Page 27 of Rear View
I’d been smart with my cash. Had my own house. Vehicle. Career. Had everything except…someone.
I was gonna have to give it up. My girl wasn’t calling. I scrubbed a hand over my hair.
“I’ll have to ask you to step off the set, ma’am,” a crew member called to Yara.
“Dammit!” She gave Alec and me a sharp wave. “See you bitches later,” she called over her shoulder and left.
My phone vibrated with an inbound call. A blocked number flashed on the screen.
Raising it to my ear, I answered. “Hello?” The loud screech of a mic near speakers filled the area. “Gimme a sec,” I said to whomever was on the line as I put my window back up. “Sorry.”
“Is this Xavier?” a woman’s soft voice asked like she was nervous. Unsure.
“Sure is. Who’s this?”
“It’s, um. It’s Ryah.”
My body locked up and I froze.Fuck me.She’d called. She’d fuckin’ called. My chest inflated and a grin pulled at my mouth.What took you so long, dream girl?
“I’m sorry,” she said, flustered. “You’re busy. I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.”
Shit, X. Say something!I shook my head. “All good.” The crew outside started pushing back from the car. I cleared my throat, then raked a hand up the back of my neck and over my scalp. “How ya been, darlin’?”
Alec punched my knee and grinned.
“Sore with some ugly bruises, but otherwise, I’m good. Back to classes tomorrow, so that’s a start.”
“You were out this whole time?” I said, fightin’ not to grit my teeth. I clenched my fists, pissed at myself for not knocking the shithead courier out—or at least a few of his teeth.
“It’s fine. Gave me a break I’ve needed.”
She was too goddamn nice. “Nah. Was a dick move on his part. He doesn’t deserve a pass.”
There was a pause, then some shuffling. “I wanted to thank you. What you did—”
“It was nothin’.” And it was. For a girl like her, I’d have done a hell of a lot more. I leaned back, then lifted my arm, bracing it against the roll bar overhead.
“It wasn’t nothing.” She inhaled. “I just…thank you.”
I straightened my fingers, then flexed them. “You’re welcome.”
“So,” she said, a smile in her voice, “you’re a rally driver.”
“I am.” My lip tugged up. “Wouldn’t have pegged you as a fan.”
She laughed, the sound high, before she taunted, “I watched some videos on the internet. Does that count?”
Curious about what I do, dream girl? Or interested?
I stared down at my feet, my tone low when I said, “You tell me.”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
I huffed a laugh. Alec pointed at the commercial’s director. I raised a finger, telling him to hold up a sec.
“We’re a feature in the car show this Sunday. Why don’t you come by?” I told her. “Check it out. See if I can sway you.”
“Yeah?” she said, her voice silky, with a hint of something else I couldn’t place.
