Page 51 of Formula Chance

“His fiancée seems nice though,” I muse.

A fond smile transforms Reid’s face. “Yeah… Lara’s the best. The three of us all grew up together in Torquay, been surfing since we learned to walk. Lara’s quite good. Better than me and Lance.”

I wouldn’t have pegged the red-haired beauty as a surfer as her pale skin and freckles suggest that the sun would not be her friend, but it certainly makes her more interesting.

We move on to talk about the Jeddah race, Reid having placed third in that Global Prix. I learn a little more about his rise through the formula ranks and there’s no doubt he’ll be in the running for the championship this year. He’s going to be one of my biggest competitors, but I like the guy’s laid-back Australian charm and affable sense of humor.

Bex returns alone and jerks her thumb over her shoulder. “Reid… your brother said they were going back to their hotel and he’d catch you sometime tomorrow.”

“No worries,” he replies genially and then spots something through the crowd. He claps me on the shoulder. “I see someone I need to talk to. It was great catching up with you.” He then turns to Bex, and just like Carlos did, kisses her knuckles. “Bex… it was an absolute pleasure to meet you and hope I’ll be seeing you around.”

I suppress a growl forming deep in my belly, because Reid can’t hide that he’s interested in far more than talking race strategy. Bex is charmed, I can tell by her flirty smile, and it burns up my insides.

But when Reid walks away, her expression turns serious. “There’s something funny going on with his brother and fiancée.”

“Yeah… I noticed that. Like she was…”

“Afraid of him?” she queries. “I can’t put my finger on it. She was perfectly lovely and outgoing when we were in the bathroom, making small talk, but when we exited, and he was there, she sort of just… shut down.”

“Think we should say something to Reid about it?” I ask, wondering if we’re reading into something that’s not there.

“I don’t know. I mean… what do we say? We got a vibe? And Reid didn’t seem to notice anything unusual. Maybe that’s just the way they are.”

I nod, hesitant to stir up something if it’s not necessary and without proof of anything nefarious.

“So, the goal is to get as many track kittens as possible?” Bex asks, and I blink at her in surprise, the rapid change in subject spinning me off-kilter. “And for the record, I’ve never heard that term before.”

Her smirk tells me she’s teasing, but this subject has proven to be pure poison to us in the past. It was a conversation we never finished. “I can’t speak for Reid or any other driver, but I’ve never been interested in track kittens. Or grid girls, pit stop princesses, or whatever the hell they’re called.”

Bex just stares at me.

“Never,” I reiterate. “There’s only been one speedway sweetheart I’ve ever been interested in during my racing career, and she’s standing right in front of me.”

She glances away a moment before looking me straight in the face. “That was obviously hard for me to believe… once upon a time. You always wanted to be in that environment.”

I step closer to her, take her hand in mine but hold it loosely at our sides. “I might have liked that environment back then, but I always wanted you with me.”

“And I was always working,” she says bitterly.

“Bex,” I say, but she averts her gaze, looking out over the crowd. I take her by the chin, forcing her attention back to me. “I’ve got a theory.”

“What’s that?” she whispers.

“That you and I were young, dumb and foolish back then. We apparently couldn’t have a calm conversation the way we are now. Maybe… we just needed to grow up a bit.”

I see the hope in her eyes, flaring with interest. “And what about now? What does that mean for us?”

“I don’t know,” I say truthfully. “I’m not sure about anything.”

She sighs and offers me a small smile. “Why does it have to be so hard?”

I don’t have an answer to that, and I have no way to make this easier on either of us. I wish I could promise her a happily ever after, but I don’t even know if I believe in them anymore. “Losing you, surviving the crash… everything was taken away from me. Now I’m standing with two opportunities before me—a new formula career and a second chance with you, and Bex… I don’t know if I have the bandwidth to aim for both.”

“Of course not,” she says quickly, putting her hand on my chest to reassure me. “You should be concentrating on your career. That’s the most important thing before you. You’ve got your first race day after tomorrow and you should rightly be focused on that.”

Is she telling me I should let her be? It seems that’s what I was asking, but the thought of cutting her out isn’t acceptable. “I still want you,” I say earnestly.

“I know,” she says. “I want you too, and that will be enough for now.”

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