Spurred

by Cat Johnson

  The older, slightly paunchy man turned at the sound of Jill saying his name. “Yes?”

  “Hi, I’m Jill. I used to work for you in the marketing department.” His brow creased and he appeared to be thinking and trying to remember her. She helped him by adding. “When you still owned Cole Shock Absorbers.”

  “Oh, yeah.” That information made him look far less happy to be speaking with her. “I suppose that means you now work for my ex-wife.”

  “No. We parted ways actually. The company just wasn’t the same after you left.” Jill smiled sweetly, confident she hadn’t told a lie. Just not the complete truth.

  “Well, thank you, little lady. I miss the way things were myself.”

  “That’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “You have news for me? My ex kick the bucket and forget to take me out of the will?” He let out a gruff laugh.

  “Not exactly, but I do have some news that I’m not sure you’re aware of.” When he looked as if she had his attention, Jill continued. “I know how much you loved being involved with the professional bull riders. I dare say almost as much as you enjoy car racing.”

  “You’re right about that. That bitch took that from me too.”

  “Well, maybe she’s giving it back to you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She ended the sponsorship.”

  “That no good, rotten…” John Cole continued with a string of obscenities that had a few people standing nearby staring and taking a step back.

  “I think her mistake is your gain. There’s a void that needs to be filled, Mr. Cole. And I think you’re the perfect man to fill it.”

  “How you figure?”

  “The auto parts division of the company, which you retain ownership of, has been floundering since the separation from the more well-known shock absorber division.”

  “Yeah.” He looked really unhappy that she knew that.

  Jill rushed to make her point. “I think a high-profile sponsorship, a partnership with the bull-riding organization, is exactly what Cole Auto Parts needs. It will raise visibility and name recognition. And in addition to that, I think you should add a component that you’ve never explored before.”

  “What’s that?”

  “The bull riders themselves.”

  “The riders already wear the sponsor logos on their vests.”

  “I realize that, but these guys love nothing more than their vehicles. I think personal testimonials by the guys about how they only use Cole Parts in their trucks would go a long way to raise name recognition, brand value and ultimately sales. And these guys appeal to both men and women.”

  “Our target market ain’t women, little lady.”

  Jill pushed down her feelings about his calling her little lady. “I know you believe that men are your only customers, but a lot of women are stuck bringing the family car in for services during the week while their husbands are at work. If they see a repair shop uses Cole Parts, a brand they’re familiar with because their favorite rider personally recommends it as what he uses…”

  He nodded. “I see where you’re going.”

  “You know, I’m friends with Chase Reese. You might remember he was rookie of the year a couple of years back.”

  “Yeah, I remember.”

  “He’s in town for a couple of weeks. I ran my idea by him the other night just to see what he thought of it, and he was excited about the opportunity to represent Cole Auto Parts. Says it’s all he and his friends use. Actually, I invited him here for the race today.” It was all planned right down to the second, but Jill feigned surprise. “Oh, look. There he is now. Right over there. Have you ever met him?”

  John glanced in the direction Jill had looked and then back to her. “No, actually. I haven’t.”

  “The guys are all really great. I got a chance to spend time with Chase last event. And Garret James and Aaron Jordan. Oh, and that adorable stock contractor Riley Davis, who took over her father’s business after he died. Her and Skeeter Anderson are running it now. Skeeter was sweet enough to help her out.”

  John lifted his brows. “You seem to know quite a lot about the riders.”

  “Oh, yeah. They’re really easy to be around. Such down-to-earth guys. Do you want to meet Chase? He’s a natural in front of the camera. They really all are. That’s what gave me the idea to use them in commercials to begin with.” Jill tried to act casual and pretend she was calm, but her heart thundered.

  If this worked out, it would benefit both Mr. Cole’s company and the organization… It had to work.

  “All right. I wouldn’t mind meeting him. But no promises about this idea of yours.”

  “Understood. Today isn’t about business. Today is about racing.” Jill smiled and turned to hale Chase while silently praying that Mr. Cole was just playing hardball.

  Never letting his true feelings be known was the man’s trademark. How he’d made it in business. She had planted the idea. She could only hope it would grow.

  With Chase flashing his baby blues and pearly whites at the man, thereby proving he and the other guys would make the perfect spokesmen for Cole Auto Parts, he’d have to see the light. If she could prove Cole Auto Parts would make the best sponsor for the bull riding organization, Mr. Cole would have no choice but agree.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Sitting on the floor where he’d left it, Aaron’s phone rang. The sound echoed off the block walls of Garret’s garage.

  Garret glanced down at him. “You going to get that?”

  “Nope.” Flat on his back on the weight bench, Aaron lifted the barbell off his chest and held it above his head before lowering it.

  Spotting him from above, Garret nodded. “All right.”

  Aaron pushed the weight up again and held it there. “Take this. I’m done.”

  The call had distracted him and he’d lost count of his repetitions anyway. Garret lifted his brows but didn’t say anything as he helped guide the bar to its resting place.

  Aaron sat up and reached for the bottle of water on the floor. As he swallowed, he heard the alert for a new message. He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. He might as well see what this message was about.

