He and Colby were working on Chris’s car when he finally spoke. “Want to talk about it, Lil’ Bit?”
Lil’ Bit. Colby hadn’t heard that term in years. Her dad only used it when he was in daddy mode. She was tempted to let him baby her but decided it was best to keep what happened with Liam to herself. It would upset the entire garage.
Her face was hidden as she pretended to study the problem with Chris’ clutch.
She mumbled, “I’m good.”
Cyrus was grasping at straws. “I hope you’re not worried about the race in Atlanta. You’re going to be fine.”
Tuh, she thought. They weren’t even going to let her drive.
Cyrus knew the best place for Colby to be when she was melancholy was on the track. “We’re going to do some practice runs with Chris and Jordan this afternoon. We need to work on our offensive and defensive moves.”
Colby glanced up. Her eyes were glassy, but she wouldn’t cry. “Did you read any of those comments under that video? I’ve been called everything but the son of God. N-word this, N-word that, slurs too vile to repeat.” Her throat was thick with pain. “I love cars. I love driving. Why does it have to be such a fight to do what I love?” Her voice was strangled. “Why does this have to be so damned hard?”
Cyrus was gutted. “Being the first is always hard because the path to get there is always near impossible.” Cyrus put down his tools and took a step a little closer to his daughter. He placed his large hand on her shoulder. “You’re the right woman for this moment.”
Colby wasn’t so sure. “Dad, we can’t be competitive with these cars. We need better parts. At just the hint of me racing in Atlanta, the top vendors have either canceled orders or stopped returning Brian’s phone calls. We don’t even have any sponsors.” Colby felt like screaming. “I don’t want to be someone they talk about as a first.” The pain was evident in her eyes. “I want to fix a few wrongs, but more importantly, I want the chance to win. And right now, I just feel defeated.”
Cyrus didn’t know how to encourage her, especially when part of him felt guilty. He’d given Colby his love of cars, but it wasn’t a gift. It had been more like an albatross around her neck. “We’ll figure something out. We always do.”
Colby just stared at him. “I think I’m going to call it early. I’m not in the best headspace to get out on that track.” She lowered the hood of the car.
When the hood of the car closed, Liam was standing behind it. Colby’s chest tightened. She wasn’t expecting to see him. Colby wondered how much of anything he had heard.
Did it really matter? No. It didn’t. And even though she should hate him, she couldn’t.
While she could be mad at Liam, the real person she should be pissed at was herself. She allowed everything that went down between them to happen. There was nothing left to do but chalk her situation up to a long list of losses. It was what she deserved for ignoring all the warning signs, and Liam Lockwood was a walking, talking big-ass billboard.
She was out. Leaving. Colby was entirely done with the day. Who knows? Maybe she would be ready to fight tomorrow.
Maybe not.
Without uttering a word, Colby turned on her heels and left.
Cyrus watched her walk away. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her like this. Sometimes, I wished she had liked playing with dolls over engines.”
Liam had heard their conversation. He had also heard the complete anguish in her voice. It sliced him like a knife, knowing that he was partially responsible for her pain.
“Do you really think Colby can win the Atlanta race?” he asked.
Cyrus was still staring after her. “For Colby, driving would be a thousand times more dangerous than any other man on that course. She would have every team gunning for her. She would have teams working together in tandem to keep her in her place. And now that she is on NASCAR’s radar, Lockwood Racing has a huge X on our chest. Any driver from this team is going to have a hell of a time simply because Colby’s on it.” Cyrus turned to Liam. “I’ve seen and worked with a lot of legends in my lifetime. I know what winning looks like. And even with the odds stacked up against us like they are, do I believe that Colby could win?” Cyrus paused. “I don’t say this lightly, and I sure as hell don’t say it because she’s my daughter, but Colby James can win. She’s that talented. Of course, Lockwood drivers would have to work as one cohesive unit for that to happen. They would have to spend the next couple of weeks, not training to drive, but training to work together. And that’s IF we can get our cars together and find a few sponsors.”
“That’s a heavy lift between now and Atlanta,” Liam said.
“Yep. Time is not on our side.” Solemnly, Cyrus put his hands in his front pockets. “I think I’m going to follow in my daughter’s footsteps and call it a day. Maybe go out and enjoy some of the fresh air and sunshine. Hopefully, it’ll help recharge this old man’s batteries, and I’ll be in better spirits to fight another day on Monday.”
Chapter 21
Over the next few days, and with Liam’s help, Brian put an incredible PR and crisis management team in place. Most of their press coverage was favorable, but that was the public, not NASCAR.
Asher had yet to show up for any practice runs.
“I’m still struggling to get engines and tires for the cars,” Brian said.
“I thought the tires came in today?” Liam responded.
“They did—with shit tread. They’re useless.”
“I’ve been working on a plan B.”
“What
