“Well, that’s because in my brain, it did.”
“And the sex?”
“Veronica. Shockingly good.” She dropped her tone just in case. “I mean, I’ve had good before. James from back in the day was fine, and then Kristin right before the accident was amazing.”
“Oh, I remember Kristin,” Veronica said with an appreciative eyebrow raise. “She loved fruit. Everywhere she went, she looked for a bowl of it.”
“We had a lot of chemistry. I didn’t think sex got better.” She closed her eyes. “It does.”
“Well, now I have goose bumps. And I need the best sex ever.” She looked around the room as if she might find it. “You’re making me intensely jealous.”
“Don’t be yet. You ready for the flip side?”
Veronica made a circular gesture with her glass. “Why rain on this glorious parade?”
“Focus.”
Her shoulders sagged. “Fine.”
Sloane paused for a moment and regrouped. “She’s young. That gives me pause.”
“She’s not that young. Her frontal lobe is fully formed.”
Sloane shot Veronica a look. “Grasping and you know it.”
“I realize she’s a twenty-something, and you find yourself pleasantly nestled in your thirties.”
“Nestled? God. Is it worse than I thought?”
“I don’t think your ages are a deal-breaker. You may have to stay up on all the current lingo, however. It will take effort, Sloane, to be cool.”
“I think you just slapped me across the face.”
“In the name of advice, I did. The good news is that youlookamazing. Hotter than I’ve ever seen you if we’re being honest.”
“Now we’re talking.” Sloane smiled around her glass, feeling a tiny bit taller. Then the cloud settled over the room, threatening to ruin it all. Didn’t matter. She had to go there. “What if I can’t handle her behind the wheel in F1? Putting herself in the same danger I know firsthand doesn’t always end well.” Veronica opened her mouth to speak, but Sloane raised her hand to stop her. “Because, and just entertain me here, what if her story has an even more final ending than mine did?”
“Final.” Veronica paused. “Okay, I get it. You don’t want to be sitting in the stands, cheering on the woman you love, only to watch a horrific crash that takes her life.”
“It could happen.”
“Of course it could. But it won’t.”
“You don’t know that, and I’m not sure I have it in me to find out.” She closed her eyes for a moment, absorbing the brunt of the concern, working to control her breathing, and then opened her eyes again. “What if I don’t? What then? Maybe I get out now before my heart is fully gone.”
“Is that what you want?” Veronica watched her. “To be free of this?”
“No. But I’m saying the quiet part out loud. To you. Because you’re a safe zone.”
“I think you also have to say it to Reese, who needs to know how you’re feeling.”
Sloane shook her head. “No. Uh-uh. I don’t want to steal this moment from her. Do you remember what it was like when we were called up?”
“Easily the happiest day in my career.”
“See? She deserves that same carefree celebration.”
“Then let her have it. When the glow wears off, have a realistic conversation. The communication alone will make all this easier.”