  He’d already listened to the voicemail where Tom Parsons had asked him what the hell had happened between him and CeCe and the one where Tom had yelled about losing the sponsorship. That call had ended with Tom’s not-so-veiled threat that said since Aaron had created this mess, he’d better figure out a way to fix it.

  After nearly a week of no contact from Jill, he’d given up hoping the call was from her. Whatever her plan was, it must not have worked. Now Aaron’s main goal was to dodge any more calls from Tom. If he was smart, he’d stop retrieving the voicemails as well. It wasn’t as if they were ever good news.

  He saw the missed call. It was from Tom. “Crap.”

  “Parsons?” Garret asked.

  “Yeah.” Aaron scowled. He was ready to give up women altogether after this disaster. “He’s probably calling to tell me they’ve voted to kick me out of the organization and that I shouldn’t bother flying to California.”

  “Can they do that?” Garret asked.

  “Hell if I know. Why couldn’t they? It’s a private organization.” Aaron knew the news could be even worse than his getting kicked out.

  It could be Tom calling to tell them the organization had to cancel the upcoming competition for lack of money. It wasn’t cheap to run an event. To move the staff, equipment, and even the arena dirt, all over the country from week to week. Without CeCe’s money, their biggest sponsor, he didn’t know how long the organization could continue to operate.

  A glutton for punishment, Aaron hit to listen to the message. Whatever news was waiting for him, he’d rather know than not know so he could prepare himself.

&nbs
p; “Jordan, I don’t know how you pulled it off, but Cole Auto Parts just cut me a damned nice-sized check. We’re all lucky they did too. I’ll see you in California.”

  “That bad, huh?” Garret looked on with concern as Aaron stood shocked into silence.

  “No. Not bad. Cole Auto Parts just wrote the organization a big check.” Baffled, Aaron wasn’t sure what had happened or how to feel about it. Yes, he was relieved, but he was definitely confused.

  Still in his hand, the phone rang again. This time, he wasn’t afraid to look at it, though he was surprised. “It’s Jill.” Aaron answered it. “Hey. What’s going on?”

  She laughed. “I think something actually worked out, for once.”

  “I think you’re right. The head of the organization just called to say he got a big check from Cole Auto Parts. What did you do?”

  “I called in some favors with people I used to work with and found out John Cole was going to be at the races this weekend, then I made sure to be there with former Rookie of the Year, Chase Reece, to dangle in front of him.”

  “That’s why you needed Chase’s number.” Realization crept in.

  “Mmm hmm. I worked for Cole Industries long enough to know Mr. Cole loves bull riding. I think him losing the shock-absorber division upset him less than losing the big sponsor status. CeCe pulling the Cole Shocks sponsorship left the field wide open for him to step in and get a piece of what he lost back.”

  “Wow. Jill, you’re brilliant.” Brilliant and beautiful…and he wanted to see her again. “Are you coming to the event in California?”

  “I don’t know…”

  “I’ll leave a VIP pass under your name at the ticket window.”

  She hesitated. “When is it?”

  “Friday night. You have to be there.”

  “Okay. I’ll try to make it.”

  He didn’t like she wouldn’t commit to coming. “You have something else to do?”

  It was none of his business. She wasn’t his to question, but he couldn’t help himself.

  “As of now, no, but I hope to have something soon. I started sending out resumes. I’m hoping they’ll yield at least a couple of interviews. I might have to travel.”

  Aaron realized that although he was ready to celebrate because his problem was solved, hers wasn’t. How could he have forgotten she still had no job? “I hope you get lots of calls.”

  “Thanks. Me too.”

  Selfish man he was, he hoped those calls came after the event. While he was hoping, he might as well wish for one more thing. That she’d land an incredible job closer to him. North Carolina would be perfect, in his opinion.

  Aaron glanced at Garret, leaning against the wall and waiting for him to get off the phone. His presence was one thing that kept Aaron from spilling his guts and telling Jill he missed her. That he’d be willing to pay the exorbitant airline fee and change his ticket to get out there sooner so he could see her.

  Instead, he said, “A’ight. So I guess maybe I’ll see you at the arena.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Okay. Good luck with the job search.”

  “Thanks.”

  Out of small talk and unwilling and unable to say what he really wanted to, Aaron said, “A’ight, so uh, goodbye for now.”

  “Bye, Aaron.”

  Still holding the phone in his hand, he looked up to see Garret smiling. Aaron frowned. “What?”

  “You’ve got it bad.”

  Aaron opened his mouth to wage a protest, but instead he sighed. “Yup.”

  “What you going to do about it?” Garret asked.

  “Hell if I know.”

  “Okay. Moving on. You gonna fill me in on what she told you since I’m still pretty much in the dark here?”

  “Yeah. Can we talk inside?” Fear for his future had ridden Aaron for a week. Now that it was gone, he realized how the constant worry had exhausted him. He needed to sit and regroup. Acclimate himself to the idea that he hadn’t ruined his own career and taken down the whole organization at the same time.

  Garret watched him for a moment before nodding and grabbing his own bottle of water off the ground. “Sure. We can be done here for today.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Besides, you’ll be getting an extra hard workout this weekend in Cali. Sex is good for the core muscles.” Garret patted his abs and grinned.

