Page 81 of See You at the Finish Line

“Are there any flights?” she asks, desperation evident in her tone.

“None that will get us there today.”

“Fuck.”

“That’s what I said.”

“I’ll have to drive.”

“There is no way I’m letting you drive like this. We’ll take my car. I’ll need to stop at home and grab a few things, but we’ll be on the road in no time.”

Paige gapes at me. “You can’t be serious. You aren’t driving me!” The hysteria makes her voice shrill. I step into her space and place my hands gently on her arms to hold her steady.

“Your Jeep is back at the race, right? It’ll be faster if I take you and then you can talk to whoever you need to on the way. I’ll have you there quicker than waiting for a flight.”

I see her thinking about it, but I know she doesn’t want to waste any time. This is the best option.

“Fine, but if you take longer than five minutes in your house, I’m stealing your car.”

“Fair enough. Let’s go.”

We’re almost out the door when she stops, slamming into my back. “Oh shit, Q!”

“Call Shay and have her take her,” I say.

“That’s brilliant.”

She calls and arranges to have Shay come over, declining her offer to drive her instead of me. I bristle at the thought, but Paige shuts her down, not wanting to waste any more time.

She kneels to cuddle Q, making promises of treats and walks and swims, giving her kisses and hugs as she says goodbye. I reach down to pet Q as well.

“I’ll take care of her, I promise,” I whisper and Q licks me. I’ll take that as a vote of confidence.

We beeline back out to my car and Paige throws her stuff in the back, getting in the passenger side.

“Where do you live?”

“Outside the city, but don’t worry, it’s on the way.” Mostly.

“Okay, good.”

She’s silent as we drive through the city, cursing as the road closures for the race hamper our ability to get through already crowded streets. We finally make our way out and I drive the familiar winding roads towards my house.

I want her to start talking, but I don’t want to push—we have fifteen hours in the car ahead of us. I sneak glances at Paige as we drive up my street.

Her jaw drops when we pull up in front of my house.

“You live here?” she says with awe in her voice, and it does something to my heart. I didn’t realize how much I wanted her to love it like I do.

“Yeah, I bought the place about six months ago. It still doesn’t feel like home.”

“I would kill to live here.”

“I can arrange that without the crime,” I say under my breath. She hears it anyway and releases a soft chuckle. My heart expands at being able to distract her from pain for a few more moments.

“Do you want to wait in the car or come in?”

“Oh, I’m coming in,” she says. It’s not as big as some of the other houses on the street, but it’s the perfect size for me and the future I want. The future with the hot mess of a woman sitting beside me.

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