AllFreeNovel
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The two of them bought their house halfway through last season. It’s not the giant monstrosity of a home my parents once owned, but still big enough for a large family. Maddie calls it flexi-sized. I think my bedroom is the best part.
My phone dings, and I frown at the name on its screen.
Jake: Daytona is almost here. I expect to see you at the race.
Jake: You should wear my number during the race. Of course, naked is fine, too.
After my vacation ended, he sent me another one, equally commanding. I ignored it and will do the same again. I should block him.
“Who was that?” Maddie asks. “It’s not anyone frommarketing, is it? They’re supposed to direct any issues to me.”
“It’s no one important,” I say with a heavy sigh and put my phone on silent. He probably won’t send another, but I want to be prepared.
Maddie looks at me from across the kitchen and tilts her head. “Well, we both know that’s not true. You have been distracted since your cabin vacation. It might help to unburden yourself.”
I’ve been carrying Jake Knowles around like a shameful secret for almost a year. He’s the latest of my many fantastic blunders and the one that hurt the most.
My last name is a curse. I let myself believe Jake could break it, like some silly fairy tale. Instead, he used me, just like the driver before him.
“Race car drivers have the biggest ego of anyone I’ve ever met,” I say first. It’s true and also an essential fact that needs to be established. “Except for Boone, of course.” He does, as much as any of them, but he’s my brother, so I exclude him out of loyalty.
“Not Boone. Mostly not Boone,” Maddie agrees. “It applies to Julian.” Her eyes bulge, and she covers her mouth. “Wait. Did you two? I always guessed it was someone else, but maybe not.” She starts gesturing with her hands rather than saying the rest out loud.
Julian Murphy isRivers Motorsports’ other driver. He’s a sweet man but also a very serious flirt. He’s probably with a woman he met earlier in the evening. The odds are that he doesn’t know her last name, but she knows his profession. There is no attraction between us.
I snort because what other reaction could I have? “It’s someone else.” For many reasons, I’ve never uttered Jake’s name to anyone. “I saw him during my cabin escape. It’s why I came home early.”
Our eyes meet, and we both know it will be another one of our late nights.
“Do you have your sleepover bag? Let’s get ready.” Maddie turns on the electric kettle and gets out two mugs.
“I put my bag away when I arrived,” I say and get out the herbal tea and sugar.
We change into our pajamas and wind up in the kitchen nook to enjoy our cookies and tea.
“Now, spill—everything,” Maddie says before sipping some tea.
“It’s a driver, one of Boone’s competitors,” I say, unwilling to give Jake’s name up. “We were casual last season—hooking up the night before races. I let myself hope he was serious, but he made it clear we had different goals. He made it very clear he would always choose his career over me.” To be exact, Jake would break my heart if it meant winning a race. He would do it, apologize, and then do it again.
“He’s a player?” Maddie leans forward, chin supported by her palm.
“Not like Julian. He cared more about the sport than he ever did me. He used me.”
Maddie rallies to my defense.See, this is why she’s my best friend.“Jerk. The absolute worst. A complete idiot. Does he know how much of a catch you are?”
“I’m a great catch, aren’t I?” That’s the problem. Jake Knowles isn’t the first to see me as a catch. Other drivers have done precisely the same. “We saw each other by chance during my vacation.” I explain my busted tire and Jake’s nighttime rescue.
“He spent the night?” Maddie asks.
“A complete gentleman once he realized nothing was going to happen.”
“So, he appears in the night to rescue you.”
“It sounds romantic when you put it that way,” I say in a huff because it was annoying. “It wasn’t. It was stupid.”
“It is, at least a little. Okay, so this guy shows up to rescue you and is one of Boone’s competitors. Don’t tell me his name, so I don’t have to keep any secrets.” Maddie takes a sip of her tea. Her sympathetic eyes tell me she knows who we’re talking about. “Let’s call him Drake. That’s a great name, isn’t it?”
Am I that obvious? “Drake made sure my tire was fixed before leaving the next day. He even purchased an emergency road kit for me. Also, he took me to breakfast. He pulled back my chair. Do you know what he did after?” I’m still annoyed.
