Clara giggles. “It’s for an underwear company. They made me ride a bucking bronco in lingerie and a cowboy hat.”
I pull on my chain and swallow loudly. I bet the photo I sent Niki this morning is nothing compared to how Clara looks in underwear.
Jacs sits on the edge of my desk, which hides Niki from my view.
“Do you remember that bar we went to after the Texan Grand Prix, Nikers?” Clara says. She’s sexy as fuck. I kind of fancy her.
Niki grunts a noncommittal sound.
“I rode the bull in that bar for like fifteen seconds.”
“Everyone cheered and bought you shots.”
Clara giggles. “Yes. That was the night you proposed.”
“I’ve got to see Jimmy,” I screech, grabbing the closest file. I bolt down the corridor.
He proposed? He told me they weren’t serious. If he proposed to someone he has no future with, how can I trust this isn’t another fling?
I shouldn’t have introduced him to Tabi. She’s starting to care about him nearly as much as I do.
CHAPTER 61
Niki
Shit, shit, shit.
Clara sits in my office, talking about her upcoming photo shoots, and I catch the odd word, but I can’t stop glancing at Rosie’s desk through the one-way glass in my door.
She stares warily at my office, unaware that all that’s happening in here is a fucked-up man pining for her.
“So what do you think?” Clara asks, dragging my attention to her face.
“About what? I phased out for a second,” I admit. “Sorry, that’s really rude.”
Although I once loved being on Clara’s arm, both of us trophy partners for the other, I only want Rosie on my arm with Tabi’s hand in mine now.
Clara tips her head. “You’ve changed.”
“The tactile thing?”
Her smile raises the corners of her mouth as she shakes her head. “No. You used to be…This will sound mean, but what the hell? You used to be a bit of a selfish dick.”
I sit back in my chair as she adds, “I liked that part ofyou. It meant I was in a relationship, but I also partied hard because you didn’t care,” she says through laughter. “You’re not arguing about that.”
I rub my chin with the tip of my finger. “I can’t.”
She slams her palms on my desk and laughs. Rosie glares at my office. “You used to argue and grump for hours. You were sweet with Senna and Connor and a couple of others, but generally, no one else got your kindness or attention. It was all about driving. If anything got in the way of that or your fun, you disappeared. You were going to ditch me eventually.”
“How did you know?”
“You pulled away before the accident. When we agreed to break up while you were in the hospital, I felt like a bitch, but I wouldn’t have walked if we had a chance.”
“You weren’t a bitch, and I’m sorry you felt that way. It was the right decision. I was in a bad way, and although I wasn’t great at caring about people before the accident, I was worse after. I still carry guilt about how I treated Senna. I’m sorry for being a crap boyfriend.”
She smiles, and my chest releases. I didn’t realise how hard I’d held onto the guilt for how I’d treated her.
“We had a lot of fun, didn’t we?” she asks tentatively.
