“What’s up?”
Her pulse zoomed at the new voice and she turned with Maury to face Harley, leaning against the side of the hoisted Trans Am.
“Came to tell her it was time for lunch and we got to talking nuts and bolts.” Maury grinned as if everyone should appreciate his joke.
“Literally.” Elle nodded. “Lunch you say? I’m all for that.”
“We do different things every day but today I need you to come with me.” Harley looked at her a bit stiffly but offered no explanation.
“Okay. Am I going to the principal’s office?”
His look was so confused she laughed at it. “You sounded a little dire that’s all. I thought maybe I was in trouble.”
“No.”
“Good.”
He shook his head then and scratched his cheek. “Your presence has been requested actually. At the meeting with Valentina Nolan.”
“I what?”
“I don’t know. She just called and asked if we could move the meeting up a half hour and told me to bring you along. She said she ‘wants a woman’s perspective on our chat.’ That’s a direct quote.”
“That’s crazy. I didn’t get the impression she liked me all that much.”
“I’m pretty sure she doesn’t like me, so maybe you’re the buffer.”
“That doesn’t help. I have no clue what this is about, so how can I broker peace? Especially if she doesn’t like either of us?”
His shoulders relaxed proving he’d been as tense as she’d imagined.
“I guess we’ll find out together then. Come on, we’ll grab some lunch on the way.”
“I’m not dressed for a meeting.” Elle looked down at her gray work pants and the blue T-shirt. She had two grease spots on the pants, but the shirt was still okay. Still, it was terribly informal, especially with the steel-toed work shoes she’d learned were necessities in a shop where heavy equipment resided.
“What is it with girls?” Harley asked. “She told me very specifically to make sure you knew work clothing was entirely appropriate.”
For all the little red flags Valentina had put up, this little piece of information cheered Elle. Whatever her motive, Ms. Nolan knew how to make people comfortable—and she was ready to treat Elle as a sister not a freak working with the boys. She was shrewd and smart, and knowing that made Elle feel slightly better prepared.
“Okay then. Let’s go.”
Harley exchanged a look of bewilderment with Maury. “That was too easy.”
“Don’t ask me to explain females,” Maury replied, and sauntered away.
The half hour drive to York wasn’t silent, but the unmentioned hippo in the car radiated steamy vibes the entire way. Elle fidgeted, watching the Nebraska farm country roll by, comparing it to the rolling grasslands of southern Minnesota.
“The morning went all right?” he asked.
“It was good. Both guys are really happy to be helpful. Where were you all that time?”
“In the back bay working on a transmission for a man who’s giving his son an older Miata for his sixteenth birthday.”
“Not that red one I saw?” She frowned. “What dad wants his kid to drive a red sports car right out of the box?”
“Agreed. I think it’s a really dumb car to give a new driver, but I’m just the mechanic.”
“Did you say anything?”
“I showed him two really nice cars—a three-year-old Malibu, and a two-year-old Impreza. No dice. The kid wants a Miata, and Daddy wants him happy. You know—one of those kinds of relationships. The car isn’t in horrible shape other than the tranny—but it’s older and doesn’t have nearly the safety features. Jeez, I sound like my dad.”
“You’re just careful. You said so yourself.”
“Damn right. I thought about refusing to fix the thing—what if something happens and I didn’t try to stop it? Then I thought, he’ll just bring it somewhere else. The best I can do is make sure the car is as sound and safe as it can be.”
“Then that’s as much responsibility as you can take.”
Silence fell again. Frustrated, Elle racked her brain for a safe topic. Finally she remembered all the summer festival planning talk she’d been privy to yesterday while hanging out with Hailey, Adrienne and Phoebe at the Come Again bar.
“Tell me more about this summer festival thing that happens next month,” she said. “All I heard about all weekend was what a big deal it is.”
“Because it is a big deal. I don’t know anyone around here who doesn’t get full-on into the festival. Baking things, selling things, advertising, promoting. We’re one of the only festivals I know of that builds a Ferris wheel in the downtown square. And not a wimpy little one either—a full size, see the whole town from the top, big wheel. We’re also the only summer festival I know of with a haunted house. I used to play an ax-wielding zombie.”
“Seriously?” Elle stared, grinning.
“I did. I was frickin’ scary, too. But they let teenage guys and girls play that part as well as the ghosts and dead bodies—anything that reaches out and grabs people. Adults play the bigger scary parts like vampires and the Freddie Kruger types.”
“So who are you these days?”
He shook his head. “I gave that up a while ago. I’m not sure I’ve been in there since Aston died. He was my partner in all things horror.”
Her heart ached a little for him even though he didn’t sound morose or depressed. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s really true that nothing is the same once someone dies. Everything seems to make a circle to that person.”
“It does. And it’s sad. But it doesn’t stop me from being happy most of the time. I haven’t gone to the haunted house because it stopped being something I did, but I would go if the right catalyst came along I suppose.”
“You’re pretty amazing.”
“I know. Tell me why you think so?” His cheeky grin broke the tension.
“You seem to have a good outlook on life.”
“Because I have a good life. Everybody goes through tragedy. Humans always have. And yet, the species survives.”
