So much has changed over the years, but he still looks the same despite a few wrinkles and, of late, a less-than-stable heart.
I went from considering Vince a second father one day to calling him my enemy the next, and that’s how it has remained for the majority of my life. But now, I’m sitting at his dining room table with my heart pounding like a fucking racehorse, because this meeting isn’t just to clear the air.
A stillness settles around us with words left unsaid.
He shifts in his seat and reaches for a manila envelope. It slides against the table until it’s in front of me.
“Take your time,” he says, getting up from the table. “I’ll be on the patio when you’re ready.”
My throat tightens.
I wait until he’s completely out of view before pulling the envelope the rest of the way across the table. My heart pounds harder when my finger skims the paper. I scan the proposal quickly, my blood running hot with each word.
The letters blur together, and it isn’t until I reach forward to grab the pen that I breathe easily again.
What was it that Vince said?
Silence is survival.
I’ll stay silent with Vince.
That is, until we win, fair and square.
Chapter Three
TESSA
“Should we get a shot to celebrate?”Quinn wiggles her eyebrows up and down with a glimmer of rebellion in her eyes.
I grin. “Just one?”
Quinn flips her auburn hair from her shoulder and turns toward the flirty bartender. “Three lemon drops please.”
She peeks back at me. “Each.”
“You’ve got it, beautiful.” He winks at Quinn and makes our drinks, despite the long line of men waiting to order.
I move off to the side and gaze around our favorite bar. It’s not on the strip, so instead of the vast space being filled with tourists going wild while on vacation, it's packed full of UNLV students. I’ve lived in Vegas the majority of my life, unlike most of those on the strip and in the F1 world. It’s unusual for an F1 team to reside in the United States, but leave it to my father to be the first.
As soon as he made the break from Pierce, off to the US we went.
We’ve been here ever since. He’s built Vanstone Racing from the bottom up, and as of yesterday, it’s all up to Van, Noah, Graham, Beck, and me to keep things steady within.
My brothers’ positions remain the same, but I’ve gotten an upgrade.
A promotion, if you will.
Tessa Halston, Vanstone Race Engineer.
It has a certain ring to it, doesn’t it?
Beck nearly had an aneurysm at the table with my father’s announcement, but I think that had more to do with him than it did with me.
My brothers and I know the racing world inside and out. People say it’s in our DNA, but that’s because it’s truly all we’ve ever known.
The five of us are a walking encyclopedia of all things F1 related, but each with our own niche. Van is the main race engineer for Noah, who is one of the best drivers of his time–minus Rome Pierce, who I like to pretend doesn’t exist. Beck is our reserve driver, and in his terms, that means he’s not good enough. In reality, it means he’s who will drive for Vanstone if Noah ever gets injured. Then you have Graham, who is an absolute wizard in the garage.
And last but not least, there’s me.
