“If his test goes all right, which it should.”
Another pause. Mike wondered why he was so damn tongue-tied all of a sudden.
Maybe because he hadn’t been able to get her out of his mind since their second time together.
“How’s Brooke?” he asked, wincing on his end of the phone. What a mundane thing to ask. He should be asking her how she was. If she missed him.
Instead he gazed out his kitchen window, which overlooked his front lawn. It was raining outside and Mike felt as morose and gloomy as the day.
“Brooke’s fine,” Maggie said.
“Good. Good.”
“You coming out to California before the big event?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. I’m supposed to be there for the rehearsal in a couple weeks. But it’s been crazy here. Not sure I’m going to make it,” he said. Although if he put this development deal together with Blain Sanders, he might not be working for Helping Hands all that much longer. But he didn’t want to mention that. She might take it wrong, especially with the awkward silence hanging between them. Was she still worried that things were happening too fast between them? To be honest, he was worried about that, too.
“Do you think you could try to come out early if you do?”
“I’ll try,” he said softly.
He thought he heard her breathe a sigh a relief. “Well, good. Call me when you know for sure.”
“I will.”
When he hung up, Mike turned away from the window and brushed a hand through his hair.
If he put together this deal with Blain he’d be driving again, and if that happened, his relationship with Maggie would suffer.
He shook his head, admitting to himself that he’d have to take it one day at a time. If he ended their relationship now he’d look like a jerk. And the truth of the matter was, he didn’t want to end it. Not now. Maybe not ever.
“YOU’RE FALLING for this guy.”
“Brooke, I hardly know him well enough to be falling for him.”
“Then why are you preening in front of the mirror?”
“I’m not preening,” Maggie said to her daughter, suddenly deciding that the cotton dress was too casual for a simple rehearsal. Then again, there would be tons of people there, including celebrities and her coworkers. This was their last meeting before the big gala in a couple of weeks.
“Wear the red one,” Brooke said.
“Brooke, would you just let me get dressed?” Maggie asked.
“I’m trying to help out,” Brooke said. “Mike seems like a nice guy. You need to hook him while he’s still interested.”
Hook him. Hah. Sure, he’d phoned her a couple times, but he’d never once mentioned coming to California just to visit her. And he hadn’t made it into town early, contrary to his earlier promise. Something about putting together a new deal. But the thing that bothered her, that had her fretting all night, was that he hadn’t called her in the past few days. That was weird given that they’d talked just about every day for the past month.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
She yanked a dress out of her closet. The red one. To hell with it, she thought. Why not go all-out?
Still, she was as nervous as a cat near a creek as she headed to her meeting less than an hour later. Brooke had helped her with her hair and makeup. As a result her curly locks were pulled back in a smooth chignon. She’d piled on more mascara than normal, too, but she’d drawn the line at bright red lipstick.
“Wow,” Indi said when they met up in the lobby of the Hotel De Azra, the place seeming to be even more decorated than before. Although maybe that was her imagination. “You look…” Words must have failed her friend because all she did was stare her up and down.
“I feel overdressed,” Maggie said.
“You look great,” Indi enthused. “Just right for Mike.”
“Thanks,” Maggie said. She’d told Indi all about Mike the other day. Indi had been delighted; so had Maggie at the time. But that was then and this was now and Maggie couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong.
You’re just being paranoid. And she probably was. But still…
“You ready?” Indi asked, turning toward the ballroom where their meeting was located.
“Yes,” Maggie said reluctantly, scouting around for Mike. Maybe he was there in the lobby, waiting for her. Maybe he was planning to surprise her. But all she saw was a bellboy, one who gave them a second look—or gave Indi a second look. Her friend was drop-dead gorgeous with her blond hair, tall form and light hazel eyes. She couldn’t look bad on a bad day.
“It’s going to be a full house today,” Indi said.
“Yeah, I know.”
This would be the one and only chance to rehearse for the night of the event, not that there was a whole lot expected of people. Still, celebrity publicists, Miracles officials and probably a few actual celebrities would be inside the room where everyone would learn what was expected of them the night of the event.
What if something had happened to Mike? she thought. She’d left him yet another message yesterday. But maybe he hadn’t gotten it.
The plush ballroom they entered looked barren without scores of tables set around the floor. Beneath the ornate chandeliers, several groups of people congregated. Maggie recognized some of the Miracles higher-ups—their CEO and their CFO. There were celebrity publicists to the left, their clients’ time too valuable to bother with a piddley rehearsal. To the right were the NASCAR personnel.
And Mike.
He stood by a driver she recognized—Lance Cooper—and another even more familiar face—Todd Peters, Indi’s fiancé.
“Hey, guys,” Maggie said, not able to look at Mike because suddenly she was scared to death.
Why hadn’t he called?
Calm down, Mags. Maybe he had a good excuse.
One he couldn’t share with her before their meeting? Somehow she doubted it. Because if he were truly glad to see her, if he’d wanted to see her alone, he could have asked her to meet with him before their meeting. Instead he hung back.
“Hey, sweetie,” Todd said, wrapping Indi in his arms.
