Harlan

 

“Harlan, when you come in this time, listen to what I’m tellin’ you. Try to feel the car while watchin’ the crew. Keep your eye on Ken especially, he’ll give you a gesture.” Cade’s husky, baritone voice filled my helmet and made me shiver as I flew around the track. Hours, we’d been at it for two hours, and still, his voice affected me. The entire time, the pit crew practiced, I tried desperately to ignore how Cade’s voice made me feel and learn how to make these stops work.

I’d sent my grandfather off with Toni and Julius to look at the house. I wanted to make sure the house would work for us before we left for Bristol, but I needed to get this right. Sending my grandfather was the next best thing.

“Ten-four,” I said simply as I downshifted the car and brought it down pit road. Lou coached me on how to read the tach and keep my speed where I needed it to be in Bristol.

“Okay, Harlan, as you pull into your stall, you’ll see the front tire changer already rounding the car. Make sure when your pit sign hits the middle of your hood you stop completely.”

I watched Ken, the front tire changer, out of the corner of my eye as I kept my gaze trained on the pit sign. The moment it hit the hood and bent slightly I was stopped completely. Ken was around the car and the whir of the air gun filled the interior, barely audible through my helmet.

“Very good. That was perfect,” Cade acclaimed. His deep, smooth voice calmed something inside me while simultaneously making my heart rate go into overdrive. I thought Julius’ voice and presence were sexy, but he had nothing on Cade. Where my heart had fluttered a little the first time I saw Julius, my heart raced hearing and seeing Cade. Even after hours of work, I still felt it and it was incredibly distracting.

“Now feel the car drop and watch Ken run around the car again,” Cade coached. “The moment you feel the car drop, get your foot on the gas.”

I did as he instructed. Car in gear, foot on the clutch and ready to jam the other on the gas. The car dropped to the ground, and Ken’s quick thumbs up told me to go. Tires squealing, I pulled back onto pit road, watching my speed as I went.

“That was very good,” Cade praised. “How did that feel this time.”

“Good; smooth. Almost like I knew what I was doing this time.” A realization hit me as I raced around the track for several more laps. “How am I going to pull this off in Bristol without your coaching?” I mumbled more to myself than to Cade.

“Lou will coach you through. But keep your eye on Ken, he’ll guide you also.” Cade assured. “Don’t worry.”

I hadn’t meant for him to hear my concern, but it was too late. I guess it was okay, it felt good being assured I would have someone guiding me during the race.

“Harlan,” Lou sounded in my ears, “come on in, you worked hard enough. We’ve gotta get ready to go to the airport.”

I pulled the car around the building and into the garage where the crew waited. Lou and Cade talked to each other, nearby. Cade’s muscular arms were crossed over his massive chest, a sincere smile on his face. Bugger, that dimple might just drive me crazy. It was a little touch of innocence on a hard, granite face that could bring any woman to her knees. What was I going to do? I’d never felt these feelings for any man I’d been with before. All these years and it was a man I work with that got my heart racing. Part of me wished he’d be the voice I would hear during the race, but I knew it wouldn’t do anything but distract me.

Sliding out the window and sitting on the door, I looked around at the crew, my crew, before jumping down to the ground. This could be my team, I just had to make a good showing at Bristol.

“Very nice job, Harlan. How did it feel?” Lou asked.

“It’s perfect. Everything was perfect.” I looked around at the crew. “How did I do on those last stops?”

“I think you got it,” Ken said. Ken was probably mid-thirties, with reddish-brown hair and kind brown eyes. I was happy that none of these guys seemed at all put out by the fact that their driver was a woman. I’d experienced my share of sexism over the years, but these guys didn’t seem to have a problem. Hopefully I’d proven myself enough to start to earn their trust.

I turned to Cade and looked at him, imploring him also to answer the question. After all, he was the trainer. I imagined he knew more about both sides of the job than anyone else.

He nodded and gave a small crooked grin. His dark blue jean colored eyes sparkled, and that dimple deepened in his cheek. My heart felt like it would leap out of my chest. Damn, hopefully I could get over this reaction to him.

