Old Flame, New Sparks

by Day Leclaire

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “WELL, FANS, we’ve made it through the first four weeks of racing and it’s been full of nonstop action and hijinks. We’ve had crunches and crashes, fines and penalties, bumper-to-bumper finishes and a guaranteed win stolen by a final lap crash.

  “We’ve also seen our youngest NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver dealing with the family curse. Yes, folks, despite some impressive finishes that have moved Jinx Junior into the top half of the points standing, the youngster continues to be plagued by the run of bad luck that followed his famous father throughout Jinx’s stellar career. Bad pit stops, blown tires and, of course, that spectacular crash at Daytona, have left fans hoping for the best for NASCAR’s latest teen heartthrob…but fearing the worst!”

  “HEY, KID, WAIT UP.”

  The sound of Cole’s voice had Jamie pausing outside his Bristol garage. Ever since that night after the Daytona race, he’d done his best to maintain a friendly, if safe, distance from his fellow driver. He suspected Cole knew it, too. But if it bothered the older driver, he hadn’t let on.

  “Problem?” Jamie asked.

  Cole dropped a companionable arm around Jamie’s shoulders and ushered him away from the noise and activity surrounding the garages. “Listen. I’ve been meaning to apologize to you for a while now.”

  “Forget it. It’s over.”

  At least, Jamie hoped so. It had taken a lot of work to recover some of the ground he’d lost. After four weeks of being on his best behavior, he still hadn’t fully regained Leo Farmer’s trust. And even Stephanie would glance at him periodically with a worried frown that made him want to kick himself for having been so stupid.

  Cole grimaced. “Yeah, well. I wasn’t thinking about the consequences of our little adventure and I should have. I thought we’d let off some steam and instead I got you into serious trouble. I’m really sorry.” He lifted an eyebrow. “We good? You’re not too ticked off with me?”

  Jamie relaxed, slipping back into the old, familiar relationship the two of them had shared before the season had started. “Sure. We’re cool.”

  “What about your sponsor? Food Basket giving you grief?”

  “Leo Farmer watches me like a hawk.” Jamie shrugged. “But that’s only to be expected.”

  “Rough deal.” Cole scraped a hand along his jaw. “I’ve been in a predicament or two over the years. Mind if I make a suggestion?”

  “So long as it doesn’t involve piggyback wrestling, I’d appreciate it.”

  Cole grinned. “I think we both learned our lesson with that one.” His smile faded. “It’s real simple. Grovel, apologize, talk it through. Do whatever it takes, so long as you’re up-front with them from now on. You can’t fake your way out of this one, kid. You have to mean it or Farmer will see right through you.”

  “But, I do mean it.”

  Cole nodded in satisfaction. “Then you’re halfway there. Just keep it up and they’ll ease off in time.”

  Jamie felt reluctant to risk the next question, but there wasn’t anyone else he felt comfortable asking. “There’s just one thing I’m not sure how to handle.”

  “I don’t suppose her name is Stephanie?”

  Jamie ducked his head and grinned. “It might be.”

  “She’s Farmer’s daughter, isn’t she?”

  “Yeah. She’s wonderful. Sweet. Smart. Pretty.”

  “Let me be frank with you, kid. Having an affair with a sponsor’s daughter is risky.”

  Jamie could feel himself turning brick-red. “We’re not having an affair,” he muttered.

  “Might as well be.” Cole paused by the pit wall and took a seat. “You need to understand something. You decide to date the Stephanies in this world, you’re going to wake up one day with a leash attached to the collar you’re suddenly wearing. Once she’s got that collar on you, one wrong move and you’re tagged, bagged and smiling up at the coroner. The way I see it, you’ve got two choices.”

  Jamie perched on the wall next to the other driver. “Stop piggyback wrestling?”

  Cole laughed. “That would be one.”

  “And the other?”

  “Ditch her. She’s not worth the aggravation.”

  Jamie stared in shock. “No way. I really like her.”

