Page 29 of All That Glitters
“There’s a for cause clause in his contract. I’ve had our lawyers go over it. I can use it. I’m prepared to use it.”
“It would break him.”
“He’s already broken. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Not only is he not physically ready, but he’s not mentally or emotionally ready, either.”
“He just needs time.”
“There is no more time, Fran. The first race is in just a few weeks. I can’t send him out there blind.”
“What has he said?”
“Nothing of significance. He’s lied over and over. He hasn’t even tried to get in a car. He’s been to the garage, but not to try… Only to see the wrecked one. I’ll give him one more chance to get out on the track, but if he fails to show again, I’ll need to find something else for him and bring in another driver.”
“He’d never forgive you.”
“That’s a chance I’m willing to take. I can’t have him freeze during a race. I can’t have him getting lost in his head. I can’t have him… He could’ve died that day. I won’t put any of us through it.”
“I know. But he’s a Glitterati. He’ll find his way. You did.”
“I never had to work myself back from what he’s been through.”
“You had friends who lost their ability to walk, who died.”
“And I don’t want that for him. He’s my son. Our son.”
“You can’t just make the decision for him. You have to find a way to get him to open up to you.”
Her desperation hurt. She was trying to convince him to trust me and he knew better than to do so.
“That’s always been your thing with him.”
“I’m not his boss.”
“I’m not just his boss, either. Choosing to be his father one minute and being his boss the next… It’s never been hard. I’ve pushed him, challenged him. I’m afraid to do that now. What will it do to him if I do? What will happen if I push and it’s too much? Death isn’t the only way to lose someone.”
My mother had all the faith in the world in my ability to recover and take the principal position on the team again. My father? I wasn’t sure. Not anymore. And I couldn’t blame him. I couldn’t be angry at the wall I’d put his back against.
“He’s got one week to get himself together. To show me something. If he can’t, I’ll be getting another driver. Brax was a temporary fix to finish out the season. I want both cars full of drivers that can contend for a championship. If not Ashton, I’ll put Brax back in his seat in the 07.”
“And who for the 05?”
“A few names have crossed my desk. Some that might work out for a season. If Hale Troye wasn’t tied to a multi-year contract…”
“What? If he wasn’t tied to a contract… What? What are you trying to say?”
There was trepidation in my mother’s voice and I knew her thoughts were headed in the same direction mine were and we both waited to see if my father would finish his statement.
“I’d take him and put him in the 05 and keep Brax in the 07.”
“Oh, Leo… You aren’t serious?”
Red flared behind my eyes at the mention of Hale. He was my trigger. He was one of my obstacles to moving forward. He was one of the reasons I couldn’t do what was needed. My shrink had been saying it from the beginning and I hadn’t believed her. At that moment, I did.
She said I needed to confront the rage, the need for revenge.
My father was right. It broke me. It broke pieces of me that I didn’t know existed. And it created fears I would’ve never believed could live inside me had they not been my constant companions since I woke up in the hospital.
My father wanted Hale Troye in a Glitterati car.
