Jump Start

22. Twenty-two

Twenty-two

Thomas

G reat. After our discussion in the bathroom, all I could think about was Harper living with me, waking up together, and working on my baby together. Okay, now that was a bit of a stretch. Why did I even have that house if I didn’t share it with someone? She could take over as many rooms as she wanted with her collection of killer stiletto heels.

I had to stop myself. She needed time to think, and I didn’t want to put any pressure on her.

My alarm woke us both up early as fuck, as it usually did on race day.

“Arghhh,” Harper grumbled as she fought with her pillow to cover her ears. I loved watching her wake up in the morning. Her mood was foul, but to me, it was gorgeous on her.

“Never mind, Your Highness, please go back to sleep.” A few minutes later, without any further argument, she was lightly snoring, her lips slightly parted as she lay on her back.

I closed the hotel room door with a smile as Harper’s soft snores farewelled me. I wouldn’t see her now until after the race, depending on when she would make her way down to the garage. I knew she had a lot to consider this weekend, so I hoped she would relax and think things through.

I arrived at the Echidna catering tent only to be greeted by most of the team already sitting down eating.

“What the hell, guys?” I raised both hands in the air. They must of all rolled out of bed and gone straight to catering.

Holly yelled out and patted the empty seat next to her. I nodded and went to grab juice and some porridge, my no-fail race day breakfast. I could barely eat, but skipping food on a day like today would be a very stupid move on my part.

I was feeling mentally strong; my fitness was right up there, and my form had been pretty consistent. In most of the races this year, I was coming either first, third, or fifth. I could do without the fifth place, but it served as motivation to keep pushing.

I strolled over to Holly and sat down beside her.

“No Harps?” I shook my head. She would usually come with me to breakfast, but I had a feeling she stayed awake for a while last night, her thoughts probably driving her wild.

“She’s having a sleep-in, big week.” No one else needed to know about the job offer yet. Plus, I was certain Harper would slap me silly if I decided to out her business.

“That’s fair. I hope her dad’s doing okay. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.” Holly had become a good friend to Harps. I was grateful to her from the beginning.

With breakfast over rather quickly, it was time for the driving briefings before practice. Since Will’s suspension from the team pending drug and medical assessments, Landon was filling his place, which he was incredibly excited and nervous about. As a reserve driver, there weren’t many opportunities to get behind the wheel, but when you did, it was a feeling like no other.

My engineer, Tony, led us both into the driver’s side of the car trailers for the briefing .

“Jacko, you’re focussing on keeping your pace. There’s a chance you could be a top three championship contender if your points are consistent this weekend.”

I nodded. I felt the pressure, but it was manageable. It was no worse than the pressure I put on myself already.

“Landon, mate, do the best you can. I know you haven’t been in a race car for a while, so listen to your engineer, ask questions where you need to, and have fun.”

I put my hand on Landon’s shoulder briefly because, to be honest, he looked like he was shitting himself.

After another half hour or so of briefings, it was time to make our way to the garage. Perched on top of a stool, like the cherry on top of a cake, was Harper. She smiled from ear to ear when she saw me. I opened my arms to her. “Thought you’d be asleep. This is a surprise.”

She reached out for me and snuggled into my chest. “I couldn’t sleep for much longer, it’s all good. I wanted to wish you luck!”

Harper, you are my entire life. That’s what I wanted to tell her. As I held her in my arms, I had the overwhelming urge to never let her go.

“Thanks, Harps. Love you,” I murmured into her ear.

“Love you too,” she responded softly.

** *

Harper

“Alright you two! Jacko, let’s get moving,” Chris interrupted us and steered Thomas towards his car. I felt my lips pout. I could have done with a few more seconds of hugging, but he had a job to do.

“Chris!” One of the technicians ran over to the group. “Rain coming in the next fifteen minutes.” The team had planned for all outcomes of the race, including any inclement weather. They huddled together briefly to decide which tyres would start the race.

Thomas blew me a kiss and placed his helmet over his head, now a race day ritual, with help from Andy, who attached his HANs.

I tried not to think about anything going wrong with Thomas’s races. There were so many precautions to keep the drivers safe and the teams were all incredibly experienced.

Despite knowing all this, I couldn’t help but feel a tiny twinge of nerves in my stomach. But maybe that was because I had a job offer and a move-in offer all in one day. I was sure that would be enough to give anyone a bit of anxiety. Both of those thoughts were swirling around in my head, making sleep almost impossible. I was certainly feeling it today.

“Renew?” Holly asked as she shoved an energy drink into my face. Due to the homegrown company being the main sponsor for Echidna, there were fridges and eskies stuffed with Renew energy drinks. I didn’t mind them; however, there were only so many you could drink in a day.

“No thanks. Is there coffee?” I asked. Holly raised her hand to stop me talking and disappeared. I watched the anticipation grow as the drivers lined up on the starting grid. Loud music pumped over the event speakers, crowds of people cheered, mixed with the commentators making general chit-chat echoing over the grounds. Even if you didn’t like racing, it was still an exhilarating atmosphere.

“Here, drink.” Holly returned a few moments later with an Echidna racing keep cup. “Oat latte,” she answered my question before I even asked it.

“Thank you, you’re the best,” I returned with a smile and hugged her. She truly had become such a good friend to me, and I felt a slight twinge of disappointment in the fact that if I accepted Chris’s job role, Holly’s and my relationship may change. I had never been a manager to someone before and I certainly never would have expected this outcome. I would need to deal with that in my own time. Once I accepted the offer.

I took a seat behind Thomas’s engineering team as they handed me a headset so I could hear what was going on. The engines roared in unison as they prepared for a formation lap. This was so the drivers and teams could make sure the tyres were warmed up and the cars were working properly before the official standby start of the race.

“All feels good here, guys. Thanks.” Thomas’s calm voice over the radio made me smile. Even before we became friends, the sound of his voice on the radio always made me feel something, even if I wasn’t ready to admit it. This was the second last race of the year, and Thomas was contending for second in the championship, which was a tremendous effort for someone with his experience, and especially for the Echidna garage as they were so new.

The last few months had been a whirlwind. It was almost like our relationship had a jump start, it tried to get going but stalled. I knew there was more to Thomas, that his somewhat tough exterior was only a decoy. He wanted to be loved, but he didn’t know how to reach out and make it happen. I loved him regardless of anything he could do or would do in the future.

“And we’re off! The Tasmanian Endurance Cup is a go!” the commentators spoke over the radios nearby.