Fifteen
Gineva
I use my key to sneak into the back door of Sway’s so I can get this reform plan done before anyone realizes I’m here. I can tell from the loud chatter filtering in off the salon floor that everyone is busy. I hit Print on the computer and prepare for Sway to have a grown man meltdown when I show him the new shop rules. Rules that he too will need to follow in order to get things turned around.
I’ve been in contact with Maddox a couple of times, but only managed to get a grunted, “It’s under control” and “don’t worry about a thing” from him. But if we can’t figure out who’s been skimming money from the shop, then we’ll be relying solely on this reform in order to turn things around.
“There’s my glowing girl!”
Shit, Sway found me.
“Give it up girl! How was he? Hmm? Are those scratchy beards all they’re cracked up to be?” He fans himself, the bangles on his wrist clinking wildly together. “Spill it, child.”
“I’m not spilling shit.” I try to feign innocence, but the heat creeping up my cheeks is not helping my case. I raise an eyebrow. “We need to talk business.”
“Uh uh uh. Sway is not talking business until you give me something. I need to know if those pistons in his hips move as fast as the ones in his car.” He humps the air.
I shake my head. Crazy old man.
“What about the beard? I told Davey he just had to grow one. Ever since I cut that man’s hair and trimmed his beard… mmm mmm mmm. I’ve been having lumbersexual fantasies like you would not believe.” Now he has both hands fanning himself.
“I’ll give you one thing and then it’s work, so pick your poison.”
“Beard!” He jazzhands.
My blush turns to fire on my skin. “Oh, Sway… I hope Davey can grow some hair fast, because that beard?” The memory of the way it felt on my thighs, brushing my clit, tickling my nipples… “It’s a game changer.”
“Oh, girl, Sway may need a long lunch break.” He slouches back in the chair.
***
We hold a mandatory meeting that night at the salon, and everyone is in attendance: Lyn, Maddi, Stella, Dani, Tammy Jo, and Amy. I know I’m going to get a little resistance, but if I’m going to get Sway back on track, this has to be done.
“Okay, ladies, I don’t know if you all fully understand why I’ve been here the last few days, so that’s what this meeting is about. Sway has been beyond generous with you over the years, and I can tell, just through observation, that not all of you are carrying your weight.”
The room erupts at my accusation.
“Ladies!” I use two fingers to silence the room with an ear numbing whistle. “You need to wait until I’m done talking before you jump me. This is not your shop, it’s Sway’s, and right now Sway has put me in charge. So everyone sit down and listen for once.”
The room settles, and Tammy Jo twists her hair around her finger and murmurs something under her breath. I level her with a stare and she finally shuts her mouth.
“Number one of the new shop rules.” I pause, making sure I have everyone’s attention. “Get to work on time.” I check the girls expressions, seeing if they realize how ridiculous it is that I even need to point this out. Not all the girls are guilty of this, but it’s important to make sure everyone is presented with the same information.
With every new rule I tick off—from prohibiting calling off at the last minute for unacceptable reasons, all the way to not helping clean when they have down time—bristles the girls’ feathers even more. By the end though, most of them agree that they can all do better to help Sway. I don’t think they realize that everything extra he did for them came at a price for him.
“And from here on out, no one asks Sway for money unless they’ve earned it.” The room is dead silent, and I fight not to make eye contact with Tammy Jo. “Now if you girls have any questions, feel free to stay after and we can discuss them. Otherwise, you’re free to go.”
Dani Cage pulls me aside at the end of the meeting. She’s the floor manager, and I know for a fact that she’s more aware of what goes on around here than the others. “Hey, I just wanted you to know that I’m glad you’re taking some initiative with this. Sway needed to do this a long time ago, but that would include him taking on some of the rules himself.” She raises a knowing eyebrow.
“Thanks for your support. I’m going to need you to be the eyes and ears on the shop floor for me. I don’t think Sway sees everything that happens right under his nose. He’s so busy spreading joy, I think he forgets that not everyone is cut from the same cloth.”
