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“You do.”
“I felt small.”
“You’re not.”
“I felt stupid.”
It’s probably unwise to complain about Jake’s biggest rival and my brother, but who else is there to talk to? Right now, there’s no one I trust more.
“Do you still feel that way?”
“Well, yes.” Some feelings don’t just disappear because you want them to. “You two don’t get along, but I worshipped him as a little girl.”
“Where is he?” Jake asks. He steps toward the door, and tension streams off his square shoulders.
“You’re angry.”
“What do you expect?”
“We should leave. Please don’t, not right now.”
Jake doesn’t even notice my plea. “You don’t deserve to feel that way, do you hear me? Not ever, not by anyone.”
I’m not short, and yet Jake is difficult to keep up with.
He heads toward the garage like he has some weird sixth sense for his greatest enemy.
Sure enough, Boone is conversing with Pete Webb, his pit chief.
He notices the two of us approaching, Jake’s angry steps, and my desperate chase. “Are you spying on me so soon?” he asks. It’s casual, the way someone might comment on the weather, but Boone’s slightly spread legs show he’s ready for more than conversation.
The garage is busy with engineers and mechanics, all watching the show. This has the potential to be incredibly ugly.
“There’s nothing here worth my time,” Jake says, making it clear he’s talking about Boone. “You hate my guts, I get it. Fine. I don’t care. Leave her out of it.”
I pull on his arm, but Jake ignores it.
“That wasn’t a problem until you brought her into it,” Boone says. “Did you think getting to me through my little sister would work?”
Okay, that annoys me. “Shut up. He isn’t doing that, and I don’t appreciate you acting like I’m some little kid incapable of making up my own mind.”
Boone’s dark eyes settle on me, and his flat expression unnerves me. He rarely smiles, and it’s almost always with Maddie, but his dark looks are focused on me for the second time today.
“He’s using you. He’s angry that I stole his spotter out from under him.” Boone settles back on Jake. “Leave her be, and I might reconsider.”
Jake’s cocky smile makes clear what he thinks of that offer. “You think that will work? I expect more from you, Boone Rivers.” He draws a hand into a fist, contradicting the relaxedtone in his voice.
“Will you two please stop for a minute?” I don’t know if stepping between them will diffuse the situation or put me in the line of fire. “For me, please.”
“Enough, both of you.” Julian steps between them, physically shoving them apart. “Fight on the track, not the garage.”
Lily meets my eyes and shyly smiles before looking at the ground. She went to get Julian for me, the sweet girl. That makes two favors I owe her now.
Julian throws an arm over Boone, who shrugs it off. “You two assholes are so dumb that you don’t realize that you’re angry for the same reason.” He ignores Boone’s glower and claps him on the back. “Take Jake and get out of here,” he says.
Gladly. This time, when I grab Jake’s hand, he accepts.
“Everyone back to work. Now,” Julian yells, and the show officially ends.
