Page 66 of Endurance

“I’m not sure who those guys are, but it looks like we’re about to find out,” I said. “They’re headed this way now.”

“Kallie,” Sloan said as he approached. “Just the woman I was looking for.”

“Oh?” I said in surprise, looking from Sloan to the other two men.

“Yeah. I want you to meet Wyatt Bates and Joe Corbin, representatives from Kapton Motor Oil, the head sponsor for Tyler’s car that I’m going to race.” I raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment on Sloan’s certainty about whether hecouldactually race or not. Instead, I extended my hand to the two men.

“It’s a pleasure.”

“Wyatt and Joe, this is Kallie and her friend Gabby. Kallie is my…” Sloan trailed off, not seeming to know how he should introduce me. In truth, I didn’t know either. I supposed we could have assumed I was his girlfriend. However, we had yet to discuss making our relationship public. I thought it was best for Sloan’s reputation to keep it quiet, and until I told my father about us, it was best for me too. The last thing I needed was for him to hear about me carrying on with a client from the press.

Smiling, I took the lead and broke the awkward silence.

“I’m Sloan’s P.R. agent. Gabby is a friend of mine. She’s in town visiting, and I thought I’d bring her down to the track to see what the fuss was all about.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Gabby said.

Wyatt held out his hand for her, which she readily took. He was the guy in the navy suit who she’d been eyeing up, and I could easily see why. The man oozed sex appeal, and if his arrogant stance was any indication, I thought he knew it too. He gave Gabby a flirtatious wink, and she all but swooned at his feet. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to laugh or roll my eyes.

“Is it safe to assume I’ll be working closely with your company over the next few weeks?” I asked, hoping to save my friend from embarrassing herself.

“Yes, ma’am. We’re expecting good things from Sloan,” Wyatt said.

“We were thrilled when he agreed to come out of retirement and fill in for Tyler,” Joe added.

Retirement?

“Yes, well… I guess everything happens for a reason,” was all I could say as I discretely flashed Sloan a questioning look. He didn’t notice my confusion, nor did he seem surprised by what Joe had said.

“We should plan a time for you to come down to the Kapton Corporate offices and meet with our marketing team,” Wyatt suggested. “We have our own PR strategy already in the works, but since you know Sloan better than we do, we’d like to pick your brain on ways we might be able to heighten that PR.”

“That sounds great,” I agreed and reached into my purse for a business card. “My number is on here. Give me a call, and we can set something up.”

“We’ll look forward to it,” Wyatt said as he pocketed my card. “Sloan, we’re going to head out. Ace Apparel should be here in an hour to fit you for new gear with the Kapton logo. The car should be ready to go by Wednesday. Joe and I will be back then.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Sloan said. The three men shared a hearty handshake, then Joe and Wyatt walked away. Sloan turned back to Gabby and me. “Come on. I want to show you something.”

“Wait. I need to go over a few things with you first. Before driving here, I made some calls to change your schedule. I’ve canceled your Corporate Cares events for this week and put off Jeremiah for the time being.” I paused, suddenly remembering what Joe Corbin had said about Sloan coming out of retirement. “Also, why does Kapton think you came out of retirement? What was that all about?”

“Milo told them that, and I just went along with it. I didn’t get into the details with him.”

“Well, don’t you think you should, especially since it’s not entirely true?”

“Kallie,” he interrupted, clasping my face between his palms. There was a mischievous sparkle in his eye that piqued my curiosity. “Thank you for clearing my schedule, and as much as I’d like to debate with you about what Milo said, does it matter? I’m more interested in something else right now. I’m going to try racing again, and that’s all I’m focused on. Are you with me?”

“Yeah, Sloan. I’m with you.”

“Good.” He beamed and reached for my hand, but I pulled away and shook my head.

“I think it’s best if we keep our relationship on the down-low for now,” I explained. “You’ll be in the spotlight again soon enough, and we don’t need to give the press any reason to speculate more than they already will.”

Sloan shrugged.

“Whatever you say. You’re the boss. But just so you know, it’s going to be hard keeping my hands off of you if you continue showing up at the track in those little shorts.”

I flushed, and Gabby snorted a laugh, which only caused my blush to deepen. I looked down at my black t-shirt and cut-off jean shorts. I hadn’t expected to conduct business today, or I would have dressed more appropriately. I’d deliberately worn these clothes, knowing I wouldn’t care if I accidentally brushed up against grease like I had the last time I was at the track.

Seeming oblivious to my embarrassment, Sloan turned to walk away. Gabby and I followed him across the track and toward a set of tall, wide double doors.

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