Within Striking Distance (11 page)

Jake was already there. He rose from his chair when they entered the room, his gaze meeting Becky’s. He smiled. “Welcome back.”

A week apart hadn’t made any difference, Becky realized. Nor had being around some of the world’s most beautiful people. Jake’s crooked smile, his finger-combed hair and his plain, faded chambray shirt looked so good, so familiar, she wanted to walk straight into his arms.

But then the man who had been sitting in the chair beside Jake’s got to his feet and turned to look at her.

Becky didn’t need an introduction—she recognized him instantly. Kent Grosso’s face was well-known to every NASCAR fan. Yet he wasn’t here because of what he did for a living. He was here because he could be her twin brother.

That’s when the significance of what was happening hit Becky full force. After so many years of dreaming about it, she could finally be meeting a member of her family. She barely heard what Nicole was saying. Instead, she moved toward Kent and extended her hand.

He clasped it immediately, studying her as openly as she was studying him. “You’re almost as tall as me,” he said. “And your hair’s nearly the same color as our mother’s…I mean, if you’re…” He smiled. “Does this feel as weird to you as it does to me?”

She laughed. “Yes! I don’t know what I should say to you. Other than thanks for agreeing to the test.”

“It’s no trouble. They promised it would be painless.”

“That’s right,” Nicole said, snapping on a pair of gloves. She peeled paper wrapping from a long swab and gestured to Kent. “All you need to do is say ‘ah.’”

Nicole swabbed the inside of Kent’s cheek, placed the sample in a plastic vial and sealed it, then repeated the process with Becky. She inserted both vials in a padded envelope that she took from her desk, added a sheaf of paperwork and sealed the flap.

For something that could have a profound impact on Becky’s life, the procedure had seemed far too simple.

“I’ll drop this off at the lab on my way home,” Nicole said, looking at Jake. She handed him a thin sheet of yellow paper. “Here’s your copy of the test form.”

“Thanks. I appreciate your help, Nicole,” Jake said. “And your discretion.”

She smiled at all three of them. “It was my pleasure.”

“When do you think we’ll get the results?” Kent asked.

“I’ve asked the lab to give it priority,” Nicole replied. “But I can’t promise anything. It could be weeks before they get around to it.”

Kent looked at Jake. “So, what do we do now?”

“There’s nothing much we can do except wait for the scientists to do their job,” he said. “My part in this is over.”

And that’s when the rest of what was happening hit Becky. The DNA test was the final step in Jake’s investigation. There would be no point for him to investigate her further. If the results showed she wasn’t a match with Kent, Jake would move on to the next Gina claimant. If it did show a match, he could close his case. Either way, their association would end.

“Becky?” Jake asked. “Are you all right?”

She forced a smile. “Sure, just jet-lagged.”

This should be one of the happiest moments of her life, Becky told herself. She could be on the road to joining the family of her dreams. That was what she wanted, wasn’t it?

Well, wasn’t it?

“A
LL RIGHT
,” Becky shouted, pumping her fist in the air. “That’s how you do it. Go, Kent!”

Jake added his voice to the cheer that went up from the group around them as Kent nosed into the lead. He held it for three laps, although Zack Matheson remained on his tail, vying for an opening that Kent was too savvy to give him. Kent and Zack had just flashed past again when the crowd gave a collective gasp. Somebody farther back in the pack blew a tire in a puff of smoke. The caution flag came out. While the drivers throttled back and held their positions, the Chicago track crews scurried to pick up the debris.

Becky took advantage of the drop in the level of engine noise to speak without having to shout. From their vantage point near the entrance to pit road they had a great view of Turn Four and the straightaway, but it brought them close enough to feel the vibrations of the engines through the soles of their feet. “What’s that?” she asked. “The sixth caution?”

“Seventh,” Jake said. “I figured it would be bad in this heat. Are you okay? You want to find some shade?”

She tipped the brim of her hat to shield her face from the sun and craned her neck to keep track of Kent’s car. “Maybe later. I love being this close to the action. It was really nice of Kent to arrange a hot pass for me.”

Before they had left Nicole’s office the other day, Kent
had offered to obtain an infield credential for Becky for this race. Jake had been concerned there would be questions from the Grossos about who she was that would be difficult to answer. But after one look at the pleasure on her face from Kent’s offer, he hadn’t had the heart to object. As it turned out, he’d worried for nothing. They’d simply told anyone who asked that Becky was Jake’s friend.

It wasn’t really a lie. Jake did like Becky. He enjoyed her company. That he also desired her would be a big complication to a potential friendship, but it was one he should be able to manage.

Sure. He’d be fine as long as he concentrated on the smell of burnt rubber instead of the delicate hint of gardenias that rose from her skin. No problem, as long as he ignored the feel of her arm brushing against his or their hips bumping as they shifted to follow the action on the track.

