Page 66 of When I Had You

As soon as we hang up, I change my flight to New York. I think a detour to Vancouver is in order.

19

Marina

“What happened?” I ask, rushing inside the trailer.

Poppy hops up from the couch and looks at the TV on the wall. “Seventh place in qualifying.”

Relief washes through me as I shut the door and lock it. I don’t want any uninvited guests entering. “That’s where he was in Miami.”

“Is that good? Seems good since it’s out of twenty.”

“Cash and my brothers were happy. It’s in points positioning.”

She sits back down and blinks at me like she’s working through a calculus problem. I’ve seen the look since Noah’s tutoring is the only reason she passed that class. “I hear you speaking, but none of that makes sense.”

“You win money if you get points.” I strip off the robe I wore, crossing the studio lot. “I think.” Tossing it on the bed, I rush back to sit beside her. “Have they done any interviews?”

“First and second drivers. How are there so many cute race car drivers in one sport?”

Figuring that’s rhetorical, I bite my lip and lean forward, stabbing my elbows into my thighs. “There he is!” I jump to my feet while she ramps up the volume.

“Two races in a row in seventh. It worked well for you last time in Miami. How are you feeling about tomorrow?”

Cash looks straight into the camera, and that gaze caresses my soul. My breath stops hard in my chest, and I can’t swallow. All I can do is stare at him and that gorgeous face of his.

He says, “You know I don’t get into predictions, Chuck, but I’m feeling better than I have in a long time.”

“Get some rest, and we’ll see you on the track tomorrow. Cash Ryatt,” Chuck says, turning to face the camera.

A woman puts her arm around his back to guide him off camera . . . It’s not jealousy I feel, though. I trust him, and that’s her job. She’s a little handsy, but I am too with him. Okay, maybe I’ll casually mention it next time we talk. Or not, and I’ll be supportive instead.

Oh geez, I’m doing my head in. I turn around to Poppy. “He was good, right?”

“Really great.” She stands and clicks off the TV. “He looks happy. Is that because of you?”

“A girl can dream.” I feel delirious like anything is possible after seeing him. The hard edges of his usual expression are absent even in the seriousness of the interview. I slip off my shoes and climb onto the bed at the back of the trailer. As I stare up through the moonroof, the weather couldn’t be more perfect, but it’s Cash who makes me feel invincible. “How is it that I feel like I could walk on the clouds right now?”

“Because you’re in love?” Poppy calls while approaching. Leaning her shoulder against the small closet door, she says, “You guys talk every night.”

“You hear me?”

“I hear you laugh sometimes. I can’t hear anything being said.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she smiles. “You never seemed this happy before. And look at him. It’s moving fast between you two. Should I worry?”

Sitting up, I rest back on my hands. “No.” I feel so certain about Cash that saying anything less would feel like a disservice to our blossoming relationship. “As fast as it seems in hours and days, it’s been weeks and feels right in other ways.”

“Are we rhyming on purpose, or did love make you do it?”

We both crack up. “Love makes a person do silly things.”

“It sure does.”

A knock on the door has both of us going to the front of the trailer again. She opens it to see the assistant director. “We are wrapping you for the day, Marina. We plan to get some exterior shots, so you’re free to go.”

“Thank you,” I say. Turning to Poppy, I laugh. “Let’s get out of here before they change their minds, and it’s another fourteen-hour day.”

We hurry to get our stuff, and I change clothes. Since the wardrobe girl is fucking my ex-boyfriend, I need to drop these in the box outside the door. I want no contact with her.

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