“I agree.” She cuts her eyes toward Tammy Jo, and we watch her walk outside to where her thug of a boyfriend is waiting on the sidewalk. “He’s bad news. Watch him if he comes into the shop.”
I nod. I sure as hell hope Maddox can find something soon.
I find Amy emptying the trash cans and wish everyone would take notice. “Hey, you don’t have to do that. I’ve kept you over long enough. Head on home for the night.”
“Oh, I don’t mind.” She looks at her watch. “Though I suppose I should go check on my grandma. She’s not been feeling well.”
“Have a good night.”
I lock the front door behind her and go find Sway in the back room. “Now we need to talk.” I sit down across from him at his desk.
He’s slouched back in his chair, sporting a glitter eye mask. Why he keeps one in his office is beyond me. “I don’t like that tone, child. I just let you boss my girls around. Sway can’t take anymore.” He slings an arm across his forehead, clearly overwhelmed.
“Well if you want to save this salon, you’re going to have to.” I hate being firm with my sweet friend, but we need to get through this so he can get back on track. “I’ve rewritten your budget… and for the time being, I’ve seized your Hobby Mart credit card.”
He gasps in shock, pulling the mask from his eyes. Leveling me with his shocked expression. “You didn’t!”
“I did. You have to slow down. You’re going to bankrupt this place on glitter alone.” That’s not entirely true, but I know Sway will only do half of what I say, so overkill is key here.
“But—”
“And no free handouts.”
“But—”
“Just for the time being. Once I get everything on track and get your books aligned, I’ll give you back your glitter privileges.”
He sags in relief.
“With a cap,” I add.
He grumbles a little, but deep down, I’m sure he knows I’m only looking out for his best interests. “Fine.”
***
“Hey, Amy, wait up for a second.” I catch her right before she leaves the shop on Friday night. “Most of us are heading to the race to watch Jarrett tomorrow, so that’s only going to leave you and Tammy Jo at the shop at closing time.” I check my surroundings to make sure no one will overhear. “Do you mind being the last one to leave? Just keep an extra eye on everything for me?”
“Absolutely,” she says without hesitation.
“Thanks, I really appreciate it. I just wanted to make sure everything would be closed up properly.” I feel better now about being away for the entire day tomorrow.
***
The next day, I head off early to Caleb and Honor’s house, since they offered to let me a ride with them to Atlanta Dragway. Sway and all the other women and children are coming as well, since Juice reserved a suite, but I wanted to spend a little time with Honor since we haven’t had much over the last couple days. She’s become an instant friend, and since she’s Jarrett’s family now, I feel the need to get to know her a little better.
Horns blare as a parade of minivans, trucks, and SUVs pull up in front of their house. Familiar faces are visible through the windows. Every member of the Corps Security crew, along with their kids and grandkids, fill the caravan of vehicles.
“Move it girls! We’re going to be late.” Caleb’s already heading for the door.
I look at the clock and then at Honor in question.
“Caleb is like this every time Jarrett races. Just smile, nod, and roll with it. If you try to explain to him that we have more than enough time, he’ll pace and sweat, then look at you like you stole his toys.” She pats my arm. “As a matter of fact, just follow my lead.”
“Girls! Truck. Now.”
Honor wordlessly grabs her bag, and I trail her out the door behind a jogging Caleb. After loading ourselves into his truck, horns blare again as he makes his way down the driveway and leads the parade. The line of vehicles never stops honking until we hit the highway. It’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever been a part of, this show of support for my man.
My man.
I let his new title run through my veins and fill my system with happiness.
***
The suite is beautiful—and air conditioned, thank God. I guess normally just the guys come, and they usually like to get all up in the mix, going down into the pits when they prime the cars, getting spots in the stands so they can actually feel the rumble in their chests when the dragsters rip down the quarter-mile stretch. But since today is such a big day in Jarrett’s career, as he competes for the Southern World Nationals, he got the suite so the girls and the kids could come as well without having to sit in the baking sun or deal with the headphones everyone should wear at these events.