Why had he thought that time apart would have dulled his reaction to her? “Yeah,” Jake said. “Kent’s a decent guy.”

She tapped her fingernail at the card in the plastic holder that hung on a lanyard from Jake’s neck. His pass was good for the season, not just one race like Becky’s. “You’ve got no idea how lucky you are, being related to Patsy,” she said. “You get to do this all the time.”

“The credential isn’t only because I’m family, it’s because of the case Dean and Patsy hired me for. Right from the start that anonymous blogger claimed Gina was close to NASCAR. Racetracks are good places to gather information, so the Grossos made sure I’d have full access.”

“I’ve followed NASCAR all my life. That’s another point about me that fits with Gina.”

“Along with most of the crowd in the stands.”

Her finger stiffened against his chest. “Don’t start on that again, okay? I don’t want to have to hit you.”

He lifted one eyebrow. “Hit me?”

“I got your message loud and clear weeks ago. I’m not assuming anything about being a Grosso. I know nothing’s certain until the test results come through. I’m just making the most of the circumstances.”

“You’re hoping, though.”

“Well, of course, I’m hoping. That’s the only reason I came to you in the first place. Now that you found those Fourth of July pictures of me, I’ve got even more reason to hope.”

“I’ll return that box of photos to you when we get back to Charlotte. We could swing by my office on the way from the airport if you like. It won’t be much of a detour.”

“Thanks, Jake. I’d like to see them, considering how important they might turn out to be. It’s funny, though.”

“What is? The pictures? Not more than a lot of the others I saw in that box.”

“No, not the way my mother dressed me. I mean the fact it was a photograph that tipped the scales for you with this investigation. Sometimes it seems I’ve lived my whole life through a camera. It’s as if part of me only exists in pictures. It’s just…strange.”

“Is this about your job? I thought you liked modeling.”

“Sure, but all along it’s only been a means to an end. I started it because I wanted to find my family.” She laughed softly. “It’s kind of ironic that it could be a photograph that
does
bring me my family in the end.”

“Becky…”

“Don’t say it, Jake.” A lock of hair slid out from beneath her hat brim to dangle beside her eye. She blew it aside. “You know, too many cautions in a race can get tiresome after a while.”

“Maybe, but they’re the only way to clear the track to make sure no one gets hurt.”

“That’s just it. At some point, the action has to be allowed to get going again.”

“Unless you’re driving, the action’s out of your control.”

“So, to stretch this metaphor even further, who’s driving? You?”

“The lab techs. My job’s over.”

She parted her lips as if she was about to make another retort, then paused to study his face. “That’s right. Unless the test results show no match, your job’s over.”

“Right.”

“Then why are you here?”

He gestured toward the conga line of cars that was passing in front of them. “I’m watching the race.”

“No, I mean why are you here with me?”

“You know why. It’s so no one questions why Kent got you a pass.”

“That’s a pretty thin excuse, Jake. You know what I think?”

“What?”

She spread her fingers over his chest and leaned toward him. “I think it’s because you missed me last week as much as I missed you.”

Smart woman, he thought.

This was where he should lie. Tell her that he hadn’t thought of her at all except in his capacity as an investigator. Do the noble thing and distance himself so he didn’t take advantage of her vulnerability. Claim that his heart hadn’t leaped at his first sight of her and pretend that her gentle touch on his chest wasn’t doubling his pulse rate.

She held his gaze, waiting for a reply.

Despite his best intentions, the lie wouldn’t come.

“Hey, Becky!”

Becky dropped her hand and turned toward the voice. A young, dark-haired woman waved as she approached from one of the other haulers. Becky waved back. “Hi, Sarah! How are you doing?”

“Great.” The woman smiled a greeting as Becky intro
duced her to Jake as Sarah Reynolds. “This is some season so far, isn’t it?”

“That’s for sure. No shortage of excitement.”

Sarah glanced around. “So you’ve finally gone over to the enemy.”

Becky laughed. “You know me. I’ve always rooted for the driver who’s the most fun to watch.”

“That’s why they keep me hopping,” Sarah said, moving away. “My job is never done.”

Becky waited until the woman was out of earshot before she returned her attention to Jake. “Sarah’s Trey Sanford’s P.R. rep,” she explained.

“What did she mean about you joining the enemy?”

“We met last year when I was watching from the Sanford hauler. Trey Sanford had gotten me a pass.”

“How do you know Trey?”

“We went out a few times.”

“You told me you’re not dating anyone.”

“I’m not. Trey and I stopped seeing each other months ago.” She tilted her head to one side as she studied him. The stray lock of hair slid over her eye again. “Does that bother you?”

“What? Why should it?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe you’re jealous?”

Did the urge to clamp his arm around her, hold her to his side and growl at any man who came near her count as jealousy? “I’ve got no right to be jealous.”

“Why’s your cheek twitching?”

