Page 33 of Too Close To Call

“That’s where Daisy gets her fashion sense.”

“You know it. I never knew how to pull an outfit together. Heck, I didn’t even have outfits, just jeans and t-shirts or sweatshirts in the winter. Do you remember Car fitting me out with an whole wardrobe when I left for college, complete with pictures of entire ensembles so I wouldn’t screw them up?”

“I do remember that and you’re wrong, Tori. You were gorgeous, no matter what you wore. It didn’t matter if you matched or not. Once your smile lit up your face, nobody even saw the rest.”

“Ah, Case, that’s so sweet.” She pauses and looks directly at me. “We were crazy back then, weren’t we? We only had eyes for each other. I’ve always wondered if Dad had given his okay and we married before I left for college, would we still be together?”

I’m surprised at how calmly I handle her question. “You were everything to me, Tori. I never thought being apart would be easy, but I knew we could do it and come out the other end stronger. You needed to go to college and I needed to build a racing career. But, yes, I think we would have made it.”

She nods in agreement. “I never worried about someone stealing you away from me. That’s because you always made me feel loved and cherished and there was no room for doubts. It wasn’t easy seeing you in the media with models and actresses. I knew the truth behind those pictures and I would like to say I was never jealous, but that would be a lie. They had a part of you I couldn’t have.”

Nobody else compared to the way I have always felt about Tori. “I never saw any of them as more than an assignment. None of them could have taken me away from you. You were the one I love.”

I startle at my slip and glance over to see if she picked up on what I said. “What about you? Were you ever tempted when you were away at college?”

“Never. Oh, there were guys that tried, but I shut them down politely but firmly. I only ever had eyes for you. You were my whole world. The reason I was studying to all hours of the night was so I could come home and we could start our life together.”

She takes a sip of her white wine. “I still have the ring.”

Our eyes meet. She’s talking about the ring I gave her just after her college graduation. The ring her dad tried to talk me out of giving her, but I went against his wishes. We never got a chance to resolve whatever problem he had with us getting married because the next day… he was gone.

Tori doesn’t know any of that. There hadn’t been time to talk about it before our lives imploded and everything changed. I can see where our conversation is leading, and I don’t want to go there. If—and that’s a big if—there is anything left between us other than sex, we need to move past the part where she and Ryan hooked up.

I need to accept it and not hold grudges. Ryan will be in Tori’s life forever because they share a child. I’m jealous that Ryan was there to give Tori something she needed and I wasn’t. Can I ever be thankful that he was there for her when I wasn’t? That’s what it will take to have her in my life forever.

“What are you thinking about?” Tori asks.

I glance her way and her gorgeous brown eyes catch mine. “You should move in with me,” I blurt out. I hadn’t planned to say that. I had never even thought about it, but now that it’s out there, it feels right. Healing. Moving forward.

Tori gasps. “What?”

I take a breath, still not freaked out, and explain. “That came out wrong. I have a guest cottage. You and Daisy should move into it for the rest of your stay.”

She tips her head and arches a brow. “That’s a big move, Case. Are you sure you’re ready for that? I won’t think anything about it if you say no.”

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea. That would get her away from the guys at the garage for sure. “I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want you here. I’d like to get to know your daughter better.”And you, but I don’t add that on.

The smile on her face does funny things to my insides. “I’d like that. We’ll take you up on that offer.”

“And you don’t have to come back to work. Ashley is scheduled to be back on Monday. You’re supposed to be on vacation.”

“I don’t mind coming in. It’s almost like being at home.” She cocks her head and asks, “Do you ever think about going back to driving?”

My back straightens and I consider the lie I always use. “Do you want the honest answer or the one I give all the reporters and newshounds?”

“Honest, always honest.”

“I miss driving like someone cut off my right leg. But if someone said I could pick right back up where I left off six years ago, I would say no. I still have nightmares about running into Dale. I’ve lost my nerve and I wouldn’t be safe on the racetrack. There’s no way I would do that to the others if I didn’t think I was one hundred percent present. I went into the charity race knowing I might have to pull out. It was all going to depend on the practice runs.”

Her eyes turn glassy. “I refuse to believe you’ve lost it, Case. What do they say about getting back up on the horse?”

“This isn’t about a simple fall from a horse. You know what it’s like on the track. Sometimes there are only inches between us. If someone spun out in front of me, I might flash back to that day and cause an accident. I can’t…I won’t take that chance with others’ lives.”

“Then drive with me. We can use the track at my house. We used to drive together all the time.”

The thought sends shudders through my body. “No.”

“Will you at least think about it?”

---