I considered making something up about Kelly, thinking of her as just another girl at the bar, but stopped myself. There really wasn’t any point in lying. It was what it was, and Colby was a guy like any other. He would understand getting swept up in a woman.
“That wasn’t the first time I met her,” I explained. “Her name is Kelly. I met her three years ago. On my birthday, actually. On my twenty-first, Quentin decided I had to celebrate by going out to the bar for the first time. It was just the four of us. We got shots and I was being ridiculous and dancing because I figured if he was going to push me out of my comfort zone so much, I was going to do it up right.”
“Fair enough,” Colby said.
“Well, I was trying not to look like a complete ass on the dance floor, and I saw her sitting at the bar by herself. She totally stunned me. You saw her. She’s gorgeous and I couldn’t pay attention to anything else. I ended up walking up to her to talk to her.”
“That doesn’t sound like you,” he said. “That definitely doesn’t sound like you three years ago anyway.”
Colby and I had gotten closer since he’d started training me, but he had known my family for several years. He was familiar with how reserved and quiet I was when I was younger. Not that I was the picture of bold, outgoing personalities now, but I’d come out of my shell slightly since then.
“It wasn’t. But I couldn’t resist her. We ended up hanging out for most of the night, and then we left together,” I told him.
“You spent the night with her?” Colby asked, looking surprised.
“Yep. She was the one who instigated it, but I wasn’t about to argue with her. I got her to my place as fast as I could.”
We both laughed, but then he looked slightly confused.
“Why haven’t I heard of her? Was your night together that bad she had to disappear?”
I shoved him playfully.
“No. She left the country the next day.”
“Wow. Your night together was so bad she had to leave the country.”
I glared at him. “It was incredible. But she seriously did have to leave the country. She left a note and was gone before I woke up. I haven’t seen or heard from her since. Then I walked into the bar last night, and she was just there, sitting at the bar just like she was then.”
“So, after three years she not only comes back into the country, but she shows up at the same bar on your birthday?” Colby asked. “That has to be fate.”
I shrugged. “I put the ball in her court. She’s the one who’s going to have to take the next step. I gave her my number before I went back to the table last night but didn’t get hers. If we’re going to see each other again, it’s going to have to be because she called me.”
I let the story end at that, glossing over the fact that I pretty much lost my heart during that one-night stand. I really didn’t need the jokes that morning, and Colby was already on a roll with his teasing. I’d rather keep the emotions to myself until I could figure out what exactly was going on. We worked out for a little longer, and then it was time for me to head to the racing complex. I took a quick shower in the locker room of the gym, dressed for work, and hopped in my truck to head out there. As I drove, I thought about what Colby had said. It really did seem like fate to have her show up again like that.
It wasn’t a coincidence. She’d admitted that herself. Kelly went to that specific bar because it was my birthday, not just randomly. But I still didn’t know what brought her back here. Colby was right. I needed to find out if there was anything behind this thing with Kelly, or if I needed to just focus on finding closure to it. For the last three years, I’d been measuring every woman I dated up against Kelly, and that wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair to the other women, who would never be able to compete with her. And it wasn’t fair to me, who would always feel like I was missing out, no matter who I was with. I needed to figure out once and for all if something real could happen for us or if I just needed to put Kelly in my memories and be open to someone else.
By the time I parked at the complex and headed toward the garage, I was sure I knew what I wanted. I just wasn’t counting on Kelly surprising me two days in a row.
6
Kelly
Usually I tried to be a fairly positive person. Even when things were going wrong or I was dealing with a difficult time, I tried my best to be optimistic and use positive thinking to get me through. Not that it always worked. I wasn’t one of those dreamy-eyed whimsical people who truly believed they could create anything in their lives just by whispering sweet nothings out into the universe or some ridiculous nonsense like that. But I did believe that optimism and trying to see the good in every situation gave me a mental boost that helped me think more clearly and handle situations better. It had done me well over the last few years as I dealt with life throwing me curveballs like it was the bottom of the ninth and the score was all tied up.
That morning, not so much. My internal monologue as I walked across the impressive grounds and into the sprawling garage was essentially shit, shit, shit, shit.
It didn’t start out that way. I actually started that morning feeling cautiously optimistic and telling myself to be confident. It wasn’t going to be an easy sell, but if there was anybody who could do it, it was me. I would be able to go to that racing complex, talk to the owner, and convince him I was a perfect addition to his team. Sure, it wouldn’t be easy to put over being a female mechanic. As much progress as has been made in equality, there was still a lot to be done in this industry. People still tended to have a difficult time wrapping their head around a woman working on machinery. Especially a woman who still showed up in makeup. There was a disconnect there some people struggled to try to reconcile, but I refused to let closed-mindedness stop me.