He breathed deeply a few times and made an effort to relax his jaw. “It’s not.”

“Maybe you believe you should protect me from any man I might feel interested in.”

With the tip of his index finger he brushed her hair away from her eye. “That would be unreasonable. I’d think that most women your age would be interested in a handsome
and fit young man who does something exciting like race cars for a living.”

“That’s what I thought, too, at first.”

“Then what happened? Why did you dump him?”

“No one got dumped. It was mutual. Neither of us felt anything special.”

Yes!
he thought, grinning inside. “That’s a shame,” he deadpanned.

“Oh, really? Then it wouldn’t bother you if I decided to leave you here and went trolling around the track for someone else?”

He knew she was baiting him, and it was working. He couldn’t even think of some other man standing this close to her, inhaling her scent and feeling the warmth of her skin beneath his fingertips. Man, he had it bad. He eased her stray hair back under her hat brim, then cupped her face with his palm. “Is that what you want to do, Becky?”

“There are a lot of things I want, Jake. Finding my birth family is my priority. Finding a man wasn’t high on my list. And even if I did want one, you’ve done an excellent job of pointing out why he shouldn’t be you.”

“Did it work?”

She sighed and pressed her cheek against his hand. “No.”

If he was smart, he would stop this now. Any relationship between them couldn’t go anywhere. He’d warned her. He’d done his best to warn himself, too.

But, hell, he was only human. He’d held off while he was investigating her, but now that he wasn’t, he didn’t think he could fight this attraction anymore. So what if they only spent a few months together, or a few weeks? As long as neither of them had any illusions, what harm could it do? He stroked his thumb along her cheekbone. “Good.”

“Good?”

“Yeah. I did miss you, Becky. I thought about you the
whole time you were gone even though I shouldn’t have. The truth is, if Kent hadn’t given you that pass, I would have found some other way to spend the day with you.”

She smiled. “So is this a date?”

“I guess it is.”

“I’m glad.”

“You shouldn’t be. This only goes to prove I’m not a nice guy.”

“I’ll take my chances.”

There was a sudden roar of engines from the direction of the track. The debris had been cleared, allowing the cars to resume the race. “Hey, look,” Jake said, raising his voice over the increased noise. “There’s the green flag. The caution’s over.”

She didn’t glance at the track. “It’s about time.”

T
HE GRANDSTAND
had emptied hours ago and the haulers had left the racetrack in a gleaming, two-by-two convoy, yet the infield wasn’t yet empty. The air was ripe with the smell of beer, grilling meat and the muggy heat of a July night. Warmth continued to radiate from the ground, as well as from the barbecue that had been set up outside Dean and Patsy Grosso’s luxuriously spacious motor home. The toe-tapping beat of country music underscored the sounds of lively conversation from the fair-size crowd around the food table. Instead of packing up and clearing out as soon as the race ended, the Grosso family, along with most of the Cargill-Grosso team that had worked the race, were letting off steam.

Ice cubes rattled as Jake dug through the bottom of one of the coolers beside the picnic tables. He came up with a club soda, wiped the can on his pant leg and handed it to Becky. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather have a beer?” he asked, fishing out a can of beer for himself.

She popped the soda open and took a long drink. “Not
if I plan to have some of that sausage. It smells too good to pass up.”

“Glad to see you don’t stick to rabbit food all the time.”

“I tried, but lettuce doesn’t barbecue well. I found that it tends to fall through the grill.”

Jake laughed, and Becky felt a surge of warmth that had nothing to do with the temperature. She had smiled so much today her cheeks were getting sore, yet she couldn’t seem to stop. Watching the race with Jake had been wonderful. He was extremely knowledgeable about all the teams, not only Cargill-Grosso, and she had seen that he’d been into the action as much as she had. She couldn’t remember enjoying a race more.

Still, it hadn’t only been the fact that Kent had finished in second place that had made her this happy. It was because she and Jake were together.

Something had shifted between them as they’d shared the excitement of today’s race. Not that their priorities had changed—they’d both been up-front with each other about what they wanted. She suspected they’d been overreacting when they’d worried about where this attraction might lead, or whether it would lead anywhere. After all, she’d just had a great time watching the race. Now she was having a good time with a man she liked, so what harm could that do? Jake had been true to his word when he’d said he wanted to spend the day with her. And so when he’d headed for the Grossos’ motor home at the track for their postrace barbecue, he’d invited her along.

Well, not immediately. He wouldn’t have been Jake if he hadn’t been concerned about her feelings over the prospect of meeting the rest of the Grossos. She’d pointed out that she’d already met Kent, and that they’d already mingled with most of the Cargill-Grosso team, so going to the family barbecue as Jake’s date wouldn’t be that big a deal. She’d
reasoned that if it turned out she wasn’t Gina, then at least she would have had the chance to meet the rest of the members of a legendary racing dynasty. Any fan would jump at an opportunity like that.