If he’d bothered to ask her, she could have told him that. But no, he’d decided to act like an arrogant douchebag and make assumptions without knowledge, so she’d be damned if she was going to be nice to him.
Unfortunately, she did still have to do her job. Which right now consisted of leaning against the wall of the garage and watching his very fine ass as he bent over the hood of his race car, deep in conversation with his crew chief and several members of his team. Whether he knew she was there or not, she had no idea, nor did she care. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and answered a few emails. After a while, someone on the team must have noticed her, because they brought her a folding chair. She smiled her thanks and took a seat inside the garage, where it was shady and much cooler than it was outside.
Admittedly, watching hot guys work on even hotter cars wasn’t a bad way to pass the time. And since it was clear Gray wasn’t going to talk to her right now, it wasn’t a bad gig. Better than running around after senators and representatives and fetching coffee and sending emails and composing letters. She was so used to the fast pace of life in D.C., this was like watching grass grow, especially since she knew absolutely zip about automobiles and racing. It would help her to gain an understanding of what the fans found so exhilarating about this sport so she’d be able to integrate Gray’s passion for the sport with the upcoming election. Again, it would be fruitless to ask Gray. He hadn’t once looked her way or acknowledged her at all.
She supposed she could try, though. She’d never been a coward and she wasn’t going to be one now. She stood and headed over to the car, inching ever closer, wincing a bit as the sound of some tool she was unfamiliar with howled in a piercing, staccato beat from underneath the vehicle.
She hovered close and eavesdropped on their conversation, all of which went right over her head. Manifolds and oil pressure and gauges and gear boxes. They might as well be speaking a foreign language—one that she didn’t speak, anyway.
Gray finally lifted his head, a streak of dark grease across his jaw, which only enhanced his rugged good looks. His crew chief, Ian, stepped away, allowing her to draw closer.
“What are you working on?” she asked.
He frowned. “The car, obviously.”
Oh, he was still in a mood. “Obviously. I was wondering if you’d teach me a bit about it.”
“Not now, Evelyn. Kind of busy here.”
“Can I just hang out and watch, then?”
“You’re in the way.”
His tone was sharp. Rude. And she grabbed a clue in a hurry.
“Certainly. Of course. Some other time, then. I’m sorry to have disturbed you.”
With a nod to Ian, she moved away, clearly dismissed.
He’d irritated the hell out of her last night, making untrue accusations about her.
She could brush that aside so they could work together. Gray, on the other hand, held a grudge.
Fine. She left the garage and wandered, debating whether or not to call it a day and head to her hotel since she was getting nowhere by hovering. He’d talk to her when he was ready, and he evidently wasn’t ready today. And she refused to bother Stacie when she needed to be studying.
So when she saw one of the drivers, still in his fire suit, leaving the track area, she decided maybe she could gain her auto racing education in another way.
She smiled and approached him. “Excuse me.”
He stopped and his lips curled in a genuine smile. “Hi there. You’re with Gray Preston, aren’t you?”
She was about to explain, but if it got her an audience with the guy, why bother?
“Yes, I am. I’m Evelyn Hill.”
He shook her hand. “Calvin McClusky. I drive the number twelve Ford.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. McClusky.”
“You can call me Cal. All my close friends do.”
He was totally hitting on her. Great-looking guy. Tall, looked well built under that fire suit, and with serious blue eyes, spiky dark blond hair, and the kind of killer smile that she was certain divested many a woman of her panties.
“Okay, Cal. Are you busy right now?”
“Just drove my practice run and now I’m heading to my garage.”
“Perfect. Would you mind if I tagged along?”
“Not at all, darlin’. Come on.”
Cal had a very southern accent that Evelyn found quite appealing. No wonder these guys had so many groupies. All that charm.
Except, Gray, of course, who she didn’t find charming in the least, especially not today.
Cal introduced her to his crew, who were all as friendly as he was.
“So, you’re Gray’s new girl?” Cal asked as he climbed out of his fire suit, revealing a body that should be declared illegal. Wide shoulders, lean waist, and thighs that had obviously spent some time in the gym.
“I’m nobody’s girl. But yes, Gray and I have been spending some time together.”
Cal arched a brow. “Oh, a smart woman. Just my type. Can I get you something to drink?” he asked as he headed over to a refrigerator in the garage.
“A water would be great, if you have one.”
He pulled out a water for her and an energy drink for himself, then came back to stand in front of her.
“Thank you. So what do you do with your car after your practice run?” she asked, unscrewing the top of the water to take a couple sips.
“We go over it, make sure the laps didn’t do any damage, and make sure it’s still running prime. We download the data we gathered from the laps we ran and check the car over. Next step tomorrow is qualifying. That’s when you want the car at its best, so this is our last chance to fix anything.”
“So if there are any mechanical problems or engine problems, you can still fix them.”
“Right.”
He let her lean over the quarter panel and look inside the car as he pointed out various parts of the engine and explained their function. Since Evelyn had a near eidetic memory, this was proving to be so useful. Plus, Cal was easy, and not just on the eyes. There was a definite plus in that she didn’t work for his father. There was no end goal in sight other than to enjoy his company. And he was definitely enjoyable.
After a while, he led her away from the car. “So, are you and Gray in some kind of relationship?”
“No, we’re not.”
“Which means you’d be free to go out with me.”