“Hey, there, stranger,” Indi said. Maggie knew it was the first time in over a week that Indi had seen her fiancé. She’d missed their last meeting because she’d been in North Carolina, the two of them doing a good job of maintaining their bi-coastal relationship.
Unlike her and Mike.
“Hi, Maggie,” Todd said, releasing Indi and stepping forward to kiss Maggie on the cheek. “Long time no see.”
“Hi, Todd,” Maggie said, barely able to speak over the lump of emotion in her throat.
“Hello, everyone,” someone said from behind them—Randy Lewis, one of Miracles’ CEOs.
“Mike,” Randy said with a wide grin on his bearded face. “Good to see you again.”
“Same here,” Mike said.
“You know Indi and Maggie, right?” Randy asked.
“I do,” Mike said with a polite nod. “In fact,” he said to Randy, “I was hoping for a moment of Maggie’s time.”
Indi shot her a look, one that said, “Aww, how sweet.”
But Maggie wasn’t so certain it’d be “sweet” at all. Something floated in Mike’s eyes. A glint of regret. A hint of apprehension, but most of all, deep, deep sorrow.
“Sure,” she choked out, deciding she could sound equally professional. “Follow me.”
She led him into an adjoining ballroom—this one much smaller—on legs that felt as stable as an old building. Her hands shook so she clenched them.
“Maggie,” he said softly, facing her.
It was as if a dam broke. “Why haven’t you called me this week?” she asked, panic making her sound shrill.
Calm down, she told herself again.
But he didn’t answer.
She unclenched her hands. “We’ve been talking practically every day, and all of sudden you just stop.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“I’ve been busy, too. But that didn’t stop me from calling you—not that you ever phoned me back.”
He didn’t meet her gaze for a second and Maggie realized that something between them had changed. There was a tension between them. A wall.
“What’s wrong, Mike?” she asked him, clenching her hands to stop them from shaking.
He scrubbed a hand through his hair, shook his head. “Look, I’ve been searching for a way to tell you this for days.”
Oh, God. He was dumping her.
“What?” she asked, her throat tightening for a second.
Still, he wouldn’t meet her gaze.
“What?” she asked again.
At last he stared into her eyes. “I’ll be going back to driving next year. It’s official. The surgery I had fully restored my vision. I can go back to driving after Christmas.”
“Good for you,” she said, bewildered. “What’s that got to do with us?”
He met her gaze and she saw the answer in his eyes.
“You’re breaking things off with me, aren’t you?”
“Maggie—”
“No,” she said, sucking in a breath. “You are, aren’t you?”
He took a step toward her. “No. Not really.”
Not really?
“I’m just letting you know things will be a little different now. I tried to find time to call you, but our phone conversations never last less than an hour and I just didn’t have an hour to spare.”
“So you didn’t call me at all?” she asked. “You couldn’t spare two minutes to pick up the phone and tell me you wouldn’t be making it out to California a day or two early so we could spend time together?”
He looked away for a second, his head shaking as he fought to find words. Well, good, because she didn’t understand. Didn’t get it at all.
“Look,” he said, meeting her gaze again, his hand reaching for her for a second before falling back to his side. “I know I should have called, but I wanted to tell you my news in person.”
“Well, congratulations. Message received.” Maggie turned away, knowing that if she stood there a second longer she’d start to cry.
“Maggie,” he called out after her. “Wait. Don’t go.”
“Out of my way, Mike.”
“No. Don’t leave. Not like this.”
“Why not? Isn’t that exactly what you want me to do?” she asked, anger finally catching hold of her and helping her to stand her ground. “Leave?”
“No, I—”
“Don’t,” she said. “Don’t even try to excuse your actions because I know what’s going on. Let’s be honest here, all right? Getting involved with me was fine when you were Mike the charity worker. But now that you’re about to become Mike the famous race car driver again, I’m not good enough.”
“No,” he said firmly, emphatically, a horrified look on his face. “That’s not true. I never once thought that. I care for you,” he said, his fingers finding hers. She almost wrenched them away. “These past few weeks I’ve told you stuff that I’ve never told another person. I’ve spent more time on the phone with you than I have with my friend Blain Sanders all year. And now, standing here in front of you, I’m reminded of our time together, and how terrific it was—”
“Well, bully for you,” she said, stepping back. “You have some fond memories.”
“Wait, Maggie. No. We don’t have to break up over this.”
“Yes, we do.”
“I know you’re mad. And I’ll admit, I messed up. But next time I’ll try and do better—”
“Try?” she asked with a flick of her head. “No. Not good enough.” Because she would never let a man walk all over her again. Never. “I want a promise, Mike. I want you to treat me with the same respect as you do your racing career. I want commitment. With a thirteen-year-old daughter, I can’t afford anything less. If you get any closer to Brooke and me, then you’ll be hurting us both if you decide your racing career is more important.”
“I know,” he said, his voice wavering for a moment. “I’ve struggled with that same thought all week. It’s why I wanted to talk to you in person. I wanted you to know how much I want this to work out.”
“Then why didn’t you call, Mike?” she asked. “Because not calling hurt. And if you’re already doing that, then maybe getting involved with you isn’t such a good idea.”
