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Boone’s eyes shine as he sits forward. “I’m going to enjoy this.” He doesn’t smile, but Boone never smiles.
I’ve been miserable since his wreck, and Boone talks like we’re going on a pony ride. He wrecks out and then engages in a verbal brawl with the man who claims he wants to marry me. Is it any wonder I’m prickly?
“What the hell, Boone?” I snap. He could be a little less pleased. I’m stuck in a conflict, and he’s getting ready to go candy shopping. “People are going to lose their jobs. This isn’t meant to be funny.”
“Who’s laughing? Most of them will follow their driver and land somewhere else. There’s a good chance at least a few will end up here, especially since we plan to grow some of our manufacturing capabilities. My glee is for one man.”
“I didn’t know that,” I say.
Feud or no feud, could he be a little less pleased?
I was so sure Boone would understand once we came clean. I’m much less confident after that wreck and the fight between them. Boone threatened his career, and Jake attacked Boone’s biggest insecurity. How do you come back from that?
Boone ignores me. “Who spots for Jake Knowles’? He’s oneof the best.”
“Derek Sanger,” I say, feeling sick. “He raced for a couple of years.”
“He’d make a good pit chief and help free Pete for other responsibilities,” Boone says.
I am going to throw up all over my brother. “He’s very loyal to Jake Knowles.”
“It doesn’t hurt to ask.”
“Is this about your vendetta or the company?” I ask and glare at him.
“The company first. Jake Knowles is only a bonus.”
I don’t believe him.
“Since there’s no further action we can take today, let’s move on to the next topic,” Maddie says, instantly defusing the tension between Boone and me. “We should talk about the upcoming go-kart charity event.”
Boone glowers over the mention. “He played me with that.”
My heart skipped a beat when Jake announced our partnership for the charity event during a live interview. It would be the perfect occasion for us to go public and help mend the wounds between him and my brother. Then Boone relayed their argument, and Jake confirmed it via text.
What am I supposed to do now?
“However you feel, he has a point,” I say. “You’ve paid two fines so far because of him. Keeping your competition on the track will make you look like the bigger man.”
Boone’s glower sharpens until Maddie chimes in with her agreement. “I vote with Sarah,” she says. Boone’s features relax. “It’s a charity event. Save your rivalry for later.”
How does she do that?
“What about Julian?” Boone asks. “He needs a partner now if you aren’t available.”
An idea hits me. “I know who we can ask.”
∞∞∞
“Have you made a decision yet?” Maddie asks.
“I told him to give me time, and he’s accepted that. Mostly,” I say. Guilt pricks me. She’d been frantic with worry over the race. No doubt images of Boone in a hospital or severely injured were filling her thoughts. “I’m sorry about what happened. He asked me to pass on his apologies to you directly.”
“That’s very kind of him,” she says. Maddie hardly says anything mean about another person. If she does, then you know it’s well-earned. “Am I the reason you took a break?”
She’s one of many reasons. Neither shared details, but Boone mentioned how upset she was that night. She’s witnessed serious wrecks before, but never one with Boone. They’re all a potential tragedy, but it hits differently when someone you love is in the car. The fear starts in the stomach and then spreads through your body while you watch on, completely helpless.
“It’s for me. Considering everything between us, it seemed wise to take my time before deciding on the next step,” I say. Any other answer would cause her guilt, and she doesn’t deserve it. It’s also a truthful one. “We’re not broken up. I’m making sure the pace is right.