I was damn good at what I did. And I had the experience and resume to back it up. All I needed to do was show that confidence, get them to talk to me, and let them prove myself. I told myself that and gave myself little pep talks the entire drive to the Freeman Racing complex. The guard smiling at me when he waved me through the gates seemed like a good sign, but the positive feeling started fading when I got to the main building where I was meeting the owner. As soon as I saw him, something tickled in the back of my mind. He looked vaguely familiar. Not in that way where you know you’ve met someone or even have had a conversation with them. More in the way I knew I’d seen him but couldn’t specifically place him.
“Good morning,” he said, coming toward me as I approached. “You must be Kelly.”
I took the hand he extended toward me and smiled back.
“Yes. Kelly Hollister.”
“I’m Quentin Freeman,” he said, shaking my hand, then stepping to the side to gesture at an older man nearby. “And this is my father.”
“Gus,” the older man said with a cheerful grin. “Good to meet you.”
“You too,” I said.
“Well, I’ve looked over your resume, and it’s very impressive. If you’d like, I’ll show you around the complex, then we’ll go down to the garage. The rider should be arriving pretty soon, and I’m sure he’d like to talk to you, too,” Quentin said.
I nodded. “I’d like that.”
We started walking around the grounds, and both men showed me around, pointing out different features and amenities. They were kind and friendly without even a hint of condescension. Neither one of them mentioned that I was a woman or made any sort of suggestion about me not being able to do the job. That was incredibly refreshing. Even in situations when I got a position, there was never a time when it didn’t come up a few times how different it was to see a woman in a garage. Many people thought they were being supportive or even edgy when they commented on it. Like they could acknowledge it to prove just how “cool with it” they were. Those were often the most uncomfortable of encounters. But the Freemans weren’t doing any of that. They were just showing me around and telling me about the company and the team, and I quickly liked both of them.<
br />
I should have known it was all too good to be true.
“There is other machinery on the complex you would likely be working on as well, but you would mostly work on the racing bikes. That would put you in direct contact with our riders, so you’d have to get to know each of them and the specifics they have for their bikes. Greg is the most recent addition to the racing team, and then there’s Darren.”
And with that, my heart stopped.
“Darren?” I asked.
Maybe it was a coincidence. It wasn’t like Darren was all that unusual of a name. And it could just be one of those things, like you’ve never heard a word in your life but as soon as you learn it, suddenly you hear it everywhere because you’re paying attention to it. Maybe the name Darren was just standing out to me because I had him on my mind.
“Yeah. He’s my younger brother. He’s been having really good success the last couple of seasons. It was actually his birthday yesterday.”
And there it was. The hammer drop. Now I knew exactly why Quentin looked familiar. I’d looked across a crowded bar at him sitting at a table with his brothers. Twice. Once three years ago and once last night.
Holy shit.
And there began the downward spiral of my positive thinking, and my monologue began.
I came into this thinking getting the position might be a challenge because being a female mechanic was a hard sell. Not because I’d be up against the ghost of Darren. Darren fucking Freeman, that is. Why didn’t I get the man’s last name?
I couldn’t believe I hadn’t figured it out. How could I have not put it together when I was searching for jobs and saw the listing for the available spot with the Freeman team? Fuck me and my terrible research skills.
There wasn’t really a reason for me to know who he was. I didn’t follow racing and wasn’t interested in the position because it had to do with racing specifically. I just wanted to work in a garage and happened to have a lot of experience with bikes. But all it would have taken was being a responsible candidate and looking into the team a little bit to see a picture of him or read a mention of his name. But no. I had to find out from his brother and father while they were showing me around the amazing facility I was already dying to work at. Awesome.
They brought me into the garage and showed me around. It was an amazing space with every tool and device I could want for. I tried to keep myself focused on that and not on Darren, but of course, that wasn’t going to be the way that worked out for me.
The door to the garage opened, and immediately both Quentin and Gus let out shouts.
“There he is,” Quentin said.
“How was your birthday celebration?” Gus asked.
He wasn’t rushing to answer. In fact, I didn’t know if he even heard them. Just like me, he was standing frozen in place, his eyes locked on mine. It felt like we stood there forever, but he recovered faster.
“Hey, Quentin. Hey, Dad. My birthday was good. What’s going on this morning?” he asked.
The string of words didn’t sound like they went together as he let them just tumble out of his mouth while he continued to stare at me.
“This is Kelly Hollister. We’re interviewing her for the open mechanic’s position,” Quentin told him.
I tried not to freak out as he said that. I, of course, knew that’s why I was there. But the introduction and explanation were made more than a bit awkward by the fact that neither of those men were aware I already knew Darren. Biblically.
“Mechanic?” he asked, looking between his brother and father, then back at me.
His voice had more of the uncertainty and questioning in it, but I wondered how much of that was because they’d never had a woman as a mechanic, and how much it was because he didn’t know that’s what I did for a living.
“Yes,” I said, thrusting a copy of my resume at him so he could see it.
