“Very few people can afford to be…extravagant,” Elle said. “I understand.”
Harley took his first look at the financial offer and sat back in the chair. It was fair but generous. He’d be able to do everything that needed to be done to the Monte Carlo to get it ready. Perhaps even for a brand new race in six weeks?
“If I were to decide to do this, can you have us up and ready by the Sapphire Falls festival week?”
“I could.” She nodded slowly. “I know a little about that as well. You have a venue, but it’s not insured, and it needs some minor repairs to make it minimally safe. You need to raise about ten thousand dollars, is that about right?”
“Right. I’m up to around half.”
“I can contribute some, a thousand I’d say, but I don’t have the resources to cover the whole thing. I don’t want to anyway. I don’t plan on making a home base—I want to concentrate on the racing. I hope that makes sense. So, if you can raise the money, say four thousand more, then we’ll debut you and Nolan Racing mid-June at the festival. If not, there are several other choices in early July.”
Harley found himself choking up, because he suddenly understood he’d never truly held out hope of succeeding in his plan to get the race set up. The money simply wasn’t flowing in as he’d hoped. Now, all at once, there was hope. It was faint, but he could see it happening. He cleared his throat and steadied his voice.
“My brother passed away on June eleventh five years ago. That would be my target date for the race.”
“It’s not much time,” Valentina said. “If it was to happen we’d need to get promotions running for it almost immediately.”
He nodded and started slightly when a soft touch landed on his arm. He looked into Elle’s shining eyes. “Let’s talk about this for a day or so,” she said softly. “It’s a very big decision.”
“That has to be the plan,” he agreed. “Can we take a couple of days, Valentina?”
“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
She stood. He and Elle followed her lead. She took each of their hands in turn, and her clasp was firm and supremely confident. She was formidable. Harley decided he’d just as soon never sit opposite her side in court.
Nobody prolonged the good-byes. Valentina simply reiterated her excitement and hope that they’d call soon with good news. Then she returned to her office with a wave.
Elle followed Harley out the door in silence. He couldn’t read her features or her body language. She looked neither excited nor unhappy. aybe it was the first time he’d seen her shell-shocked. Not that he could blame her. The world looked almost like a different place—slightly skewed, a little pink and teal.
They climbed into the Jeep and he turned on the air, but he didn’t move out of park. His legs, arms, torso—everything felt weighted and hot. His heart pounded chaotically until he managed a couple of calming breaths. Then excitement filtered back in, and a rush of adrenaline set his pulse skittering again. Finally he turned to Elle.
“I don’t even know what to say. I came to beg her for partial sponsorship. I’ve been trying to reach her for weeks after hearing that she’d been showing an interest in racing. I had no idea how deep that interest went. This is like a dream come true.”
“Are you sure?”
Elle wasn’t smiling.
“You aren’t?”
“No, I’m not. How can I be? All we have is her word that she has money. Her interest in getting this going now seems wildly spur-of-the-moment. She’s asking you to give up almost all control. I think you have a lot of questions to form and ask.”
“Okay—I concede that absolutely. But given that, what do you think?”
He wasn’t prepared for the answer she gave.
“I think you should say no.”
Chapter Eleven
She’d stunned him; Elle could see it in his face. Probably disappointed him, too, but nothing within her would allow her to lie. She couldn’t put her finger on what it was that bothered her so strongly about Valentina, except she’d never been comfortable around people who seemed to have every angle figured out before other people involved were even consulted.
“Well, gee, that was pretty unambiguous.” He didn’t look at her, just stared straight ahead, deflated.
“Look. I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair of me. I would never tell you what to do. I don’t even really think ‘no’ is what you have to say—I should have said say no unless… I see how important this is to you, and I’m just not sure Valentina really cares about that. This is all about her, and you’re a means to an end.”
“Or a beginning.”
“That could be true.”
“Then why so negative? This could be a wonderful thing for you, too.”
“Except I’m not looking for success in the racing world. I just want to be a really good mechanic.”
“You would learn a lot on a racing team.”
“And that’s true, too.”
“You don’t like her.”
“I do like her. I don’t trust her. There’s a difference.”
“What would make you trust her?”
“If she proved that all this money from her dead father is legit. If she answered all the questions I just asked about ‘why right now.’ And if she changed her mind about painting your gorgeous car that hideous color combo.”
A ray of humor burned through her unease and she bumped him with her elbow. He allowed a smile. “I have to admit. It’s ugly.”
“And sooo masculine. That picture of Johnnie what’s-his-name standing beside it so proudly.” He exaggerated a shudder and she laughed. “I never, ever want to see you in one of those.”
“Yeah, Maury and the others would make posters of it, and I’d never live it down. You’re right.” He sighed. “It all seemed like a moment of hope, that’s all.”
“You don’t have to give up on the idea. Let’s make a list of all the details we want to know and all of your stipulations. It’s not simply you who’d be getting something out of this—she needs you. Or someone like you. You can make a few demands in return.”
