Magnetic Shift (8 page)

I held my hand in my lap, trying to rub away the strange feeling his touch had left behind. “Won’t you see them when we get back?”

Colton leaned back against the wall. “No, they live in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.”

“You have your own place?” I envied him if he did. I longed for November, when I could finally take possession of the secluded cottage my mother had left me. Only then would I be able to live the rest of my life in peace—and alone, just like I wanted.

“Dean.” Colton sat up straight. “Did you not tell this girl anything?”

Dean’s head shot up. “I only found out she’d be coming home with us a few hours ago. When did I have the time?”

I shifted my gaze between the two of them. “I don’t understand. Home with
us
…?”

“I live with Dean during the race season.”

I blinked confusedly. “You mean … we’ll be living together?”

“Sort of. I stay in the apartment above the detached garage. I suck at cooking, so I usually eat with Dean and his family and hang out with them most of the time. Oh, and I babysit their two-year-old, Annabelle, on Monday nights. That’s Dean’s date night with Lorna, his wife.”

I tried picturing Colton handling a two-year-old. “Babysit, huh?” But I couldn’t see it.

“What? I’m great with kids.”

“He is,” Dean interjected. “Annabelle just loves him.”

“So, why do you live there?” I asked. “I mean, why can’t you live with your parents?”

“When I was an only child, Pop took me anywhere I needed to go to pursue my dream of racing professionally, but it got harder when my little brother, Robbi, was born three years ago.”

“He’s a handful?”

“There’s that, but there were complications during his birth and Mom ended up paralyzed from the waist down. She manages fine now, but there are a lot of things she needs Pop around for. So when Dean came and offered me a ride in the ProNation circuit last year, he offered me room and board as well. If it weren’t for Dean, I probably never would’ve been able to drive for NASCAR.”

“You would have, just maybe not right away,” Dean said.

“We both know that’s not true. My parents would never have let me do it on my own, and I would’ve had to give up racing entirely.”

Dean shrugged.

Ding
. The seatbelt light turned on. Colton’s face drained of all color.

Dean tucked his files away in his briefcase. “Come on, Colt, back to your seat.”

Colton climbed to his feet. “I know, I know.”

Back in our seats, Colton buckled his seat belt and gripped the armrest to his left. I buckled myself in, rested my palm on the seat between us, and leaned toward him. “Is there anything I can do to help you feel more relaxed?”

He squeezed his eyes shut, placed his palm next to mine, and hooked his pinky finger with mine. My body froze. I flashed a glance at our linked fingers, at Dean sitting at an angle across from us, looking out the window and then back at Colton. My cheeks burned.

Activate your cooling fans, Lex. He’s just trying to cope. He’s not making a pass at you.

No way would a guy like Colton Tayler ever be interested in a girl like me. Besides, I couldn’t fall for anyone, ever. Even him.

We arrived in front of Dean’s brown, two-story house at around half-past eleven at night. The curved driveway stopped in front of a detached three-door garage, with only a cast iron gate separating the two structures. Colton grabbed his bags from under the cover in the back of the truck, said his goodnights, and headed up the steep wooden staircase built along the sidewall of the garage, gripping the iron railing for dear life.

“Aww, that’s just cruel.”

Dean followed my gaze and laughed. “Hey, I offered him a room in the house, but he chose the apartment. That’s his own fault.”

Dean helped me carry my luggage inside, where a tall redheaded woman sat at a computer desk in the family room.

“Hey, hon. I saw the race. Colton killed it.” She stood and gave her husband a kiss.

I let out a slight cough.

“Lexi. I’m so sorry. Where are my manners?” He stepped aside. “This is my wife, Lorna.”

She smiled and reached out to shake my hand. “Lexi, Dean’s told me all about you. I’m so glad you’re here.”

“I’m happy to be here.”

My curse vibrated inside me, detecting the new concentration of metallic properties in the room.
Breathe and smile. Breathe and smile.

Dean moved toward the stairs. “Can you show Lexi to her new room? I want to go kiss Annabelle good night.”

