Page 36 of When I Had You

Her ex.

The cheating.

Going out seeking revenge.

“You should probably ask your sister,” I say, walking ahead.

He stops. “Does that mean you know something?”

Turning back, I keep walking but throw my arms out. “Not getting involved in Westcott family business except as a driver. Have a good one.”

“Yeah, have a good one.”

Slipping through the rest of the paddock and avoiding any press hanging around, I weave to the back where I see the car waiting for me. My bag is already loaded into the back when I slip inside the vehicle with Duncan, my trainer, behind the wheel. As soon as I put my seat belt on because he’s a stickler for safety, he drives toward the exit. “You earned that spot today,” he says with eyes on the road ahead. “You should be proud.”

“I feel . . .” Accomplished. Redeemed. Proud. “I feel good about my performance.”

“The work we’ve been doing physically and the focus you have with your mental game are paying off.” He glances at me. “How are you holding up after the grilling?”

Chuckling, I reply, “It wasn’t bad. Only a few questions about last night. I think once I stayed quiet on the subject, they realized they needed to get something from me. I can talk racing all day long.”

“Figured you were hearing about the incident enough, but I need to know where your head is at or if we need to make some adjustments.”

“It’s not an incident, so no adjustments are needed. My head is in the race. Twenty-four seven.”

“Okay. I’m trying to help you avoid what happened last time.”

My anger rises, and I scrub my hands over my face. I shoot him a look, unable to hold back anymore. “Fucking hell. Nothing happened, Duncan. The woman needed help. That’s it.”

“I laid off you this morning. Got you through your warm-up without a fucking word, Cash. You may have been over there with the owners, but I didn’t give you a hard time.”

We’re friends. Real friends. Been through hell and back together in this career. I need to remember that. He’s always had my back and helped me crawl out of my lowest point ever a few years back. Duncan is one of the reasons I’m back on the track.

“Sorry.” I take a deep breath and exhale slowly. “Last night has been made into a bigger deal than it was. If I would have known this is how it would play out, I would have fucked her.” I feel shitty the second the words leave my mouth.

Rubbing my brow, I say, “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Why?” His eyes dart over to me quickly before giving me the space I prefer.

“Because she doesn’t deserve to be spoken about like that.” What am I doing? Making it worse? I can tell him anything, and he won’t hold it against me, but he can also see right through me. Fuck.

“It’s okay to be into someone. We just need to make the appropriate mental adjustments.”

The car stops at the hotel, and I pop open the door. With one foot already out, I look at him. “I’m not dating anyone. I’m not fucking anyone. I don’t need any mental adjustments.” I get out but duck my head back in. “If you’re going to be on the jet, be ready in one hour. I’ll meet you in the lobby.” I shut the door and walk into the hotel.

I don’t know what’s happening, but everyone seems to have lost their minds in Miami, including me. It must be the heat and sunshine. New York is calling.

As soon as I drop my bag on the floor at the door, I toss my wallet and phone on the coffee table and flop into a chair. Studying the hotel room, I see most of my stuff has already been shoved in my suitcase by the door, but a few odds and ends remain.

Getting up, I start gathering the rest of my belongings. I’m ready to get back. It’s only a few days, but I’ll take the much-needed break. Bonus: I get to see my son. I retrieve my toiletries to shove in my smaller case when my phone vibrates against the glass table. I hurry back to see a familiar number on the screen, and it creases into my cheeks.

Fuck me.

A grin is the last thing I should be doing when I see that number. I pick it up and answer, “Hello?” With a shrug popping my shoulders, I move to the windows with an endless Miami beach view.

“Hi. This is . . .” She sounds like she’s taking a breath to brace herself. “This is Marina. Marina Westcott.”

“I know. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have answered.”

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