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We’re lucky it’s somewhat warmer than normal this morning. After weeks of bitter cold and a brutal Christmas, I was worried it would never clear up. But here we are with our lightweight coats, ready to start this race without our driver.
Tucking my phone into the back pocket of my ripped jeans, I grip the ends of my braids, tying them around my neck.
“Chill, girl, before you lose consciousness,” he says, swatting at my hands. “I’m sure the bus was just running late.”
Bullshit. Something’s up. Colin was up early this morning. Way earlier than he’d like. I assumed it was just his nerves for the big day. The lack of sleep lately hasn’t helped. Since starting the new business, we’ve both been working our tails off, endlessly pushing ourselves to the limit.
But it’s never been more worth it.
I turned down the offer for the position under Dr. Shelby. The following week, I went to the office and put everything on the table. I refused to work in an environment where my mistakes could be swept away or put on someone else. I owned up to my faults, needing the truth to be known, and surprisingly, he respected me for it.
What Lake and I had wasn’t a fling. It wasn’t a situation where a famous football star tried taking advantage of a girl on the cusp of her own success. It also wasn’t a situation where a gold-digging therapist looked to advance her career, sucking off one player at a time. No, what we had was so much more than that.
It was everything.
Until it was nothing.
“Why did he have to go into the grocery store anyway? I thought he quit? The whole crusty cunt thing?” Ashton asks, sidling up beside me along the metal fence, leaning over it with his forearms.
I smack a palm to my forehead, removing it slightly to look at him with one eye.
“He told you about that?”
“Yep,” he says with a smug grin.
I had another incident at the grocery store. Colin was getting blamed for a new cashier whose drawer was off at the end of her shift. She tried to accuse him of stealing the cash, and I lost my shit. Again. It was even more of a reason for us to figure out the next step for our future. One that involved us both.
“Fuck,” I murmur to myself, making him chuckle.
“Worth it?” he asks with a grin.
“Oh, most definitely,” I blurt. “But apparently he went there to pick up his last paycheck? I don’t know. Feels off. He never leaves me a note like that before I’m even up.”
“I’m sure it’s fine. He wouldn’t miss today for anything.”
He pushes off the fence, turning to rest his back against it as he peers off towards the race car.
“Do you know why he removed the hood yesterday?” Ash asks, cocking a brow at the awaiting car sitting in our designated pit area. “I noticed he scuffed up the paint job we worked tirelessly on. What’s that about?”
I turn my head back and inspect the hood from a distance.
“You’re right.” My brows lower in confusion.
“Aye, bitch!” I hear the voice I could pick out of any crowd calling out for me in the distance.
Ashton’s eyes widen as he turns to face me.
“Kat!” I scold silently as she approaches me from the side, wrapping her arms around my neck and pushing me back into the fence. She molds her curvy body to mine, hooking a Thermos with two of her fingers and her keys with her pinky. I breathe her in and smell it immediately.
“Are you drinking?! Hold on.” I grab the Thermos and smell it. “Is this a Margarita?!”
She purses her lips, tossing a hand at me. “Pre-game the race, baby!” She elbows me. “Besides, I heard some honeys were gonna be raining in today.” Her eyes find Ashton, raking the entirety of his body. His eyes widen further, his chin practically hitting his neck as his eyes glance at me nervously. “Looks like the forecast was correct.”
Ashton swallows, and his eyes dart around for safety.None in the presence of this cougar. Sorry, kid.
As I’m about to successfully strangle myself with these braids, I see a canary-colored shirt making its way through the crowd.
“Oh, thank God,” I whisper. “C’mon, let’s head back to the car.”
