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She donned her protective earphones and set up her tripod. She adjusted all of her equipment and waited for the race to start. Because it was Florida and the middle of summer, the ever-present afternoon rainstorms had the drivers and their teams watching the sky and listening to weather reports in the hope that the storms would pass over and the race would start on time.
She guessed that Dave and Tucker would both be anxious to get out on the track and beat each other, since the last time they’d been at this track the crash had taken them both out early. Tucker had qualified in the pole position and she’d caught a glimpse of his interview on one of the twenty-four-hour sports television channels earlier where he said he was going to take care of business today.
Tucker was cocky and arrogant but she liked that about him. It reminded her a little of Jared and his attitude toward everything. They hadn’t spoken any more about their relationship, but that was okay.
Her cell phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled back from the camera to answer it. She noticed the number was her mother’s. She missed the call but immediately called back.
Even though her father had been fine at the picnic a few days earlier she still worried about his recovery.
“Hey, Mom,” she said when her mother answered.
“Hey, baby. Are you available for a late dinner after the race?”
She took a deep breath. Dinner after the race would involve a lot of her family. She wasn’t going to bring Jared unless her family welcomed him?all of her family.
“I’ll check with Jared, but if we come, Mom, the guys are going to have to back off.”
“I’ll take care of it,” she said.
“Jared might not be available if Tucker wins.”
“I always forget that he’s tied to another driver.” There was a note in her mom’s voice that she couldn’t read.
“Does that bother you, mom?” she asked. She had been dealing with guilt over Dave but hadn’t even thought of the impact her dating Jared might have on her parents. Her dad was a team owner who had three drivers competing against Jared’s two teams each week.
“Doesn’t it bother you?” her mother said.
“I try not to think about it.”
“Annie, that’s not realistic,” her mom replied.
Like she didn’t know that. Like she wasn’t totally aware that her attitude wasn’t healthy. But it was the only way she could be with Jared and not panic. “I mean he’s got this whole other side of his life that takes up as much time as his duties here at the track.”
“That’s good, but it doesn’t change the fact that he is Tucker’s team owner.”
“I know. Dave and I have yet to make any kind of peace about it and I’m really trying not to let it be too big a deal.”
“It’s not a big deal to your father and I,” her mom said suddenly. “I just worry about you, sweetie.”
“Thanks, Mom. I’ll check with Jared and call you back about dinner.”
She glanced at her watch and then at the laminated card that Jared had given her when they’d arrived at the track on Thursday. It had his schedule along with Tucker’s on it. He was giving a tour to a group of potential investors.
Probably not the best time to call him. She text messaged him instead and then went back to fiddling with her camera, getting the last few adjustments made. She was as ready as she could be.
She got a text message from Jared asking her where she was. She told him and wasn’t too surprised when he showed up a few minutes later sans his group.
“You didn’t have to come and find me,” she said.
“I know. I wanted to. I can’t do dinner tonight.”
“Oh. It’s with my family,” she said, then thought about how that sounded. Was she trying to bribe him with her relatives?
“Good, then you won’t be alone.”
“Where will you be?”
“I have an early meeting at the corporate offices in Atlanta.”
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
He gave her an odd look. “Yes. Just the usual corporate meetings that I have to deal with a couple of times a year.”
“Will I see you again today?” she asked.
He shook his head. “That’s why I stopped by.”
He didn’t say anything else, just pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard before he walked away.
JARED’S BUSINESS kept him away from NASCAR for a month. There’d been a problem with one of the coffee farms in Colombia and he’d had to go down there personally to take care of the workers, who were striking. It was the longest month of his life. He’d been out of reach most of the time. Though he’d tried to keep in touch with Annie they’d spoken only twice. And the last time had been on a bad connection when he’d been in Bogotá.
