Kate nodded and rushed out the door. She hurried down to the parking lot and jumped in her car, driving faster than she ever thought she would to get to the airport.
As the plane took off, tears sprung to her eyes. Please, she prayed, please, let him be okay. Please, let him be okay. A clarity came over her, white and blinding. She loved him. Nothing mattered but getting to his side.
As the plane taxied to her gate, Kate removed her seatbelt and stood.
“Ma'am,” a flight attendant said, “you must stay seated until the captain turns off the seatbelt sign.”
Kate sat back down, tapping her hands on her legs. She turned her phone back on and immediately got a text from Lindsey. It read, “Sorry, Pipes,” and included an attachment.
Kate tapped on the attachment and a picture popped up. It was Chase in a photo from the local paper. He was laying on a gurney, being wheeled swiftly down what looked to be a hospital hallway. His face was singed and it looked as if his jacked had been cut off of him. His face was tilted back in agony, and at his side, pushing away photographers and rushing down the hallway alongside him was Ms. Oklahoma.
The plane jerked to a stop and passengers around her began to undo their seat belts and stand to retrieve their overhead luggage. Kate stayed in her seat. She felt like all the blood had left her body.
Chase was alive, though apparently injured, but he had lied to her. He hadn’t told her he was leaving town, let alone to race cars. And not only that, he had left town to be with Ms. Oklahoma.
She shook her head and wiped a tear from her cheek. She had been played. This whole time, he was flirting just to get her to back down, to loosen his collar just a little bit. He must have been. And she had fell for it. How stupid she felt.
Well, she was still Kate Piper, and she still had a job to do. She stood and exited the empty airplane. As she made her way to the hospital in a taxi, she pushed her despair away and ran through what this exposure meant for the IPO. She texted Lindsey. “How wide is it?” she asked.
Lindsey replied right away. “It’s not. Just local North Carolina outlets, so far.” Then another text came. “Kate, you alright?”
Kate stared down at the text for a long time before replying. “Yes,” she typed. “I should have known better.”
Chapter 16: Chase
Chase reached out with his one good arm and placed his hand on the bedside table. That stopped the room from spinning. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, the light above the bed floated in a gauzy haze and the angles in the room sank and dipped like he was sailing in a stormy sea.
Tubes ran from his arm and body, trailing across the bed covers. He was tethered to machines. The only thing he could relieve himself of was an oxygen monitor pinching the end of one finger. He pulled it off and tossed it to the end of the bed, then turned to try to find a clock. As he did, a stabbing pain shot through his shoulder and up the side of his neck. He groaned inwardly, but refused to hit the blue button to ask for more drugs. He had to keep his head clear.
He shouldn’t be in the hospital. The race was just a Test and Tune. They were just there to dial-in the car, see what it could do. It was a clear morning. The track was clean. He should have known when the other driver pulled his car past the staging beam, then right back to the wet-box, he would lose traction. As soon as the light dropped, both cars shot forward, and the other car crossed the center line and straight into him. He didn’t even feel the pain until the pit crews pulled him out of the smoking car and onto a gurney. It was a blur after that.
Chase reached for a cup of water and leaned forward to sip it through a straw, but even that shot pain through his torso. “Dammit,” he moaned to himself. He took another sip. He had to flush these drugs out. He wondered how long it would be until he could pull himself out of this bed and slip into a taxi to the airport. When everyone found out—and they would—he wanted to be upright and able to defend himself.
First, he had to find Kate. If he could just explain to Kate, they could figure everything else out together. Where had Bo put his phone? He had been so stupid. He thought if he gave himself totally to his company in every other way he could keep this sliver of his life to himself. It wasn’t even real racing, after all. Just drag racing. He never thought he would get hurt.
Chase started to feel the drugs evaporate from his limbs just a bit. As he did, pieces of the day began to refill in his mind. Inside the ambulance, as his clothes were being cut from his body, the EMT asked, “whose Kate? Whose Kate, buddy? We’ll find her. Quiet now, you just lean back.”
