Fast Lane

by Jennis Slaughter

  Addison let Maddie go to get her newest Barbie to show her while she followed her mom into the kitchen. Sven sat at the bar smiling. “Can I help with anything, Mom?” Addison asked.

  “You can set the table if you want. You know how much your brother hates to help out.” Charlotte plated the chicken-fried steaks. “He’s up in his room listening to some thumping music that I just can’t understand.”

  “Do you want me to get him after I set the table?” Addison asked setting down the plates on the table, followed by folding the napkins and placing the silverware while her mom poured glasses of iced tea.

  “If you wouldn’t mind, that would be great. Make sure that he washes his hands. He was working on the pickup earlier.” Putting the steaks on the table, she then turned to the potatoes and green beans. “How long have you been a bodyguard Sven?” Charlotte asked the quiet man.

  Watching his charge walk up the stairs to go fetch her brother, Sven turned artic blue eyes on Addison’s mother. “I’ve been in the business for about fifteen years.”

  “I take it you must be very good then. Would you mind putting these on the table?” She handed him the bowls of potatoes and beans.

  “I’m the best money can buy, or else I fear I would not be working for Ms. Dupree. She has Addison’s best interests at heart,” he advised quietly before taking the bowls from her and placing them around the table.

  “Why does Ms. Dupree feel that Addison needs protecting?” the woman asked as she brought a tray holding the pitcher of tea and glasses to the table. “Has James done something else?”

  Sven was surprised that Addison’s mother was unaware of the recent violence Addison had been exposed to. “He put his hands on Addison in front of Ms. Dupree after Addison had signed her contract. She did not take too kindly to it.”

  Hanging her head, Charlotte sighed. “I tried to shield her from it as long as I could. From them all, but I’m afraid that I wasn’t strong enough to make him stop.”

  “I was essentially hired to protect Addison from her unwanted admirers in Le Luc, France where she attended the F1 School there. It seems beauty runs in the family though.” He was pleased with the compliment he paid Addison’s mother.

  Blushing, Charlotte ducked her head and turned away. It had been a long time since anyone had paid her a compliment. “Addison’s the beauty in the family, but thank you.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Addison finished the climb to the top of the stairs and almost plugged her ears at the screaming emitting itself from her brother’s bedroom door. Walking up to it, she banged hard on the door, waiting for the unruly boy to come and open it. “CLINT! DINNER IS READY!” she yelled.

  The door opened and a young man wearing oil stained jeans and a t-shirt stood there looking confused. “Sissy...what are you doing here?”

  “Home, stateside for a few days. Missed ya’ll. Thought I’d stop by and see how everyone was.” Addison smiled, looking at Clint’s attire. “Mom says wash your hands. Did you get the truck running?”

  “Yeah, it just needed a new starter, and I already washed ‘em. I saw that you won. Way to go. Did ya bring me anything?” He reached over and hugged her quickly.

  Addison hugged him back tightly. “Yeah, I brought you a Dupree racing jacket. It’s in the Jeep and I’ll get it after dinner.” She followed him down the stairs into the kitchen.

  Charlotte thanked Sven for holding out her chair as she sat and directed him to the seat at the other end. “Let’s say Grace. Addison, go ahead.”

  Taking Maddie’s tiny hand in her own and her mother’s on the other side, Addison bowed her head and closed her eyes. “Dear Father, bless the food on this table, the lives in this house, every plane and track I step foot on. Amen.” Addison smiled, opening her eyes.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  After dinner was over, Sven was telling Clint all about his job as a bodyguard while Maddie sat on the carpet, painting her nails a bright shade of pink. “Mom, can I talk to you outside for a bit?” Addison asked softly.

  “Sure....” The older woman wiped her hands on a dishtowel before tossing it onto a countertop and headed out the back door. Taking a seat on the porch swing, she waited for her daughter to tell her what had been on her mind all evening. Addison had been as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. “Whatever it is, just spit it out Addison.”

