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Circuit of The Americas, Austin, TX
I’ve never envied Boone or Maddie’s happiness, and I still don’t. They’re a great couple and perfect for each other.
Despite this, watching the two of them snuggle on the RV’s sofa can make a person feel like a third wheel, and by person, I mean me.
Maddie is wearing a tight-fitting t-shirt with Boone’s name and number written across the front. Occasionally, Boone glances at it and gives a possessive, wolfish grin.
Like I said, it’s not their relationship I’m jealous of. It’s their openness.
“Can you do it?” Boone asks me.
“Help you drive? Sorry, big brother, you’re a lost cause.”
Maddie clamps a hand over her mouth before a laugh can escape. She’s regularly caught in the middle between us and is brilliant at defusing our little tiffs.
“At least I didn’t almost flunk out of Algebra.”
Is he really bringing this up? “That was more than ten years ago.”
“Some wounds never heal, Sarah. We want to help you, but you need to ask for it. The first step in your recovery is the most important one.”
This is ridiculous. “Maddie, please make him stop.”
“You flunked Algebra?” she asks instead.
“Oh, hell. No, it was one quarter and a long time ago. He flunked Economics.” I point at Boone.
“I kept cutting class to go racing, so if you think about it, that was long-term strategic thinking.”
Maddie grabs some cookies from the mini-kitchen and hands them to both of us like we’re children. “What were you saying about Lily again?”
He eats one in a single bite. “I’ve been talking with Pete about a new position. He’s interested, but the increased travel worries him.”
“He’s been traveling his entire career,” I point out. “He’s at every race because you’re at every race.”
Pete Webb started his career with our father, Tom Rivers, and continued with Boone. He’s crisscrossed the country, from one track to another, for years.
“His daughter is finishing school. He’s refused to elaborate, and you know how he gets when you push him on anything personal. Pete says he needs to be with her, and I don’t have a solution for him.”
Pete clams up whenever his personal life comes up. All I know is his wife died in childbirth, and he raised Lily on his own. I met her a few times when she was a little girl. She would stay in his RV during a race, never expressing interest in socializing or meeting any of the other children. She disappeared after that, returning only once to throw her father a surprise birthday party, and that was a year ago.
I consider the options. Boone’s correct; Pete is a great asset we can use better. For whatever reason, he’s also concerned for his daughter. “He can bring her along.” I glance at Maddie, hoping she’ll support my next idea. “We can offer her an internship.”
Boone chokes on his cookie.
Maddie pats him on the back and says, “That’s not a bad idea. There’s always work to be done. What are her skills?”
All three of us stare blankly.
I twist my hand right-side up to show its empty contents. Lily was a shy girl, and that’s all I know. “I guess we’ll find out,” I say.
“If you can’t convince him otherwise, we’ll find a role for her. That solves his problem and yours.” Maddie says, agreeing with me.
Boone stretches his long legs across the RV’s narrow space until he taps at my feet. “It’s worth a shot, especially considering the news fromBP Racing.”
That statement raises the hair on my arms. Jake is meeting with his boss to discuss his contract, or I would be with him now. From his reports, it’s been typical business for the past two weeks.
“Pass the gossip,” I say, hoping it sounds casual.
