Page 39 of An Uncertain Road

But Archie was far from done, and all Jensen could do was stand and listen. “Do you know what happened to me after Gregory died?”

Jensen had to shake his head, ashamed to admit he’d completely put Archie out of his mind when the reality of Gregory’s death sank in and grief took over. He’d hardly thought about the man until the first day of the tour.

Archie ran his hand over his hair to smooth it and straightened his spine, visually pulling himself together. “I was ostracized by the racing world. No one wanted to race against a man that supposedly caused a deadly crash. No one would believe that precious Gregory Harrison could have been at fault. And then I realized something. They were right. He wasn’t, but neither was I. It was your fault. Every driver needs a lookout to see what’s going on behind and around them while he focuses on what’s ahead. Gregory didn’t do anything dangerous. You did. I had to claw my way back into this sport because of you, just as I had to struggle for everything in life.”

There was nothing he could say in the face of the hard truth. He had left Gregory without anyone to watch for him, to help spot potential danger. Gregory had been a skilled driver and probably hadn’t done a thing wrong.

It all came down to the fact that Jensen hadn’t been where he should have been.

Archie must have seen his words hit home. His shoulders relaxed, and the grating, self-satisfied expression returned to his face. “All that to say, it’s time I showed you what it’s like to have to fight for what you want. Watch out, Jensen. I’m earning Ronald Dorman’s approval one way or another.”

With that, Archie shoved past, hitting Jensen’s shoulder with his hard enough to make a point but still look as though he hadn’t meant to for anyone watching. Then he stomped off, leaving the parking area and disappearing around the corner of the hotel. Jensen stood for a long time, staring after him and thinking over everything that Archie had said and accused him of.

All the things he had right.

But also, everything he had wrong. Jensen had fought more than Archie knew, and he was capable of standing up to the man. He just had to figure out how he was going to keep his friends from becoming victims in this feud first.

CHAPTER 18

Breakfast in the hotel dining room was a chaotic affair. The staff at each hotel would lay out a variety of scrumptious items for the tour teams to enjoy, but most of the participants were in a rush to get to their cars. There was too much jostling and grabbing for Flora’s preference, so she liked to get there before everyone else, select a few items, and retreat to a quiet corner in the lobby.

But the entire hotel was crowded on this morning, and there was no peaceful spot to be found. Flora reluctantly sat down at one of the large tables in the dining room with Sam on one side of her and Fred and Beth on the other. Boisterous conversation surrounded them, and while her companions seemed unbothered by it, it was too much for Flora.

Seeming to notice her mood, Sam leaned over. “Not a morning person?”

Grimacing at a particularly loud burst of raucous laughter, Flora shook her head. “Not when I have to spend it in a room full of people who are far too chipper for the hour.”

Sam chuckled, but the humor didn’t reach his eyes. “Maybe a strong cup of coffee would improve your mood. I find it does mine.”

Flora sighed. “No one here makes it as well as they do in France. I’ve been spoiled. American coffee is hardly worth the effort.”

After chewing a bite of biscuit slathered with jam, Sam glanced at her. “It appears your first day on the return trip didn’t go so well.”

There was no use in trying to make excuses. “No, it didn’t. But we’re still holding on in the middle. I won’t give up hope of moving up in the standings until we drive into New York City.”

Rather than describing the good day his team must have had, Sam went quiet. His lack of enthusiasm was unusual. She watched for a moment as he picked at his food before trying to start the conversation again. “How is your team doing? I know you finish in a good position every leg, but are you working well together? Enjoying the tour?”

Sam’s gaze flitted around the room before returning to his plate. A prickle on the back of her neck set Flora on edge. Something wasn’t right.

“Charlie left last night, if that tells you anything about how we’re getting along. What matters is that we’re in a position to win. That’s what I have to focus on.”

The comment was so unlike Sam that Flora opened her mouth to ask what on earth was going on with him. And why had their passenger left suddenly when they were headed back to New York, anyway. But a snippet of conversation from one end of the table stopped her before she could get answers. A man she recognized as a fellow driver was complaining about the time he lost the previous day due to a missed turn.

Flora turned to interject. “Excuse me, did you say you missed the turn in Plymouth?”

The man nodded, along with several others at the table. Conversations stilled as most of the room started listening. “We did. It took an hour before we found where we went wrong. There were no markers at the turn.”

Flora straightened. At least they weren’t the only ones who’d experienced trouble the day before. “Do you have any idea what happened?”

Another participant from across the room chimed in. “There was another one like that on the second day. Only caught a few teams, though, as far as I’ve been able to tell. Other teams know they saw confetti there, so it wasn’t missed. Someone took great care to remove it.”

The room buzzed again as people talked to those around them in hushed voices.

From the food table, a man standing with a half-filled plate spoke up. “For those who don’t know me, I’m one of the tour officials. We’re aware of the issue. Unfortunately, locals unhappy with our presence have been removing markers.”

The room erupted as the hushed conversations turned louder.

The official set down his plate and raised both hands in an effort to get the attention of the room’s occupants. “Please, the best way to combat this is to be respectful. We’ve had locals complain to us about teams damaging their property, driving unsafely, and becoming a nuisance on the roads. We’re here to show people that automobiles are an improved way to travel. Please don’t be discourteous and harm the good name of the American Automobile Association.”