by A. M. Mahler
Speaking of beautiful cars, a silver Aston Martin pulled up next to us, and a beautiful blonde woman got out, pushing her sunglasses up onto her head. Dr. Jackie Reilly McKenzie was Ryan’s sister and the daughter of Jimmy Reilly. Ryan pulled her to his side with one arm, gave her a squeeze, and dropped a kiss on her forehead. The affection they had for each other was reminiscent of me and Dev. The baseball-sized lump returned to my stomach as I thought of the family I missed desperately.
“This is Colton’s car?” Jackie asked, dropping her sunglasses back down over her eyes. “I hear Maggie outdid herself.”
“That’s an understatement,” Ryan said.
I watched Maggie hop up and slide into the car. Nervousness began to slide into me. I brought up my camera to document this whole thing, but my hands were shaking. I didn’t have a good feeling about this. Everyone was excited except me.
Ryan tapped my arm and cocked his head toward a platform tower near us. I climbed the ladder after him and Jackie. Jesse followed behind him and then Jamie. In heels. I shook my head, turned back to the pit crew, and started taking pictures as they gassed up the car. Jackie, Ryan, and Jamie put headphones on. I wondered if I should have ear plugs or something, but Jesse wasn’t using any, so maybe one car wasn’t that loud.
The crew cleared the car, and it rumbled to life. Madness ensued as everyone hooted and hollered. I was left wondering what the big deal was. Maggie revved the engine and pulled out onto pit road before accelerating and starting leisurely around the track.
“She’s going to do some warmup laps before she opens that bitch up,” Jesse said over my shoulder. “Donavan is going to cream himself when he sees this.”
Lovely.
“That’s good?” I asked.
“Oh, yeah.” He laughed. “Mags is the best in the business. Everyone wants her. I guarantee that’s why Donavan picked us. Sure, he and the boss go back, but it’s Maggie he wants.”
Great. One more man sniffing after the object of my affection. The competition field was wide. My only saving grace was she had absolutely no idea how desirable she was.
There was an abrupt crescendo in the car’s engine and suddenly, she was whipping around the track. My heart sped up because while I was terrified for the safety of the woman in the car, this was also exhilarating. I wasn’t expecting that. She alternated taking the turns on the outside and inside. I couldn’t take my eyes off the car. Not just because Maggie was in it, but because it was just an awesome sight to be behold. The contrast of the red car against the wooded backdrop on the back straightaway, the vibration my body felt as the car sped past our stand. It was an excitement I’ve never felt before. It was different from the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded and the winning run at the plate. That anticipation wasn’t the same as this thrill.
Jamie was taking notes I assumed Maggie was sharing over the headset from the car, and Ryan and Jackie were giving her more. I did my best to get photos of everyone involved in this process. The website as it currently stood wasn’t personal. It was all business. But this company was run by family. It had a personality, and the owners cared about their employees. My plan was to humanize WRR—show that these people actually cared about what they created and how excited they were when they succeeded. It wasn’t just a race car. Not to these people.
The sound of squealing tires jerked my attention to the infield. My heart stopped as I saw the car careening out of control and spinning through the grass infield. It didn’t even register in my mind that there was literally nothing around for it to hit. All I saw was danger. Jesse was pale as he clutched the metal railing. Looking around me, no one else seemed to be freaking out. Ryan, Jackie, and Jamie looked like business as usual. How could they be so calm? Just as quickly as the car spun, it corrected and drove straight back toward the asphalt. My heart started again but in pounding pumps I could hear in my ears.
“Ruined my lawn,” Ryan said, without any anger.
“Again,” Jackie added, but she looked amused.
The car pulled back down pit road at a reasonable speed. I didn’t even notice Jesse leave the tower, but he was ripping out the netting in the car window and screaming at Maggie, who just kept handing out things through the opening. Ryan, Jackie, and Jamie moved past me, and I started to notice things around me again. I was holding my camera so tight that when I released one hand, it took a few seconds for my fingers to spread them open and for the blood to return to them.
