Page 85 of Well Played

A week later,my hauler is pulling into Selinsgrove early because a potential sponsor is meeting us at the track for a behind-the-scenes experience. He’s bringing his daughter and we want to put together something special for her.

We were sitting second in Speedweek points with two wins under our belt. If we win tonight, I’ve got a shot at winning the series. A win would also be fantastic since I’d promised the potential sponsor that if I wound up taking the checkered flag, I’d bring his daughter up to the winner’s circle with me so she could experience the spotlight too.

That just means I have to beat Eddie, who’s currently sitting first. His experience in the series has been obvious this week and even I can acknowledge that he deserves the win.

But if I get it, it could change the course of my career.

Conflicting emotions tangle up inside me and I give into the urge to pace up and down the length of the hauler. The guys are setting things up outside and I’m supposed to be working on the computer.

Except, I can’t focus on the data or reviewing old tapes. My agent would say this was the time to shine, to show everyone that I had what it takes to win big under pressure.

I only pray that I could live up to those expectations because right now I don’t feel anywhere near ready.

5

Robbie

As Eddie zoomsacross the finish line, I celebrate with the rest of the team, but part of me wants to see how Charly’s doing. She had a terrible qualifying session, blowing a tire and getting stuck in the back row of the field. After a fantastic B Main, she’d earned her way into the A Main race, but halfway through they’d lost another tire and she retired the car early.

It was the first time I’ve ever seen her not happy behind the wheel of a race car. She’d still been polite with waiting fans, but shortly after they’d dispersed she’d disappeared into the hauler and hasn’t come out since.

The guys and I head toward the winner’s circle while Eddie makes it through post race inspection. We get our pictures taken by the dozen photographers there, collect our giant check, and head back to the pit to pack everything up.

When we get there, I spot Charly outside, helping her guys pack up. I keep an eye on her, waiting for an opportunity to get her alone and check in with her.

Just before we’re ready to leave, I see her drifting out toward the track wall, phone held up to her ear while she talks to someone. I watch and make an excuse to the guys when I see her hang up.

I resist the urge to jog over to her since that’ll attract too much attention and instead pretend like I’m going to look out over the track too, leaning against the wall a few feet away from her. She turns, facing the pit area, and leans against it, arms crossing and phone still clutched in her fingers.

“You all right?”

She sighs, shoulders sagging. “Disappointed but yeah. Actually, not too bad, all things considered.” She glances toward me, a small smile lifting her lips.

I just want to take her in my arms and hold her. This week has been fantastic, seeing her and talking to her every day, but we haven’t gotten more than a handful of chances to be alone. There’s just too many people around all the time.

“Come back home with me?” I blurt out. “Just for a few days.”

When her eyebrows scrunch together and her body stiffens, I instantly brace for the rejection I know is coming. “I want to.” There’s a depth to her words that lets me know how true they are. “But that was the factory. They need me to come up for a few days this week. We’ve booked a testing session at Barber later this month.”

“That’s fantastic.” I turn so we’re both facing toward the pits, but still separated by a few feet. “They’ll have the car ready by then?”

“It’s almost done. All we have to do is go over a few last details. Plus, that guy that was here tonight is interested in sponsoring us if we move up to Indy Car in the next couple of years.”

My heart falls, knowing that a move like that would pull her farther away from me. I won’t let her see that though, so I plasteron a smile and pretend she’s not slipping through my fingers. “That’s amazing.”

She turns toward me, reaching out and taking my hand. “Come with me? To Barber. It’s during the July break and I really need you.”

Even if I have to watch her race away from me every day for the rest of the season, I’ll always pick her. “I’ll be there.”

Barberin late summer is oppressively humid, which works to Charly’s advantage since there’s no one else at the park today except for the crew from the factory and a handful of track employees.

For once, she’s not decked out in pink. Instead, she has a plain driver’s suit on with just a manufacturer’s logo across the back. Even the car is unpainted, still white and sleek, straight from the factory floor.

Cameras cover every straight and turn, ready to capture as many data points as possible. On board telemetry will track everything from the smallest change in temperature to each rotation of the tire as Charly does her practice laps.

She talked over the plan with me last night in the hotel room; take it easy for the first few rounds, just getting the feel of the machine on the track and then slowly, lap by lap, push it to see how far it can go.

I was hanging back, letting her work and being there if she needed me. Not that we could let on that we had anything more than friendship between us.Shake it off, man.

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