Chase gripped the rail on the side of his bed. He had to make his way back to Kate. He would change. He would tell her everything. Then he heard her voice.
“Hello, Chase.”
“Kate,” Chase said, turning his head towards the door. “You’re here.” He reached out his hand, but then pulled it back when he saw the look on her face.
Kate crossed her arms and scanned his body. “You’re lucky. Just a sprained arm and bruised ribs, I hear.” She advanced into the room and put her bag down near the window. She pulled a paper out from her bag and tucked it under her arm.
She was a few feet away, but Chase blinked, struggling to see her clearly. “How did you get here?”
“Airplane. How most people travel.”
“No, I mean … how did you know?”
“You can’t hide forever, Chase.”
He tried to pull himself up, but a bolt of pain shot through his arm. When he looked up, Kate was glaring at him.
“Try not to hurt yourself,” she said in a clipped voice.
He wasn’t sure how he wanted this talk to go, but he knew this wasn’t it.
He took a breath. “Let me explain.”
She looked at him flatly. “Okay,” she said. “Explain.”
In his haze, he reached up to pluck the right words from his brain. “I know I should have told you,” he stuttered. “But it’s complicated.”
Kate didn’t say anything, so he continued. “The racing, it’s, well—it’s the only thing that was totally mine. It didn’t have anything to do with the company. I thought it was no big deal, I—”
“Everything you do affects the company. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”
“I know, I get that now. I just—I want you to understand why I did it. Why I didn’t tell you. I told you before, growing up in a company town as the boss’ son is tough. The cars were the only thing that were mine, and I guess I got too protective of that. I―”
“Stop complaining,” Kate said.
“What?”
“Stop complaining. First of all, it’s annoying. Second, everyone complains so it’s boring. Third, no one wants to hear it. Do you think your investors will care? Or your employees? Everyone is focused on their own problems so it’s ridiculous to complain.”
He fixed his eyes on her. She stood in the corner with her arms crossed, no hint of empathy on her face. “Kate, I don’t understand. Where is this coming from?”
Kate uncrossed her arms and shook her head. “It’s not the world’s fault that you inherited a company. It’s not the world’s job to cut you a break or understand that you had it rough as a kid. And, it’s certainly not your investors’ obligation to pay for your dreams. Which is what is going to happen if your hobby tanks this IPO. Nobody wants to hear it.” She picked her pad of paper back up. “So, stop whining. We have work to do.”
Chase stared at her in disbelief. He tried to shake the drugs off and sit up. He recalled his revelatory talk with Lou earlier that week and shook his head. No wonder Kate was reacting this way to a car crash.
“The IPO is being announced to the public tomorrow,” she said. “Everything looked good until you decided to get on the front page of the paper.”
“What? What paper?”
Kate tossed the paper face up onto his bed. “Right there. You and Ms. Oklahoma racing down the hospital corridor. Now the narrative will be you are reckless. Untru
stworthy. Not fit to invest in.”
He squeezed his eyes shut then opened them wide, trying to focus on the photo. “It wasn’t that big of a deal, Kate. It was just and exhibition, for Christ’s sake. No one was killed. And I don’t even know where Ms. Oklahoma came from. She was just there in the hallway when the photographer got there.”
She exhaled. “This is your company, Chase, and your IPO, but I would stop saying things like, ‘it’s no big deal’. Your investors won’t appreciate that. Especially after you’ve given them the impression you could die any moment in a fiery crash.”
Chase felt a deep pang of regret. “You’re right,” he said. “What now?”
Kate came closer to the bed and sat at the very edge. Chase wished she would take his hand, but she didn’t, and now he feared she never would again.
“Where’s Bo?”
“He’s at the track collecting the car.” He watched as she punched something into her phone.
“Tell me about the car.”
Chase stared at her in confusion. “It’s wrecked,” he said.