She knew she was saying too much, taking on too much of a role in his decision, but she’d been dragged into the deal right along with him, so it gave her a tiny bit of ownership.
“Who are you? What are you? You’re watching out for me—why?”
“You made me fall in like with you, so I care. Plus, no matter what she said—she wants to make me into Noland Racing’s Barbie Doll car girl, like those women who talk to football players on the sidelines during halftime. They’re there only to give the guys something to look at.”
“That’s pretty jaded, isn’t it?”
“That’s pro sports. Don’t get me wrong—I get it. I don’t even hate it. I’m just not going to be one of them.”
“You’re a fairly impressive car chick, you know that right?”
She studied him, ready to pounce at the slightest hint of sarcasm, but he was dead serious.
“Just a car chick, huh?”
“Nope—that’s your super power, your Wonder Woman. Your Diana Prince might be your credentials, they’re a spectacular alter ego. I hired you because of that. But it was the phone interview where I heard something I liked in the way you talked—something special. I think you can use it to win friends and influence enemies whenever you get it figured out. Meanwhile we’ve come full circle to the things we have to discuss. Unrelated to this meeting.”
“Uh oh.”
“C’mere.”
He wiggled his finger, asking her to lean toward him. She did and he met her across the console with a kiss he slipped lightly onto her lips. Memories rapidly turned to reality, and she gave a tiny mewl of pleasure and anticipation. When she pushed closer, however, he pulled away.
“Awww,” she said.
“That’s what I meant earlier when I said I wasn’t going to go on the way we started this morning. I know it’s bad form for a boss to date an employee, but I like you.
I fell…in like with you, too. And if you weren’t working for me, I’d have asked if you wanted to spend a lot more of the weekend with me than we did.”
“And I’d have said yes.”
“See? Why do I have to give that up because of conventional wisdom? I own the frickin’ company. I want to see where this ‘like’ thing we share goes. Screw the wisdom—I want to date you, and I don’t want to sneak around to do it. Unless you hate the idea.”
Valentina was forgotten. Elle’s heart was back to bouncing around her chest, fielding dozens of little thrills and pumping them throughout her body.
“I really really don’t hate the idea.”
“So if I tell Steve and Maury that I’m taking you as my date to the championship game tomorrow night, you’ll be okay with it?”
“Don’t I get to say yes to the time and place of the first date first?”
“I’m hoping that will be our second date, because I’m going to ask you out to dinner tonight. I guess that is somewhat to discuss this business proposition, though, so maybe you’re right. Elle, would you come with me to the high school baseball game, championship edition, tomorrow night?”
She leaned in again and kissed him on the cheek.
“Yeah, Harley. I’d love to see Sapphire Falls beat the heck out of whoever else thinks they’re going to win. And, I’ll go to a business dinner tonight, too. I can look for apartments anytime.”
“That was actually really good. Too good, in fact. I ate way too much.”
Elle rubbed her stomach and groaned good-naturedly as Harley clasped her free hand and led her down Main Street away from Dottie’s Diner. The homemade pot pie she’d scarfed down had actually rivaled Effie’s recipe back home at the Loon Feather, and the pleasant reminder of Kennison Falls had actually made her feel more at home here.
“About the only thing Dottie can’t do is oatmeal,” Harley said. “She insists the recipe is old world and authentic, but only a few people have learned to like it. The rest of us order the eggs.”
“Regardless of the oatmeal, it’s a cute place, and the potpie was great.”
“Let’s walk to the park.” Harley squeezed her hand. “You can help me finalize the list of things we need to ask Valentina.”
They hadn’t yet talked in any detail about the meeting. Instead they’d let the conversation flow from topic to topic from the simple biographical clichés they’d gotten out of the way, to more dangerous topics like politics. Even that had proved to be no obstacle. Elle plain liked the way Harley viewed the world. One date and she was in trouble.
“You really want me to call her in the morning?” she asked.
“I do. I think she’s got me pegged as an easy mark. It’s really that she’s found the right triggers to get me excited without analyzing things first. The more I thought about it all afternoon, the more I realized that you didn’t let her wow you.”
“I’m a girl. We can be devious and manipulative, I won’t deny it. We don’t all use the tools, but we all recognize them.”
“Do you honestly think she’s devious and manipulative?”
“I think she’s spinning this whole thing to her advantage. I don’t believe she’s got any cruel reason for it—she wants to make money. And, maybe she really does like racing. I promise I’ll be fair.”
He dropped her hand and put his arm across her shoulders instead. Tonight he smelled of spice and soap, and being drawn against his side was intoxicating. Snaking her arm around his waist, she reveled in the slender tensile strength, hard yet yielding, touchable and comfortable while still being strong.
“I know you will,” he said.
The park was only two blocks from the town square and across the highway, quiet now that it was nearing nine and starting to get dark. They walked past the swimming pool and around two ballfields before coming to a picnic grounds dotted with mature maples and cottonwoods. Harley patted the craggy bark of a very large representative of the latter.
“State tree,” he said. “Come on, we can sit here and finalize the plan.”