“I think you got it at the end. Just be as observant as possible. Listen to Lou and watch Ken, you’ll do fine.”

I understood I needed to rely on Lou, but something was calming about Cade and the way he spoke to me. “Wish you were going to be there too.”

He smiled wider this time, and that damn dimple deepened even more. Feck, he’s gorgeous. I wanted to touch it and feel that small dent in his perfectly tanned skin. I bet his skin was perfect; warm and soft with the slight stubble on his unshaven cheeks. Would that stubble be rough and grating or soft to the touch? I wanted to find out for myself.

“I’ll be in the fifty-five pits,” he said with a smirk. “You’ll be fine, these guys are great and know their stuff better than me.”

I ducked my head just a bit, embarrassed. I didn’t want Lou or Ken to think I second guessed them, I just wanted to hear Cade’s voice as I raced.

The conversation broke up after that. The crew pushed the car farther into the garage while I went into the ladies’ locker room to clean up and put on my street clothes.

“How’re you doin’?” Toni asked when I walked into the locker room. “How’re you feelin’ about the pit stops now?”

“So much better now,” I said with a sigh. Toni was brushing out her long hair. The dark length fell smooth and straight down her back. The lights above glinting off every strand. This woman looked so different in street clothes. She fit in with the guys in her uniform, but in her tight jeans and a fitted t-shirt, she was one of the most beautiful women I’d ever seen. “I can’t believe I’m here. It’s like a dream.”

“Well, I was watchin’ your practice when we got back from checking out the house. You did great. Caught on quickly and the guys seemed to adjust well to your drivin’. Gettin’ the crew’s trust is half the battle, and you seem to be well on your way. It helps that Cade could be there to help y’all. They trust him, so seein’ you listenin’ to his advice, helped.”

My heart fluttered again just thinking about him. Maybe it was a good thing he wasn’t on my team, I’d never been able to race if I had to see him and hear him constantly. “He was very helpful.” I averted my eyes, worried she’d see something in their depths that gave away my attraction to him. Attempting to change the subject, I asked, “What did my grandfather think of the house?”

“He said you’d love it and that it was perfect. He’s in the daycare with Dillon right now.”

“Okay, thank you.” I continued to change and get ready to leave while Toni talked.

“So, where are you from?”

“I was born in America,” I explained. “We moved to Ireland because my father drove Formula One. I just returned a little over a month ago to be closer to my grandfather.”

“Is Ireland as beautiful as they say?” she asked.

“It’s amazing, honestly. But so is America.” I could have loved Ireland. I could have stayed there forever, but once my parents were gone, it never really felt like home. To me, Ireland, after my parents died was more like living in prison. Yes, it was a nice prison, but it was still my personal hell.

“I’ve seen most of this country, so seein’ somethin’ new would be great.”

“It’s worth the trip, if that’s what you’re wonderin’. No doubt about that. Connemara National Park and the Gleniff Horseshoe are beautiful, and the old castles are amazing.”

“I’ll remember that.” She paused for a moment, then continued. “So, are you married? Your little boy is adorable.”

The ‘get to know you’ phase had officially begun. Of course, these questions would come up. It shouldn’t be a big deal. All I wanted to do was move on with my life and forget the past.

“No. No husband or boyfriend. Dillon was unplanned, but he’s everything to me. He’s the reason I wanted to return to America.” Short, sweet, and to the point. “What about you? You’re engaged to Julius, right?”

“Yes.” Her brown eyes sparkled with joy. “We met last year when I was assigned to an internship with Kyle.”

“That’s exciting. And now you’re the car chief?”

She studied me again, a flicker of frustration or maybe anger in her eyes. Immediately she became defensive. “It’s not like that.”

“I’m sorry,” I quickly apologized. “I didn’t mean to offend. I just meant that you must be very talented to rise to such a position so quickly. I didn’t mean that it had anything to do with Julius.”

Toni’s body seemed to relax. “I’m sure you wouldn’t be surprised by how many times I’ve been asked if I have my job because I’m marryin’ the driver. I get a little defensive.” She paused then smiled. “We’d better get outta here, we have to get to our flight.”