“So,” Jeremy continued, “they’re putting you in. This is it!”
The words landed with a weight Reese felt all the way down to her bones. Not a spark or a jolt. Asettling. Like something sliding into place that had been waiting there the whole time.
“They want you back tonight,” Jeremy said. “Prep starts immediately.”
Tonight.
Her first instinct was a grin so wide it almost hurt. Her second was the image of her hands on the wheel, the smell of rubber and heat, the sound of the engine.
Her third was Sloane.
“Tonight,” Reese repeated, just to hear it out loud. She blinked, shoving a hand into her wet hair.
“You good?” Jeremy asked. “Because if you’re not?—”
“I’m good,” Reese said quickly. Too quickly. Then she steadied herself. “I’m really good.”
She walked to the doorway, watching Sloane pull on her shoes, sunlight catching in her hair. Venice Beach. Downtime. A walk she’d been looking forward to more than she’d admitted.
“Ezra’s okay?” Reese asked. She needed that part nailed down.
“He’ll be back,” Jeremy said. “Just needs recovery time.”
Reese nodded, even though Jeremy couldn’t see her. “Tell them I’ll be there tonight.”
“I already did,” he said, pleased. “You don’t let people wait, Reese.”
She smiled. “Thank you,” she said, and meant it for more than just the call.
When she hung up, the house felt suddenly smaller, tighter, like it knew she was about to leave.
Sloane looked up and frowned. “That look,” she said. “What’s going on?”
Reese inhaled. “They’re putting me in.”
Sloane’s face lit up instantly, pride and happiness crashing together so cleanly it made Reese’s chest ache. She crossed the room and took Reese into her arms, warm and solid and real.
“Baby. That’s incredible,” Sloane said. “I knew this was coming.”
Reese hugged her back, breathing her in, already feeling the pull of what came next. Studying the track. Strategy sessions. A practice session behind the wheel.
“They want me there tonight,” Reese said softly. “That’s the hard part.”
Sloane didn’t hesitate. Not outwardly. “Oh.” A pause. “Okay. Well, what do we need to do?”
But Reese felt it—the tiniest shift. The weight behind the words.
And there it was. The part Reese didn’t let herself dwell on. The truth she carried quietly, like a fragile thing she didn’t want to drop.
I get to do the thing I love.And the person I love has to live with it.
She kissed Sloane’s temple, held on for one more beat than necessary. “Hey. Look at me.”
Sloane did. Her lips were pressed together, and she blinked several times.
“Are you okay? I’m sorry we’re getting cut short.”
Sloane brightened again. “No, no, no. I’m good. I’m incredibly happy for you. And we will have plenty of time to be … us. Right?” There was a quality behind her eyes that Reesecouldn’t quite name. She’d not seen it before. Hesitancy maybe? Unease, perhaps? It made Reese linger an extra moment.
