Second Chances // Chase Elliott

heart's going out of its mind

seven

CAROLINE JOHNSON

I woke up to the sunlight seeping in through the blinds in my bedroom and Chief snoring his head off. I carefully moved the sheets off of my body, hoping not to wake him up but as soon as I moved my legs from under the covers, he jolted awake.

"Well, good morning," I said chuckling as he licked the side of my face.

I got out of the bed, with Chief by my side, and walked downstairs straight to the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee. While it was brewing, I opened all the blinds in the living room to let the natural light in and lit a few candles. By the time that I made it back to the kitchen, my coffee had finished so I poured some French Vanilla creamer in my mug and added a little bit of sugar until I acquired the perfect cup of coffee.

I took my coffee cup and opened the back door to let Chief outside to my small, fenced in backyard so he could do his business. It was an unusually warm morning for the middle of February here in Georgia, so I took full advantage of it and sat outside to drink my coffee while Chief ran around.

I love slow mornings, especially on Sundays. There's something about the quiet and stillness of a Sunday morning that calms me. The boutique is always closed so I usually take the day to deep clean the apartment, reset for the upcoming week, and I try and go see Charlotte, Savannah, and the kids.

I picked up my phone when I felt it vibrate in my lap and smiled when I saw the name that was on the screen.

From Chase Elliott: Good morning 😌

It's been a few weeks since I told Chase about Spencer. We started talking just about every day and, whenever he could, he would come visit me in Atlanta for a few hours. We may just be friends but the way we flirt with each other was saying something else. And as much as I try, there's no denying that I'm starting to fall for Chase.

To Chase Elliott: Good morning ☺️ I was just getting ready to text you! Are you nervous for today?

The 2020 season starts today with the Daytona 500. Chase had begged me to come as his guest this weekend, but I had to stay in town to go meet the realtor with Haley so we could close on our property for our new store that's opening in Dahlonega. I wanted to go so badly and spend some time with him, but it would just have to wait for another week unfortunately.

From Chase Elliott: I'm more excited than anything.

To Chase Elliott: Well, I'm excited to watch you do your thing today 🤩

From Chase Elliott: I wish you were here watching me 😔

My heart leaped out of my chest at his confession.

To Chase Elliott: 🥺 I wish I was there too. I'll be at a race with you soon though, I pinky promise. But you gotta pinky promise me that you'll race your ass off today 👊🏼

From Chase Elliott: I pinky promise 😂 I'll try and call you before I get in the car but if not, I'll call you when I get home.

To Chase Elliott: Go get 'em racer! And be safe!!

I sat my phone back in my lap and finished my coffee. A few minutes later, I got a text from Charlotte and Savannah asking if I wanted to go to lunch with them and the kids this afternoon.