Page 14 of Risk

“It’s good to see you as well,” he answered back and gave me a nod.

* * *

Aspen

Rylee stoodand moved around the table until she was behind Callum. “Would you mind trading seats with me for a moment while I talk to Ms. Belle?”

He looked at me questioningly, and it made me appreciate his kind heart even more. I gave him a small nod and nervously waited as Rylee sat down beside me. She moved her chair closer and gave me a reassuring smile.

“These things can be a little intimidating when you first go to them, so I applaud you for coming. Especially on your first night here. Was your flight good?”

A bitter laugh bubbled out of me. “It had to be about the worst flight I’ve ever been on.”

“Oh, no!” She placed her hand on my arm. “I’m so sorry to hear that. What happened?”

“There was a terrible storm through most of the flight, and I thought we were going to crash. Callum, though,” I tilted my head toward him, “he was a trooper and believe it or not, helped me through my panic.”

“It’s not hard to believe if you know him. Most of the teams and drivers, ours included, think he’s an asshole, but once you get to know him, you’ll find out that he’s a real softy. And a charmer.” Her red lips grew. “He’ll definitely keep you on your toes.”

I didn’t want to mention how he’d flirted with me. Maybe that was his personality, but I didn’t want him to get reprimanded, nor did I want to hear about how I was supposed to be the doctor helping him, and he was my patient. I knew that fact very well and didn’t need the reminder.

“What I really wanted to come over here for was to thank you for essentially dropping your life to help Callum. Racing is his whole world, and for that to be taken away from him would have been heartbreaking.”

Her eyes darted toward said man and her husband. When their eyes locked, my heart both swelled in my chest at seeing the love they had for each other and ached because of my lack of love life.

“I’m happy to help. I can’t really say much to you because of confidentiality, but after what he’s been through, he’s done amazingly well.”

“I’m shocked as well. I’m a counselor, and I’ve seen how long it can take someone to have a breakthrough. Hell, even to get help.”

I nodded, agreeing with her one hundred percent. “If it was anyone else and someone who wasn’t as dedicated to their craft as he is, I’m not sure they would have done nearly as well.”

“I’m just so glad we found you, and he opened up to you. I was worried that he’d be out for the rest of the season or permanently. Sadly, we can’t attend most of the races.” Her face fell, and her eyes started to sparkle with tears. “When I found out the entire crew packed up and left without visiting him, it broke my heart.”

It broke my heart, knowing he was alone. That he was by himself while he traveled the world year after year. If anything happened to me while I was in Barcelona, I’d have no one. Maria would probably come to visit me out of obligation, but that’s not the same as having a friend or a loved one being there to worry or to make you feel better.

Servers poured into the room and started to place our plates in front of the guests.

“Again, thank you. He’s special to us.” Her eyes strayed to their other side of the table. “In a way, I feel like he’s one of my kids.”

“It’s my pleasure. I had no idea I’d be going to events such as these. I’ll have to buy more clothes if he insists I attend.”

She stood and placed her hand on my shoulder. I hoped Callum knew how lucky he was and was grateful to have them care about him as much as they did. This wasn’t a typical boss/employee relationship. “Good luck, there’s a lot of great shopping here, along with a few other legs in the season. I wish I could join you, but we’ll be heading back to California once the race is over. And don’t let the guys on the team intimidate you. You’re one of us now.”

“Thanks,” I gave her a tight-lipped smile. The crew hadn’t given me the time of day the little I’d been around them. The same could be said about Callum.

Callum sat back down next to me, sipping his water. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, she was saying how happy she is that you’re racing and that I’m helping. I told her you’re doing well, but that’s it. I would never tell her about our sessions.”

He shook his head, making a lock of hair fall onto his forehead. I wanted to push it away but stopped myself. “Never crossed my mind.”

A roar of laughter to our right had me turning to see two men with their heads together snickering in our direction. Callum’s body tensed, but his face remained impassive to everyone else. He growled ‘asshole’ under his breath as the servers came out with our salad plates. I wanted to ask him what that was about but didn’t feel like it was professional.

He must have felt my gaze on him, though, because he answered my unspoken question. “The guy with the pornstache is my teammate.” He spoke out of the side of his mouth. I giggled at the mention of said pornstache. It really was bad. I wasn’t sure why a young man would let such a thing grow on his face. “The other guy is our replacement driver.Myreplacement driver. While I was gone, they seem to have hit it off, and I’m the butt of all their jokes.”

Instinctually, I wanted to ask him how that made him feel, but in that moment, I wasn’t his therapist. I was his…I didn’t know what. We weren’t friends exactly, but more than acquaintances. Two people who were going to spend an immense amount of time together—unless he decided he wanted to set out solo at all of our locations.

When I remained silent for too long, he frowned at me. “I ignore them. All of them. It’s better that way. I can’t let them get in my head.”

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