“Twenty-nine.”
“Married?”
“Single.”
Stacie took a couple drinks of her soda, then leaned back against the booth and glanced at Evelyn’s laptop. “What kind of work are you doing for Gray?”
“Actually, I work for his father, Senator Mitchell Preston.”
“Is that right? And you’re working for Gray now, too? That’s so . . . interesting. Is Gray getting involved in his dad’s campaign? Because I know he’s not leaving racing to run for congress or anything.” Stacie leaned forward, a worried expression on her face. “He’s not, is he?”
“That’s really not for me to say.”
“Good answer,” Stacie said with a grin. “Makes me miss school and all the public relations courses I took. Which, if I hadn’t agreed to accompany my moron of a boyfriend this year, I could still be taking.”
“Is that your field of study?”
“Yes. Public relations and marketing. Which would be a perfect degree to assist Donny. If I don’t dump him first.”
“Trouble in paradise?”
“You could say that. He often has his head up his ass.”
“That’s pretty vague, Stacie. Would you like to talk about it in specifics, or would you like me to mind my own business?”
She shrugged, stared at her glass for a few minutes, then lifted her gaze to Evelyn.
“He distracts easily, loses his focus. He can be such a great driver, but half the time I don’t know where his head is during a race. And when he isn’t racing, he’s partying it up with the guys. I mean it’s not like he’s steppin’ out on me. Believe me, if I thought he was cheating on me I’d bean him over the head with a crankshaft or carburetor or some other car thingy, and I’d be out of here faster than the track in Talladega. It’s not that. It’s just that he’s so . . . unfocused and undecided about his direction.
“We’ve talked about it, but it’s like he’s keeping secrets. We’ve been together since we were in high school. I wanted to stay in college. He knows how important my education is, but he wanted me with him. Foolishly, I followed.”
“Is that what you wanted, or are you with him this season because it’s what he wanted?”
“A little of both, I think. He needs me. I help him stay focused. And I miss him when he’s on the road. The season is so long and he doesn’t come home all that much. So part of this is me and how much I want to be with him. Part of it is he can’t concentrate without me. If I’m not here with him, then I’ll spend that time worrying about him.”
Evelyn had never had a long-term relationship, so she couldn’t relate to this. But she knew one thing, and that was a woman should never give up everything for a man. “But shouldn’t a relationship be able to thrive even during those times the two of you can’t be together? Surely you can work something out so you can finish your education. It’s important you be able to stand on your own and not sacrifice what you want in order for Donny to be happy.”
“Believe me, I’ve thought long and hard about that. I’ve taken a few online courses in the spring and fall so I don’t lose out on my status at my school.”
“And what does Donny do to sacrifice for you?”
Stacie didn’t have an answer for that.
“Shouldn’t this be a two-way street? Shouldn’t he be able to do without you for a little while, focus his attention on his racing so you don’t have to worry about him?
And then when you’re finished, you can put that degree to good use by helping him out. Seems like a win/win for both of you, with a little sacrifice along the way.”
She sighed. “You make it sound so simple. Love is never simple. When you love someone, you don’t want to be separated from them.”
“Well, I don’t know about love, but I do know about giving up a part of yourself for someone else’s happiness. I don’t think that will make you happy in the long run.
Do you?”
“You know, Evelyn, for someone who I just met about twenty minutes ago, I’ve sure shared a lot about my life. Why is that?”
Evelyn shrugged. “I have no idea. Maybe I’m a good listener.”
“And maybe you give good advice. I like you.”
She smiled. “I like you too, Stacie.”
“I’m going to give this some thought. And try not to bash Donny’s head in when I find him.”
“Please don’t bash his head in, Stacie. I need him to drive Sunday.”
Gray had walked in and was standing near the door.
“Oh, hi, Gray,” Stacie said, slipping out of the booth to toss her can in the trash and put her glass in the sink. “Thanks to Evelyn, here, I’m no longer pissed off at your driver. Well, still slightly pissed off, but I have a little perspective now.” She turned to Evelyn. “Thanks for the chat.”
Evelyn smiled. “Anytime.”
“Ciao,” Stacie said, and left.
Gray frowned after Stacie, then looked at Evelyn. “What was that about?”
“Relationships.”
“Oh, God. I’m glad I wasn’t here, then. Did you solve all her problems with Donny?”
“Not really. I think she just wanted someone to listen. And I might have told her she should go back to school.”
He grabbed a beer from the refrigerator. “She probably should. She’ll be a much more valuable asset to Donny after she gets her degree. And he needs to learn to suck it up and stand on his own without his girlfriend holding his hand.”
Evelyn stared at him. “I’m kind of shocked.”
He tipped the beer to his lips, then paused. “Yeah? Why?”
“I was prepared to have you yell at me again.”
“Why would I yell at you?”
“I figured you’d tell me I should have minded my own business and stayed out of Stacie’s relationship with Donny.”
“Some parts of their relationship are none of my business. But I’ve been telling Donny he needs to stop mooning over that girl. She’s smart and she needs to finish school. I think he’s afraid if he isn’t watching her every second, she’ll run off with the first guy she sees.”
“I don’t think real love works that way.”