Christy, part of this chapter is especially for you. You'll know which part when you get to it. The whole pit crew should realise it too. ; )

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2: Queen Macy

Kevin Harvick stood inside the NAPA hauler in his fire retardant Goodwrench suit, his arms akimbo. Rubbing the back of his neck, he stared at the girl on the sofa. Macy stared back.

“Um… Kevin pursed his lips. “So, what do you want to do?”

Pointing to the nuggets and fries on the cushion beside her, Kevin asked, “You wanna, you wanna eat that?”

Macy just stared.

“Can I have one?” When he got no response, Kevin swiped a fry from the pile beside the track. Munching on it, he sighed. His sights wandered to a television set. “Wanna watch TV?”

Macy just stared.

Kevin turned on the set and flipped to a baseball game. Settling into a tan recliner, he put up the footrest. Kevin watched as Mike Lieberthal stepped up to home plate. Dust rained from the athlete’s feet as Mike tapped his bat into each. Squinting at the infield, Mike rolled his bat over his shoulder. The camera moved to the pitcher, who wound back his arm and threw the baseball. Mike swung, and the ball hit his back with a crack. Kevin smirked.

“Wow! You traded a lotta paint!”

Furrowing his brow, Kevin glanced at Macy, who was scrutinising a chicken nugget. She widened her eyes at it and nodded. “Yup! You need new paint!” She dipped the nugget into the barbeque sauce.

Kevin snorted, and watched the kid take a bite out of the nugget.

“AH!” she exclaimed, and he jumped. “Now you need body work!” Shrugging, she shoved the rest of the nugget into her mouth. “Nah!” she said as she chewed the chicken. “We’ll just run another car next week.”

Kevin burst into laughter, and the little girl glared at him. When he stopped, her features softened. She swallowed the food.

“I’m Daddy’s spotter,” she announced. Nodding, she added, “He said so himself.”

Kevin curled a corner of his lips. “Uh… congratulations?”

She slid off the sofa, her left sneaker smushing a fry into the carpet. “I’m done,” she informed him.

Kicking the footrest into the chair, Kevin leaned forward and shut off the TV. “Okay. What do you want to do?”

Macy puckered her lips, and moved them to the right. Heaving a sigh, she slapped her hands against her sides. “I dunno.” She glanced around the room and huffed another sigh. Then gasped.

Kevin jumped again. “What?”

“I know what we can do!” she exclaimed, scampering across the room. She pulled a pastel blue, floral box from the corner, and lugged it across the room. Plopping onto the floor, Macy set down the box and threw off the top.

“Wow!” Kevin’s eyes wandered over the miniature tea set inside, decorated with the same print as the box. “Where’d you get that?”

“Uncle Junior gave it to me!” she squealed, beaming. “I helped fix his car!”

Smirking, Kevin eased himself onto the floor space across from her.

Macy pulled out two little cups and saucers, and set them on the floor. Wrapping her fingers around the teapot, she looked Kevin in the eye. “You have to be careful,” she whispered, lowering the pot to the floor beside the cups.

“Why?” Kevin asked in a hushed tone. “Is it hot?”

“No!” she hissed. “It might break!”

Lifting and lowering his head a couple of times, Kevin replied, “Okay.”

Macy pulled out two dishes and placed one before each of them. “This is for your Danish,” she explained. She pushed a cup and saucer beside it. “I’m the queen,” she told him, thrusting a thumb into her chest. Leaning forward, she thumped a hand into his stomach. “You’re the princess.”

Kevin raised an eyebrow. “Can’t I be the prince?” he questioned, and elevated the other brow. “Or the king?”

“You’re the princess! You can’t be king, cause Daddy is!”

“But why can’t I be the prince?”

“YOU’RE THE PRINCESS!” Macy screamed, slamming her fists into the floor.

Releasing a breath through his nose, Kevin nodded. He put up his hands. “Okay! I’m the princess!”

Macy took hold of the teapot with both hands. “Want tea, Princess Kevin?”

“Yes, please, Queen Macy.”

Holding the teapot over Kevin’s cup, Macy tipped it forward. “Swoosh!” she exclaimed, holding the “shh” until she tilted the pot upright. She did the same over her cup. Then gasped.

“Oh! I forgot sugar and milk!” She set down the teapot and pulled out the sugar bowl and creamer. “One lump or two?”

Kevin pursed his lips. “I’d like three please,” he requested, holding up his index, middle, and ring fingers.

“You can only have one or two.”

“All right, I’ll take two.”

Macy paused. “You have to say ‘please’!”

Closing his eyes, Kevin nodded. “I’m sorry. Please?”

Macy dipped a little porcelain spoon into the sugar bowl and drew it over Kevin’s cup. “Plop!” she exclaimed as she tipped the spoon. She redipped it. “Plop! Now I get two lumps!”

While making sound effects for her imaginary sugar, Macy furrowed her brows. Then sat back and looked to Kevin. “Why’s the sugar lumpy?”

A smile swept over the Goodwrench driver’s lips. He shrugged. “It just comes that way.”

Face still scrunched up, Macy nodded. She reached for the creamer. “Milk?”

“Hey!” a voice came from the doorway. The two looked up as Dale Earnhardt, Jr., clad in his Budweiser race suit and a backwards cap. He sauntered toward the pair on the floor. “Someone told me you were over here and…” he trailed off when his sights narrowed on the tea set. He frowned at Macy. “Aw! You’re having tea without me?”

“You can have tea too!” the little girl offered. Junior crossed his legs and lowered himself to the floor.

Kevin furrowed his brow at his fellow driver. “You were looking for me?”

Junior nodded. “Yeah,” he shrugged. “I just wanted to hang out.” With a smile, he added, “But we have enough time for tea!”

Macy set a cup and saucer before the newcomer. Tilting the teapot over the cup, she smiled. “Juke Junior gets lots of tea!”

“It’s Duke Junior,” he corrected her.

Kevin turned to his friend. “You get to be a duke?”

“Yeah!” Junior pushed a hand into each knee and straightened his back. “Why? What are you?”

Lifting his cup to his lips, Kevin looked away.

Junior smirked. “What ARE you?” he persisted, shoving a palm into the other’s shoulder. Kevin sipped his imaginary tea.

“One lump or two?”

“Um…,” Junior pressed a finger to his lips, then held it out to Macy. “Just one today. And no milk.”

“But milk’s good for you!” Macy protested, snatching up the creamer and tipping it over Junior’s cup. “I’ll give you just a little.” She set down the creamer and turned to the other driver. “Princess Kevin, would you like a Danish?”

Junior burst into laughter. Grabbing his gut, he howled, “Oh, shhh-sugar! I’m gonna die!”

Scowling, Kevin set down his cup. “It’s not that funny.”

“Like heck it ain’t!” Junior managed to get out, then gasped and laughed some more.

Kevin sighed, and turned to the little girl. “Yes, please, Queen Macy.”

She opened her fist over his plate. “Ding!”

“Why ‘ding’?” Kevin asked, as Junior’s laughter sputtered into weak chuckles.

Macy looked him in the eye. “That’s the sound it makes when it dings on the plate,” she explained. She dinged over her and Duke Junior’s plates.

“Princess Kevin!” Junior snorted, wiping tears from his eyes. Wagging his head, he took a bite of his imaginary Danish.