With a still shaking body, I descended the ladder and headed across the asphalt to the metal bleachers. Still reeling from the emotional and physical extremes I just experienced, I no longer cared about what was going on behind me anymore. Exhausted, I dropped myself down onto the second row of bleachers with a heavy thud, propped my feet up on the row ahead of me and lowered my head into my hands. I just needed a moment ... or an hour ... or a lifetime to get myself back under control.
When the car careened in skids and spins, all I could think was, “Not her.” I was fully invested in a woman I shared all of one meal with plus a few other words in the ordinary course of business. The more I was in her presence, the more I was coming to realize that it was impossible for me to move back to Maine now. Not when I knew this creature existed in New Hampshire. I may have left pieces of my heart back in Cape Brandon, but my soul was complete in Grayson Falls.
I didn’t know how it was possible, maybe a slight breeze or a subtle change in scent alerted me to a change in the air. When I looked up, I saw Maggie striding toward me with purpose. The arms of her fire suit were tied around her waist, and her black V-neck t-shirt clung to her form. Her hair was shoved up into a hat that had seen better days. She was the hottest woman I’d ever seen.
I couldn’t take it anymore. Seeing her safe, fine, acting as if nothing happened, like my world didn’t shift on its axis, was more than I could bear right now. I was just physically and emotionally spent.
The bleachers rattled as she stomped up, shuffling along to where I was sitting. She sat down, legs straddling the bench. Silently, she looked at me. Something was different about her. This was something neither myself nor my camera lens had seen from her. Her eyes were a deep brown and her chest was heaving.
It was desire.
Slowly, trapped by her gaze, I sat up. We sat there for a few charged seconds before she grabbed me by my shirt and planted her lips on mine. And ...
I had nothing.
Not a thought was in my head. My mind may have left me, but my body still had me covered. My hand slid up to her cheek as our lips opened and our tongues touched. Body humming, my engine roared to life. Her lips were soft and tasted like cherries. The electrical charge between us snapped and exploded. The connection between us was stronger than I imagined. Did she feel it, too?
Just as the most amazing kiss began to really spin out, a throat cleared near us, and she pulled back. Jesse was standing there with his hands on his hips.
Oh, shit. Was I about to get beat up? I was not a fighter. Sure, Devon and I have had our fair share of brawls over the years, but that was different. He’s my brother. We may have gotten pissed at each other, but we never actively tried to kill each other when we fought.
“Maybe don’t give everyone a show, Mags?” he said.
What? Okay. I don’t understand. When I looked back to Maggie, she was staring at me with something akin to ... surprise? Shock? A rocked world? God, I hoped so.
She nodded her head. Good. Signal received. She’s onboard. But then she was shaking her head ... and, well, that’s still good. Maybe she was just as confused as I was. But without a word, she stood up and stomped down the bleachers, right past Jesse and out of sight.
I felt like I just ran into a brick wall. When I looked over at Jesse, he was shaking his head.
“Good luck,” he said and turned to follow after her.
Good luck? What did that mean? Was he okay with that kiss? Was he not? Was I going to get jumped after work on my way to my car?
> Really, though, I was just happy there wasn’t a fist flying at my face. I’m not entirely sure it wouldn’t have been deserved.
Maggie
T
hat was by far the craziest thing I had ever done. I had never in my life asserted myself with a man like that. I’ve always been the partner just along for the ride and happy with that. But after the exhilaration of driving the most perfect car I ever created and one look at Simon, I was filled with a feeling I couldn’t remember ever having before. My body moved on its own like I was being pulled in by his orbit. Whether I was getting closer to the sun or a blackhole, I couldn’t tell.
But once our lips met, I knew. The energy and passion that exploded into me from Simon would have brought me to my knees had I been standing. I was consumed by the need to connect with him. If it hadn’t been for my brother’s interruption, I’m honestly not sure what I would have done. I even considered taking Simon back to my place, but that’s not me either. I was not a one-night-stand kind of girl. But I was also not really into relationships—at least for the last few years. I convinced myself that I didn’t have time for a relationship. Work was too busy. I was astute enough now to realize that I made myself that busy because no one had come along that had interested me.