He almost told her no. Almost told her that she was wrong. But something made him stop.
“Look,” he said. “I’m tired. You’re upset. Maybe I should call you later on this week and we can talk about it some more.”
“Fine,” she said, but he could tell it wasn’t fine at all. “You do that.”
“Maggie…” he said when she started to walk away.
But this time she ignored him. And this time he didn’t give chase. Obviously, she was furious. Obviously, he’d messed things up. But things would sort themselves out.
He shook his head.
And if they didn’t, well, it was better to know that now rather than later. Race schedules were hell on family life. If she thought he was busy now, then wait until the season started.
“Damn it,” he cursed.
Because only when she walked out that door did Mike admit how much he’d come to care for her. And that maybe, just maybe, something might have become more important to him than racing. And that wasn’t good, especially not right now.
CHAPTER EIGHT
MAGGIE HAD TO FIGHT back tears the whole way home. She called in sick—albeit from the hotel parking lot. A sudden bout of food poisoning she’d told Indi. But she could tell Indi didn’t believe her. Well, that couldn’t be helped because there was no way Maggie could go back into the ballroom.
How she made it home she’d never know. The trip back was nothing more than a blur. The moment she arrived she climbed into bed, red dress and all. Then, and only then, did she let all her emotions out.
Damn him. Didn’t he realize how hard it’d been for her to open up to him over the past few weeks? She purposely kept a wall between herself and Brooke and the men she dated. She didn’t want herself and Brooke to get hurt again. But with Mike she’d opened up. Made herself vulnerable. They might not have known each other for more than a few weeks, and most of their conversations might have taken place over the phone, but she knew him. Knew him intimately. And he’d known her, too.
Only now he didn’t have time for her.
She wiped at her eyes, knowing she’d probably smeared mascara all over her face, but she didn’t care. She felt sick, damn it. She got up out of bed, made herself some tea and paced her tiny condo, all the while wondering where she’d gone wrong. Had she let her guard down because she’d always had a crush on the man? Was that it? Had she been enamored of the image of Mike? The man on TV. Is that why she’d slept with him?
But, no, she admitted to herself. There’d been more to it than that. That first day she’d fallen head over heels. Or maybe if it wasn’t love, it was something close. That’s why his sudden silence wounded her so much and that’s why she was so upset to find out he hadn’t called her because he’d “been busy.”
Indi tried calling her. Maggie heard her voice come through her message machine. She sat in her kitchen for so long her legs started to go numb.
“Mom?”
Maggie jumped and turned. She hadn’t even heard Brooke’s bus pull up outside.
“Are you okay?” Brooke said, taking the seat opposite her, their tiny kitchen table between them.
“Fine,” Maggie said, knowing she didn’t sound fine at all. Her nose was red from crying, and no doubt her makeup was all over her face.
“You don’t look fine. What happened today? How was Mike?”
The fact that her daughter sounded so concerned had Maggie fighting back tears all over again.
“Nothing happened, sweetie. I just started feeling sick while at work.”
“Did something happen?”
Maggie thought about d
enying it again, but her daughter wasn’t stupid. “Yeah,” she said. “Mom is officially footloose and fancy-free again.”
“Oh, Mom,” Brooke said, coming around to her side of the table and hugging her. Her daughter’s consolatory touch was nearly Maggie’s undoing. “I’m so sorry,” Brooke said gently.
“It’s all right,” Maggie said, even as fresh tears sprouted. “I’ll survive.”
“Can I make you something? More tea? Coffee?”
“No,” Maggie said. “I’ve drunk enough tea to float to China.”
“Then I’ll just stand here and hug you.”
“Thanks,” Maggie said. “I could use a hug.”
“I love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too, honey.” And that love would have to last a lifetime, because from here on she was staying single. Men did things to hurt her, and she was never going there again.
Never.
“WHAT THE HELL did you do to her?”
Mike looked up from the solitary meal he’d been forcing down. Indi Wilcox crossed between a table of diners, a furious look on her face, hazel eyes flashing and blond hair swishing.
“Indi,” he said, glancing around at the other guests, most of whom stared over at them curiously. “What are you doing here?”
The restaurant lighting was low, but he could still hear the anger in her voice. “Don’t give me that,” she said, jerking out a seat and sinking down opposite him. “I know you and Maggie broke up today. What I want to know is why.”
“We didn’t break up. At least I don’t think we did. She’s mad at me.”
“Why?”
“I’m going back to driving.”
“So?”
She sounded just like Maggie, Mike thought. “I don’t think she’s comfortable with me getting back behind the wheel again.”
“There has to be more to it than that.”
“Hell if I know,” Mike admitted. “All I know is she stormed off on me. I tried calling her again before dinner, but she didn’t pick up.”
“Go over to her house.”
“I thought I’d give her time to cool off.”
“That’s ridiculous, Mike. If you care for Maggie at all, then you need to go after her.”
“I think we need some time to cool off.”
A NASCAR Holiday 2: Miracle SeasonSeason of DreamsTaking ControlThe Natural Page 5