Page 28 of An Uncertain Road

But growing up with Clement had taught her tears wouldn’t solve anything and often made the situation worse.

The inspector finally got to their car. He nodded in greeting to her, then addressed Jensen, as most of the officials did, even though she was the car owner and driver. “Good evening. How’d your car run today?”

Jensen skipped over their trouble on the road. “Well enough to get us here. These conditions are as grueling as we were told, that’s for sure.”

The inspector poked around the engine for a few minutes, checking off items on the paper he held as he went. Finally, he signed the bottom with a flourish. “Full points for today. Well done and good luck tomorrow.”

Flora let out a sigh as soon as the official moved on to the car behind them.

Jensen responded with one of his half smiles, which were becoming more common the farther they traveled. “We made it, Flora. Still with full points, and we’re almost halfway through. I didn’t expect it to go this well when I saw all the obstacles we’d face.”

Giving herself a moment to stare up at the darkening sky, where a star was starting to peek out here and there, Flora leaned against the car next to him. She didn’t look but rather felt Jensen join her, their shoulders nearly touching. “And what do you think about our chances for the rest of the tour?”

“If you keep driving as you have been and we stop running into trouble, we’ll gain spots in no time. We’re still holding strong in the middle, so there’s no reason to count us out yet.”

“Driving as I have been?”

Jensen tilted his head, looking pleased. “Yes. You’ve been driving responsibly. Slow and careful enough to stay safe and arrive at the finish line on time.”

There it was. He must have been distracted by all the problems plaguing their drive that day because he hadn’t complained about staying safe for several whole hours. “Why does safe have to be slow? You keep saying you believe in my ability to drive a race car, but then you turn around and try to hold me back.”

He pushed away from the car, the companionable moment ruined. “Why do you have to see it as holding you back? I’m only reminding you that this is an endurance race, not one focused on speed.”

She stepped forward to face him head-on, not deterred by the fact that she had to tilt her head back quite far to do so. “But speed is still a necessary element if we hope to win.”

“The winner will be chosen by points, not the first to cross the finish line.”

“And we don’t get the full points if we don’t keep a solid pace to make up for the conditions and obstacles.”

They finally ran out of arguments for their sides and stood facing each other, closer than Flora had realized. Would they forever repeat the same fight? In her mind, decades passed and she could see them standing on the porch of a little house, gray and wrinkled and still going back and forth about speed versus safety.

Oh my. She actually wanted to see that come to pass. She wanted Jensen to be in her life thirty, forty, or fifty years in the future. Her emotions were in such a whirl that she was longing for the most absurd things, such as spending the rest of her life quarreling with this man in a fight they would never resolve.

And then a giggle slipped from her lips before she could stop it. Jensen’s face scrunched in confusion, making her laugh even more. Without warning, a wide grin turned his lips up, and he released a responding chuckle. His eyes sparkled with amusement. And in the midst of it all, she couldn’t stop noticing that if he bent only a little, his lips would be remarkably near to hers.

Then someone nearby gave a deliberate cough and shuffled their feet. Thoughts of his lips disappeared.

Once again, she’d allowed herself to lose control, thanks to Jensen’s obsession with safety. If they’d been seen kissing, she risked her reputation being damaged and the men in the racing community respecting her even less than they already did. She had to get ahold of herself and stop responding to Jensen, both his baiting comments and his tempting nearness.

* * *

Jensen tore his gaze away from Flora to find Sam and Archie watching them, Sam with a knowing grin and Archie looking irritated by their display.

And what a display it was. Jensen found himself so close to Flora that he would only have to breathe and she would be in his arms. How could he help himself when her eyes had filled with delight and that sweet, lyrical laughter spilled out of her right in the middle of a fight?

Straightening, Jensen shook off the effect of her nearness and faced the other two men. “You had another good run today, Archie. I suppose I should offer congratulations.”

Shrugging, Archie ran one hand over the Decauville’s hood. “I won’t hold my breath.”

Sam ducked between them and addressed Flora, much to Jensen’s dislike. “Most of the teams will be offering rides to the public tomorrow night once we arrive at the midway point. Will you join us, Flora? I’m sure many locals would love the chance to say they’ve been driven around by a female race car driver.”

Jensen waited for her to respond in irritation at the reminder that she was treated differently. Instead, she nodded, cheerful and genuine. “I don’t see why not. It might be fun to socialize with the spectators more.”

Sam glanced back at Archie. “I’m glad you agree with me, Flora. Archie is annoyed with the locals at best.”

Finally coming around the car to join their group, Archie’s mouth drew into a tight line. “They’re welcome to exist. I just want them to stay out of my way.”

“You should have seen him today,” Sam confessed. “A farmer leading a flock of sheep wouldn’t get them out of the road. Archie blew the horn so loud it sent them running in all directions.”