I stood exactly where I was, doing my best not to show any sort of emotion or stress as I watched him read over the paper. He was doing the same thing, not giving anything away, and that made me feel even more on edge. I could feel the other two men watching us, but I stopped myself from looking to see if I could read their expressions. I wanted to seem casual, calm, and collected, and searching everybody’s face in desperate hope of some sort of recognizable reaction didn’t go along with that.
The whole thing had gone straight to hell. It was such a mess, I didn’t know how I was going to get myself out of it, and I considered just walking out and going back to Canada. It might not have been the ideal solution, but at least I wouldn’t feel like I was flailing around in quicksand just waiting to be swallowed up.
Darren finally looked up at me. I waited for a reaction, but he didn’t say anything to me. Instead, he looked over at Quentin and his father.
“I got this,” he said.
He didn’t give either of them a chance to say anything before he grabbed me by the hand and pulled. He was insistent, and I didn’t really have a choice but to follow him wherever he wanted to take me.
7
Darren
I was totally going to count this as a belated birthday present from the universe.
It was a complete shock to go into the garage and find Kelly standing there with my father and brother. At first, I had no idea what to think or why she would be there. It was possible she had hunted me down to talk to me, but that didn’t seem to make a lot of sense. First of all, I gave her my phone number so if she wanted to get in touch with me, all she had to do was call. And the look on her face when she first saw me standing there at the door didn’t look like somebody who’d found the person they were searching out. She’d looked shocked and like at any second, she was going to break out in a full run just to escape being near me.
I was surprised, too, but in the best way. I couldn’t believe she was there, and I couldn’t believe it even more when my father told me she was the candidate they were interviewing for the mechanic position. We’d been looking for a new mechanic for a few months to fill a gap left by one of our long-standing team members who’d decided to retire. So far there hadn’t been any particularly promising prospects. Some came with skill and experience, but without the personality to fit in with the rest of us. Others had the idea that a bike racing team didn’t really need a skilled mechanic and that they could just have basic abilities and skate by.
The worst were the ones who came onto the complex pretending to be interested in working with us but were obviously sent by other teams. They were assigned to scope out our facilities and spy on our operations so they could report back and use that information to better themselves and their potential in future races. As much as they would have liked to think they were good actors and could fool us, they were easy to spot.
I was starting to get frustrated, but the week before Dad and Quentin let me know they got an application that looked impressive and were going to be interviewing the candidate on Monday. They seemed optimistic, but I’d wait to have any sort of investment in it until they went through the first stages of the interview process and it was time for me to get involved. As the former owner and current owner of the company, Dad and Quentin were the first barrier when it came to anyone joining the team. With the exception of people working in the office without direct involvement with the racing itself, they were the ones who met the candidates first, talked with them, and decided if they were qualified to move on to the next stage. That next stage was me.
Meeting me meant getting grilled about their skills, asked questions about how they would handle specific issues related to the bikes, and put through tests of their abilities. So far not many had gotten to me, but this time there was something in Kelly they both saw that got her all the way down to the garage. I was stunned the instant I realized she was who they were interviewing. It was like the universe was giving me exactly what I wanted, and no matter how thrown off by the whole situation we both were, I wasn’t letting her get away again.
Taking her by her arm,
I pulled Kelly with me to my office. I rarely used the room. I much preferred to be down in the garage or on the practice track. But this situation necessitated some private space, and my office was the best thing for that.
As soon as we got into the room and I shut the door behind us, I let go of Kelly and turned to face her.
“Why are you here?” I asked. I needed to hear it from her.
“Your dad just told you. I’m here to apply for the mechanic position,” she told me.
“You didn’t know this was my family’s company? That I was the rider here?” I asked.
She shook her head adamantly, and I believed her. There was no way she could fake that look of shock on her face.
“I didn’t. I had no idea. You never told me your last name or that you race bikes.”
“And you never told me you were a mechanic,” I pointed out.
She paced back and forth nervously, then snapped her eyes back to me.
“Look, if you want me out of here, I’ll go. No hard feelings. I’ll pretend this never happened,” she said.
Her response stunned me. I knew she was surprised to see me, especially considering neither of us had any idea the other would be involved in the same field. But I couldn’t imagine she would really think I would try to push her away from a job she was qualified for because of my personal feelings. I took a step toward her.
“What? No. Of course, I want you here.”
Kelly stopped pacing and stared at me. The intensity of her blue gaze made a hot blush climb up onto my cheeks. But I wasn’t lying or exaggerating. I wanted her there. The idea of her working with me was not only exciting, it felt like it was the first step of everything falling into place. I wanted her there on the racing complex. I wanted her in my bed. I wanted her in my life.
The attraction was so strong I wanted to just scoop her up into my arms and not let go. But I held back. It was probably best if we just started with the job. She’d just gotten back into town and having a solid job would help her settle in and make this really her home. I didn’t want to try anything else too soon and make it seem like her employment depended at all on a personal relationship with me. As long as Kelly was close, I could be patient.
Millionaire Daddy: A Secret Baby Romance (Freeman Brothers Book 2) Page 4