  “Then we’re back to option one. You need to be on your best behavior.” Cole winked. “Got it?”

  Relaxing ever so slightly, Jamie nodded. “Got it. Thanks.”

  “Since I’m responsible for your being in this mess, giving you a few pointers is the least I can do.” He hesitated. “I’ve got to tell you, one of the things that’s been bothering me most about all this is the trouble we’ve caused your mom.” A frown creased his brow. “Although I have an idea how you can make it up to her.”

  Jamie went on instant alert. He’d felt nothing but guilt over just that issue. If Cole had a solution, he was all over it. “What? What can I do?”

  “Nah, forget it. She wouldn’t appreciate my mentioning it.”

  “I won’t tell her.”

  Cole shot Jamie a look that had him stiffening in alarm. “I’m serious, kid. This has to stay strictly between the two of us.”

  “Absolutely.”

  Cole made a point of glancing around. “Have you noticed that we’re sitting at one of the best short tracks on the circuit? And Martinsville will be next week. Another top-notch short track.”

  Jamie nodded. Despite his confusion at the change in subject, he couldn’t conceal his enthusiasm. “I can’t wait. I’ve always done well at short track racing.”

  “I seem to remember a few races where you were able to put the bumper to your competition and move them out of the way without incurring the wrath of any of the officials. It was smooth. Very smooth.”

  “Right…” Jamie shook his head in bewilderment. “So?”

  “So, you know how easy it is to get into someone, accidentally, of course,” he hastened to add. “Seems like a good opportunity to move one of your current competitors out of the way with no one being the wiser.” At Jamie’s continued look of bafflement, a hint of exasperation crept into Cole’s voice. “You like the idea of someone coming in and stealing your inheritance, kid? Or do you want to make sure that doesn’t happen?”

  Jamie couldn’t conceal his shock. “You mean…wreck Bad? On purpose?”

  “Did I say that? I said accidentally. I distinctly heard myself say it. Just accidentally enough to maybe knock him out of the top twelve in points.” Cole clapped Jamie on the shoulder. “Think about it. I guarantee your mother would appreciate it. Unless you want her to lose the business?”

  With that pointed jab, the older driver stood and walked off, leaving Jamie more confused than he’d been before Cole had approached. One question remained uppermost in his mind.

  What did he do now?

  “RELAX, KELLIE. I’m not going to attack you.”

  Lucas stepped into her motor home and watched in amusement as warm color saturated her cheeks. For the past four weeks—ever since Daytona—she’d been a bundle of nerves whenever they’d been alone together. Maybe it was that kiss, that amazing, incredible kiss they’d shared in her office. He’d expected the hit he’d taken physically from their embrace. But he hadn’t expected the other consequences that had come with it.

  First there’d been the overwhelming need to have her again. To kiss her. To hold her. To touch every inch of her.

  But of more concern than the physical were the sensations he had whenever they were together. As often as he attempted to deny it, there was an emotional element surging just beneath the surface. Dangerous emotions. Emotions he had no right to feel. Emotions he had no intention of experiencing ever again. He’d been burned twice by women he’d misread. He wouldn’t allow it to happen ever again. Particularly with this woman.

  “I didn’t think you were going to attack me,” she instantly denied. “I just didn’t expect you.”

  “I wouldn’t be here, except we’ve got a problem,” Lucas info
rmed her.

  “Of course we do.”

  She released a sigh, rubbing the nape of her neck. She often wore her hair up when she worked. Maybe she thought it gave her a more businesslike appearance. As far as he was concerned, piling all that weight on top of her head made her look more fragile, the hairstyle emphasized the vulnerable sweep of her neck.

  “Have a seat.” She gestured toward the couch. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

  He made himself comfortable on the thick leather cushions. Leaning forward, he rested his forearms on his knees and held her with a direct look. “You have to bite the bullet and fire Jamie’s crew chief. It’s not working out and you need someone who knows what they’re doing here and at Martinsville.”

