Tom continued with his diatribe. “ESPN wants to include him in a feature they are doing on NASCAR. Asher is what makes Daughtry Racing attractive enough to sell. This is my opportunity, and I don’t plan on you messing it up.”
“I wouldn’t bet the house on Asher. He’s a good driver, but he doesn’t take advice very well.”
“I don’t care! You don’t need to worry about Asher. Your only concern should be making sure that car is ready for the test run tomorrow.”
Cyrus shook his head in disgust, knowing that he’d basically been relegated to a mechanic. “She’ll be ready.”
“Good.” Tom stalked away.
Long after he was gone, Cyrus still stared in the direction Tom had walked away. Cyrus remained quiet, then finally walked back over to the car.
Colby snapped her head around when she saw her father coming. She pretended as if she had been working on the gasket all along.
He didn’t buy it. “I don’t remember you being this nosy.”
“It was hard not to listen.” Curious, she asked, “Who were those men?”
“Scouts for the potential buyers.”
Colby chewed her lower lip. “Are you sure? The one guy seemed . . .” Her words trailed off.
Her dad finished her sentence. “Like he could bench press a car?”
“No. Not him. The other one. He was,” she still searched for the right words, “intense.”
“He didn’t say much. I have no idea what he was sent here to find out, or what he’s going to tell the owners.”
Colby sighed. “I can’t believe all this is happening.”
Cyrus refused to meet her eyes as he worked on the car. He pointed. “You didn’t take those other bolts off?” Keeping Colby busy meant keeping her quiet. He wasn’t ready to have the full discussion with her yet. So, for the next two hours, they worked in silence repairing the car.
“Finished.” Her father placed his hands on his lower back and stretched.
“Think she’ll hold up for tomorrow?” Colby started putting the tools away.
“She should. At least, I hope so.” Cyrus had a faraway look in his eyes. Colby wasn’t sure where he’d gone, but he came back to the present fairly quick. “You up for taking her out for a spin?”
Her eyes sparkled. “I’m always up for that.”
*****
After several runs around the track, Colby pulled the car back into the garage and got out where her dad and Gonzo were waiting. Colby always felt pumped after being behind the wheel of a stock car. “She felt good out there. I have some ideas about how to make her faster.”
Cyrus wiped his hands with a rag and put it in the back pocket of his coveralls. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow. I’m tired and calling it a night.”
Colby tried again to tell her father about her ideas. “But, Dad, I think if we—”
He cut her off. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Wait. Just hear me out. I might know of a way.”
“Colby! I just said it doesn’t matter.”
“What do you mean, it doesn’t matter?! You heard Tom. He basically threatened your job. That matters.” She rubbed her forehead and took a moment to calm down. Colby didn’t want to be disrespectful. “Look, everyone knows you’re the heartbeat of this organization. And Mr. Daughtry, God rest his soul, is probably turning over in his grave at what his brother-in-law has done to it. If he were alive, none of this would be happening.”
Gonzo cosigned Colby’s words. “She’s right, Mr. J. I can’t imagine Mr. Daughtry had what’s going on in mind when he founded Daughtry Racing. Even when he was battling cancer, he was still trying to do what was right for our team.”
Cyrus walked over to the chair behind his desk and lifted his bomber jacket off of it. “The writing’s been on the wall for this organization for a while. Tom doesn’t know shit about the company and never tried to learn. He has run it into the ground. They’ve wanted to sell. Maybe it’s time.”
Colby threw up her hands in exasperation. “Look, if you want to retire, then retire, but don’t let them push you out!”
“I’m not letting anyone do anything!” he snapped. “Without some type of financial investment, there is no way we’ll be able to keep that car from falling apart. She might be good for tomorrow, but she’ll never make it through an entire NASCAR season. The car is running at capacity.” He spread his arms out wide. “A man has to face the truth when it’s staring him in the face. Just like knowing that my time with Daughtry has run its course.”
“So, you’re giving up?” Colby’s eyes widened in surprise. This was not her daddy. The man who could work miracles. The man who showed her how to repair an engine before she was twelve and how to drive a year later.
“Giving up? I’ve given my life and . . .” His voice broke. “I’ve given Daughtry everything. I’ve got nothing left to give. Tom wants a miracle, and my name ain’t Jesus.”
It wasn’t like Colby to argue with her father, but it also wasn’t like him to have a defeatist attitude either. “Then, let’s give him that miracle!”
“Now that you’re back from that fancy college and highfalutin job, you think you’re smarter than me?”
“Of course not.” She glanced down at her feet. “It’s just that I have some ideas.”
“Colby, I’ve run a million different scenarios around in my head. I’ve borrowed, begged, and called in every favor I’ve earned over the past twenty-five years to get this car ready. And contrary to what you might think, I know a thing or two about cars. I know how to do a lot with a little.”
“That’s not what I’m saying.” She looked up and tried to explain, but he wouldn’t listen.
“I’ve already done the impossible. It was in the last two races. Who’s to say that the new buyers won’t want to bring in their own people?”
“Because we’re damn good
