I PUSHED THE DOOR OPEN and smiled when I saw Emmit sitting at the conference table. We’d become a lot closer the last few months and I was somewhat glad things had stopped with Ashley. As much as I loved the thrill of sneaking behind Emmit’s back, I had to admit the guilt was getting to me.
Mr. Elliot had called a drivers’ meeting and requested all three of his drivers be present. Something about an announcement being made before the start of the next season.
Walking up to my biggest rival and newly-made friend, I held my hand out. Emmit stood and shook it. “Malcolm, how’s your break been?”
With a grin, I replied, “Good. Been doing a bit of traveling, working on the ranch. Shit like that. How about you? How is the domesticated life treating you?”
Emmit’s face lit up and for a brief moment, my chest tightened. Once upon a time I dreamed of a life like Emmit’s. A very long time ago.
“It’s good.”
“By the smile on your face, I’d say it’s more than good.”
Emmit let out a dry laugh. “Yeah, it’s amazing. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
There went that tightness again. Turning my attention away from Emmit, I gave Doug a firm handshake. “Doug, enjoying your time off?”
“Yes, I am.”
Mr. Elliot walked in with three suits following behind him. That was never a good sign.
“Gentlemen, thank you for joining me.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw all three of our crew chiefs coming in and sitting down.
Mr. Elliot cleared his throat as he looked around the room. “I want to thank everyone for coming in for this meeting. It’s hard to believe the season starts up in two months, but I wanted to bring everyone in before the holidays and before we made a public announcement.”
I discretely took a look at both Emmit and Doug. Emmit didn’t seem the least bit phased by this meeting, whereas Doug looked how I felt.
“After much debate and talking to his crew chief, myself and his family, Emmit has decided he is going to be stepping down as one of Elliot Racing’s drivers.”
My stomach dropped as I snapped my head over to Emmit. “Are you kidding me?” I busted out as Emmit turned my way. “Why? Emmit, you’re at the top of your game. You just won the championship. You’re not even old for fuck’s sake!”
Laughter filled the room as Emmit smiled as he replied, “All the more reason to leave now.”
I dropped back in my seat as I sat there in a state of shock and barely heard anything else Mr. Elliot had said. Something about a new driver being brought up from the Xfinity Series.
Before I knew it, the meeting was over and the suits were all shaking Emmit’s hand and wishing him well. Once the room was cleared, it was just the two of us.
“Help me to understand this, Emmit. You’re walking away from your dream career. For as long as I’ve known you, this has been the life you wanted.”
His eyes turned soft as he walked up to me. He reached into his wallet and pulled out a picture and handed it to me. It was a picture of his son, Landon, and his wife, Adaline.
“Bullshit. You can’t tell me you’re quitting because of your family. Plenty of drivers have families, Emmit.”
With a sigh, Emmit reached for the picture as I handed it to him. “I know it’s hard for you to understand, but something in me has changed this last year or so. Don’t get me wrong, I love racing and I always will. This isn’t something Addie asked me to do either. She has been one-hundred-percent supportive.” Emmit pushed his hand through his hair and let out a laugh. “I’m not retiring . . . I’m just taking a step back. Exploring different things. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, trust me.”
“I’m stunned, dude. I’m speechless and that never happens. Is this truly what you want, Emmit?”
His eyes lit up with a happiness I longed for as he placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed it. “It really is. I’m honestly the happiest I have ever been in my life. I want to spend time with my family. I thought racing was my world; turns out it was a stepping block to the world I truly wanted.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. If Emmit was happy though, then so was I. “I’m happy for you then. But fuck . . . who am I going to bump with out there and piss off?”
With his head thrown back, Emmit let out roar of laughter. “Oh trust me, you piss off plenty of drivers; you don’t need me.”
“Welcome back home, Mr. Wallace.”
I pulled Nancy into my arms and gave her a hug. She kept me sane, kept my house cleaned, and made sure I had food. “Hey, Nancy. I missed your beautiful face.”
Her cheeks flushed as she lightly slapped me on the chest. “I’m old enough to be your mother, and trust me, you couldn’t keep up with me.”
And there was the other reason I loved her. She had a feisty spirit.
She took my coat from my hands and hung it up as I walked into the living room and headed to the kitchen. “I don’t know, Nancy, I’ve been told I’m a pretty good lover.”
“Pesh, stop talking nonsense. How was Texas?”
My heart ached at the mentioning of home. Sure, North Carolina was where I lived, but my true home was the three-thousand-acre ranch I owned in Crawford. This home was a four-thousand-square-foot museum for my mother to put shit in she bought while traveling.
