Again, Brian’s voice didn’t convey his pure and utter shock. “That’s great to hear and much appreciated.”
“Good luck, and see you at the races.” They disconnected their call.
“Can you believe it? This thing has turned out to be way bigger than I ever anticipated. We have to be in Atlanta in three days for pre-trial runs. What the hell am I going to do?”
Liam had been busy, not just with Plan B but a few other things too. “I have been working on a few things. I’ve got some ideas. You mind if I butt into your business?”
“If it means being ready for the race? Handle it. Do whatever it is you have to do.”
*****
Colby and the team had been practicing offensive and defensive maneuvers. For the most part, they were in total sync. If they had better cars, they might have a shot at winning. Chris and Jordan weren’t too bad. They were good and pushed Colby to her limits. It was a damn shame that they were using her as a stand-in for Asher.
Colby was done trying to fight the good fight. She had decided when this race was over to hightail it back to Washington.
Her dad was fine. Colby needed to get her own life in order. Her dream of racing was just that. A dream. It was time to grow up and step back into the real world. She was thankful that she had only taken a leave from her job and not just flat out quit.
Colby was pulling into the pit when she saw Gonzo run away and up the stairs to the booth. He whispered into her father’s ear, and a smile split her dad’s face in half.
Her father started speaking through her headset. “Apparently, we have a sponsor.”
Whoopee, Colby thought. She didn’t want to be a Debbie Downer and rain on everyone else’s parade. She feigned enthusiasm as best she could. “That’s great.” Too bad her voice lacked any excitement at all. Fortunately, everyone else had enough excitement to mask her lack of it.
“They are at the garage and would like to have a word with the team.”
“I’ll be there.”
It didn’t take long to drive over to the garage and pull the car inside. She was the last to arrive. She got out of the car and glanced around the room. All she saw were familiar faces. She leaned over and whispered into Gonzo’s ear, “Where’s the new sponsor?”
He shrugged. “Dunno. I just got a call from Brian, telling me to call everyone over to meet the new sponsor.”
“Where the hell is he?”
“Dunno that either.”
They all stood around waiting. Finally, Brian and Liam emerged from their offices and walked down the stairs toward the group.
They were smiling from ear to ear. Brain clapped his hands together. “I know it’s been a stressful few days, but I think we can finally share some good news. I’ve been working my ass off trying to find a sponsor for Lockwood Racing, and today, I can say we got one. A sponsor that will carry us through the entire NASCAR season.”
Ben was impatient. “Who is it?”
“Lockwood Enterprises,” Brian said.
“Liam?” Colby asked.
Liam turned his gaze toward her, and like clockwork, her knees turned to jelly. To prevent herself from melting into a puddle on the floor, Colby shifted her eyes to the floor.
Liam continued to explain. “It’s not me personally, but several of my businesses will sponsor Lockwood Racing. Brian and I had a few logistics to work out before we made the announcement.” Colby had no idea that Liam was sponsoring Lockwood just as much to help Brian as it was to help her. “That’s not our only surprise.”
“There’s more?” Gonzo asked.
“Yes. There is more,” Brian said proudly. One of the doors to the dock opened to reveal two large trucks. “Thanks to our new sponsor, I’ve been informed that there are some top of the line parts on those trucks. I believe everything that was on Cyrus’ wish list is in there.”
The garage erupted into more whoops and hollers. “And the absolute cherry on top is that I have several auto body artists arriving tomorrow. I think it’s time to give our cars some makeovers, so when we arrive in Atlanta, they’ll know Lockwood Racing is in the building!”
Chapter 22
Atlanta. They’d finally made it.
“It’s crazy, huh?” Brian asked excitedly to Colby as they rode in the back of the car together.
“What in the world?” Colby couldn’t believe it either. There were hordes of reporters in front of the hotel. The flash of their cameras was so bright that Colby couldn’t see a damn thing. She had to put on a pair of dark glasses to shield her eyes.
It had only been a matter of hours after the video of Colby beating Asher that her name was splashed all over the blogs, sports tv, and radio networks. Everyone wanted the exclusive. They wanted to know who she was and what she thought about being the first African American woman to drive in a major NASCAR race. If they only knew.
“Asher is going to shit bricks when he sees all the attention you’re getting. Who would have ever thought?”
“Exactly. Who would have ever thought?” Colby said dryly as she mimicked him.
It was time to have a much needed and uncomfortable conversation. Brian had avoided it long enough. “I asked if you would ride with me to the hotel because I wanted to talk to you privately.” They pulled up into the parking structure of the hotel—no more flashing lights.
Colby knew this moment with Brian was coming. She was glad to be wearing the dark glasses because her eyes would give too much away.
Brian’s voice softened. “I hope you know that Liam did all of this for you.”
Colby sat very still. Her heart rate accelerated. “W-what? What are you talking about?”
“He sponsored Lockwood Racing for you. I know all about you and him.”
If Brian knew, Colby wondered
