Ricky hauled his son into his arms and began to walk away.
Casten grinned. “Impressive.”
“Shut up,” I told him, taking one of the beers he had stored in the pockets of his race suit.
Part of me didn’t want to say anything to Arie about agreeing to be partners with Jameson because I knew she wouldn’t want me to take on more responsibility. Not only was she working a full-time job and trying to raise four kids on the road, I spent most of my time racing, driving to races, or being stressed out about racing.
How would being a team owner add to that?
I stepped inside Jameson’s hauler after the cars were loaded and signed the paperwork.
“Welcome to being a team owner. Watch out for the number nine driver. I hear he’s an asshole.”
I smiled and took the envelope he handed me.
“Here’s your copy of the contract.”
I stared at it. “Can I ask you something?”
“Yeah.”
“What made you decide to give up full ownership?”
His eyes moved to the hauler and the row of engines underneath the cabinets. And then to the stack of tires on the wall. “There comes a time when you need to think about what’s important. Time or money. And one day you wake up and realize you need less shit to deal with. That’s where I am.”
That I could understand.
He shook my hand and we went about the rest of the night. No big deal. But it was. I hadn’t told my wife and had signed legal documents. How was I going to bring this up to her? I also wouldn’t go as far to say I had this marriage thing down, because believe it or not, Arie was my first relationship. And surprisingly, other than her being pregnant for the first three years of our marriage, we hadn’t had any life-changing dilemmas to discuss. Other than the time I tore a hole in the side of the house with a tractor and told her it was time to remodel. By the way, that did not go over well. Partly because I started with the bedroom, and partly because well, we had a hole in the side of our house and it was the middle of winter.
Making decisions with logic hadn’t always been my strong suit. Have I ever told you about the time I set my house on fire? See what I mean. Not always made with logic.
“Did you know Olivia is working for Ricky’s team this year?” Arie asked when I found her near the merchandise trailer locking up.
“No?” I already knew this, but by the angry expression she wore, I wasn’t about to admit it.
“Yeah, she is.” She placed the lock on the door to the trailer and secured it. “Lily didn’t seem too thrilled.”
I had no idea the real story behind the Axel-Lily-Olivia beef, but I also had a feeling I didn’t need to know. Drama I didn’t want any part of. What I do know was that Axel almost slept with Olivia one night while he and Lily had been separated. And that was all I wanted to know.
“Did he say anything to you after the race?”
“Ricky?”
Arie nodded, taking a drink of her Diet Coke in her hand. I watched with rapt attention as her lips closed around the straw to her Yeti cup. Fuck. We really needed to finish what we started last night.
I didn’t get a chance to answer her before she motioned to the envelope in my hand. “What’s that?”
Shit. “Documents.”
“For what? Please tell me you’re not being sued.”
“No.” I leaned my shoulder into the trailer and sighed. “I’m… a partial owner of JAR Racing now.” As soon as the words left my lips, I regretted them.
Judging by the livid expression my wife wore, I should have probably warned her about this one.
Case Temperature Rating – Maximum temperature the motor case can reach without the inside of the motor exceeding its internal temperature rating.
“I’m… a partial owner of JAR Racing now.”
I inhaled in through my nose and out through my mouth. What the fuck? “Are you serious?”
Rager crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. “Sleeping with your boss is considered a HR nightmare.”
“Interesting turn of events,” I told him, showing him my phone with the reports that my dad had asked him to be a partial owner.
“Surprise?”
My throat tightened, my heart thumping wildly in my chest. He would have talked to me about this first, wouldn’t he? And then I thought, why didn’t my dad?
“You’re serious,” I deduced when he didn’t correct me. “Wow.”
“You’re mad?” He stepped closer, his jaw tight, eyes searching. The hum of the diesel engine vibrated through me. “Seriously?” He let out an aggravated exhale.
“Yes, you should have said something to me before you signed the papers. Easton didn’t talk to me when he decided to run all three series in one year. He also didn’t talk to me before he stepped out on our marriage.”
Rager’s face shifted from annoyance to pissed in the blink of an eye, his scowl harsh. “Are you always going to bring him into the conversation, or just when you’re trying to make me feel bad?”
I blew out the breath I didn’t know I was holding. He had every right to call me out on that one. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“But you said it, so clearly you’re holding some resentment. I’m not Easton, Arie. I did this with you and our kids in mind.”
“And that was?”
“Our future.” He reached over and checked the lock on the trailer and then dropped his hand. Turning, he began walking toward the motor home. “I won’t always be behind the wheel. At some point I’d like to spend my life with you and being a team owner allows that.”
I thought