  “It requires a bit more tact than that Mom. I don’t want to give you a heart attack.” Addison leaned her elbows on the porch railing staring out over the backyard as Deuce wrestled with a chew toy he’d left on his last visit. “Remember how you used to tell me I shouldn’t judge other people because it wasn’t right? That I should always view the world with an open heart and an open mind?”

  “Yes, we don’t have the right to judge anyone.” Charlotte narrowed her eyes, but waited patiently.

  Hanging her head, Addison took a deep breath and turned around to face her mother. “If you disown me and cut me off, I understand, but it’s not going to change what I’m about to say, Mom.” She waited a few moments before steeling herself and putting it out there. “I’m gay.”

  Silence settled over the porch as Charlotte looked at her daughter for a few moments before saying, “I was wondering when you were going to realize it.”

  The shock of the moment passed quickly and then relief flooded Addison’s face. “How...you knew?” she asked curiously, coming to sit next to her mom.

  Reaching out to grasp her daughter’s hand, Charlotte stroked it for a moment. “You were never interested in boys, just cars, and I watched how you looked at other girls and I just knew. I want to be honest and say, I wish that you weren’t, but I can’t make you be something that you’re not. I can just love you and I do.”

  “Do you wish I was straight because it would be easier for me?” Addison asked softly, smiling at her mom.

  Sighing, Charlotte took a moment before answering, “I don’t know which way is easier. They all have their drawbacks. Mine and your father’s relationship is proof enough of that, so I just want you to be happy. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you. Does Ms. Dupree make you happy?”

  Addison went deathly pale and didn’t say a word for a moment. “You know about that? How?”

  “I didn’t know, I just guessed right this instant. So does she? Does Samantha Dupree make you happy?” The woman caressed her daughter’s face.

  “She makes me feel like I’m the most important thing in the world to her. There is no way to describe what she makes me feel, but I’ve kept a firm hold on our physical relationship, I wanted to come out to my family before moving on to something I might not be able to take back.” Addison smiled back at her mom feeling comforted by her touch.

  Releasing a deep breath, the older woman smiled. “It’s just like you to hold yourself back, but I need to ask. Do you love her or is this an experiment for you?”

  “I love her,” Addison admitted looking away from her mom and out into the yard. “Leaving her was just as hard as leaving you and the brat pack when I had to start up at NASCAR, always being on the road. I had to wait till the next morning and sneak out, because if she was awake, I wouldn’t have been able to leave.”

  “Honey, look at me.” Charlotte waited until her daughter did. “If you are happy and she makes you feel safe and loved, then I give you my blessing.”

  Addison threw her arms around her mother smiling. “Thank you. I love you so much Mom.” Pulling back, Addison had her own questions to ask. “But I need to know about the divorce.”

  “Don’t you worry about that. The lawyers that Ms. Dupree sent are doing their job and it’s to be final next week.” She smiled at her daughter. “I haven’t spoken with your father since you left for Europe and he tried to come home. Ms. Dupree’s lawyers made it perfectly clear that if he wants any kind of settlement, that he needs to stay away.”

  “He hasn’t tried anything, has he?” Addison would rip her father apart with her bare hands if he had start
ing putting his hands on her mother again. She was tired of seeing those marks on her mom.

  “No, like I said, I haven’t seen him,” she reassured her daughter. “Have you talked to Ms. Dupree since you’ve been home?”

  “No, I keep sending texts, but I guess she’s caught up with the press. The F1 world is a completely different animal than NASCAR, Mom. Normally I just had to be worried about being recognized in the south. F1 is huge everywhere, but America,” Addison explained with a sigh, leaning back into the swing.

  Clint stepped out onto the porch. “Ma...someone just knocked on the door and when I went to answer it, this was lying on the welcome mat.” He handed her a tabloid with pictures of Addison dancing with some strange women, and the headlines that read: “Looks like Dupree has a rival with the women of Formula 1.”

  Addison grabbed the magazine and stared at the headlines, her eyes narrowing the more she read. “Clint, you might want to go back inside before your sister uses some choice words your ears shouldn’t be hearing,” Charlotte hissed.

