“Pardon?” Laurie said crisply.
A charming little blush crawled up Leo’s neck, but he covered it with an easy laugh. “Body Work is a gym, with specialized exercises for drivers. Janet has us go three days a week. And we’ll race on the simulator as often as possible, lots of promo stuff for the series, events with our main sponsor.”
“Sounds like a lot of time together,” Laurie said. Mack hoped Leo didn’t hear the warning in her voice.
Mack shot Laurie a look that told her she could take care of herself. “Can’t wait,” she said to Leo.
“It’s nice to finally have a teammate. See you tomorrow, Rookie.” She watched him walk away, joggers hugging all the places they should, feeling like a total creep perving on her teammate.
“Stop,” she warned before Laurie could say anything. Laurie had been giving her that same side-eye since they were kids, the one that said,you know this is a bad decision, right?
Mack grabbed her helmet and stood up, but the inevitable adrenaline crash slammed into her and she suddenly felt hot and cold at the same time. Afraid she’d vomit or pass out or both, she clawed at the Velcro closure on her fire suit. The cool air soothed the worst of the nausea, and Mack let the sleeves dangle at her waist as they walked to the parking area. By the time they reached the rusty Bronco, Mack felt steady enough to balance on one foot while peeling off her coveralls and pulling on athletic shorts. If they wouldn’t give her a locker room, they could deal with a parking lot strip show.
Laurie swept an arm toward the rust-speckled car door. “I’ll drive. Hop in, passenger princess.”
They drove east down Sixteenth Street as the sun finally settled below the horizon. Central Indiana got a lot of shade for being so flat, but Mack thought the endless horizon was beautiful in its own way, with wide-open views that made anything feel possible. The sky gleamed purple and majestic through the windshield, and as her nausea faded, Mack finally let herself smile as she replayed the test drive and thought about the days to come.
“I guess I have to get serious about sponsorship now.”
“About that,” Laurie said, sitting up straighter. “I started playing around with a slide deck. We’ll need to get numbers on JJR’s ROI and potential hits per view. I think your best move is to target women-centered companies—”
“I can do it,” Mack interrupted.
“Yes, yes, you don’t need me, you’re strong and tough and don’t need help,” Laurie snapped.
“Because you’re always right there offering?” How dare she act like the martyr when Mack had been drowning for the past ten years without so much as a paddle from her sister.
“Oh my god, we are not having this argument!” Laurie banged her palm on the steering wheel in an uncharacteristic show of temper. Mack and Wes ran hot, mouthy and quick to react, but Laurie was eerily icy. She once caught Mack reading her diary, and instead of blowing up, she’d silently removed the journal from Mack’s hands and doused the book in the shower. Laurie settled her shoulders. “I was shitty when I left home. I know that. I left you alone to deal with Dad and I regret it. So much.” Laurie’s voice wobbled and Mack could hardly hear her over the wind. “I can’t change the past, Mack, but I’m here now and I want to help. Please.”
They drove silently as the city scrolled outside the windows, hospitals and high-rises and tidy rows of houses with green lawns. It was thepleasethat killed her. In all the years they’d been apart, during all their battling and bickering, it never occurred to Mack that their separation might hurt Laurie, too. Laurie left first, but had Mack ever let her sister back in?
“Because I have lots of ideas,” Laurie pushed on. “Think of what Pippa Mann did with the Komen Foundation, or Lyn St. James with JCPenney. We need to look at companies that specialize in skincare, athleisure, organization, home goods. Period vitamins or a coffee chain, anything targeted at women. But nothing icky like weight loss tea or waist trainers.”
“I don’t use any of those things.”
“Of course you don’t.” Laurie groaned. “Don’t worry about the brands. They’ll give you free stuff, show you how to use it, and tell you how to post it on social media.”
“I don’t have any social media.”
“I’ll set it up and manage your accounts.” Laurie waved dismissively. “The point is that no current drivers target women-centered businesses, but women have always been race fans and continue to be a growing sector of spectators. Evidence shows women are more likely to align with brands supported by their favorite athletes. There’s a huge market space available.”
“I need to make sure we don’t overlap with any of Leo’s sponsors.”
“Got it.” Laurie peeked a glance at Mack, that same sideways warning. “Speaking of Leo ... if I remember correctly, he’s your type? Tall, good hair, drives fast ...”
Mack shot Laurie a scathing look. “I don’t date race car drivers. Or anyone. I’m a swipe-right-on-a-stranger type of woman.”
“With a condom, I hope?”
“And a goddamn IUD firmly in place.”
“So,” Laurie said, arching her perfectly laminated brows over the top of her sunglasses. “You’re Wes.”
“There’s no time for a relationship when you have a family and a business to take care of. I scratch the itch, then go home.”
“That sounds lonely.” Laurie slammed the ancient brakes as a railroad crossing arm lowered over Indiana Street. They both jerked forward with the force of the sudden stop. Laurie turned to face her sister, but Mack stared at the train as if she were driving the damn thing herself. “Have you ever even been in a relationship?”
The soft sympathy in Laurie’s voice irritated the hell out of Mack. How dare Laurie judge her for the choices she’d made? Laurie had no idea how often Mack was barely treading water, swimming from one crisis to another. “Nope. You?”