“Not a problem, but don’t you dare wake her. It took me
two hours to put her down.” Lorna turned to me. “She’s in her terrible twos, and this weekend of all weekends, she’s decided that she doesn’t like going to bed anymore.”

I forced myself to smile wider.

Dean gave his wife a glance of sympathy. “I’ll be sure not to, then.”

Lorna picked up my suitcase and motioned for me to follow her up the stairs after Dean. “Come on, your room’s up here.”

On the second story, Dean disappeared into one of the rooms at the end of the hall. I assumed that one of the other three closed doors would be mine, but Lorna stopped abruptly in front of a linen closet-looking pocket door at the top of the stairs. She slid the door open, revealing behind it a narrow wooden staircase that led up to the attic.

Great. From dirty, rundown, second-story garage storage loft to dingy, old attic. I was literally moving up in the world.

She glanced over her shoulder. “Don’t worry. It’s not what it looks like.” Oh, so I wasn’t going to be sleeping in the attic?

She hoisted my suitcase ahead of her, headed up the stairs, and turned to me once she reached the top as if to say, “What are you waiting for?” I readjusted my backpack on my shoulder and made my way up.

At the top, I took in the sight of what would be my bedroom for the next nine months. The room ran the length of the entire house, spacious, open concept with tastefully covered beams. A lemon scent wrapped around me, and wall-to-wall, cream-colored shag carpet tickled my toes as I advanced into the room. A desk sat in one corner, and a golden brown sofa against one of the walls faced a large flat screen TV. A dark wood bedroom set occupied the far end
of the room and a large picture of Colton’s ProNation car—now driven by Link—hung over the headboard of the queen-sized bed.

“Not what you were expecting, is it?”

“Are you kidding me?” My words cracked due to my constricted throat. What I loved most was that, apart from the TV, some hinges, and a few other minor items, the space was proving to be a safe haven for the magnetically inclined.

“I’m glad you like it.”

I met her elated gaze. “What’s not to like?”

She dropped my suitcase at the foot of the bed. “We’ll just leave your stuff here for the time being. Dean and I would like to talk to you downstairs about what’s expected of you, now that you’ve decided to take us up on our offer. You’ll have plenty of time to make this space your own later.”

I slipped my backpack off my shoulders, dropped it on the floor, and followed Lorna down to their country-style kitchen, where Dean was already seated at the old, refinished wood table. I sat across from him, and Lorna took the seat on my right. I kept my hands in my lap, fiddling with the ring I wore on my middle finger—the one I’d stolen from Mama’s jewelry box before Roy sold all her belongings. “First off,” Lorna started, “Dean told me you wore those drab and boring sponsor shirts he left for you all weekend.”

“Yeah, about that … I’ve—”

“No excuses. I’m the one who suggested he leave you those clothes, but I’m sure you don’t want to be wearing them all the time.” She snapped a pre-paid MasterCard onto the table in front of me. “This is my gift to you. From one girl to another.” She winked. “Colton’s going to take you to town tomorrow. I
want you to buy yourself some new clothes.”

I slid my hand over the table, picked up the card, and stared at it. I opened my mouth to protest, but all the words I tried to form melted together into one big lump in my throat. My eyes fought to keep the wave of tears from falling.
Control, Lex. Don’t you dare have a panic attack now.

I extended the card back toward her, shook my head, and forced my teeth to unclamp from my bottom lip. “I can’t accept this. Your husband has given me more than I could’ve expected. It’s more than enough—”

“That money is for your daily expenses, lunches, entertainment, savings,” Dean said.

Lorna placed a soft, gentle hand on mine and pushed the card back toward me. “If it makes you more comfortable, don’t think of it as a gift. You now represent DSG Racing and the crew of the Guardian Auto Insurance team. We need you to look presentable.”

“It’s not like I’m actually part of the team. I’m not even a licensed mechanic.”