  He’d caught her off guard and she shook her head in denial. “Lucky’s been in this business for—”

  He cut to the chase. “Lucky has a drinking problem.”

  “You can’t be serious,” she replied in clear disbelief.

  “I’m dead serious.”

  “How do you know? Did you see him drinking on the job?”

  “Not on the job, no.”

  “Afterward?”

  “Yes.”

  She dismissed that with a hint of exasperation. “He’s not the only employee to lift a bottle when he’s off duty. If I fired people for that, we’d lose most of the men in the garage.”

  “Lucky’s found an unfortunate way to deal with the stress of his job. He’s under too much pressure.”

  She waved that aside. “We all are.”

  He tried again. “This jinx nonsense the media is perpetuating…it affects the team as much as Jamie. You must realize that the Hammond Jinx doesn’t just impact the driver. All the men feel jinxed. And that makes them clumsy. Lucky’s solution is to escape into a bottle. And I don’t mean a beer or two after work. I’m talking about some serious bootleg stuff. The kind that’ll rot your gut and make you blind.”

  Kellie fought back a smile. “His father was a moonshiner. Lucky says that any liquor with a label is nothing more than baby’s milk in comparison.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “And that doesn’t set off alarm bells?”

  “I’ll speak to him. Will that do?”

  Lucas shook his head. “Not even a little.” He dropped his head as he considered how best to reason with her without getting her back up. “I know this is tough, Kellie. I know you don’t want to have to fire someone who’s been part of HRI for so many years.”

  “He’s been with the company from the start. Before HRI, he was Jinx’s jackman. You’re asking me to make this decision without having anything to go on other than your suspicions.”

  “How long have I been in this business, Kellie?”

  “Okay, I get the point. That doesn’t change the facts. Bring me someone who smelled alcohol on him during a race or during business hours. Until you do, I’m not willing to upset things without cause. He and Jamie are close. They’re comfortable with each other.”

  Lucas tried a different approach. “Are you aware that Lucky does nothing to dispel the Jinx Junior label? If anything, he encourages it. Why do you suppose that is?”

  A hint of anger sparked in her eyes. “I have no idea. But I suspect you’re going to tell me it’s because he’s drinking.”

  “It’s to help cover his drinking. If the team is jinxed, little mistakes that might have been caught get overlooked because it’s not the crew chief. It’s not his drinking. It’s the jinx. Everyone’s so focused on that, they ignore what’s right in front of their faces.”

  He could see her considering, running through some of the problems they’d had with Jamie’s setup over the past few weeks. “He’s done well,” she murmured, as though trying to convince herself. “The problems have actually been minor. The media—”

  “Has taken great delight in blowing them into major issues. I won’t argue with that. But ask yourself this…” He waited until he had her full attention. “Do you believe in the jinx?”

  “Of course not,” she instantly replied.

  “No jinx? You’re positive? No possibility of Jamie having inherited his father’s bad luck?”

  For some reason the question had a shadow drifting across her expression. “He didn’t inherit Jinx’s questionable luck,” she stated in no uncertain terms. “There’s not a doubt in my mind.”

  “Then why’s the team having so many problems?”

  “They’ve never worked together before, Lucas. It takes time to shake out all the kinks.”

  “Granted, but—”

  “I’m not making a change this close to the race,” she informed him flatly. She rose and headed to the refrigerator. Jerking it open, she grabbed two bottles of water. Tossing him the first, she cracked the second and took a long swallow. She glared at him as she recapped the bottle. “Damn it, Lucas. I’ve been in the war wagon with Lucky every single race since the start of the season. Don’t you think I’d have caught on if he’d been drinking?”

  “You have a lot on your plate right now. It’s easy to overlook things when so many other issues have priority. It’s even easier to miss them when they’re deliberately being kept from you.” He frowned. “You’ve had to take on a lot since Jinx died.”

  She took instant offense. “I worked alongside Jinx for a lot of years, Lucas. I can handle it.”

  “But you told me there were certain areas of the business that he controlled exclusively. Discipline, for instance.”