Until now.
My introverted little soul was freaking out over the possibility of getting to know Simon better. I’m not a sharer. I don’t even open up to the people I work with, and I’ve been with this company for six years.
But that kiss.
That kiss had my blood churning and goosebumps still on my skin hours later. My face heated as I sat at my drawing table. And for the first time in years, I didn’t feel like working. I didn’t even know where to start or what to work on. I just sat, having no idea what to do next.
I sent the signal I’m interested by initiating the first kiss, right? So, then is the ball in his court to make the next play or mine? A man probably doesn’t need any more signals than a woman shoving her tongue down his throat, don’t you think? Short of taking off my top and throwing it in his face, I think I got my point across.
Speaking of my top, I pinched the material away from my skin and fanned it a bit. The unpleasant aroma of dried sweat overpowered me. The fire suit made me sweaty. I know I had spare clothes in my office wardrobe and even some deodorant. Most everyone was gone for the day, except, I thought, Jamie and Ryan, who worked on the pitch to Colton now that the car was ready for him to test drive.
After rifling past all the crap my brother kept in my wardrobe, I tucked myself between the open doors, feeling relatively safe from the eyes of anyone who happened to be passing by. But just as the shirt I wore cleared my head, Simon crossed the threshold, rapped his fingers on the door, and looked around the room. I froze, topless, in place.
He didn’t. Simon—well, I don’t really know exactly what he did, but he seemed to get caught in his own feet, falling forward and smacking his head against the door jamb. His forehead burst open, and he fell to the floor. Scrambling quickly from his hands and knees to his butt, he shoved himself against the door, wide-eyed and blinking owlishly at me.
“Simon!”
“They’re still there,” he said softly. I looked around me to find the plural he was referring to when he pointed straight out at me. “Still there.” This wasn’t good. He didn’t make any sense. He must have really hit his head. There was blood streaming down his face. “Shirt!” he squeaked.
That was when I realized I was still topless. After quickly pulling the clean shirt over my head, I rushed across the office and dropped to my knees in front of him.
“Holy crap, Simon! Are you all right?”
His face was pale and bloody, and his eyes glazed over. Holy shit, did my breasts give him a concussion?
“What the hell happened?” yelled my boss. He and Jamie ran down the hall, Jamie furiously typing on her phone. Stopping short when he saw Simon in the doorway, Ryan crouched and inspected the wound. Wincing, he sat back on his heels. “Oh yeah, it’s smiling at me. That’s going to need stitches. What happened?”
That question was directed to me, and I had no idea what to say. I’m sure getting undressed in my office with the door open and the possibility of someone walking in violated some sort of workplace harassment policy or something. But in my defense, how was I supposed to know my breasts had the power to literally bring a man to his knees? It’s not like they’ve ever done that before.
“Maggie, did you see what happened?” My boss was still looking at me. Jamie disappeared from behind Ryan. Probably heading off to cordon off the area or something.
“Tripped,” Simon croaked. Ryan looked around, probably for the offending object that was about to get him sued. Thankfully, I covered those bad girls up. “My foot.” Simon took a deep breath and pushed himself up to sit a little straighter.
He seemed a little stronger now. Jamie reappeared and handed a first aid kit over Ryan’s shoulder. “Sebastian is just getting off shift. He’s coming over,” she told him.
“It’s good to know people,” Ryan said to Simon. “My brother is a doctor at the hospital in town. He’s coming over to stitch you up. He’s a surgeon, so you’ll be in good hands.”
Guilt overtook me. This man was never going to want to kiss me again if he was coming to make the second move and ended up getting head trauma. First, I was worried he wanted Jamie; now, I was worried about the destructive power of my boobs.
Ryan opened up the first aid kit, put on rubber gloves, and ripped open the alcohol swabs. His hands were steady and sure—probably because all his kids and their cousins were constantly brawling, climbing trees, racing through the farm’s orchard. Seriously, those kids had exactly no fear.
