Fast Love (The Billionaires Club Book 3)

by Zoe Adams

  Indiana stopped and parked carefully on a tall overlook. Indiana enjoyed the calmness of the countryside for a while. She could see very far in the distance. Right now everything looked beautiful.

  Indiana had driven until the day started settling behind the mountains. The sun began reflecting off other places on Earth. Indiana felt ready for the next step.

  She picked up the letter resting on the passenger seat. Her fingers shook when she opened it.

  Dear Indy,

  I went to the auction of your house. I decided no one else could have your car. It needed a few new additions to keep you safe, but you only deserve the best.

  Happy Birthday from your Friend,

  R.S.

  The letter fell from her fingers and her head dropped to the steering wheel. She loved this car, but would trade it in a moment for the comfort she sought. Frustration was something she normally did not allow herself to resort to, but tonight the emotion found a new home.

  The tires were burned, and the gas drained quickly. The brakes of the car were found to be reliable as they were tested to their full capacity. Indiana had a handle on the classic car when she stopped to refuel.

  The sun found her back at the reserved edifice of school. Indiana had reread the letter at various intervals of the night as she tried to grasp Richard’s true feelings when he had written it.

  Indiana carefully replaced the letter and envelope at the bottom of the glove box. Her heart found comfort knowing it was back where he placed it.

  She knew why she liked him. This bait kept her hooked to him. It proved he was aware of her, and her feelings no less.

  She spent the day looking for the perfect thank you card. Indiana carefully inscribed a note.

  Richard,

  Thank you for being thoughtful, kind, and you. My Chevelle is beautiful and the alarm system has already paid for itself. I love the irises you sent. I love the car, and the beautiful updates you did to its interior. Thank you very, very much.

  Always,

  Indy

  She didn’t care if it sounded girly or sappy. She wanted to be honest with his generosity. She never heard back and considered maybe he never opened fan mail. But as the time passed she began to second guess the words.

  She continued to get all her information on the face of racing from tabloids, news, and commercials. Indiana had a need for information that bordered on obsession. She could find the most obscure information about Richard on the Internet. Her technological skills began to broaden and become as expansive as the rest of her brain on any sort of matter.

  Indiana wasn’t a hacker. She considered herself a finder. And she always found fresh news about Richard on the Internet.

  Chapter 8

  Summer came and Indiana handed in her class assignments early. This gave her a few extra days off. It turned a two-week break into twenty-one days from school.

  Indiana needed the slight reprieve from classes. She had enlisted in another full workload at school. This was her only time off. The stressful and debilitating pace she kept had taken its toll.

  Tommy would be graduating from military school in a few days. Indiana couldn’t wait to see him. She already mapped out the drive to his graduation. The road trip had been planned for months, if not years. When she pulled out of the school parking lot, she didn’t look back.

  Indiana loved driving. It made her feel older. She didn’t feel like a sixteen-year-old. She didn’t fit the profile of a teenager. Even her car belonged to an older class of people who liked heavy and gas guzzling cars.

  She went to a grocery store and filled up her cooler. She stopped at the gas station and pumped her own gas. When she left town, she wasn’t planning on stopping for three hundred miles.

  Of course she did stop on the way. There were the beautiful scenic turnouts she always visited. She shut off the big block motor of the Chevelle. Indiana carefully hid her belongings and locked up the car.

  Stepping out on the high ledge, she looked around. This view was always euphoric for her. She could see deep into a valley before her and into the mountain range behind it.

  Indiana enjoyed it until more people joined her. She remembered the stigma of traveling alone. Indiana felt out of place by the looks she received.

  Indiana knew she looked different, and loved her soft style. She wore smooth suede pants that looked either black or grey depending on how the light brushed them. The waistband was plain, and there were only tiny pockets in the front.

  Indiana had picked them out this way. She didn’t like to sit on pockets or rhinestones when driving her car. These pants had a silk lining and were the most comfortable pair for the moment. Until she stopped growing.