“Is that your mom’s wisdom again?”
“Pretty much. Mom’s deal is that she doesn’t dwell on the past. She accepts that Dad and Aston are gone. But she projects into the future. Her way of grieving is to worry. It might seem that I could stop that by choosing to give up racing, but the truth is, she would find something else to worry about. Chris could get hit in the chest with a baseball and it would stop his heart, or I could be taking out an engine block and the hoist would fall. Everything is dangerous.”
“Has she ever gotten counseling?”
“Sure. She’s a smart woman. But, emotions are wild things, so we deal with them.”
“Your family sounds a lot like mine. Oddness abounds, but we all stick together.”
“What else can you do? That’s family.”
Elle sighed. This wasn’t going well. Instead of being an innocuous conversation that helped her see him through the lens of an employee-employer relationship, she was finding more and more to truly like about him. Why, why couldn’t her first impression of an arrogant asshat have been true?
She purposefully changed the topic, but spoke without thinking.
“Phoebe told me there’s a whole legend about the festival being a place where everything leads to love and that’s why it’s so special. People can’t wait to see who gets together next.”
“So they say. And there’s a three-step, sure-fire plan. Supposedly if you kiss someone when you’ve stopped at the exact top of the Ferris wheel, then find a corner of the haunted house and make out without the creatures finding you, and, finally go up to Klein Hill and seal the deal, you’ll marry the person.”
Kissing. Making out. Sealing the deal. The thoughts brought every tingling emotion from Friday night rushing back, and Elle wanted to sink through the seat. Not only was their light atmosphere gone, but the hippo was acknowledged and laughing i
ts butt off at them.
Harley’s mouth suddenly developed a firm line, and he huffed a breath through his nose. The atmosphere in the car started a familiar crackling.
“All right, this is stupid,” he said. “We’re almost there so let’s get this meeting over with. Then, you and I are going to talk. I’m refuse to continue this way.”
It would have been better had he’d yelled about appropriateness or the importance of being professional. What he had said was far worse to a woman with as many brothers as she had. When a guy was the one to say “we’re going to talk,” the situation was rarely good.
Chapter Ten
Frustration didn’t begin to describe Harley’s mood when he parked the Jeep he’d fixed over the weekend in a small side lot next to Valentina Nolan’s law office. He’d been slightly nervous about this meeting, but the morning with Elle had wiped out all worry. He liked his life straightforward, and he preferred to deal with issues as they arose rather than stew about things. If he had any residual baggage from Aston’s death it was that life was far too short to spend it in a state of turmoil for any longer than absolutely necessary.
Elle might not know it, but she definitely had him in a state of turmoil, and he didn’t like it a bit. He’d started his own business so he could make the rules. After this meeting he was damn well going to make one.
The Nolan office was pretty standard for an older downtown building—vintage wood floors and built-ins filled with awards and citations. The color scheme was neutral except for a few red accents. The logo behind a receptionist’s desk was the outline of a red heart with scrollwork edges that were fairly classy and not off-putting even to a man. In black letters across the center of the heart the company names in two lines read “Valentina Nolan Enterprises. Nolan & Nolan Law Offices PC.”
“Good afternoon, Mr. Holt,” the receptionist said, before Harley could introduce himself. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
He’d never met the woman in his life.
“Thank you. Good to meet you, too…?”
“Dana. And Ms. Mitchell. I’m so glad you could make it. Valentina is waiting for you. Let me tell her you’re here.”
He caught a skeptical eye roll from Elle and lifted his shoulders the tiniest bit to show he agreed. The greeting was designed to be over the top and flattering. What he didn’t know yet was why.
A moment later Valentina appeared from down a short hallway. Dressed in a print flowered blouse and a dark blue skirt, with a big old necklace thing of oversized flowers she looked less like a lawyer than a dinner hostess happy to greet early-arriving guests.
“Harley! Elle! Thank you sooo much for changing your schedules. I got called to a deposition at two o’clock so I knew one would be shortchanging our time together. Come back. Can we get you anything to drink? Coffee? Water? I have sodas as well.”
“Thanks, we just ate, actually. Unless Elle wants something?”
She shook her head, taking in the watercolors in the hallway. He studied them as well, all paintings of flowers, all generically pretty he guessed. They weren’t his taste. Then Valentina led them into a conference room, and surprise got the better of him. The walls were covered with photos of stock cars—at least ten around the room. Some he recognized as iconic—Earnhardt’s black and red number three car, Gordon’s number twenty-four. Others were simply action shots. One was a photo of Johnnie Markham standing beside a teal and hot pink monstrosity bearing the number seventeen.
“I see you’re surprised,” Valentina said, closing the door behind her.
“I didn’t know you were this big a racing fan,” Harley said. “It’s impressive. You know I’m a fan.”
“Good! I’ll be honest. I’ve always been fascinated with auto racing because my father loved it. But until recently I haven’t had the time to put into the legacy he wanted. It was his dream to form a racing team and grow it into a top level business. He left a sizeable amount of money for that very purpose when he passed away ten years ago.”
