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But the past week, what I keep coming back to isn’t his driving, the way he upgraded my Fastback, or even how drawn I am to him.

It’s his faith in me. No one other than my dad has ever believed in me like that.

Get this through your pretty, stubborn head.

I won’t let you lose.

Those lines have been burned in my brain since I read them.

Before going to sleep, I typed out one more text.

Shay: That comma was a mistake. Right?

I reached for the backspace button to delete it…

And accidentally sent it instead.

Shit.

I sound as if I’m fishing for compliments, or that I care way too much, both of which are weaknesses Jameson will exploit.

Dots appeared immediately. His response came through moments later.

Jameson: I don’t make mistakes.

I stared at the message window for way too long, my body on fire thinking of the library again, his hand covering mine, his body too close and yet not nearly close enough.

Megan’s right. Feeling this way is a terrible idea. Even if I’ve come to understand and appreciate him more in the past couple of weeks, Jameson is still an asshole. An asshole who might be my ticket to a dream internship.

He’s also Theo’s brother.

I can’t kick what Theo said. Jamie has always wanted what’s mine.

“Look happier. We have a weekend away from school.” Megan’s voice breaks into my head.

“And we get to see the cars we’ve been working on this week. This is as much a test for us as for the drivers,” Zane reminds us both.

Anticipation surges through me as the others catch up and we carry our things to the plane.

Miles of track and garage and stands cover rolling hills right outside the city. The wide, flowing track corners are modeled after Silverstone in the UK and Suzuka in Japan.

I’m awestruck, first because everything is huge. Second, because as wild as the venue seems to me, this was my dad’s life.

I text him a photo. This is amazing.

We make it in time to watch qualifying, which means half an hour of chaos while everyone tries to get the best lap times.

Race day tomorrow will be head-to-head action, but this is more intense, more technical. Less strategy and more flat-out speed.

There are still thousands of spectators. Everyone wants a front-row seat to watch ARI’s newest driver.

“Damn.” Megan whistles as Jameson lays down a great lap.

I watch every thrilling moment. He has fans in the stands, too. All the drivers do.

I’m noticing how the car responds to the track and the conditions, but it’s different than how the race will be. We’re not running the higher tire pressure until then, when it will be the edge he needs.

And he’ll definitely need it as Theo earns the best lap time.