“Texas was wonderful as always. The only reason I came back was for your chicken and dumplings.”
“Uh-huh. I’m sure it was.”
Nancy lived in the guesthouse behind the main house. There had been plenty of times she has walked in on more than one naked girl in this house. And every single time she preached to them about walking around a man’s home naked. She even brought one girl to tears. Damn what was that chick’s name?
“Who’s name?”
My head snapped over to look at her. “Huh?”
“You just asked, what was that chick’s name. Girls are not chickens, Malcolm.”
I grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and laughed. “I can’t believe I said that out loud. I was trying to think of the name of the girl who you made cry when you basically called her a whore for walking around my house naked.”
Nancy snarled her lip. “Oh. Her. Rhonda was her name I believe. Couldn’t have been but twenty-one.”
Placing the beer to my lips, I took a drink. “I like them young, Nancy. You should know that by now.”
She rolled her eyes and said, “All I know is when you come home I need to make sure I have Lysol wipes for my poor kitchen island.”
Laughing, I tried to remember the last time I fucked girl on my kitchen island. Oh yeah . . . Linda . . . the chick who does all the gardening.
“I ought to give Linda a call. See about some winter plants or something.”
Nancy glared at me and shook her head. “Get out of my kitchen and let me think clearly so I can make you some dinner, or are you going out tonight?”
“Actually, Emmit invited me over to dinner.”
Nancy’s mouth dropped. “Emmit? Emmit Lewis? Is this a good idea?”
I downed the rest of my beer as I kissed Nancy on the forehead. “I think it will be fine. He wants to show me his blissfully happy life and all that shit.”
“Or he found out you’re having sex with his sister and he is going to poison you.”
Tilting my head, I agreed. “There’s that too.”
My evening consisted of watching two people madly in love with each other exchange looks, kiss each other way more than needed and one over-the-top adorable baby who I couldn’t seem to give back to his mother.
Adaline sat down next to me and gave me that smile of hers. The one where she thinks she is going to have this great heart to heart with me and all the problems in my world will be solved.
“So . . .”
I held Landon and continued to make goofy faces at him. As long as he kept laughing, I was going to keep doing it.
“So what?” I asked.
Adaline leaned over to see where Emmit was. “You and Ashley still . . . you know?”
I completely ignored her which pissed her off. It was fun making Adaline mad. I really needed to do it more often.
“Don’t ignore me, Malcolm Wallace. I’ve carried your dirty little secret and I get to hear all the juicy details cause Ashley claims y’all are just . . . well you’re um . . . how do I say this?”
“Fucking?”
Adaline made a dramatic gasping sound. “Not in front of the baby!”
“Oh yeah, cause he totally understands what fucking is.”
“Oh my gawd! You did it again!” she cried out as Landon started laughing.
With a glance up toward the kitchen where Emmit still was, I shook my head. “I haven’t seen her in a few weeks. We decided to call it quits.”
Adaline fell back and clutched her chest. “Oh thank goodness. I was so afraid Emmit would find out.”
“Yeah well, no need to worry anymore; she found Jon.”
She leaned forward as she narrowed her eyes at me. “Does that bother you she found someone she likes?”
“No! I’m honestly happy for her. Surprised, but happy none the less.”
“Are you sure? Maybe the old Malcolm is getting tired of all the sleeping with women.”
Now it was my turn to gasp. Why did everyone think I was ready to settle down and be a one-woman kind of man? It was starting to piss me off. “Bite your tongue.” I handed her Landon and stood. “Speaking of.”
“Wait! Malcolm, seriously. You’re not ready to start looking at maybe settling down? Find someone who will be there when you fall asleep and when you wake up?”
An image of Casey flashed through my head as I tried like hell to make it go away. “I’ve got to go. I’ll show myself out. Tell Emmit I said thank you for dinner and I’ll talk to him soon.”
Her disappointed look made me feel guilty, but the last thing I wanted to talk about was my sex life.
“How about dinner on Sunday?” Adaline called out.
Lifting my hand, I gave her a wave. “I need to ease into this friendship thing with Emmit. Bye sweet, Addie. Thank you for dinner.”
As I opened the door, I heard Adaline laugh. “Bye, Malcolm!”
I spent the rest of the night trying to forget how I felt being around Emmit and Adaline. Trying desperately to ignore the pain in my chest as I longed for what they had. Trying to forget as I fucked some girl in the back seat of my truck who I picked up at a bar.