Page 31 of All That Glitters
God, I fucking hated gossip and drama. This was our first major incident and the stress levels were through the roof. Watching what we do, what we say, where we go… This was not us. Not the Troye’s. Friends of ours? Sure. Ashton Glitterati? Definitely. Us? No.
We might have all been friends before, but maybe I had been mistaken in how I’d seen us. Maybe I’d seen us one way and the rest of the paddock saw us another way.
I wasn’t in the spotlight, but I was a familiar face in the garage, around pit road. People within the business of racing knew me and through my position at Troye, LTD. I even knew a few of things that happened inside other race teams from time to time.
Since the wreck, there’d been questions about the longstanding friendship between our family and the Glitterati family and carefully constructed comments had been given from us as well as from Leonardo. I believed him when he said he didn’t think Hale had wrecked Ashton on purpose, that it had been a freak thing.
I tried again. “There’s nothing for you to worry about, Hale.”
“I’m… I just want everything to go back to the way it was.” He leaned back against the wall next to the door. “If this is the way it’s going to be, especially with Ashton, I don’t think I want to race anymore. This isn’t… I thought it was hard between races after the wreck, but at least I had things to keep me busy. Seeing Ashton the other day, though, and now tonight… I don’t know.”
I was unsure what to say that hadn’t already been said. I wanted to tell him that I understood, but I didn’t. Not really. Not from his perspective, at least.
As kids we’d raced together, the four of us. Each one - Hale, Ashton, Brax, me - aspired to the level of professional in the sport we loved. We didn’t know which way we’d all end up, but racing was what we wanted.
I swallowed my feelings and disappointments down that it hadn’t worked out for me and focused on Hale. Again.
I could feel his pain through this crazy wonder twin bond that we’d shared since before we were born. I could feel his hurt.
He was in a car because he was good, because he deserved it, because that’s how things worked out. And I… I did everything I could to make sure he stayed in a car, that he kept a wheel in his hands, that he had everything he needed both on and off the track to succeed.
I watched everything, listened to everything, took it all in and helped Hale figure out where he fit, where he could take advantage, where he should put himself for the most exposure and position to win.
I didn’t know what this season would bring. I didn’t know if Ashton was going to be back in a Glitterati car or not. It really seemed that no one did. I wondered if part of that uncertainty among the drivers was what Hale was feeling more than anything else.
The series didn’t revolve around one driver, but Ashton was different. He was better than most veterans of the sport, a Glitterati when no one had really talked about the family in decades, at least not outside Italy… He was brash and flashy and in every conversation now.
The attention on Ashton, on his family, on anyone associated with him…
“If you’re looking for me to tell you not to race this season, you’re not going to get that.”
“Until you said that, I didn’t know what I was looking for you to say.”
“Get it out of your head and this is not the place. We can talk about it when we get home, if you want.”
“Can we go now?”
I shook my head. “No.” I said, knowing we both wanted nothing more than to run and hole up at home.
“And just what are you two whispering about?”
Brax poked his head around the doorframe, a sly look sliding between me and Hale.
“That garish tie you’re wearing,” Hale commented without missing a beat.
“Don’t hate on the tie just because you’re too jealous to admit that you have all the style of a dead guy at his own funeral.” His eyes slid to me. “No offense, Helen of Troye. You’re always beautiful and stylish. Your brother, on the other hand…”
“Maybe the rest of us just naturally pale in your shadow, Brax.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere.” His eyebrows danced and his smile lit up the room. “I was sent to retrieve you both.” His smile turned into a smirk. “Dinner is about to be served.”
“Retrieve us?”
“Eavesdrop, listen in, sneak around… Pick one, any one.”
“Hear anything good?” I took the arm he offered while Hale took up residence on my other side. I took his hand in mine again.
“Not a damn thing,” he groused.
