvenile hall and she’ll have to face charges.”
“Maybe that will calm her down, then.” Liz offered the only real hope she could see at the moment. The memory of the last time her sister-in-law got in trouble was still fresh in Liz’s mind. Back in the fall, she had met an older man outside the track, with help from one of the Stock Car Racing Association’s other drivers. The man she had been meeting, George Wickham, was a former driver and employee of Darcy Racing, Incorporated, and Coach’s godson. He had been found that night with drugs in his pocket. Wickham later confessed that he had intended to share them with Georgie. The girl had been angry and rebellious from the moment she had been denied permission to date Wickham, though today’s escapade was the first time she had attempted to leave the house.
Will sighed when he heard Liz’s words. “I hope so, but I’m not sure we can count on that.”
“I’m sorry, Coach.” Mrs. Reynolds quietly apologized.
“It’s not your fault any more than it is mine. She’s at that age. You remember how stubborn Will was, always certain he was right and we were wrong.” Coach shook his head. “Who knew girls would be more difficult? They’re supposed to be sugar and spice and all that.”
Liz chuckled. “That may be true, but I can tell you from experience with my youngest sisters that girls are never easy. We are sneakier and more cunning than any boy could ever be. You can never be certain where you stand with a teenage girl.”
Will grinned at her. Squeezing her shoulder, he asked, “So I’ll need to pay more attention to our dozen girls than our fifteen boys?”
Liz looked at her husband as though he had suddenly grown an extra head. “Twenty-seven kids? I think not! You married the wrong woman if you want that many!”
Will laughed and kissed her temple. “We’ll see.” Turning towards his dad, he ignored his wife’s muttered, “We’ll see, my foot—up your backside.” “What’s next then, Dad?”
Coach smiled fondly at his son and new daughter. Listening to their banter had become one of the joys in his life in the last few weeks.
“One of us has to pry it out of her, who picked her up, why she snuck out, what she thinks should happen now. Though, I can already imagine what she wants to happen.”
“I’m sure she’d like us to ignore it.” Mrs. Reynolds spoke humorlessly.
“I’m sure she would, but that’s not going to happen. I gave her phone privileges back too quickly; I think that’s obvious. So, she’s back on total restriction. I’ll reset the house alarm and change the code one more time.”
“When will you speak to her? I don’t think you should wait until morning, if that’s what you were thinking. She’s had enough time already to concoct a story, you don’t want to give her so much time that she convinces herself it’s true. I’ve seen my parents wait to ask Lydia about things, and that’s exactly what happens.”
“I agree with Liz; you need to have it out with her as soon as possible. If you want, we will stay down here and support you.”
Coach nodded. “I think you’re right, and I’d appreciate it if you could remain here while I talk to her. She needs to understand that it’s not her against me but that her whole family is concerned.” Turning to the housekeeper, he asked if she would bring Georgie down, which she agreed to do.
~~~***~~~
Late the next morning, Liz and Will cuddled together in the big bed in their room at Coach’s house, discussing the confrontation.
“So, the kid who picked your sister up last night is the son of Charles’ car chief?”
“Yup, Roger Phillips’ son, Jeff. He’s had his license for about six months now. Georgie runs around with him and a few other kids at the tracks and here in the area. They don’t all live in this town, but close enough that they can get together often.”
“I assume Roger was called last night, as well?”
Will nodded. “He was, but we only spoke briefly. He was angry, but I got the idea that he was bothered more by the cops being involved than he was about the party.”
“I see.” Liz thought for a moment, before speaking again. “I thought Georgie had been doing so well since the incident in September. I was shocked when that call came in.”
“She was, or seemed to be, anyway. I know that she was very quiet for the first couple weeks of her punishment. Dad thought she might have been intimidated enough that she straightened up, so he began to loosen her restrictions. Obviously, he was wrong. I never knew my little sister could be so devious, and disrespectful.”
“I’ve seen Lydia behave like that. I admit, though, that I was surprised that Georgie would. Coach is a much more involved parent than either of mine ever were.”
“I appreciated you sharing your experiences with us, and with Georgie, and I know Dad agrees. Anytime you feel the need to speak to my sister, go ahead and do it. She needs to understand where we are coming from.”
Liz nodded, remembering how she had, in the midst of the argument that erupted between the mutinous teen and her father, stepped in to calm tempers and help clarify issues. “I learned that technique in college. It’s been a big help with my younger sisters, though I also use it to help me see a client’s vision clearly. I think that feeling like someone understood her point of view helped Georgie to calm, though I doubt it’s going to change your dad’s mind. Nor should it. She’s not thinking clearly, and Coach is in charge of her.” Liz shrugged. “She’s going to have to straighten up and fly right if she wants privileges again. We can’t be ruled by our feelings, and it’s past time she learned that.”
“I just hope she does.” Will had had enough of that conversation and the worry about his sister. He was newly married and did not intend to spend the off-season fretting about her. “So, Mrs. Darcy,” he began, rolling over top Liz. “Have I told you lately that I love you?”
Will cut off his smiling wife’s response by capturing her lips with his.
Please note: the giveaway mentioned in this post is closed.
Giveaway details: I am giving away one e-book copy of Georgie’s Redemption. All you have to do to enter the drawing is comment below. The contest ends at 11:59 pm on Thursday, November 16, 2017.
Please note: the giveaway mentioned in this post is closed.
Buy direct at my Gumroad Store
Find me at Austen Authors Support me at Patreon