Page 6 of Throttle

Saint

Tuesday

“Neil, did you install the new engine part?” I ask as I exit from my tiny office.

“Check, Saint. All set there. Engine-wise, we are set. Still waiting on the girl for seat fitting so we can install and be ready for the test track this week,” he explains as I nod and look at my clipboard.

“It’ll be a miracle if we win at all this season,” Eric mumbles under his breath.

“Why, because she’s a girl?” I stop what I’m doing and look at him. The rest of the crew is quiet as the tension in the air builds.

“Um…I…”

“You what?” I ask again, taking a few steps closer to him. “I’m waiting.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Eric mumbles again, looking for backup from the guys.

“You are paid to change tires on the car, not for your opinions on who is driving the race car.” I pause and look at the rest of the pit crew. “Does anyone have anything else to add to the conversation?” They all shake their heads. “Good, get your asses back to work. I have a meeting with Bud, and I believe Haisley is coming in for the seat fitting today, Neil. Please make sure you are available so we can get the car ready. Understood?”

They all nod, and I head towards Bud’s office. It’s bad enough he hates the idea of a woman driver. He is an asshole nonetheless, but a good crew chief. I knock on his door and hear him mutter to come in. Opening the barrier, I see him sitting at his desk, eyes focused on his computer.

“You wanted to see me?”

“Come in, Saint,” he replies, motioning to the chair in front of his desk. I step in and close the door behind me, taking a seat in the chair. “How’s the car coming along?”

“It’s coming. All we need is the driver for seat molding and pedal heights, but besides that we should be good to go for testing.”

Bud nods and then shakes his head. “I’m not too keen on the driver,” he confesses.

“Why is that? She seems nice,” I reply. Nice isn’t the word I was looking for, but it’ll do in this moment. After our run-in yesterday, I remember that she was the girl from the bar. The one I accused of being a tire chaser, in less than pretty words.

“Women don’t belong in this sport, Saint. You know it. I know it. No one is going to take us seriously,” he continues spewing. “We’re going to be the laughing stock of the INDY circuit.”

“She might surprise you, Bud. I investigated her career, and it’s impressive for someone her age, let alone being a female in the sport. Don’t forget Danica Patrick had success in stock cars, and there are a few women in the truck series and ARCA,” I counter.

Bud shakes his head again and looks at me. “She only got this gig because of her father.”

“I doubt that, but I’m not arguing with you. Are we set here?” He nods, and I stand up and head to the door.

“She won’t last long,” I hear him grumble as I exit the office. I’ve worked for this race team for the last four years, and Bud has always been the crew chief. I’ve never had reason to dislike him before, but I’m starting to now. Despite our beliefs or thoughts, we have a job to do. That job includes building the best and safest car possible for the driver driving it, whether that person is a male or a female.

“Hey, Haisley is in your office,” Mac announces, pulling me from my thoughts. I nod. “Dude, when I saw her, I almost shit my pants.”

I chuckle at him. “Well, it was a surprise, wasn’t it?”

“You need to apologize,” he says pointing to my office.

“I don’t feel I have to since I didn’t realize who she was, but…” I trail off, pausing to glance at the woman sitting in my office. Her blonde hair is pulled back into a ponytail at the base of her neck, and she’s wearing yoga pants and a t-shirt. Mac slaps my chest, and I turn to look at him. “I’ll apologize. Go help Neil with whatever he needs. Also, the crew needs to practice pit stops, so see if one of the other drivers will use a dummy car for practice.”

“On it,” he says leaving me to deal with Haisley. I take a deep breath and ground myself before stepping into the office.

“Good morning,” I remark, stepping behind my desk. “How are you?”

“Good morning to you as well. I didn’t know if I needed to see you or Bud about seat molding, so I decided to start with you,” she informs me, getting right down to business.

“That was an excellent choice since I’m responsible for building the car. Neil is finishing some tweaks to the engine, then he’ll be free to take you over to the molding area. Usually, we do this a few weeks before the start of the season, so hopefully we’ll have the seat ready for Thursday’s test.”

“Well, since I only signed the contract a week ago, I assure you that I am following all the steps as Hunter’s laid them out to me, so with that said, I’m here now and ready to get down to work,” she replies, flashing me a smile.

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