MARIA

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“WHATEVER YOU DO, YOU need to make sure Fin’s time is better than Johnny’s when all of this is done,” Jeffrey whispered, as we watched Fin driving down the driveway toward the gate.

“There’s no need for any dishonesty. Fin is going to win this race fair and square.”

“I hope so. Nothing will be worse for him than losing face in front of all his guests with you announcing the official results.”

I realized that Jeffrey and the other staff were all rooting very hard for Fin and it was clear that they loved him just as much as I did or liked him just as much, love was a word I wasn’t quite ready to use in connection with Fin.

Even though I didn’t agree with Jeffrey’s suggestion that I should cheat, I did see what he was saying about how bad it would be for Fin to lose face in front of everyone.

The race had now turned into more than just a little bit of fun. I knew that Johnny saw it as some kind of competition for my affection and I got the distinct impression that Fin understood the challenge.

Fin made it all the way to the gate and flipped his car to face us, ready for his run.

I slowly lifted the white handkerchief in my left hand and prepared myself to press the start button of the stopwatch with my right. Then I brought down the white handkerchief and Fin responded immediately by setting off on his run. The Ferrari looked like a red monster and it roared even louder than Johnny’s BMW had.

My heart drummed loudly as Fin got closer and closer to the fishpond. It looked as if he was going way too fast and I was afraid he was going to crash into the fishpond and get himself killed.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Fin’s girlfriend put both her hands in front of her mouth. I wasn’t the only one fearing for Fin’s safety.

Just when Fin looked as if there was no way for him to avoid crashing into the fishpond, he did some kind of handbrake turn or something and the Ferrari started turning around the left hand side of the pond.

I watched in absolute transfixed fascination as Fin maneuvered around the final turn. I let out a massive sigh of relief when he finally brought the Ferrari to a screeching halt in front of the house and the incredible cheers from the crowd jerked me back to reality.

Fin jumped out of his car.

Just then my heart went cold. I’d forgotten to press the ‘stop’ button on the stopwatch app!

Everyone was looking at me to announce Fin’s time and I wished that the ground would open and just swallow me up. I looked down at my cell phone and the timer on the stopwatch was still running.

“8.2 seconds. Tell them it was 8.2 seconds,” Jeffrey whispered under his breath and his voice freed me from my frozen state and spurred me into action.

“8.2 seconds!” I said.

Jeffrey took the cell phone out of my hand and quickly closed the timer app after he’d stopped the clock and erased all of the timekeeping data.

“Don’t worry, you were not dishonest. I was watching the stopwatch all the time and Fin’s time really was 8.2 seconds,” Jeffrey said with a smile as he handed me back my cell phone.

I was going to ask him how he’d managed to get such an accurate split second reading just by watching the stopwatch from a distance, but then decided against it.

I was just going to have to accept Jeffrey’s word and with the way Fin had driven his car he deserved to win the race anyway.

Fin walked toward me, ignoring his girlfriend’s attempts to get his attention. Without thinking, I ran to him and jumped right into his arms.

He caught me and swirled me around while everyone cheered. I felt like the happiest and luckiest girl in the entire world.

When he finally put me down, he looked straight into my eyes and there was such an incredibly real connection between us that I could almost touch it with my hands.

“Congratulations,” Johnny spoke up from somewhere behind me and when I turned around I saw him standing there with a less-than-happy expression on his face.

“Thank you, it was a close race and you drove really well,” Fin said and shook Johnny’s hand.

“Yes, it was a great race and there’s nothing to feel ashamed about,” I said and looked at Johnny with a slight pang of guilt.

I knew that Johnny would never question my integrity and that he assumed my timekeeping had been accurate. But the truth of what had happened with the stopwatch was something which I was fully prepared to take to my grave as an eternal secret and I knew that Jeffrey wouldn’t say anything about it either. As far as I was concerned, Fin was the legitimate winner of the race and that was the end of it.

“I really liked the way you handled your car,” Fin’s blonde friend said out of nowhere and smiled at Johnny as she joined the conversation.

She was clearly trying to play some kind of mind games with Fin. I wanted to slap her.

She didn’t even congratulate Fin on his victory and soon started chatting away with Johnny as if they’d been lifelong friends. Fortunately, Fin wasn’t letting any of this get to him and he took me by the arm and led me up the stairs back into the house.

He stopped when he got to the top and turned around to face the crowd.

“I’m opening up some of my best champagne. Please join me inside!”

I realized that his victory had meant a great deal to him. It was clear to me now that Jeffrey had been a hundred percent correct when he’d explained the gravity of the race to me, and I felt so grateful that he was there to assist me in my moment of need.

“I owe you one,” I whispered to Jeffrey as I walked past him in the hallway.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jeffrey whispered right back and flashed me half a smile before turning around to go and fetch some champagne from the cellar.

The pianist hit the first notes of a very lively song and soon everyone was dancing while Jeffrey and some of the other staff poured expensive French champagne for Fin and his guests.

I also had a glass of it and it tasted absolutely delicious. Fin was standing right next to me.

“This is incredible and I’m really glad I can share this moment with you,” Fin said.

I looked out over the dance floor and noticed that Johnny was dancing with Fin’s blonde lady friend, but I was flying so high that nothing in the world could diminish the joy I was feeling as I stood there with Fin in his moment of victory.