“I know that. Did you build it?”
“Yes.”
“With KinCo parts?”
“Some. Some we made ourselves. But the parts weren’t faulty or anything. It was the other driver and the wet box,” Chase slurred, as a wave of nausea washed over him.
“The wet box?”
“Yeah, he…got in the wet box, which helps with friction, should have made everything sticky.”
Kate glared at him. “You must be joking.”
“No, listen. It’s all about getting out of the box.” Chase made a rotating motion with his fingers.
“You are ridiculous. Seriously.”
Chase took a deep breath and tried to focus. “Kate, if you just give me a chance, I can—”
“How many new auto parts does KinCo release every year?”
“I’d have to check. Dozen maybe.”
“Were there any new parts you were using in the car?”
Chase furrowed his brow. “Yeah, um, we’ve been working on a couple of things that haven’t hit market yet. New alternator. New seat belt design. Rose actually started the design on that before she retired. Kate, listen, I wanted to tell you. I did.”
“So, now you’ve told me.”
“That’s it?”
“I’ve got work to do,” she said as she stood. Chase reached out with his good hand and grabbed her forearm.
“Kate,” he pleaded. “Don’t do this. Talk to me.”
Kate looked down at him and he could see her eyes begin to glisten. He wanted to stand and hold her and not let her go until she understood. He never would have kept this from her if he knew what she would mean to him, if he knew he could lose her.
The door to the room opened and Rose and Cal rushed in, followed by a nurse. Kate tugged her arm out of his grasp until he was trying to hold onto the very end of her fingertips.
“Oh my God, Chase,” Rose said as he rushed over and hugged him. “Are you alright?”
“You gave us a scare, son.” Cal said.
Chase nodded. “I know. I’m sorry.”
Chase saw Kate gather up her things and walk towards the door.
“Kate,” Chase called out, “Wait...”
“You’re in good hands, now,” she said, then she turned to Rose. “Could I speak to you for a moment?”
Chase watched in disbelief as Kate walked out the door.
Chapter 17: Kate
The photographer met Kate just outside the shop. “Thanks for getting here on such short notice,” Kate said. “I need a couple of good shots of him in front of the car. Get a few more of him around the shop, and a few more of the wreck itself.”
“You got it,” the photographer said. “I’ll go in and set up.”
Kate re-checked the body of her press release. As soon as she had the photos done, she would send it to a list of news outlets with the title, “Leading Manufacturer of Auto-Safety Parts Launches IPO.” Never let a crisis go to waste, she murmured to herself as she walked over to her car to dial another reporter.
Streaks of gray and pink stretched across the Oklahoma sky above Kate as she took a sip of tepid coffee. She heard a rumbling noise and turned. A red pickup truck rocked down the uneven road towards her as her phone began to ring in her ear. Even in the dim morning light, she could see Chase’s eyes boring down on her from the passenger seat inside. She stared back, reminding herself it wasn’t her job to coddle him, it was her job to make sure he didn’t destroy his own IPO. She didn’t care how much he hated doing press. One photo shoot was not a lot to ask.
Chase winced as he hopped out of the truck, his arm tucked into a fresh sling. Kate took a breath. It had taken every shred of self-control she had to not throw herself across Chase’s body when she saw him lying there in that hospital room yesterday. When she learned he was alive and conscious, she felt herself exhale in deep gratitude, even while reminding herself she cared about him too much.
It was not her place to care as much as she did. She was not his family. She was not even his girlfriend. She was his Reputation Manager, and his company and her career depended on her keeping her head straight.
The reporter answered her call as Chase walked up to her. “That’s right,” Kate said into the phone. Chase stood in front of her, scowling. “The launch is two weeks from tomorrow. Yes, we’re very excited. No, Mr. Kincaid was testing the part. Thanks to that seatbelt, he only sustained a minor injury. He believes in his product. That’s right.” She put her hand over the receiver and said to Chase, “Go in. The photographer is waiting for you,” then went back to her conversation. “I’m sending you everything. All the stats will be in the body of the release. Yes, photos, too. Looking forward to it.”