Simon hissed as Ryan cleaned around the cut then pressed a pile of gauze pads over it, securing it with medical tape.
“It’s not the prettiest, but it’s just until Sebastian gets here anyway. Let’s get him over to the couch and lay him down.” Ryan and I moved to grab him under an arm and pull him up but, Simon brushed us away.
“I’m okay. I can get over there.”
Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet and swayed for a second. Ryan took one elbow and I the other as we slowly walked him over to my small loveseat. Once Simon was seated, Ryan cracked an ice pack, wrapped it, and handed it to Simon, who immediately hissed again when he put it to his head. I could see the lump already forming, and I really hoped my breasts hadn’t left a scar. On the other hand, if he never wanted anything else to do with me, at least whenever he looked at the scar, he’d think of my breasts.
Somewhat comforted by that thought, I gently sat down next to him and took his hand in mine. He entwined our fingers and squeezed tight. Good sign. My breasts haven’t ruined everything.
Tall, dark, and devilishly handsome, Dr. Stuart entered my office with a medical bag. He fist-bumped with Ryan then walked farther into the room and stood before Simon.
“Hi, Simon. I’m Sebastian. I hear you got your bell rung. How do you feel?”
“Kinda stupid,” Simon answered, and we all shared a small smile. “It’s throbbing.”
“Vision?”
Simon paused before answering. He looked around the room and then down at our joined hands. “It’s okay.”
“Do you feel like you’re going to vomit?” Sebastian continued his interview.
“I’m nauseated. I don’t know if I’m going to actually vomit though.”
Sebastian asked Simon to follow his finger and tell him how many fingers he was holding up. After snapping gloves on, Sebastian stepped forward and removed Ryan’s rudimentary dressing. Simon grimaced as the good doctor poked around the small wound over his eyebrow and palpated the forming bump.
“Yup, that’s going to need a few stitches. Let’s get it cleaned up.”
“Don’t I need to fill out forms or something?” Simon asked.
“Nah,” Sebastian said as he removed a bottle of sterile water from his bag. “First on
e’s free.”
Three of Ryan’s siblings worked at the hospital. Jackie and Sebastian were the only doctors. It was a small hospital with a small staff, but they were good at taking care of the basic needs of the town, as well as people who got injured at the ski resort when it was open. Jackie and Sebastian were generally familiar with the health status of just about everyone in town. If they got too busy, there was a covering practice from another town that helped them out, but Grayson Falls residents were less than thrilled when they got a stranger.
Sebastian worked silently and intently. His stiches were small and close together. Ryan and Jamie got bored with watching after a few minutes and deserted the battlefield to return to their work on the pitch. So, it was just me, Sebastian, and Simon, who recoiled every now and again while Sebastian worked. Once Simon was the new owner of eight stitches, Sebastian applied a topical antibiotic, covered the injury up with a big band-aid, and pulled off his gloves.
“Do you have someone who can stay with you?” Sebastian asked. “It looks like you have a mild concussion. I know you’re new in town. I don’t want to have to admit you overnight for observation, but if there isn’t someone to check on you every two hours, I’m not going to have a choice.”
“I’ll do it,” I blurted. “I’ll stay with him.” I mean, it was the least my breasts could do in this situation. After all, they were responsible for this injury. Simon looked over at me curiously but didn’t reject my idea.
“All right then.” Sebastian stuck out his hand to Simon, who quietly took it and shook. “If the headache gets bad, your vision goes blurry, or you start vomiting, I want you to call immediately. Either Jackie or I will come to you. Probably Jackie. It’s my wife’s birthday.” Sebastian stood up and picked up his bag. “You’re in for a long night, Maggie. You’ll need to wake him up every two hours to test his cognition.” I nodded my head quickly in agreement. Due to the idiotic things my brother has done in his life, I’m no stranger to this process. “I’ll leave him in your hands then. It was nice meeting you, Simon. If anything changes, call the hospital.”