I walk up to the glass and have a perfect view of the track. It looks right over the starting line and straight out to the finish. When Jarrett’s Parks Oil Team car pulls up for its run, my pulse rockets, nervous sweat sheening on my skin.
“You can do this, baby. One more win and it's championship time,” I whisper.
And no sooner does he take off than it’s over.
“He did it!” The room erupts, everyone out of their seats. Even the girls.
“One more race and he’ll be the champion!” That was Greg. “Speedy Gonzales is going to bring home the championship!”
I laugh and take a moment to look around at the family Juice has made for himself. All these men and women from Hope Town have come to support him, pride on all their faces.
His dad, Marcus, is getting interviewed right now, so we all quiet down to listen. He’s Jarrett’s crew chief and, from what I understand, the greatest motor head around.
***
An hour later, it’s crunch time. I’ve got the nervous sweats again like it’s nobody's business, and I want to watch and not watch all at the same time. I can’t decide if I should plaster my body to the window or watch the TVs on the wall. Caleb is pacing like a caged animal, and when I look around, I find all the men doing something similar. Axel is tugging his hair, Beck is rubbing the back of his neck. Even Maddox is rocking back and forth on his feet. The girls all seem to huddle together to stay out of the boys’ way while entertaining the little ones.
Oh shit, he’s up. He’s the last one to go down the strip and he has to beat the current number one speed of 331.16. He does his last burnout and pulls his funny car toward the tree. Marcus lines him up with a precision I’ve never witnessed before. I’ve secretly watched Jarrett race over the years, but until you see it in person, watching those cars line up within a millimeter of the start line, you simply can’t image the perfection with which they line up that nose.
I don’t feel ready. I bite my nail. Faster than I thought possible, the tree lights up, then each light drops off one at a time. Yellow… yellow… yellow… green! Oh shit! My hands hit the glass and my heart beats wildly. Less than four seconds later, the men are jumping and hollering like lunatics. A speed of 332.85 lights up the jumbotron at the end of the track. Holy shit! He came in a mile per hour faster.
“He did it!” I scream. Excitement tightens my chest and I smile so big it hurts. Pride and tears fill my eyes.
His parachute is out and the car pulls out of sight. I run back to the monitor Honor, Dani, and Maddi are huddling around, and we hug each other and watch the screen. His dad flies up to meet him on a golf cart and all but pulls him from his car when the body is lifted up and off him.
The announcer has Jarrett off to the side already. “That was one hell of a ride you had today. You broke your PR and will be taking home the championship.”
“Dad has been tweaking this motor for the last few months and we’ve finally nailed the perfect balance.”
“It’s not just the motor. We’ve been watching you take this track for the last couple days and you’ve been on fire since you showed up. What’s changed since your last race?”
Juice’s full white smile pops out behind that blonde beard. “For the first time in nine years, my head is clear. Nothing left to slow me down.”
His words take hold, and I’m floating on a cloud. That is, until a half-dressed female comes up with Parks Oil Team stretched across her huge chest. She grabs his face and kisses him, right on camera. My chest constricts and I turn my head, unable to look for another second. Powerless to hide my hurt, I head off to go hide in the bathroom to try to regain my cool. I know he wouldn’t cheat on me, and certainly not on camera, but every insecurity I have is like an open wound right now. I feel like the girl I used to be, too afraid to tell him how I felt because of the other women I always figured were in his life.
The bathroom door slowly opens and I duck into one of the stalls before they see me.
“Gineva?” It’s Honor. She must have followed me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” I sniffle. Even I could hear the lie in that response.
Her little Nike-covered feet come to the stall door, but she doesn’t try to open it. “Gin… I just want you to know that I understand exactly what you’re going through. And if you ever need anyone to talk to, I’ll always be here.”
“You do?” How could she know? The beautiful blonde on the other side of the door looks like she was sculpted from sunshine and married to her biggest fan.
