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Dalton pointed to a door behind her. “That’s the closest restroom.”
The door was half open so there was no way he was inside using the bathroom. “Did you see Detective Haas’s car in the parking lot?” she asked.
Dalton cocked his head. “No, come to think of it, I didn’t.”
“Maybe Detective Haas called off the questioning until morning and James left.”
“But he didn’t text me about leaving.” Dalton sat on the front of the nearest car.
She shrugged. “Maybe he was just so relieved he forgot. Probably will send you a text once he gets back to the hotel. Ask Rory to check on him. If you’re still worried.”
“He and a lot of the crew are at a different hotel. There was no way we could afford to have everyone stay at ours. Gus is with us, but the rest are across town in a smaller, cheaper chain hotel.” Dalton crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ll give him a few minutes to get back to me, and then I’ll track him down.”
Greer let her gaze wander around the garage. It was so good to be here. The familiar thread of joy filled her heart. This was where she belonged. In this world. She glanced at Dalton. The tension was so thick between them that she wanted to run away. To hide from it. From him. She bit her lip. It was time to face up to what she’d done and make it right if she could.
She moved over to stand directly in front of him. “Dalton, I broke it off with you because I was…mortified by what my father did. It made me feel…dirty and sad and broken, and I didn’t want any of that to rub off on you. You were doing so well, and the fact that we were together would have brought my shit to your door. You didn’t deserve that. I cared too much for you to put that stain—my stain—on your career.”
He stared at her, unblinking.
“I… I know this is years late, but I hope you can forgive me,” she finished lamely.
There were no more words. It was in the past. They needed to move beyond it. Surely, he didn’t care that much. He’d never even sent a follow-up email or text message. The pulse in his jaw jumped, and she was pretty sure she’d just heard him grind his teeth. Was he still angry? She’d apologized. Explained. She could only hope it made a difference.
When he still hadn’t replied, Greer offered, “You seem angry.”
He got to his feet and advanced on her until he had her backed up against the garage door. He put a hand on either side of her head. “You dumped me with some stupid excuse, and then seven years later you tell me it was because you didn’t think I could handle the stupid shit your father did? You and I both know that’s just bullshit. You broke up with me because you panicked.
“Your father hit you and sent you out of the race, but you still came in second for the championship. You could’ve made up any kind of story to tell the press. Instead, you freaked out. Your father embarrassed you, and you panicked because you were going to have to stand up to him to keep going. You were worried he was right: That you weren’t good enough. Instead of standing your ground, you let him chase you away from the sport you loved. You can yell and scream about him all you want, but the truth is you chickened out. You walked away from me because you knew I wouldn’t let you quit, and I would push you to do better. You’re a coward.”
Heat flew up her neck into her cheeks. How dare he call her a coward? “That’s not true!” she yelled. “I was trying to protect you.”
“Save it. That’s just an excuse. You were afraid to stand up to your father. Afraid he was right. You believed him instead of believing in yourself. Instead of listening to me. You wimped out.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You were halfway around the world. How would you know? You didn’t even call me after that. Not once. Not to check up on me. Nothing. Not like you were Mr. Persistent or anything. You don’t get to call me a coward. You let me go so fast I had whiplash.”
He glared at her, the pulse in his jaw bouncing. “You dumped me. What was I supposed to do?”
“Come after me, you idiot. If you cared, you would’ve at least called to see what the hell was going on. Instead, you maintained radio silence for seven years. So don’t start with me,” she said, poking him in the chest. “It takes two, buddy,” she snarled.
“You’re incredible. You dumped me, and it’s my fault?”
“Yes!” Throwing caution or common sense to the wind, she rose on her toes and kissed him hard on the mouth. It was his fault. He should have flown home to see how she was. She never should have broken up with him. It was all a mess, but it was in the past, and presently, she wanted nothing more than to forget it. No better place to do it than in his arms.
He broke off the kiss and glared at her.
Then he swooped down and claimed her lips again. This time he picked her up and put her down on the hood of the car. She sank her fingers into his hair. This. She had missed this more than she’d thought possible.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
He moved slowly back from the garage door. They were in there all right and arguing by the sounds of things. That was good news. It would be much better if she left. If Dalton hadn’t been so damn fast on his feet, Greer would no longer be a problem. If Dalton hadn’t been a good driver, he’d have been out of the picture, too.
His cell phone vibrated in his back pocket. “What?” he snarled in a voice barely above a whisper.
“Are they at the track?”
“Yes. They’re here.”
“Good.”