  “I’ve heard it all before, but alright.” He frowned as he turned to walk back in.

  Addison closed her eyes and counted to ten quickly before opening them. “So this is why she hasn’t been answering my calls or texts.” Addi sighed as she looked down at the photo. She knew photo shopped and doctored pictures when she saw them. It was the same dress she wore out dancing with Sam that night in Singapore before Becca manhandled her. The faces of Adelle and Karissa had been switched out with other women.

  Reaching for the paper, Charlotte read the article before looking at her daughter. “This is not right. How can people print this trash when it can be so easily proven wrong?”

  “Because it’s the media, they can get away with murder. In print anyway.” Addison sighed, taking the beer Sven had brought her from the kitchen after Clint had shown him the magazine.

  “Well, you can prove where you’ve been for the past few days, right? I mean you have your airline tickets and then there’s Sven.” Charlotte stood up to hug her daughter.

  “All the same, it’s still a slap in the face to Sam. I just hope she doesn’t believe it.” The redhead worried aloud, even though she was quite grateful her mom was so accepting of her new lifestyle choices. “But I left before she woke up. Even though I left a note, this is going to look really bad to the press.”

  “You left her a note? Addison, that’s not good.” The older woman shook her head.

  Addison clenched the tabloids tight in her fist, her thoughts sliding to that morning. She’d felt justified by what she’d done, there was no way she was going to be able to leave that hotel room with Sam standing there. Her body was in Arkansas, but her heart was wherever Sam was.

  “Where’s my phone?” She pushed past Sven into the kitchen and opened her purse digging through it, cursing when she realized it was still plugged into her wall charger next to her bed where she’d left it before her shower. “Crap.”

  Sven handed Addi his phone and she smiled at him gratefully. “Thanks Sven. Hey, I’m going to take this outside, Mom. Is that okay?” She stopped at the back door, her eyes sliding to her brother and sister sitting in the living room.

  “Go ahead Sweetie. I think that I might want to have a talk with your brother.” Charlotte waved her daughter out.

  “Let me break it to him myself, Mom,” Addison asked, looking at her mom with a smile before leaving out the back door and sitting on the stairs that led to the backyard. Picking up her beer, she dialed Nick, slowly taking a deep breath.

  “Talk to me,” Nick’s voice came over the phone.

  “Nick, it’s Addison McCloud,” Addison said into the phone calmly. “I just picked up a tabloid with a rather interesting headline and I have a feeling my girlfriend may not be happy with me right now.”

  “Your girlfriend...no, let’s just say that Sam Dupree isn’t talking to anyone right now. Do you have any idea what you’ve done to her? She finally lets her guard down and you waltz in and stomp all over it. You had better just show up for the race or I’ll have your ass in court so fast that you’ll need the fastest car in history to catch up,” Nick spat out. He had been trying to get ahold of his boss for the past four days without success and he was past worried.

  “Me? I didn’t do anything!” The young woman was shocked, she’d never heard venom and disdain like this before. “Where is she? You tell me where she is right now!”

  “You didn’t do anything! Are you kidding? You left a note and then you go out partying with only God knows who or who knows where when she thinks that you’re in Arkansas. I haven’t spoken with her since she’s gotten back, and I’ve never gone that long in the past eight years of knowing her,” he growled back. “And I don’t have to tell you shit. I’m not going to let you hurt her any more than you already have.”

  “Listen you little Queen,” Addison snapped back. Something in her was burning white hot. There was no way that she was letting Nick stand between her and Sam, especially when she hadn’t done anything wrong. Well, the note was probably a bad idea, but the other had to be Becca. “And you listen good. I’ve have been in Arkansas and I have the plane tickets to prove it. Don’t believe me? Ask Sven, he’s been with me the whole time and I haven’t left my property. Leaving the note was a bad idea, I’ll admit that, but I couldn’t have justified coming all the way home to come out to my mother and my family if she was standing there looking me in the eye.”

  “Little Queen! Well, you listen good little girl. If you think that I’m going to believe your word, you’ve got another thing coming. Let me talk to Sven,” he snapped back.