“Are you kidding me?” She laughs, and I let the sound calm me. “They used to call me Bug when I was a kid. Even Caleb.”
“What?” Surely that can’t be true.
“It’s a long story we can share over wine, but let’s just say I know what it feels like to be insecure. I also know what it feels like to watch women go blatantly after your man.”
I never thought about it until now, but Caleb is a UFL god. She probably has to deal with this sort of shit on a daily basis. I forget sometimes who all of these people are outside of their small town because there, they’re just good ol’ people. I forget that all of the women I’m surrounded by have probably dealt with their share of craziness.
I open the bathroom door, and she wraps me in her arms. “Like I said earlier, just follow my lead.”
“Thank you.” In that moment, I wonder how I’m ever going to pull myself away from this perfect little town filled with more people to love than I could have ever imagined.
***
It’s late when we finally get back to Caleb and Honor’s house. Jarrett had a lot to do and won’t be driving back to Hope Town until tomorrow.
When we get out of the car, I stretch. “Thanks for everything today, you guys. I’m going to head over to Sway’s house.”
“You can stay here, you know,” Honor offers again.
“I know, but my stuff is over there. It will just be easier.” I also want to swing by the shop and grab the money so that it’s not left there overnight, and make sure the day’s totals all balance out. “I’ll see you guys later.”
I head straight for the salon and enter through the back door. As soon as I step into the dark office, I notice a flash of light coming from the front.
“Who’s there?” I yell. “Hello?”
I follow the light, then suddenly I’m hit hard over the head. My hands and knees smack the floor from the force of the blow.
“Stay down.” A familiar voice sinks into my ringing ears. “I don’t want to have to hurt you.”
I turn my head to look, and before I can see who’s standing over me, a click sounds. Oh my god, she just cocked a gun.
“I said stay down!” She puts the gun to the back of my head, her hands shaking and making me more afraid that she’ll shoot me by accident rather than on purpose. She pushes the steel against my skull. “You aren’t supposed to be here!”
I can’t decide if I’m scared or angry. Who am I kidding? I’m fucking scared.
“Amy…” I try to soothe her, maybe talk her out of doing something crazy. I cannot believe how wrong I read the situation. “Please, don’t do anything stupid. We can figure something out.”
“Bullshit. You just had to come in here and fuck everything up!” The gun shakes harshly against my head.
I send up a prayer that I’ll survive this, and my mind goes right to Juice. How I might never see him again. How I’ve wasted so many years being stubborn, and now that I finally have him back, this crazy bitch is going to try to take it away. All for a little bit of money.
“Please, Amy, just let me go and I promise I won’t tell anyone.” Pleading my way out of this might be the only thing I can do. “Just please put the gun down. If you shoot me, your life will be over.”
“Not if I get away.” She seems to find some resolve, and the gun feels hard and steady against me now. “No one will ever guess it was me. Not in a million years will I be questioned. I can shoot you right now and no one will ever come looking at me.” Confidence fills her voice. “But if you walk out this door, I may as well walk myself straight down to the jail.”
Blood whooshes in my ears as sweat breaks out all over my skin. I think she’s really going to shoot me. “I promise, Amy, I won’t. Just let me go.”
“Quit saying my name!” she screams.
The metal is pulled away, and I decide in that split second that if I don’t try to get out of here, I never will. I whip my arm around and knock her off balance, then I scramble off the floor and hope that the darkness will hide me as I run for the back door.
“You bitch!” She’s a bigger, much taller girl, and her legs make up the distance before she tackles me.
My head hits the floor with a thump and stars burst behind my eyelids, but I don’t stop struggling. I keep trying to army crawl from under her, but it’s useless. She has me pinned, and before I even have a chance to catch my breath…
Click click click. “What the fuck!” Click click click.
I wait for the rush of pain that should come from the bullets hitting my back. The gun is pressed so tightly to my spine that it takes me a moment to realize it must be empty. Adrenaline fuels me and I try to move again.
“Get the fuck off of her,” I hear right before my head is pulled back and slammed against the floor.