  “Shut up.” Aaron scowled, but damn if he didn’t like that idea. It would be very nice if Garret’s prediction was correct.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  “Do you see her yet?” Aaron strained to get a view of the VIP seating from where he stood.

  “Who?”

  When Aaron spun to his brother-in-law, he saw Garret was grinning. Aaron scowled. “Ha, ha. Very funny.”

  “I thought so.” Garret continued to smile. Annoyed, Aaron went back to concentrating on getting ready for the event. He was working the rosin into his bull rope when Garret said, “Hey, Aaron.”

  Aaron didn’t want to indulge Garret’s little games, but he glanced up anyway. “Yeah?”

  Garret tipped his chin to indicate something behind Aaron. He turned and his heart kicked into a staccato in reaction to what he saw. Jill was here.

  She wasn’t in the chute seats. She was right down there on the floor behind the chutes on the same level Aaron was.

  “Well, what are you waiting for? Go on over and say hello.” It took Garret’s prodding to spur Aaron into action.

  “A’ight.” Aaron abandoned what he’d been doing, leaving his rope hooked over the rail. He turned to go to Jill when he realized he still had his glove on. He tugged that off and looked for somewhere to leave it.

  Rolling his eyes, Garret stepped forward. He grabbed the glove from Aaron. “Give that to me. Now go.”

  Aaron felt like a lovesick teenager, shaking as he walked fast toward Jill. When he got closer, he saw she wasn’t alone. She was standing and talking to an older man. Who the hell could that be?

  “Hey.” He touched her shoulder to get her attention. “Sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to say hello.”

  “No, I’m glad you did. Mr. Cole, this is Aaron Jordan.”

  “Nice to finally meet you, son.”

  Uh oh. This was CeCe’s ex-husband. Aaron did his best to hide his surprise. “Uh, nice to meet you too, sir.”

  The surreal knowledge that Aaron had been with this man’s ex-wife was enough of a burden. Then something CeCe had told him—about what her former husband had enjoyed in bed—flashed through Aaron’s mind and the situation got even more strange.

  “I’ve seen you ride. We just never had an opportunity to meet before this.”

  “I’m glad you got to meet now,” Jill said to Mr. Cole. “Aaron’s one of the riders I think would be perfect for the advertising campaign.”

  “Ad campaign?” Just when Aaron thought nothing else could surprise him, it seemed Jill had something else up her sleeve. “What ad campaign?”

  “I didn’t mention it because it’s just an idea I had. It’s up to Mr. Cole’s marketing department whether they use it or not.”

  “Oh.” Aaron nodded. Jill sure had been busy.

  While he’d been pining away, counting the days until this event when he might see her again, she’d been getting sponsorships and developing marketing plans. And sending out resumes and who knew what else. He felt the unhappy frown settle on his brow. Not that he had wanted her to sit home miserable and missing him, but did she have to be quite so bubbly in her productivity?

  “I like your ideas, little lady. I think you might be the perfect addition to my marketing department.”

  Mr. Cole’s words to Jill captured Aaron’s attention, drawing him away from his internal whining. Aaron turned to see Jill’s reaction. She looked flabbergasted.

  “I don’t kn
ow what to say.” Jill’s words surprised Aaron, as much as when she turned to him, as if looking for an answer.

  He shrugged. “Say yes.”

  Mr. Cole laughed. “You should listen to him.”

  “I probably should. It’s an amazing opportunity.”

  “But?” The older man waited for Jill to elaborate.

  “I’ve been looking for a position on the East Coast so I can be closer to my family.”

  Which would also put her closer to Aaron. Now he wished he hadn’t told her to take the job.

  “Is that all that’s holding you up?” John waved one hand. “I’ve got offices in Charlotte you can work out of.”

  “Charlotte, North Carolina?” Aaron couldn’t help but ask the question for her.

  “Of course. The heart of the racing industry is there.”

  “Wow.” Jill smiled. “In that case, I’d love to work for Cole Auto Parts. I can’t thank you enough.”

  “No thanks necessary. Though I wouldn’t mind you introducing me to that Riley Davis. I met her father a few years back. Good hardworking man and a great stock contractor. I’d love to meet the daughter who stepped into his footsteps.”

  “I can arrange that. She’s in back unloading the stock truck right now, but when she’s done, I’ll bring her over to meet you.” After all the amazing things Jill had accomplished, Aaron was happy to contribute something.

  “That would be fine.” John had just agreed when Tom Parsons appeared.

  He glanced between Aaron and John Cole. “Jordan. What are you doing here?”

  Tom looked less than happy to find Aaron speaking with his new sponsor after the mess with CeCe. But Aaron was positive nothing like that was going to happen with him and Mr. Cole. “Just saying hello.”

  Still looking leery of Aaron standing even this close to his major benefactor, Tom turned to John Cole. “Let me show you to your seat.”

  Apparently, Tom was taking over the sponsor babysitting duties personally. Good. If he’d done the same with CeCe, none of this would have ever happened. Then again, had things been different, Aaron might not have met Jill.