Page 30 of Race to the Beach

She must have misunderstood something.

It didn’t make any sense for him to ask her to be his girlfriend.

Maxi sat there on the seawall, watching the waves roll in.If she was smart, she would get up and walk away.But she had witnessed Owen’s obvious discomfort when he was approached by all of these women vying to win a date with him at an auction.If the roles were reversed, she’d do anything to get out of the situation too.

Owen seemed to be a good guy.The people of Bluestar certainly seemed to think so.It seemed like every few feet they had walked, there had been someone either sharing a friendly greeting or flirting with him about the auction.

Still, without a functioning car for the race, she wasn’t going to hang around the island.She was sure he would find someone else to help him.He was certainly handsome enough and nice enough to get another woman to play the part of his girlfriend.

“I’m sorry.I can’t help you.Now that I’m out of the race, I’m seriously considering heading home.”

“I only told you part of the deal.”

She cast him a puzzled look.She was dying to ask him what the other part would be, but she hesitated.Maybe she was better off not knowing.

He took the decision out of her hands when he said, “In exchange for you acting as my girlfriend, we can use my family’s garage and tools to repair your car.”

Oh.He only wanted her to play the part of his girlfriend.She breathed a sigh of relief.

Owen looked at her.“Wait.You didn’t think I was asking you to legitimately be my girlfriend, did you?”

Color rushed to her cheeks.“It’s what you said.”

He paused as though to recall his exact words.“You’re right.It was a poor choice of words.Anyway, if you help me, I’ll help you get your car back on the road."

She’d been taught to be suspect when something sounded too good to be true.“Why would you do that?”

“I already told you.It’s part of the deal.”

She paused as her mind raced with all of the reasons this was a bad idea.They were quickly followed by the flicker of hope that she might still have a chance to help her aunt.But at the cost of acting the part of this guy’s girlfriend?That was a pretty steep price.

“Come on,” he said.“I can tell that you’re tempted.Just say yes.”

Her gaze searched his.“You must be really desperate.”

“I am.”

His immediate response stung.She didn’t want to be anyone’s girlfriend out of desperation.It really pricked her ego.

She refused to let him see how his words had hurt her.“I’m not sure my car can be repaired.”

“It won’t be easy to get it ready for the race, but with us working together, we can get it done in time.”

She studied him.“Are you a mechanic?”

“No.But I know enough.”

She didn’t know if she agreed with his assessment.She’d have to give the car a more thorough review.Still, she wondered why he was making her this offer.“Why would you do that?Aren’t we supposed to be competitors?”

He shrugged.“I guess we will be on the racetrack, but I thought when we’re away from the track, that we could be friends.”

This was a lot for her to digest.“But you hardly know me.”

“I know your aunt.I’ve known her my whole life, and I trust her opinion.She thinks you are amazing.So, why wouldn’t I want to be your friend?”

Well, when he put it that way, it was hard for her to argue.Plus, he was offering her the only chance for her to win the race and help her aunt.Her aunt’s house just kept aging, and the repairs kept piling up.She knew her aunt didn’t have the funds to do it on her own.

Her gut told her to turn him down and head home, but her heart said that her aunt would do anything to help her, so the least she could do was to take hold of this opportunity.After all, that was what family did—take care of each other.

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