It ended up being far too comfortable under the green shade of the cottonwood’s huge, heart-shaped leaves. For the second, or third, or maybe it was the fourth time since arriving in town, Elle experienced the liberating realization that she had nothing pressing to do. She wasn’t ignoring some task or rushing to catch up with a friend. Her work day was done, she was happily stuffed with comfort food, and the man beside her had turned out to be not a jerk, or an ass, or even rude. He was a genuinely nice guy, and she’d gotten lucky.
Well, not that kind of lucky. But the idea of sex with him, premature and definitely not on the table, was far from distasteful. She let herself relax against him and let the sweet evening breeze gather around her. The park was deserted, and the shadows deepened. A few birds called and she heard an owl hoot once, but she and Harley said nothing. Unlike that morning, however, this was comfortable. The tension filled her with pleasure instead of painful awkwardness, and she honestly didn’t care if they never made tomorrow morning’s plans.
His sudden insistent tug her arm after such peaceful quiet startled her.
“What?” she asked.
He only wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her swiftly onto his lap so she straddled him and they faced each other in the near dark. Pulling her tightly to him, he shifted enough so hard, clear evidence of how he felt pressed against the sensitive softness between her legs. The moan escaped her throat before she could do a thing to stop it.
“This is all probably just a crazy brush fire between us,” he said. “Hell, workplace romances rarely work out.”
“Yeah,” she agreed, drawing in a sharp breath and letting her forehead drop to rest against his.
He kissed her hard and lifted up to press their bodies even more securely together. Spasms of pleasure exploded through her core and their mouths opened to one another, only heightening the fireworks. The first kiss had been artful and sensual, but this one was messy and wet and erotic. He gasped and thrust and she suckled his tongue while her hips swirled against him without any conscious help on her part. It was enough, and yet she longed for more.
Her fingers delved into his hair and she pushed them beneath the band holding his pony tail. The elastic popped off and thick waves poured into her hands, shoulder length, heavy as satin.
“Jeez, Elle,” he groaned against her mouth. “It was just supposed to be a kiss, you’re doing me in.”
“It’s only fair,” she said. “I was lost from the start.”
“This is dangerous.” He kissed down her throat and flicked his tongue against the skin at the neck of her tank top.
Her breasts tingled, the pressure built, heavy and hot between her thighs. She could make it all happen for her with the right rocking, but she sat still, reveling in the desire, holding back the wave.
“Naw,” she whispered. “I trust you.”
“And I thought you were smart.”
He found her mouth again and the kiss took them as far as they needed to go.
Chapter Twelve
Harley agreed to sign the contract with Valentina after Elle got satisfactory answers from her the next morning, and also got her to agree to several of Harley’s stipulations. His car would remain yellow to honor his brother but the trim colors would change from black, red, and green, to black, hot pink, and teal. Maury would share equal status with Valentina’s mechanic, Elle and Steve would be informed about every decision made about any race cars.
Harley had the right to suggest races or refuse any contest he didn’t want to enter. Elle had full say over her wardrobe and her on camera persona. The agreement would be renegotiated after one year unless the contract was breached by either party. Valentina emailed letters to both Elle and Harley from her lawyers with wording from her father’s will about his wishes proving that her intent was honorable. After two hours of back and forth tweaking, Elle had Harley, and Darcy with her accountant’s eye, review everything and gave the
project their blessing.
After working with Valentina, Elle was more certain than ever Nolan Racing wasn’t in this strictly for Harley’s benefit. The woman was a lawyer, however, and she knew the benefits to her business of keeping her word and keeping her clients safe and happy. Since Harley wanted so badly to give the whole thing a try, Elle didn’t lodge any more complaints.
The biggest obstacle would be raising the money for all the repairs and insurance necessary to run the inaugural race on June eleventh. For that, Elle succumbed again and told him she’d take over the drive and raise the capital. The towns people of Kennison Falls, a place two thirds the size of Sapphire Falls, had come through with twelve thousand dollars for a new library. Elle had helped run that campaign, and if she could get naturally frugal Minnesotans to part with their money, she could talk a county full of gregarious Nebraskans into coughing up enough for some fast fun.
She had just over five weeks to make good on the promise.
With a sigh she rolled up her metaphorical sleeves and made a mental note not to give her family too many details from her new town quite yet. Her first week in Sapphire Falls had definitely not gone according to expectations.
***
It was June the first.
Already.
Harley stared around the Come Again, his soda and French fries untouched in front of him. Multiple copies of two different giant, vividly colored signs advertising Sapphire Falls’ first Aston Holt Memorial 150 papered the bar’s windows. With ten days to go until race night and all the money they needed raised and in the bank, nothing was left to keep his nerves at bay. Elle had a crew cleaning up the fairground track and environs. Entries had almost literally poured in—most of them local wannabe racers but a dozen or so from pros looking for a new challenge.
This thing was going to happen.
Much to his mother’s distress. But that was something he’d expected. None of the stress—his mother’s or his own—dampened his excitement—just his appetite. He pushed his plate of fries toward his mother sitting across the table from him.
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