Cassidy
I don’t even care if I’m on the couch for another couple of weeks anymore.
Reese locked her phone and slid it into her pocket just as Delaney bumped her shoulder.
“You realize,” Delaney said, lifting her glass, “that you’ve officially made the rest of us look bad.”
Reese snorted. “Well, that didn’t take much.”
“Oh, please,” Marissa cut in, grinning. “In this morning’s race, I was graceful. Elegant. Untouchable.”
“Untouchable because no one could catch you,” Delaney said. “Which is rude, by the way. Work on that.”
Marissa raised her brows. “That’s racing, Baby D.”
Reese laughed, but her eyes flicked again to Sloane. She was talking to Damon now, smiling, head tilted, listening intently. She looked present and engaged. And yet, when Reese caught her eye, the smile sharpened, brightened, like a light turned up deliberately.
There it was again.
Reese excused herself from Delaney and Marissa and crossed the small space between them.
“You good?” she asked casually, leaning in just enough to be heard.
Sloane’s smile came instantly. Too instantly. “I’m great. You were fantastic out there.”
Reese narrowed her eyes playfully. “You already said that. Two or three times.”
“And I’ll say it again,” Sloane replied. She took a sip of her beer, gaze drifting somewhere over Reese’s shoulder, like she was tracking something invisible.
Reese followed her line of sight without thinking. Nothing. Just noise and warmth and the aftermath of a good day.
“You’re not actually here,” Reese said, quieter now.
Sloane looked back at her, surprised. “What are you talking about? I am.”
“No,” Reese said. “You’reperforming. It’s not like you.”
Sloane’s mouth twitched. “Is that a driver’s assessment?”
“Call it instincts,” Reese said. “They’re pretty reliable.”
Sloane raised a shoulder and let it fall as the propped-up smile faded. Her eyes said that she didn’t have the words or understanding to explain. Or maybe it was that she was holding it in for the sake of Reese’s celebration.
She could fix that part. “I have a wild idea. Let’s get out of here,” Reese said. “Spend some time together and unwind. We can go back to the room and talk.” Because all she wanted in the world was to be there for Sloane in whatever she was feeling, to hold her and make it clear that she wasn’t alone. More than anything, she just wanted things to be okay again.
“No. Today isn’t about me. You drove an amazing race and should get to celebrate with?—”
Then Shanelle’s voice cut in from behind them.
“If I could grab your attention, everybody. I think we should all raise a glass to Reese Maddox,” she called, raising her glass. “First F1 race. First points. Zero damage to the car.”
“That last part’s a goddamn miracle,” Delaney said loud enough for most to hear.
Laughter rippled through the group.
Reese nodded and tipped her beer in acknowledgment of Delaney’s point. “Couldn’t have done it without my charming critics,” she said.
“Cheers to Reese,” Shanelle said, glass held high.
