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“We’re fine. Why do you ask?” I lean forward on my desk.
“Because you’ve not been that talkative to me since the hauler yesterday,” she replies. “Wanted to make sure things were okay.”
“I assure you, we are fine. I apologize again for walking in on you.”
“What are you talking about? You didn’t see anything, but you’re acting like you did.”
“Well, at the time, I didn’t know what I saw or didn’t. Kinda had my head down and in my papers. So, either way, I shouldn’t have just barged into the hauler.”
She laughs and shakes her head. “Well, I mean it is for all of us. I learned a long time ago to be clothed when in the hauler. I wear a tank and shorts most of the time.” She stands and pauses. “I’m glad we’re alright. You’re the only one I semi-trust around here.”
“Only semi-trust?”
“Well, time will grow that,” she jokes as I nod.
“I see. Get me those specs when you get back on Friday, okay?”
She nods. “Yes, boss. I will.”
“I’m not the boss, just the builder,” I quip back.
“And honestly, the most important person on the crew,” she points out as she leaves my office.
“Don’t know about that,” I mumble to myself turning back to my email.
***
Friday – April 1
“So glad you decided to join us at work today, Mr. Matthews,” I hear Bud’s voice echo through the shop. I stop in my tracks and turn to face the old bastard.
“Really interesting to see you here before twelve, Bud. What can I do for you?” I snip back.
“Be careful, boy,” he warns as I plaster on a famous fake smile. This man irks the living shit out of me. He’s crass, and honestly not a great crew chief. He takes credit for shit I come up with and passes it off as his. Real scumbag if you ask me.
“What can I do for you?” I ask again, this time with a little more annoyance in my tone.
“Where are we on the car setup?”
“Right where we need to be. You have access to the files, you can look.”
“But I don’t have access to her specifications,” he replies bluntly.
“No, you don’t because we don’t have them yet,” I answer. “Is that all? I have work to do.”
“I want her specs as soon as you get them, before you give them to the building crew,” he demands.
I nod my head and walk to my office. Bud hasn’t taken a care to Haisley’s specs before. The entire conversation is ill-matched to his personality. Don’t get me wrong, he’s been a better crew chief in the past. He’d contribute to the team build, to the setup. But not this season, not with Haisley. He doesn’t think he needs to be involved because we know more about cars and racing then she does. At least that’s what he believes.
“Hey, Saint, got a minute?” Mac asks as I sit in my chair.
“What’s up?”
He looks out the door before shutting it and stepping over to the chair opposite mine. “Listen, Bud was poking around the shop earlier demanding to know the setup configuration.”
My head tilts to the side and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. “What? Did I hear you right?”
“Yeah. He was pretty pissed off that we hadn’t put her specs into the car yet.”
