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City Comes to the Country (Tyler Night and Whitelily)

"I don't know what that means,"

Ele gave Tyler a somewhat confident smile. She had an idea of what Tyler meant, so she was learning. Giving Tyler a quick kiss on the cheek, Ele turned back to the guy and nodded.

Going over to the van, Ele felt slightly nauseous as she slid into the driver's seat and started the engine. Rolling it slowly through the crowd, Ele followed the Toyota to where the race would begin.

City Comes to the Country (Tyler Night and Whitelily)

Ele nodded and turned back to the guy. Lifting her chin, Ele imagined that she was going for,to toe with an executive in the boardroom.

"$100. That's my ride,"

Ele pointed to the van, sounding confident. The guy looked at where she pointed and grinned,

"That's mine."

He said, pointing to a Toyota. Ele looked at Tyler again for confirmation.

City Comes to the Country (Tyler Night and Whitelily)

The night began and Ele did what Tyler had said, relaxed and watched. A few of the younger guys did their own races and Ele got a chance to see how they were done. But true to her word, Ele held on to Tyler's hand, sometimes pulling his arm around her.

Later on, a guy walked over to Ele and looked her up and down,

"You gonna race, gorgeous?"

He asked, and Ele nodded but looked at Tyler. It was his car she was driving, she'd leave the decision up to him.

City Comes to the Country (Tyler Night and Whitelily)

"Okay."

Ele said with a nod, feeling nervous. Standing close to Tyler, Ele knew she would be holding on to him as much as she could throughout the night.

"Fair warning, I'm your personal barnacle for the night. I'm attached and you can't get rid of me."

City Comes to the Country (Tyler Night and Whitelily)

Listening closely, Ele nodded as she took in Tyler's instructions. It sounded simple enough,

"Brake and gas together, bump until okayed, hold the brake and give it full throttle then release the brake."

Taking a deep breath, Ele reached for Tyler's hand,

"How do I know when to go? What if I lose?"

City Comes to the Country (Tyler Night and Whitelily)

It felt like butterflies were having a rave in her stomach as Ele went around to the driver side of the van. Yes she had driven the Camaro before, but that was only for a couple minutes and she hadn't gone over thirty. Even this minivan was more powerful than the SUV she was driving. Accepting the helmet from Tyler, Ele swallowed hard and nodded, trying to calm her excited nerves.

Driving the van to the spot was a breeze, and Ele had found the time passed quickly when she called Kate to talk on her way there. Arriving at the spot, Ele pulled the van up beside Tyler truck and parked. Leaving the helmet in the van, Ele hopped out and went to join Tyler.

City Comes to the Country (Tyler Night and Whitelily)

Hurriedly, Ele gathered up her things and brought everything inside and set the things on the counter. Looking down at her dress, Ele bit her lip and held up a finger to Tyler, realizing that she would not be appropriately dressed to be around cars.

"Hold that thought,"

She said, hurrying to her bedroom. Quickly she changed into a pair of jeans and a black tank top and hurried back out of the bedroom. Smiling at Tyler, Ele gathered her hair into a ponytail and slipped her feet into a pair of tennis shoes.

"Okay, that's better. Let's go!"

Skipping past Tyler, Ele hurried to the van,

"Hurry up slow poke! It's dark out and the night is young!"

City Comes to the Country (Tyler Night and Whitelily)

"You're going to have to teach me how to race."

She said, feeling excited and slightly reckless. This seemed like it would be a lot of fun.

City Comes to the Country (Tyler Night and Whitelily)

Trying to hide a smile, Ele gave Tyler a side-eye glance and lifted her chin a little,

"How do some of the guys view lady drivers around here?"

She asked, unable to hide her smile now. Turning back to Tyler, Ele leaned into him again and got comfortable.

"Especially out-of-town, city-slicker, single red heads?"

City Comes to the Country (Tyler Night and Whitelily)

Blinking in surprise and leaning back from Tyler for a moment, Ele looked shocked. They had been on two completely different pages, and Ele's mouth dropped open,

"You are a bad boy, aren't you?"

She teased, a smile transforming her face from concerned and confused to delight as she gently swatted Tyler's shoulder. Teasing, Ele narrowed her eyes at Tyler and tried to make her expression serious,

"That's how you get the girls, isn't it? You come off all country charm and sweet manners, but really you're hiding you bad side"

Giggling and nodding as though she had cracked Tyler, Ele turned forward and crossed her arms over her chest,

"I don't know if I can associate with the likes of you! You may besmirch my image!"