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33. Thirty-three

Thirty-thre e

Thomas

H aving Harper living with me felt surreal. She had come in and made my house feel more like a home than ever before, something I was never quite able to do. A few girlfriends had tried to make it feel less like a bachelor pad, but Harper made it somewhere cosy for us both.

As we rolled down the driveway in my baby, the little solar lights lining the road were sparkling. I noticed a smile on Harper’s face as we exited our property.

I hoped that she was happy here, and with me.

“So, we’re really going to the city?” she asked as I turned out onto the road.

“Is there somewhere else you’d like to go?”

“Let’s go to the pub! You can drink now.” She was referring to it now being my off-season when I could be a little loose with food and the odd drink.

“Your wish is my command!” I agreed, turning my baby in the direction of the local pub.

We pulled up outside and noticed it was pretty busy. I saw her check her face in the pull-down mirror briefly.

“You look beautiful. You always do.”

“You are just showering me with compliments today, aren’t you!” she said, a little laugh escaping her lips .

Because you are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.

As we entered the pub, Harper scored a seat by the window, and I went to get us a couple of drinks. There were some locals at the bar who I would run into from time to time, who chatted to me for a while. I kept trying to catch Harper’s eye as they were talking to me, but she seemed to be buried in her phone. I knew she would be missing her parents right about now. We would be spending New Years with them up at the Bay, so hopefully, my family for Christmas would be alright.

Finally, I was able to escape the local chatter and maneuvered my way to Harper, trying not to spill the generously poured drinks.

“Here,” I said, attempting to gracefully place the glass of wine on her side of the table. She looked up from her phone and placed it down, halfway through a text message, and thanked me.

“Who were those old guys talking to you?” she asked, motioning towards the bar.

“They’re the guys that own the local produce shop. I buy duck food from there.” She scrunched her nose up at me.

“I think you need to let those ducks fend for themselves.”

“It’s just a few pellets here and there, they’re still wild,” I said, taking a sip of my beer.

“Sure, sure.” Her voice was laced with sarcasm.

It felt nice to be out doing something with Harper that was completely normal and removed from racing. Granted, I took my car out, but my baby was for me, and now Harper.

The next season would be here before I knew it, and it would be taken up with fitness preparation, practice, and test days, as well as the inevitable marketing and PR duties .

For now, I wanted this—Harper and I having fun and enjoying each other at the local pub, waiting for our cheap chicken schnitzels to arrive.

I had never been able to enjoy the smaller things in life with someone. My past girlfriends had always wanted to be invited to the big parties and meet all the celebrities and influencers that came with the fame side of being a race car driver. While that was fun to do at times, it held no substance for me. I wanted something quiet and down to earth.

The more time I spent with Harper, the more I realised she was exactly the right person for me.

I phased myself back into the conversation unconvincingly.

“Are you even listening to me?” she asked with a smile on the corner of her lips.

“Not really, no,” I replied, causing her to shove my shoulder jokingly.

“I knew it, you had that weird look in your eyes.”

I gazed off past her head with my mouth agape, proving her point.

“Yes! That’s the one, you do that when you’re not listening to me.”

“I must do it all the time then,” I replied, looking back directly into her hazel eyes.

She didn’t reply, just smiled and lowered her head. I decided she was too far away and slid her rickety chair closer to me. She nuzzled her head on my chest, and we looked out the window where my baby was parked.

This was everything to me.

** *

3 Months later

The first race of the year started out like any other; up at the crack of dawn, breakfast with the team, and then driver briefings. The feeling of a fresh, new year of racing ahead had to be one of my favourites. Landon was officially the second driver for the team, with Will’s contract being terminated. Unfortunately for him, he would now have to try and secure a seat within another GT team or try a different motorsport completely. Your name was worth nothing once you partook in drugs of any form. I hoped he was able to get back on track, but I was glad that it wouldn’t be within the confines of Echidna Racing.

“How are you feeling?” my beautiful blonde sidekick asked me as she took a sip of her coffee. I wrapped my free arm around her as we walked towards the garage.

“I am feeling good, honey, what about you?” I asked as she smiled, her hazel eyes looking up at me, the sunglasses I bought her for Christmas resting on the top of her head.

“Yeah, fine! Excited to start the new year.” We reached the entrance to the garage and the usual noises of a racetrack were evident and deafening.

“Well, you know the drill, get to work,” Harper commented, patting me on the butt.

I kissed her quickly on the lips before proceeding into the garage.

My new Aston Martin Vantage was waiting for me, a dream car I’d pined after for years. Chris had invested in entirely new cars for the season and the garage had undergone a major overhaul. Landon was beside himself as a new full-time driver in his BMW M4, adorned with the bright Echidna Racing colours. I walked over to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

“You doing okay, mate?” The look on his face suggested otherwise.

“Just trying to process all this.”

I nodded; I knew the feeling. I had been where he currently was.

“I know the feeling, you’ll be right. This is a world-class team we’ve got behind us. You let me know if you need to talk, okay?”

He smiled and shook my hand. I liked Landon, he was always a nice guy. I still couldn’t believe he and Holly were together. When Harps told me, I almost spat my coffee out.

I laughed, thinking back to the conversation.

“What’s so weird about it, though? They work together, and they’re around each other all the time.” Her question was fair. I always thought Landon was going to be single forever. He loved the racing sim too much, he even streamed himself driving it. He seemed like the terminal bachelor type. But who was I to judge?

The first race of the year was taking place at the Phillip Island Grand Prix track, a spectacular stretch of land on the Victorian coast, famous for holding Moto GP and the V8 Supercar Series.

Our little GT3 team was lucky to be included in such a rich and vibrant moment in history.

As I wrangled my helmet over my balaclava, I caught Harper’s eyes as she sat on a stool a few meters away from me.

Smiling, talking to Holly and sipping a coffee, I realised how much my year had changed. She had softened me, opened me up to new ways of thinking, and made me a better man. None of the success I had last year would have felt anywhere near as sweet if it weren’t for her guidance and love.

I knew then and there that I would marry her one day.

I stepped towards my green and purple Vantage with a good feeling about this year. Last year was great, but this one, I felt more focused than ever before. Tony opened the door, and I climbed into the car, waiting to be strapped in. The car smelt brand new, of fresh rubber and paint.

I ran my hands over the race steering wheel, the Aston Martin badge staring me in the face, daring me to drive it. The test days in this car had been nothing short of amazing.

The car growled to life, and I couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear. The race would be starting soon, and I could finally get back out there and try to win for my team and myself.

***

The starting line always felt so fresh and new at the start of the year, with brand new cars, some new drivers and fresh sponsors. I loved the look of our cars. The purple and bright green Echidna Racing livery was vibrant and exciting to see on screen during replays. I felt so proud to be a part of such a fantastic team.

I opened the door slightly, letting in a small breeze as it was fairly warm in the cockpit. I was hanging my leg out the door for a stretch when someone bumped my leg softly.

I looked out to find Harper standing next to my car, looking as beautiful as ever. Her soft, white dress mixed with a pair of cowboy boots and a denim jacket. She looked phenomenal.

“Howdy partner,” I said in a terrible Southern American accent.

“I’m never wearing these boots again, you keep giving me shit!” she exclaimed, covering her mouth, feigning shock.

“I think you look great, long as you don’t tell me you like country music one day, then we’re over.”

“Oh, is that all it takes!?” she asked, making us both laugh.

The horn sounded over the speakers to indicate that the start of the race was five minutes away.

“Better go! Good luck, love you!” she leant down to kiss the side of my helmet.

“Love you too!” I yelled over the sound of engines starting up.