  “Fine, have it your way prissy pants. Excuse me for just a moment.” Addison covered the phone and almost threw it into the yard. When she got a hold of Nick, she was going to shove that iPad so far down his throat...Addison cursed herself for losing her temper. Opening the back door, she smiled at Sven. “Sven? Nick would like to talk to you?” She shut the door, waiting for him to come out on the porch, which he did moments later with a glass of ice tea.

  Taking the phone, he spoke up quietly, “Yes sir.” The cool tone was traditionally how Sven spoke to the tiny man.

  “Where has she been this whole time and who has she been with? And if you lie to me, I’ll make sure that you’ll never work again,” the assistant promised.

  Sven looked down at Addison, his cool blue eyes staring at her as he spoke the truth, “With me, in Hot Springs. I don’t understand how she could be believed to be anywhere else; unless you actually believe this poorly photo shopped tabloid I am holding in my hand.”

  “That’s not the only one. There have been at least six sightings in New York and Los Angeles, but you’re saying that you both have been in Hot Springs the entire time?”

  “The entire time. Addison has been fishing and spending time trying to think of a suitable way to come out to her mother, which she did successfully a few moments ago until someone left a copy of the tabloid on her doorstep.” Sven was determined to keep his cool no matter how annoying Nick could be.

  “Well, then I owe Ms. McCloud an apology, but she’s going to have a harder time explaining this to Sam,” Nick sighed.

  “Give the girl some credit, she’s come a long way, and she’s not done yet,” Sven offered, but before he ended the call, he smiled. “Where is Ms. Dupree?”

  “Well, she headed home to Georgia the same day that you left for Hot Springs, so I am assuming that she is still there. Like I told Ms. McCloud, I haven’t talked with her in four days,” Nick explained.

  “And where in Georgia is her home?”

  “Outside of Savannah at a place called Nochaway Plantation. I’ll email you the directions, but you better tell that little girl that she’s gonna be in for a hard time. Sam doesn’t like being made a fool.”

  “Thank you. And Nicholas? If you ever threaten my job security again, they won’t ever find where I buried you. Assuming there is enough left of a body to exhume. Have a nic
e night.” He hung up the phone and looked down at Addison, quickly telling her everything Nick had said. It went without saying they were going to Savannah tomorrow morning.

  Taking the beer and pouring it out onto the flower bushes, Addison walked back in to her mother’s house with a somber look on her face. She still had the tabloid clutched tightly in her white knuckled hand. She saw Maddie on the floor playing quietly with her newly acquired Barbie that wore an F1 jumpsuit much like Sam’s.

  Addison avoided the thoughts of the blonde that popped easily up in her mind, those beautiful green eyes that seemed to pierce her very soul. She looked at her mom and her brother talking at the kitchen table over his Geometry homework.

  Looking up, Charlotte saw the expression on her daughter’s face. “I take it that things are not alright. Is there anything that I can do?”

  “May I use Clint’s MacBook? I need to book some plane tickets.” The redhead looked down at the table.

  Directing her son to go get the computer, the older woman went over to hug her daughter. “You just tell her the truth and I’m sure that everything will work out.”

  “I doubt it will be so easy, even though I haven’t done anything nearly as bad as the papers are reporting.” Addison accepted the laptop after hugging her mom and opened it up, looking for tickets to Georgia, into a town hopefully near Savannah.

  “Would it help matters if I were to call and try to talk to her?”

  “No Mom, but if I get her back where she belongs, with me,” Addi smiled and put her head on her fist. “I may need you guys in my corner when I take the Australians on for Sam.” She wondered if Sam would mind her bringing her family to a race.

  “You just let us know where you want us, and we’ll have your back. We McCloud’s always stick together.” Charlotte stepped away, leaving her daughter to do what she needed to do to get her life back in order.

  “Sit down, Clint,” Addison said softly, though she didn’t really leave much room for her little brother to argue. Sven quietly excused himself into the kitchen to help her mother with the dishes.