“I’m assigned to you, Gray, and only you, from now until the election. I’ll be with you the entire way.”
FOUR
GRAY ALWAYS LIKED TO BE HANDS-ON WITH HIS TEAM, not leaving anything for them to handle without his involvement. Which meant setting up in the garage and checking out the cars they’d use for the races.
Now that they were in Kentucky, he was overseeing the team meeting for both race teams, and he had control. They went over the wreck last Sunday with the crew and mechanics, dissecting the engine failure. The engine team assured them it wouldn’t happen again, that steps would be taken to ensure the engines for both cars would be in prime shape for the race this weekend.
Gray always kept a mental list of things to cover in team meetings, from tire inventory to which crew members would be on board for the next race. Everyone attended the meetings. It was mandatory. If you didn’t show up, you were replaced on the crew or the mechanics team.
After the general meeting, Donny, his other driver, broke his crew out for their own meeting to discuss strategy for their car, while Gray did the same with his crew chief and team. The meeting went well and everyone was pumped for the upcoming race.
He had a good car and he knew he had a good chance for this season. So did Donny, but Donny was easily distracted. Which reminded Gray that he needed to have a chat with him. After Donny did his practice runs on the track today, he’d pull him aside and have a talk with him.
Donny had looked pale today in the meeting. Gray hoped he wasn’t sick, because that was the last thing they needed. He wanted both his cars to do well this weekend.
He went up to the track where Donny was driving away to start up his practice run.
After a warm-up lap, he got up to speed.
Huh. Maybe Gray was wrong about Donny being sick, because he was taking a fast lap. He had control of the wheel and had precision and confidence on the turns that Gray had never seen before from the young driver.
Impressive as hell. And one of the fastest runs Gray had ever seen the kid drive.
Good. He needed to be great, because Gray had invested a lot of money into adding another car to Preston Racing, so Donny was going to have to do well. Gray didn’t have a lot of time to spend on the kid.
“He’s pretty good.”
Alex Reed came up beside him to watch. Alex would be doing his practice run at the same time as Gray later. He and Alex had known each other a long time, had started on dirt tracks together back in Oklahoma. “Yeah. Has his head up his ass sometimes, but if he straightens out, he could be a great driver.”
“Who hasn’t had their head up their ass at that age?” Alex asked. “Remember when all we wanted to do was drive fast and party all night?”
Gray laughed. “Ah. The good old days when making money and worrying was someone else’s problem.”
Alex slapped him on the back. “I still drive for someone else’s race team, buddy.
It’s still someone else’s problem. You’re the one who decided to go out on your own.”
“Asshole.”
Alex laughed and walked away. He knew better, too. Alex was as driven as they came, as focused on success as anyone he’d ever known. He put everything he had into racing, into winning, because it was all he had. Gray at least had the option of walking away from all this. He was lucky that he had money to back him up. Alex had grown up dirt-poor and had raced his way into success. Without racing, he had nothing. Gray couldn’t imagine what that must be like.
He turned his attention back to Donny, watching his practice.
At least his focus was on racing and Donny this morning instead of on Evelyn, who had shocked the hell out of him when she’d told him she was going to become an extra appendage from now until the election.
Just what he didn’t need. He’d only agreed to this because of his mother’s urging. If he’d known that meant Evelyn would be following him from city to city, he might have rethought this whole deal.
He’d ignored her during his meetings this morning, but now, as he watched Donny race, he looked for her.
He scanned the track and found her sitting in the stands with some of the wives and girlfriends.
She’d changed that morning they had breakfast, and he’d been shocked by the transformation. In a suit, she looked like she belonged on his father’s campaign. He could mentally compartmentalize her there. In a white button-down shirt and skintight jeans that showed off her body, she’d fit in at the track—in his world. And that made him just a little bit uncomfortable.
Maybe he didn’t want her to fit in. Maybe he wanted her as uncomfortable as she made him. He was used to the women who frequented the track, women he knew, not this intelligent woman who regarded him like she knew all his secrets. Plus, she was part of his dad’s world, and that made him even more uncomfortable.
When Donny pulled into the pit and climbed out, Gray started over to congratulate him on his practice run, determined to push Evelyn Hill out of his head for as long as possible.
Donny tossed his helmet into the driver’s seat and graced him with a big smile.
“That one felt good, boss.”
“It was a good run.” Gray looked over at Donny’s crew chief, who nodded and brought over a digital notebook. As they walked away from the track, he looked at the numbers from Donny’s run.
“Let’s talk,” Gray said, then led Donny to his trailer.
And there was Evelyn, just like he’d met her that first day. Only this time she was in jeans again. The heat was climbing, so she’d shed the long-sleeve shirt, leaving her in a white T-shirt that hugged tight to her full br**sts.
He blew out a breath. So much for shoving her from his mind.
“Evelyn Hill, this is Donny Duncan.”
“Ma’am,” Donny said, shaking Evelyn’s hand.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Donny.” She looked to Gray. “If you’re busy, I can find something to do.”
“If you’re supposed to hang with me, then hang. Come on in. Donny and I are going to have a short chat, then we’ll get started.”
Donny gave Evelyn a once-over, and Gray was certain he was probably curious. He hadn’t told anyone about Evelyn, wasn’t sure what he was going to say, but he supposed he’d have to fill everyone in sooner rather than later.
“Take a seat,” he said to her.
Evelyn found herself a seat in one of the far corners of the trailer, while he and Donny grabbed a spot at his table.