Dean squared his shoulders proudly. “No matter. You’ll be helping out in the shop, which means you’re part of the team. We leave no one behind.”

“Now.” Lorna leaned back. “I want this wardrobe to include at least three fancy dresses. There will be banquets and events to attend. Also, keep in mind that you’ll need some work clothes for the shop. Colton can help you with that, and don’t forget some shorts and tops for your days off and to wear at the track. Sponsor tees and caps are supplied, so no worries there.”

I nodded, not knowing what to say.

“So, as Lorna mentioned, tomorrow Colton has been tasked with taking you shopping and to show you around the nearby town of Bellfrost. Monday night, as Colton mentioned to you on the plane, is the night Lorna and I go out, just the two of us. We consider it essential to keeping our marriage sane in this crazy business.” He took Lorna’s hand. “We’d like you to help Colton out a little with the babysitting. Annabelle is becoming quite the handful.”

“Does that sound reasonable to you?” Lorna asked.

Reasonable? Were they kidding? Too overwhelmed and speechless to speak, I nodded.

“Any questions?” Dean asked.

I swallowed, hiding my shaking hands under the table, flipping the MasterCard between my fingers.

“When will I start working?”

“Tuesday. You’ll keep working at the shop until we fly out to the next track on Thursday. This is the regular routine unless the race is on a Saturday, in which case we’ll fly out on Wednesday. Monday is your day off.”

“Oh, I don’t need a day off.”

“Nonsense, everyone needs at least a day off,” Lorna said.

A tear escaped and ran down my cheek. “How will I ever repay you?”

“You will in time, Lexi. We just want you to feel at home here,” Dean said. “I’m sure you’ve heard by now that I, like you, didn’t have an easy life. It’s no secret. And no one deserves what we’ve gone through.”

Lorna reached over and squeezed my shoulder. “It’s been a long day. I’m sure all of this has been pretty overwhelming for you. You should go get some rest, and we’ll see you in the
morning.”

I thanked them both and headed back to my new room in the attic. As I lay on the bed, finally letting the tears fall, I couldn’t help but wonder how long I’d get to enjoy this new life before the evil inside me destroyed it all.

chapter seven

The house smelled of bacon, eggs, and fresh strawberry jam. My stomach growled.

“Good morning, Lexi.” Lorna stood at the sink, a little redheaded girl in pigtails latched to her leg.

“This must be Annabelle,” I said.

“This is her, the holy terror in the flesh.”

I waved at her. She grimaced and hid her face behind her mother’s leg.

“She’s shy now, but just you wait till she warms up to you.”

Annabelle giggled, but firmly kept a grip on her mother.

“I set a plate for you on the table. I hope you like bacon and eggs. Colton should be in soon.”

“I do, thanks.” I couldn’t remember the last time someone had cooked me breakfast. Not since Mama died, I guessed.

The kitchen’s side door swung open, and Colton walked in. I almost choked on my first mouthful at the sight of him dressed in board shorts, a white t-shirt with a Reebok logo printed across his chest, and an Atlanta Braves ball cap.

“Well, well. Look who decided to show up on time for once.” Lorna turned and raised a brow. “You’d swear a boy whose life purpose is to cross the finish line first would be on time for breakfast more often.”

Colton smiled, his hidden dimples making a rare appearance. He gave Lorna a peck on the cheek. “Good morning to you, too, Lorna. Did you lose weight?”

“Yeah, yeah. Flattery will get you nowhere. I left your plate in the microwave to keep it warm, but you might have to zap it a little.”

He slipped by her, patted Annabelle on the head, and retrieved his plate. “I’m sure it’s fine the way it is.”

“Cotton,” the girl said with an elated grin, clapping her hands.

“Hi, Anna-banana,” Colton said to her. She giggled and wobbled off into the family room, her pigtails swaying with every bouncing step.

“She calls you Cotton?”

“Yeah, she has a hard time saying Colton, so I’ve become Cotton.” He shook his head and sat next to me.

“That’s so cute.”

“Hat.” Lorna said, without turning around.