He pulled out a water for her and an energy drink for himself, then came back to stand in front of her.
“Thank you. So what do you do with your car after your practice run?” she asked, unscrewing the top of the water to take a couple sips.
“We go over it, make sure the laps didn’t do any damage, and make sure it’s still running prime. We download the data we gathered from the laps we ran and check the car over. Next step tomorrow is qualifying. That’s when you want the car at its best, so this is our last chance to fix anything.”
“So if there are any mechanical problems or engine problems, you can still fix them.”
“Right.”
He let her lean over the quarter panel and look inside the car as he pointed out various parts of the engine and explained their function. Since Evelyn had a near eidetic memory, this was proving to be so useful. Plus, Cal was easy, and not just on the eyes. There was a definite plus in that she didn’t work for his father. There was no end goal in sight other than to enjoy his company. And he was definitely enjoyable.
After a while, he led her away from the car. “So, are you and Gray in some kind of relationship?”
“No, we’re not.”
“Which means you’d be free to go out with me.”
Now that was a sticky situation. “Actually, I’m here to work.”
“For Gray.”
“Sort of.”
“So you’re still free to go out with me.” He gave her the kind of easygoing smile that would be nearly impossible to resist, if she were looking for a hot guy to spend an evening with. Which she wasn’t.
“I’m sorry, I really can’t.” She laid her hand on his arm. “But if I was going to go out with someone, Cal, it would definitely be you.”
He smiled at her, so he took the rejection well. “I guess I’ll take that as a decent enough consolation.”
She laughed. “I hope so. And I do appreciate the offer. Believe me, today was the perfect day to receive it.”
“Rough one?”
“Yes. So thank you.”
“What the hell are you doing, Evelyn?”
She spun around to see Gray barreling down on them. As was his typical demeanor since last night, he looked angry. She’d had just about enough of him being angry for no reason, so she gave him a laid-back stare and didn’t move. There was no reason for her to feel guilty for spending time with Cal. She might work for his father, but she didn’t work for him. He didn’t own her.
“As a matter of fact, I was spending time with Cal.”
Gray gave Cal what could only be described as a death glare, the kind she’d seen many times when two political opponents faced off. “What are you doing with Evelyn?”
“I was giving her some car lessons.”
“Why?”
Evelyn decided she could handle this. “Because I asked him and he was gracious enough to give me some of his time, something you couldn’t be bothered with today.”
Cal crossed his arms and smirked at Gray.
“I was goddamn busy today.”
“Only takes a few minutes to explain the physical and mechanical aspects of your race car, Gray,” Cal said. “Especially to a smart woman like Evelyn. What bug crawled up your ass today?”
“None of your fucking business, McClusky. Let’s go, Evelyn.”
He was treating her like she was his property, and she didn’t like it. Instead, she turned her back to Gray and faced Cal. “I’ve changed my mind. I’d love to go out with you tonight, Cal.”
Cal grinned. “Great. Are you staying nearby?”
“Yes.” She gave him her hotel information and her cell phone number, feeling Gray’s gaze burn into her the entire time.
“I’ll pick you up at seven?” Cal asked.
“Sounds perfect. Thank you again for the tour today. I really appreciate it.”
“Anytime. See you tonight, darlin’.”
With a wink to Gray, Cal walked off, leaving her alone with Gray.
“You can’t really mean to go out with him.”
“Last time I checked, I’m over the age of twenty-one and you are not related to me.
In fact, this is the first time today you’ve even spoken to me. Besides, you made it pretty clear last night you want nothing to do with me, so butt out of my personal life.” She pivoted and headed toward the parking lot, knowing she was acting like a hurt girlfriend, but these were her emotions and she was going with it.
Gray followed, his long strides easily staying in step with her short, angry ones.
“Don’t trust him. He may seem like a nice guy, but he’s got issues.”
And Gray didn’t? She waved her hand in dismissal at him. “I think I can handle myself just fine.”
When she got to her car, she unlocked her door and started to open it. Gray shut it and leaned against it, commandeering her attention. “I’m serious about Cal McClusky, Evelyn. His only goal is to win, and he knows there’s something going on between you and me. That’s the only reason he wants to go out with you.”
Could he be more insulting? “So you’re saying I have nothing to offer a man?”
He rolled his eyes. “That’s not what I said at all.”