Gray had already told her road courses weren’t his forte. He’d explained his talent was speed and the standard track, not constant downshifting, braking, and right turns then left turns.
And it showed. He was twelfth at the restart. Donny, his teammate, was fifteenth.
She bit her lip and leaned forward as they got the green flag. Within four laps, Gray had moved up to tenth, which wasn’t bad, but it was so hard to pass on this tight, twisty course, and as the laps counted down and drivers were shoved off the course by other more aggressive drivers, she worried for Gray, especially as Cal McClusky hit him from behind. She squeezed her hands together, certain he was going to spin out. He corrected, though, and barreled forward, maintaining control.
She exhaled, watching him pass one car, then another, leaving Cal two cars behind him. But he couldn’t make enough headway in the time left, and he ended up in eighth place at the finish line.
All things considered, not too bad. Donny finished twelfth and neither of them wrecked.
At the end of the day, they met in the trailer. Gray invited Donny and Stacie to join them for pizza. Evelyn and Stacie had already picked it up when Gray called her to tell her their interviews were almost finished.
The guys grabbed water and fell into the booth while Evelyn and Stacie got out the plates and napkins.
“Rough one today?” she asked.
“I hate road courses.” Gray grabbed two slices of pizza and put them on his plate.
“Me, too,” Donny said. “They’re hard to maneuver. It’s not even racing, man.”
Stacie gripped his arm. “You did good. You got a top fifteen finish on a course that’s not your strong suit.”
Donny shrugged and bit into his pizza.
“She’s right,” Gray said. “You suck at road courses, and a top fifteen isn’t bad. I’d call that a win.”
“And you’re still leading in points,” Donny said with a wide grin.
“Which is important for our team right now,” Gray said. “We’ve got some tough races ahead. It’s only going to get more competitive. I’m only leading by thirty points.
McClusky and Stellen are right on my heels. They’re both hungry. I have to drive every race like it’s the championship.”
“I don’t know how you do it,” Evelyn said. “There must be incredible pressure on you.”
Gray shrugged. “You just have to focus on each individual race, not look too far down the road.”
“That’s what I keep telling Donny,” Stacie said. “One race at a time.”
“It’s a good philosophy,” Gray said. “If you start overthinking, you’re screwed.”
After they ate, the guys parked in front of the television to watch recaps of the race and to dissect their team performances. Evelyn and Stacie hung out in the kitchen.
“So, how are things going between the two of you?” Evelyn asked, keeping her voice low so the guys wouldn’t overhear.
Stacie grinned. “Better. I’m going back to school in the fall.”
“Are you? That’s great.” She took a quick glance over to where Gray and Donny were engrossed in the sports station before turning her attention back on Stacie. “And how does Donny feel about that?”
“Actually, he’s being very supportive. He told me I can’t help him with his career until I finish my education. He wants me in school, and he told me even though he’ll miss me, he promises to pull his head out of his ass and become the best driver on the circuit.”
“Good for him. And for you.”
“I’m excited. I’m going to miss him like crazy, but I’m also so close to being finished with school that I know if I just concentrate my efforts, I’ll be done in no time and then the two of us can be together permanently.”
“I think you’re making the right move.”
“I do, too. Plus, he’s hinted he wants to get married in the next year or so. I told him we need to take it one step at a time, but this is the first time I’ve really seen him so focused and committed.”
“I’m happy for you, Stacie.”
The glow emanating from Stacie was evident in her wide grin. “Thanks. I’m happy for me, too. For a while there it looked like there was no way things were going to work out for us. Now, everything’s falling into place. I just had to have faith in him.
And he has to learn to trust me. I love him and he has to realize I’m not going to leave him just because I’m not with him every second.”
“I have faith in both of you. I know it’s going to be fine.”
Stacie looked over at Donny, who caught her gaze and winked at her.
“See?” Stacie asked, lifting her shoulders and holding out her hands. “Freakin’
perfect.”
Evelyn wished she had the same confidence in her relationship with Gray, but there was no way things would work out between them.