  She wore flat black loafers. Two inches of red cashmere socks poked out from the top of her feet. Her red tank top was form-fitted and zipped up the side.

  Indiana knew her face still looked young, but she dressed like someone older. Followed by the fact she traveled alone. Indiana self-consciously walked back to her car and drove away.

  She arrived in her brother’s town late that night. She checked into the hotel and slept in the room adjoining her mother’s.

  Indiana woke up early the next morning out of habit. She called her mother and made plans to meet in half an hour.

  Indiana showered and dressed with ritualistic quickness. She put on a flirty green sundress. A thin white belt cinched around her waist, and she slipped on strappy white shoes. Calvin helped her with the outfit weeks ago. He had excellent taste in fashion, and she felt lucky.

  Indiana looked at herself in the mirror. She did her best with her hair, and applied a bright pink lipstick. For once, she hoped it looked like she cared about personal appearances.

  Her mother had instilled in her a sense to always dress up for family. She knew any day with her mom would involve fashion and beauty. Indiana felt much more prepared when she was already dressed well.

  Indiana knocked on her mother’s door. It opened with a warm whoosh. Ellen saw her daughter and shrieked. Indiana hoped it was for joy. Her mother kept hugging her.

  Indiana liked the initial greeting with her mom. Ellen squeezed her tight while gushing about her daughter’s beauty and lamenting their time apart.

  Indiana knew even though it was a hard lifestyle, this was how they got along best. Living under separate roofs, they could enjoy quality time rather than quantity time.

  “Hi, Mom,” Indiana said into the familiar scent of hair.

  She relaxed into the hug, and her mother hugged her tighter.

  “Oh, Indiana, I missed you so much.” Ellen finally stood back and looked at her daughter. “Indiana, you look beautiful. You’re still a little bookish, but that’s all right. Now that your cheekbones are thinning, those big glasses look all right.”

  She stood up bravely to her mother’s honesty. Indiana knew her mother was right. She had grown to a healthy five feet seven, and didn’t show any signs of stopping the growth spurt.

  “Goodness, those clothes I sent you probably don’t fit.” Ellen continued to exclaim about things Indiana didn’t usually care about.

  For once, the large glasses on Indiana’s face didn’t give her comfort of concealment. Her long waves of hair went down her back to her thickening hips. Her mother saw the hidden beauty and shook her head in admiration.

  “I’m starting to think you hide your beauty on purpose, child.” Ellen looked slyly at her daughter.

  Indiana jerked her head up in recognition. Relief poured out of Indiana, and tears gathered in her eyes.

  “It’s all right, Indiana.” Ellen put her arms around her daughter again.

  Indiana held onto her mother and cried. She hadn’t realized how lonely she had been, and clung to her mom.

  Ellen smoothed Indiana’s back.

  “I missed you,” Indiana said when she could trust her voice again.

  “I missed you too. I’ll never go that long without seeing you again,” Ellen promised.

  Indi
ana felt even better after the second hug. Ellen wrapped her arm around her daughter.

  Indiana told her mom about school and classes. The conversation was rather light until they got outside. Indiana had been steering her mother toward the self-park section of the garage.

  “Why aren’t we taking a cab?” Ellen asked.

  “Because I want to drive my own car.” Indiana had feared this conversation and put it off for as long as possible.

  “You what?” Ellen stopped mid-step and held up her hand.

  Indiana recognized the arguing stance. “Mom, can we please talk about this in private?”

  Ellen looked over her shoulder and agreed to not cause a scene.

  Indiana walked toward the car. Ellen recognized the classic car immediately.

  “That car was sold in the estate auction. How did you get it?” Ellen looked at her daughter.

  “Richard Sand bought it for me.” Indiana shrugged innocently.

  Ellen raised her chin like she knew something. “That’s kind of weird for a grown man to be buying an adolescent a car.”

