Page 6 of Down & Dirty

SKYLAR

“Fifth is nothing to sneeze at, that was a packed field out there,” my mom said encouragingly to Ronnie’s back as he tossed his gear onto the table and ripped of his bright yellow jersey.

“I could have gotten third. I should have.” When he turned around Ronnie’s face was red, his temper taking over from the racing high.

Cory Ellis had boxed my brother out—twice. None of the top guys were easy to get by, but his little maneuver had nearly sent Ronnie off course. He’d have been penalized for coming right back on, and that was the kind of thing no major team wanted to see from a prospect.

Ronnie’s big play hadn’t worked out. Luckily, he’d managed to stay inside the lines, and whatever the OTM management had been looking for, they’d seen; I’d gotten an email with the contract as soon as the race ended. He was in.

“I know you wanted to finish big to close out the season, but you got what you wanted, bro. We got OTM.”

He eyed me for a second, as if he wasn’t sure he’d heard me right. But finally he let out a loud breath and grinned like the littlekid he used to be, full of pride and stoked for the next race. “Sweet.”

My father’s smile was almost as wide. We’d all been working for this. A break like OTM wasn’t something most riders would ever see.

“Well done, Skylar,” my dad said, his arm coming around my shoulders as he tugged me into his chest for a tight hug. “This is big step. And your brother owes you a debt for all your help.”

Ronnie flashed me a look, his eyes dancing playfully. “A debt I’ll be able to repay as soon as I land some of those juicy partnerships.” He waggled his eyebrows and I rolled my eyes in return.

"One thing at a time, Ron. Those deals don’t just drop out of the sky.”

“You sure?” he asked, walking out from under the tent and opening his arms wide as he howled up at the clear blue that stretched above us. “I’m ready!”

As much as we were all shaking our head at him, my brother’s joy was contagious. Even though I wanted more than just being his assistant for my life, there was no denying how good it felt to share in this moment. I was even a little proud of the part I’d played getting us here.

“Hello Stone family!” my best friend, Elle, called as she strode into our tent, her curly, dark hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun that told me how busy she’d been all day. Normally her locks stretched down her back in an endless wave I was constantly envious of.

I gave her a quick squeeze, relieved to see her after the long week. “You done for the day?”

She huffed, giving me her trademark smirk. “As if the press ever rests.”

Elle worked in PR for the motocross tour—which was probably the main reason our relationship hadn’t fizzled out like all the ones I’d had back home. Being on the road this much made friendships almost impossible. But Elle was practically my sisternow, and she watched my son Micah more than anyone besides me and his father. She adored kids. If she wasn’t doing this job, she’d definitely be a teacher or something.

“You see the nasty tie up?” Ronnie asked, approaching with a petulant expression that made him look a bit like a child himself.

Elle nodded, her face softening sympathetically. “I did. Apparently, Ellis wasn’t keen on sharing the course today.”

“When is he ever?” I muttered.

“To be honest, I was surprised to see him go for it after his fall last week,” Elle said, glancing quickly at her phone. “You’d think he’d have been more careful.”

Ronnie looked at her, his smile brightening. “Well, that’s cause we both wanted to show OTM we weren’t messing around.”

Elle swiveled between the two of us, her eyebrows raising. “OTM? Really?”

“Newest member of the team right here.” Ronnie puffed out his chest as she laughed.

But I couldn’t hide my irritation. “And now we get to deal with Ellis every day. Up close.”

Elle curled her lips inward, her eyes on me as they widened. “You love that, don’t you?”

“She’s overjoyed,” Ronnie sighed, turning back to the trailer.

As the rest of my family got ready to head out for dinner, I walked Elle back toward the communications tent. The sun was low and the air finally felt cool enough for me to need a jacket. After the heat of the last few months, it was a nice change, even if it only revealed how quickly we were speeding toward the fall.

“OTM is a big deal,” Elle said, cautiously, glancing sideways in my direction. “How do you really feel about it?”

Of everyone in my life, Elle was the only one who knew how I torn I was about managing my brother.

---