Heather was all smiles as she headed back to her post. The sunny day was perfect, and she felt as light as a leaf in a breeze. The night with Chance had been nothing short of magical, and her body was reminding her of it every second. She ached with sore muscles and a few bruises to go along with them. Each little hint of pain had been worth it.
Even the crowds and screaming engines couldn’t dampen her spirits. She wasn’t kidding herself, though. She knew there were many unanswered questions between her and Chance. The biggest one was downright scary. What happens after the race? Heather tried to put the question out of mind, but it wouldn’t budge.
Things with Chance were great, despite the issues. He was fun, kind, and most importantly, he made Heather feel safe. She didn’t know if that had ever existed with a partner before.
Any momentary happiness was cast aside when she saw Rob heading her way. Her heart rate shot through the roof, and sweat formed on her brow in an instant. There was nowhere Heather could hide, and she feared for the worst. He saw her, and the grin on his face was like falling into ice cold water.
There were people around, but Heather didn’t see Murphy around. Her supervisor usually wandered up and down pit lane checking on all the different yellow-shirts at each gate. Hell, he might be at lunch.
The back of her feet hit the concrete wall as she moved away from him. His smile was unmoving.
“Heather. How are you?”
Her voice quivered. “I’m ok. What are you doing here, Rob? We talked about this.”
“I know we did. I know.” He looked around, maybe to see if anyone was close enough to hear them. “Just wanted to come by and tell you that I saw you and your stick jockey.”
“Rob…”
He raised a hand, and for a second, Heather thought he would hit her. She flinched.
“No. I’ll give you a choice. Break up with him, or I turn you in. It’s pretty simple, really. And lucky you, it doesn’t involve me at all. I just don’t want to see you waste your time on that asshole.”
He turned without another word and walked away.
Heather’s hand was across her heart, processing what had just happened and trying to calm herself down. Despite the huge crowd out for the last day of qualifying, Heather felt desperately and deeply alone. She looked around at all the strangers paying her no mind, and she felt isolated and terrified.
The last thing Heather wanted to do was run to Chance. She wasn’t stupid. For whatever reason, Chance didn’t want her near his team. She figured it was because things were brand new, and they could just as easily break off. No sense in introducing people when it might not last through the end of the month.
That was painfully evident, but Heather had nowhere else to turn. She had already talked to Murphy, and it hadn’t gotten her anywhere with Rob. He was still stalking her, and Heather couldn’t do anything about it.
She only had one choice. She had to go to Chance, even if he didn’t like it.
She wandered through Gasoline Alley, looking at the signs above each garage. Chance’s name wasn’t up there, but she recognized the driver that he replaced; Billy Moore. There were a few mechanics inside, furiously pouring over the IndyCar. For a few moments, she stood silent, hoping someone would look up and see her. No one did.
“Um, I’m looking for Chance.” She sounded so small. Heather hated how Rob made her feel.
A smaller man looked up at her, one eyebrow cocked. “Ok. And who are you?”
“I’m Heather.” She realized from his look that Chance hadn’t mentioned her. That stung, but it had only been a day. “Is Chance around?”
Maybe the worry in her voice was enough to strike a chord with the man. “He’s with the team owner going over some financial stuff. Is it urgent?”
She hated that it had come to this. With a nod, Heather fought back the tears and the fear that was choking her up. It made her feel so weak, and Heather hated that feeling. Rob had done a number on her. She had let him do a number on her.
“Wait here. If you want to, of course.”
She stepped into the garage, careful not to lay a foot near any of the parts scattered along the floor. She had seen one car with the body panels off, but it was nothing like the car in the garage before her. There were thousands of tiny components scattered round the garage. Heather marveled that it all fit together, and the mechanics knew how each part went back together. She had once tried to fix her hair dryer, and that endeavor ended with a kitchen table littered with little plastic parts that didn’t mean anything to her. Heather swept them all into the trash and bought a new one.
The man walked through a door at the back of the garage. Heather, hands crossed over her chest, leaned against the wall. There was a sense of comfort in the small space, even surrounded by the unknown. She hated that the unknown was less scary than Rob.
Closing her eyes, Heather tried something that had never occurred to her; she tried to find a happy place. She tried the beach, but all she could think about was sand getting everywhere. That was no good. The woods came to her mind’s eye. Before she could find peace, Heather was imagining the mosquitoes swarming around her looking for a meal.
The deep chill of the Rocky Mountains came to her. A light breeze iced over her skin, pulling the hair on her shoulders back. Clouds were clinging to the peaks of snow-capped mountains. The best part? Heather couldn’t see any sign of civilization beyond a small log cabin with wisps of smoke rising from a chimney.
“Hey, Heather.” Chance’s voice yanked her from the daydream, which had done its job, calming her.
Heather opened her eyes to see a concerned Chance standing before her, a tight, white t-shirt covered in grease and god-knows what else. He looked so different from the man in the driver’s suit. He looked like a country boy working on his truck. She had to smile. Her imagination was running wild.
“Sorry, but I didn’t know who else to come to.” Any calm that had come to her was gone. “Rob is threatening to get me fired.”
Heather saw Chance go from concern to anger. The transition was quick. His face flushed red, like it had the night before in the throes of passion. “God damnit. We’re not playing this game. He had a chance to back down, and he didn’t take it. We’re done with that. Heather, I’m sorry you have to deal with this guy, but not much longer.”
Her heart raced. The last thing Heather wanted to do was make waves. “Look, I never expected any of this when I started this job. I just needed something to get me through the summer. I grew up on two hundred acres in Texas, and I had a horse named Willy. I wasn’t allowed to go riding by myself, but one day I did. I loved riding, but before I knew it, I was lost, and it was getting dark. I was maybe six or seven. The later it got, the more I was panicking trying to find some familiar landmark. Finally, I let go of the reigns, and Willy turned and headed home. He led me straight back to the house.”
“I bet your parents were relieved.”
Heather smiled, but shook her head. “I don’t remember relief. I remember anger, more than anything. I feel like I’m six, again, Chance. I’m lost.”
Chance took her hand in his, clasping it tight to his chest. “None of this is your fault. Seriously. You didn’t know Rob was a psycho. Why don’t you hang out here for the rest of the day? I’ll clear it with the team.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
Her brow furrowed. “Because it’s my job, Chance. I need to work. I have bills to pay. I have an apartment, I have student loans, I have responsibilities.”
She hadn’t meant for the words to cut so deep into Chance, but she knew instantly that they did. Chance had his own responsibilities and problems. Heather made it sound like he was living on easy street, when she knew that he was flat broke, spending everything he had on one last shot at his dream.
“I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “No. Don’t be sorry.”
“I don’t know why I came to you. This is my problem, not yours. You have enough to worry about. I have no idea how you’re going to make this thing a running car by tonight. All I’m doing is adding more to your plate, and maybe that’s a bad thing.”
“What are you saying?”
Heather didn’t know what she was saying. Her mind was racing, nowhere near that secluded winter cabin where she had found a temporary peace. “I think you and I should cool it until things are a little more stable.”
Before he could try and change her mind, Heather left the garage and disappeared into the flow of race fans flowing through Gasoline Alley.