  Indiana held up her head proudly. “Why? He knows I built the motor and put the car back together by myself last summer. Why is it weird he wanted me to keep dad’s car I worked on?”

  Ellen smiled and relented. “When you say it that way, it sounds pretty innocent. He’s a good family friend, after all.”

  Indiana smiled and unlocked the passenger door with the key. “I’ll drive you to the mall.”

  Ellen protested, “I’m the adult. I should be driving.”

  “It’ll be all right, Mom. Remember how you just said I’m so mature for my age?” Indiana stood with a solid expression on her face.

  She waited for her mom to climb into the car and shut the door softly and firmly behind her. Just like usual, it had been a task to stand up to her mother. Ellen had no choice but to agree about her level of responsibility and capability.

  They made the plans for the day. Light shopping and visiting an eye doctor in the mall. Then they went to a spa and finished with a five-star meal. Indiana had been forced out of the near convent she lived in, and turned into a beautiful swan. A day at a premiere spa resulted in a mysterious beauty who still had long bangs across her forehead, but now you could appreciate the deep brown eyes visible through clear contact lenses.

  Tommy graduated that evening. Indiana, Ellen, and her new boyfriend, Frank Atwater, arrived at the ceremony early for the best seats. Tommy looked smart in his military school uniform. The gold on his jacket matched the shine of his mother’s coat, but it was a more solemn reflection of wealth. All of that gold emanating from his dark green suit gave him a new gravitas for life. He sat seriously and attentively, like this was another life or death, sink or swim occasion.

  Tommy had an aloof look on his face when he made eye contact with Indiana. To outsiders he may have looked like a snob, but Indiana could recognize the family resemblance of a serious nature.

  Without moving his body or shaking his head, he gave Indiana a smile and a wink. In that little exchange between them, Indiana knew everything was all right. She could graduate before or behind him, but nothing could break the family ties of common gestures and nature.

  Indiana sat proudly during the graduation ceremony. Tommy ranked in the middle of his peers. He had other goals, like friends, sports, and hobbies.

  Indiana didn’t feel sixteen. She felt neither young nor old. Sitting in that time warp, she reflected on her choices and reaffirmed them solidly.

  The ceremony seemed to last forever. Ellen and Indiana stood nearby until Tommy’s friends stepped back from him. He must have been the most popular boy in school.

  Indiana felt a pang of jealousy, and doubt crept into her heart. She wondered for the second time that night if she should slow down her classes and join a sports team, or drama team, or something to give her more camaraderie.

  She received the reaffirmation later that night when they attended a party with Tommy. Indiana felt like the only teenage girl and received a lot of attention, but she felt old. Her brother was just finally graduating a school that was the male version of the one she had already left. Any one of his friends would be perfect for any one of the girls she had chosen not to hang out with.

  She remembered those girls from her school. They’d giggled about boys and fashion. Indiana thought neither was a laughing matter. She felt the old familiar distance between herself and her peers.

  Tommy and his friends were just the same as the girls, but in reverse. They seemed young and inexperienced. Indiana knew about her inexperience. But she was waiting for a specific man. Just the thought of that beautiful professional’s touch made her stomach drop.

  Indiana held her own and kept her desires closely guarded. Her heart and her brain were the same organ. Her dreams remained a number one secret.

  She focused on enduring the evening. She listened to big talks and funny jokes from young men. They had a lot of interest in her, and putting them off only brought them on stronger. For the first time, Indiana walked away from the evening feeling prudish for being single.

  Indiana could finally acknowledge herself truthfully. She was a square. It gave her something new to think about. It didn’t bother her when trying to finish school. But when she was around other people, she definitely noticed it.

  She combed over her character for other flaws. She liked to have a good time just like everyone else. All of her high ideals lifted her spirits as she resigned her body to herself. She just hoped all of this would be worth it.

