“Here’s what I can tell you. You don’t become a world champion in one race. It’s about consistency. You deliver each and every weekend. You can’t afford to blow it when you’re sitting in high points.”
“But I want to be first. Always.” She smiled, owning it.
Sloane caught the fire behind Reese’s eyes. She was hungry, but maybe putting the cart before the horse. She needed to back her skills before she put so much on the line.
“You strive for the strongest position possible, always.”
Reese leaned forward, satisfied. “It sounds like we’re agreeing.”
Sloane shook her head, unable to resist a smile. Reese was so infuriating that she almost looped back around to endearing. She was starting to understand why so many doors opened for her. She was someone you wanted to see happy.
“Only to an extent. You want to win, all or nothing. But I’m trying to show you the smarter route. Your risks have to be weighed.”
“Fair,” Reese said. They held eye contact for a moment, and neither of them spoke. Reese’s green eyes studied Sloane’s. Maybe she was actually taking Sloane’s words to heart. “What else?” she said quietly. For a moment, Sloane forgot to answer.
“Oh, um. Right.” What the hell was that about? She flipped her laptop around. “Look at your times on Sectors 2 and 3. That’s raw speed. It’s impressive in a car like this one.” Unlikethe F1 cars, the academy cars were all identical. Yet, Reese was able to achieve lap times that no one else was able to duplicate. It honestly made Sloane wonder what Reese would be capable of behind a higher caliber car, backed by the kind of money only F1 paid out.
Reese sat taller. “Yeah? Good. I like this part of the conversation better.”
“I thought you might.” She scrolled down. “But compare it to the rest of your race—do you know what I see? A lack of dependability. Your times are all over the map. Listen to your engineer.”
Reese didn’t hesitate. “I do. I trust Julie with my life and my career.”
“Really? Because I heard you ignore several of her directives over the radio.”
“Well.” She paused in exasperation, searching for an explanation. “Because she’s not in the car.”
“That’s the point. And it gives her perspective you don’t have. You might want to honor it.”
“Yeah. Okay. You make a valid point.” But she didn’t seem entirely convinced.
It was a roller coaster of an exchange, and at the end, Sloane wasn’t sure if she’d made a huge impact or none at all. That’s how puzzling Reese Maddox was. She existed in a lot of different columns. Charismatic, beautiful, and obstinate as hell. Sloane decided to call it and hope for a more definitive conversation in the future. It would take some work to get a good read on Reese, and she had a list of drivers to work through that afternoon.
She stood. “I’ll let you get back to your team.”
“I actually have a?—”
“Let me guess. A commitment to a sports drink company?”
Reese’s jaw dropped. She was being playful again, which was, at the very least, good to see after a loss. It meant she could rollwith the punches. A professional. “I’ll have you know, it’s racing apparel today.”
“Got it.” Sloane nodded as she feigned contrition. However, Reese had just proven Sloane’s point. Not that a driver like her would ever realize it. She was caught up in the commercial machine. Perhaps Veronica was right about her prospects after all. “But maybe find some time to train after?”
Reese nodded, her smile dimming. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Sloane spent the rest of the afternoon meeting with the drivers, going over their individual successes and missteps from the race, intrigued by their unique backgrounds and personalities. None of them left quite the impression on her that Reese had, however. She kept coming back to their interactions, the way Reese flicked a gaze or turned a tense moment into a lighthearted one. Sloane was certainly confused by her. But, she knew one thing for certain: Reese Maddox was the most interesting person in whatever room she walked into and that had to count for something.
CHAPTER 5
THE STARTING GRID
Reese returned to the academy hotel after her postrace responsibilities were at long last behind her. She’d participated in the debriefs, the weigh-ins, the rounds of press, sponsorship duties, fan interaction, and even a session with Sloane Foster, who had a lot of opinions to impart, apparently.
Her absolutely everything ached. The day had been a whirlwind of smiling, laughing, and playing the part of the woman they all wanted her to be. But the moment that had resonated with her beyond all others was the question Sloane had raised about her lack of dependability. She sighed, the implications still jabbing at her. It wasn’t fucking true. She showed up and did her absolute best during every moment on the circuit.
“There you are.” Marissa Giovani poked her head around the corner just as Reese located her key card. She was apparently in the room next to Reese’s.
“Yeah. Hey,” Reese said and tried not to wince. After all, Marissa would have won the race that day if Reese hadn’t attempted that messy overtake. “Awesome driving today. I’m sorry I took us both out.”