“That’s a pretty unusual request,” Elle said. “Racing is a very extremely complicated sport. I’m impressed that you’re taking it on.”
Valentina nodded, pleasure beaming from her face. “Well, thank you. It was very unusual. And a surprise. But Father did leave some instructions. And although I haven’t done much until recently, I have spent a lot of time researching and spending time with other team owners. So. Let me come right to the point. I’m ready to start putting my own team together. And, Harley, I’d like you to be part of it.”
The breath he let out did not hide a single molecule of his astonishment. He’d come hoping to convince the woman to help sponsor his driving. This offer could mean so much more.
“I…I’m honored. I had no idea.”
“And I know you’ve been looking for sponsorships—not because I’ve been snooping, but because the word is out in the racing world. It’s not bad. People like you. But money is hard to come by.”
“That is a slight understatement.” The first stirrings of excitement bubbled in his chest.
“Could I ask in what capacity you want him involved?” Elle spoke, bringing a slight sting of reality back into the room. “He’s a talented guy and could do just about any job I’d guess. But he’s my new boss, too. To be honest, I don’t want to lose him before I get a chance at this job.”
He had to admit she made an important point. And she did it with firmness but also friendly interest. Her job aside—which he didn’t want her lose either—he wasn’t interested in giving up his business or handing over its reins.
“Oh there’s no worry of that, my dear. I need an experienced driver. At least, one who’s more experienced than Johnnie. Someone willing to show him the ropes and bring him along. But this is a brand new venture. We would be starting very small. And that’s why I wanted you to be here, too, Elle. I’m impressed with the idea of having a woman on the team. You’ll bring interest, you’ll be a role model, and you have a direct but friendly manner that I think would be very valuable.”
It was exactly what Harley had been thinking.
What amazed him more was that Valentina had, apparently, been bewitched by Elle as quickly as he’d been. He’d been convincing himself all morning that his attraction to her was based on something special, not just the hormones of a guy who’d been too self-absorbed to date much in the past year. Elle had a way about her that cut through BS and made you like her.
“I guess it sounds like we need some details,” he said, and turned to Elle. “Don’t you think?”
“Absolutely.”
The offer was generous but not without strings. Valentina had three drivers, assuming Harley came on board. One was a junior driver with a lot of promise. The second was Johnnie, and it was clear he was Valentina’s pet project. Finally, although Harley reminded her that he was no veteran stock car driver, she pointed out his three year record and his experience before that.
“You have faced the pressure and the fear. You’ve proven that you aren’t going to fold. I want to start with a young stable, and you’re both young and tested. It’s a unique combination.”
He had to admit, she knew how to feed an ego.
The catch was, she had her own head mechanic who was happy to work with Harley’s staff, but his would be the final word. Harley had never heard of him. She also had her branding established, and she pointed out the picture of the pink and teal car.
Out of the corner of his eye he caught Elle putting a hand over her mouth. She quickly covered the motion by pinching her lip thoughtfully and passing off her opinion of the color scheme as contemplation.
“I think it’s bold,” she said. “Certainly will stand out. But I know Harley has a very personal stake in the colors he’s chosen.”
He looked at her in surprise. While he had no desire to paint his Monte Carlo to look like an ice cream cone, he also didn’t want to be contrary right off the bat. This was looking like money he’d never have found on his own, an
d he could negotiate a lot of things. Still, to have Elle standing up for his interests was pretty damn fine.
Valentina waved her hand carelessly. “There would be many details to discuss. The main thing is, your car’s maintenance and repairs, your fees, your work, would be paid for, and I’d be the proud sponsor. It could be lucrative for both of us in the long run. Elle, I would want you to be the team spokesperson. You would be the figurehead for the crew. I think we could use your looks and your talent to Harley’s advantage. And yours.”
This time he watched Elle think carefully before speaking. “Valentina, I am honored that you’re willing to put so much trust in someone you don’t know at all. Even Harley and I don’t know each other that well yet, so this is pretty big stuff.”
“It is, and I don’t expect an answer this minute. I’m giving you a lot to think about.”
“Yes, ma’am. But the thing I want to say is, your first impression of me might not be entirely correct. I am not willing to be the lovely assistant. I’m happy to represent whatever Harley does or decides, but I’m a serious car chick and I’m very good at what I do. I’ll take the time to prove that, but I won’t be fluff.”
Valentina actually clapped her hands together and stared directly into Harley’s eyes with a delighted grin. “Did you hear her? Do you see why I was exactly right about this? Elle, my darling girl, you are exactly the way I want you to be. I have no doubt you could give me precisely the profile I’m hoping for in this endeavor.”
“She’s proving to be someone unique, that’s for sure.”
Harley couldn’t come up with anything more intelligent than that without sounding infatuated. The fact that he was, absolutely, infatuated with Elle Mitchell made playing everything cool that much harder.
“So, that’s my offer. Here’s a sample contract—we’d spell everything out in more detail if this is something you’re interested in taking on. You’ll see dollar amounts. Those, too, are somewhat negotiable, but I do have finite funds, so we can’t be unreasonable.”
Sapphire Falls: Going Zero to Sixty (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 8