Leo turned serious. “Indy is always worth it, Williams. Always.” He rubbed a palm over his scruffy cheek. “Ever had someone you couldn’t get over? Even if you know there’s only a one percent chance you’ll work it out?”
She refused to think of Kelley. How she’d seen more in their relationship than was really there. To this day, she didn’t know if she’d loved him, but she had wanted him to stay, to choose her. To want her the way she’d wanted to be loved. Maybe she’d just loved the idea of being in love with him. She shook her head.
“Ah. Well, Indy is a lot like that. You know it will break your heart but you do it anyway because the chance that it will work out is worth any other pain.”
Leo turned and opened the door of a shiny blue F-150, and Mack wondered if he’d had his heart broken, and if it had happened recently. He tossed his sweatshirt and water bottle on the seat, and the sweet smell of new leather upholstery drifted out of the car. “Want to grab a coffee? Maybe some kind of breakfast? There’s a great spot not far from here that serves smoothies, too.”
She’d eaten a protein bar and a banana every day for breakfast since Shaw was born. She wasn’t about to start drinking pureed sludge through a straw, and she told Leo as much. But now she understood how he’d gotten those abs. “Plus, I probably need to go home and work on sponsorships.”
“Any luck? I bet companies are crawling all over themselves to put you in an ad.”
Mack cut Leo a look. “Hardly. I know this is shocking, but no one wants to give money to a nobody. Especially not agirlnobody.”
She said it mockingly, but it was the sad truth. Motorsports sponsors weren’t willing to gamble on what they believed was an unproven product: a woman.
Leo returned her cutting glance. “You’re not nobody. You drove the damn wheels off the car at the test. You’ve made the podium atendurance races and you won atEldora.” His voice almost sounded like it held a note of awe.
And why shouldn’t it? Shehadkicked ass at Eldora, and many other races. Over the past two days, she’d felt that old self coming back to life, the one that drove too fast and made crass jokes and beat the boys at their own damn game. She’d felt more alive during the test drive, and even in Bertie’s workout, than she had for a decade.
She swallowed a surge of shame. What kind of mother felt wholly alive away from her child?
“Plus, you ...” Leo was looking up at the sky but waved a hand toward her, from head to toes.
She raised her brows, wanting to hear him say it out loud. “I’m what?”
He shifted uncomfortably, shaking his head, but his discomfort told her he felt the same pull, the line of gasoline that could easily ignite if either of them struck the match.
Ten damn years of Mack playing it quiet and safe, turning down anything that might look like trouble, but that one glance made her impulsively curious. Mack didn’t know if Leo Raisman was a risk, but she couldn’t get burned from a little investigation.
She pulled herself into the driver’s seat and cranked the engine. “So where are we going?”
From:[email protected]
Subject:RE: Unique Indy 500 Sponsorship Opportunity! [May 6, 9:01 a.m.]
Dear Ms. Williams,
Thank you for contacting Simpson Carpet Company with your request for sponsorship. Since 1976, Simpson has been committed to the community, the country, and carpet care.
We believe our people are our best asset, and it follows that our marketing work is best done through our personnel. We’re sorry we can’t provide you sponsorship but we do wish you best of luck in your noble pursuit!
Yours in flooring,
Dev Dhillon
Chief Marketing Officer
Simpson Carpet Company
Duluth, Georgia
Chapter 11
2 weeks until the Indianapolis 500
“I don’t understand why I lift in the corners when I know it’s not real. My brain thinks I’m actually going to slam into a concrete wall.”