She hung up, took another sip of her coffee, and then walked through the bay doors and into the shop.
Chase stood proudly in front of the mangled front end of his race car, wearing an intrepid gaze as the photographer’s camera clicked rapid-fire against the silence of the open room. She saw Chase’s eyes flit to her then back away, his jaw grinding. She stood in the back and watched as he shifted from one leg to the other. “How many more?” he asked.
“Almost done,” said the photographer.
Kate walked over to the camera and looked through the viewfinder. “We’re good, Chase,” she said, looking up briefly. “You can go. We’ve got your shot.” Then she turned to the photographer. “Get a few more of the car and we’ll wrap it up.”
The photographer handed Kate his card. “Call me anytime. It’s not often we get corporate jobs out here.”
Kate nodded, and as she did, a thought flew through her mind. She reached for her phone and texted Lindsey: Find out who got the credit for that photo of Chase on the gurney. Find out why they were at that race.
Kate turned off her phone and looked up. Chase was standing near the bay doors looking at her as if waiting to talk to her. She couldn’t avoid him forever. She walked over. “Good shoot,” she said.
“So, we’re okay?”
“The news release will go out later this morning. By end of day, we should have some positive press. I think we’ve changed the narrative enough.”
“I meant us.”
“What us?”
“I meant are we okay?” Chase exhaled and looked at her. “I know we aren’t. But I’m hoping we can be.”
Kate took a breath and steadied herself. “We’re fine. The launch is still on track.”
“Kate,” Chase said sternly. “Stop deflecting. You know I’m not talking about the IPO.” He took a step closer and she felt a current of energy stream over her again. She tried to step back, but it was too late, she knew Chase saw the emotion in her eyes.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the back patio. As they faced each other in the morning light, a cold breeze blew across her skin. A storm was coming in. She circled her arms around herself and shivered.
Chase slid his jacket
from his shoulders and slung it around her, pulling her into him with his one good arm. Kate felt safe tucked inside his jacket. It smelled like him. She allowed herself to exhale for a moment as she tried to put the pieces of her strategy back in place in her mind. She needed this job to work. She needed her career. She couldn’t let her feelings for Chase ruin everything.
Chase pulled away from her just enough to look down into her eyes. “Kate,” he said, “I screwed up. I know that. No, don’t look away from me,” he said, gently tilting her chin up with his hands. “I’m sorry I lied. But I’m not the only one who’s been lying.”
Kate blinked up at him, then pulled away, her brow knitting together. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“I’m onto you.”
Kate felt a rush of fear, but Chase pulled her close again. “What do you mean?” she asked.
He paused as if considering his next words. “You like me,” he said, a smile forming at the corners of his mouth. Kate tried to pull away, but he pulled her in again, his torso flattening against her own. She felt her heart begin to race. She swallowed. “Do not.”
“Stop lying. Let’s both just stop lying.” Chase nuzzled into her neck and said into her ear. “I don’t know what this is, Kate. All I know is when they pulled me out of that car, all I could think of was you.”
Kate pulled back and looked at him in surprise.
“Me? What about Ms. Oklahoma?”
Chase let out a little chuckle and rubbed his eyes. “Is that what this is all about?”
Kate ruffled. “No. Of course, not.” She straightened up, even though he was still holding her around the waist. “I do find it curious she just happened to be there. I don’t care, really, but I thought we were being honest now…”
“Kate, I swear to you, she just popped up. Photographers seem to be like fertilizer to a flower on that girl.” Chase pulled her a bit closer again, his thighs pressing against her. “I promise you, when we go to race, we just go to race. We don’t party, we don’t tailgate, and we don’t take pictures. It’s about the cars. It’s always been just about the cars.”
Chasing Kate (An American Dream Love Story Book 1) Page 9