  He could see her reluctance to answer. Finally she jerked her head in an abrupt nod. “Discipline. The teams and shop. I handled sponsors, PR, and supervised the accounting end of things.”

  He should have stepped in sooner to help out, would have if he hadn’t been so intent on treading lightly and making his transition into the company as smooth as possible. But it would seem the time had come to yank off the velvet gloves. “You need to allow me to fill the hole that Jinx’s death has left.”

  She started shaking her head before he’d even finished. “I’m in charge. It’s my responsibility to keep HRI running.”

  “Listen to me, partner. One person cannot run a business of this magnitude.”

  “One person doesn’t,” she corrected. She started ticking off on her fingers. “I have a business manager, a general manager, an operation manager, accountants, lawyers, engineers, any number of assistants, a PR and marketing department—”

  “All of whom report to you. How many meetings a week do you take? Hell, how many a day?” He thrust a hand through his hair. “I’ve seen your office light on into the wee hours of the morning. You can’t cover every aspect, Kellie. You need to shift some of the load.”

  “To you.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Yes. I’m your partner, remember?”

  Her mouth twitched in a wry smile. “I keep forgetting that.”

  Standing, he tugged some folded papers from his pocket. “Here.”

  If the circumstances had been different, he’d have laughed at her undisguised wariness. “What’s that?” she asked.

  Since she didn’t make a move to take the papers, he crossed to where she stood. Taking her hand in his, he slapped typed pages into her palm. “This is the part of the business I’ll be taking responsibility for starting the Monday we get back from Bristol.”

  She took immediate offense and her hand balled around the pages, crumpling them. “You have no right—”

  “I have every right and you know it. Look over the list. Most of it has to do with the mechanical end of things, just like Jinx. I’ve divided things up so we’re each handling the areas that play to our individual strengths. If there’s anything on there you want to wrangle over, I’m willing to listen.”

  “Just not agree.”

  Unable to resist, he caught her close. “Glad we understand each other.”

  “Don’t,” she protested. “Someone might come in.”

  “If that’s your only concern…” He maneuvered her so he could reach the door to the mo
tor home and throw the lock. “That should give us a few minutes of privacy.”

  “That’s not the point.” She closed her eyes, hiding the want that had been lurking there. “We’re business partners, with the emphasis on business. If that’s not enough incentive for you, maybe you should remember that we made this mistake years ago and should have enough age and experience on us to know better than to let it happen again. And if that’s not enough, there’s one more consideration.”

  “Jinx.”

  She looked at him, the wealth of pain and sorrow impacting like a physical blow. “Yes.”

  “You want me.”

  “Yes,” she said again. A heartbreaking smile edged her mouth. “But I’ve learned over the years that there are lots of things I want that I can’t have. You’re just one more. You always have been.”

  He should step away and let her go. It was the sensible thing to do. But he’d never been sensible. He’d spent the past two decades earning the nickname “Bad” the hard way and he didn’t see that changing, not while he had a woman like Kellie in his arms.

  The only difference this time around was that they both knew what they were getting into. No more blindsiding. What happened after this would be nothing more than an affair. They were at a stage in their lives where they could enjoy each other physically, without needing the emotional entanglement that tripped the unwary.

  He cupped her face and saw the apprehension she couldn’t quite conceal. “It’s okay, Kellie,” he murmured. “We won’t screw it up this time.”

  He took her mouth, slow and thorough. God, she tasted amazing—sweet and eager and almost as aggressive as he was. Her arms slid around his neck, her fingers forking into his hair. She tilted her head to one side and deepened the kiss, changing it on an elemental level. It took a minute to comprehend the difference. And then it hit him.

  She was by nature more generous than he, and that quality showed in her kiss. Where he took, she gave. Where he demanded, she coaxed. Where he conquered, she seduced. Soft overcoming hard. Gentleness defusing the aggression. The tenderness of a woman overcoming the roughness of man.

  It drove him wild.