  Being in a race car would bring more fire and fun into her life than anything else she could imagine. Richard was just the byproduct of being in that world.

  When her restless brain finally allowed her to sleep it was past four in the morning.

  Chapter 9

  The next day the family would be flying to the islands for a little sand and sun.

  The remaining days of Indiana’s vacation would be interesting. Without fashion or spas between Ellen and her daughter, they had less in common.

  Tommy’s charisma shifted most of the attention to him. Indiana didn’t mind at all. She had felt melancholy since the graduation. She sunk into the chair and studied a magazine blindly.

  Indiana’s boredom brought on a new nervousness, making her feel edgy.

  If she had to think about one more thing, she thought she might explode. She set her worries and her hurry down and submitted herself to being a teenager who needed a mother.

  Ellen got what she wanted. Her daughter was growing up, but she still had so many things to teach her. Both of them got what they wanted. At a time in Indiana’s life when she really needed support, she got it.

  Things had changed between Indiana and her mother. Indiana’s accolades from college were catching up with her mother’s credentials.

  One afternoon near the equator, the mother and daughter duo sat together on the deck by the pool.

  “Indiana, you look so nice with a tan.” Ellen handed her daughter a margarita.

  “Thanks, Mom. I feel better with a tan.” Indiana took the wide hat off and smiled at her.

  Ellen looked like she had just gotten a good idea. “Why don’t you take some time off from school?”

  “What would I do?” Indiana felt stunned.

  “You could travel around with Frank and me.” Ellen smiled devilishly. “Maybe you could fall in love and get married.”

  She looked at her daughter’s hesitation. “College will always be there.”

  Indiana took the offer very seriously. She contemplated the proposition. But her mother had said the exact words she needed to hear.

  She repeated her mom and bit down sarcasm with patience. “Yes, you’re right. College will always be there. I’ll have to do it sooner or later. I have to go to college so I can be whatever I want.”

  Ellen looked at her daughter like she was crazy. “Once you start working, you’ll quickly tire of it and want to do something else.”


  Indiana shrugged. “I plan on racing like dad.”

  Ellen nearly jumped up. “I won’t even hear of it. I will not lose my daughter to racing. I have already lost my husband, and my heart couldn’t endure it.”

  They both took a sip of their drinks and looked at the pool. The sound of waves crashing on a distant beach came to them softly. Indiana was having the conversation with her mom. Future arguments would hinge on this first one. She paid attention carefully to her surroundings as she tried to gauge the best approach. Her mother moved on like she had already agreed.

  Ellen shook her blonde hair over her shoulder and said knowingly, “You’re a pretty girl, and someone will want to marry you right away.”

  Indiana rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I know, Mom. A lot of men will want to marry me, just like a lot of men want to have sex with me. They’ll always be there. Just because they want to do something with me doesn’t mean I have to consent.”

  Ellen laughed at her stubbornness. “Honey, I know you don’t have to, but someday you’ll want to.”

  Indiana looked at her mom fully before saying anything. “Yes, someday I’ll want to. Right now I just want to graduate college.”

  Indiana rolled her eyes at her sudden childishness. “I just want to grow up.”

  “Of course you do, and I don’t blame you at all. Just don’t forget that someday you might wish you would’ve been a child when you were a child. It’s worse to be childish when you are an adult.”

  Ellen sat back and sipped her drink.

  Indiana blinked at her mother’s wisdom. She had a point and it was well received. Indiana knew she should enjoy being young, but it was a sore subject for her. In her mind, being childish was associated with being dependent on someone for support. Indiana didn’t like to feel needy, and it drove her toward information. Her intelligence surpassed her age, but eventually time would change things.

  She would always want freedom and independence. Indiana fell silent to a well-traveled train of thought. Her mother began talking again. Ellen could talk for hours about people she loved, and her new boyfriend was one of them. Indiana agreed Frank seemed decent. Her mother’s stress level had nearly diminished and she looked better than her years.