28-Lily
“How was the race last night?” I ask Julian as we settle down to eat.
“I’m crushed you didn’t watch it.”
“The guy I’m dating isn’t in it, which makes it boring.” I shrug.
Julian chuckles and bites his lip. “Good answer. Matteo’s skills are growing. He also has the same bumper-car instincts as other rookies. They get to the final dozen laps and decide the rules state drivers need to ram into each other for the win.”
“Spoken like a snobby Cup Series driver,” I tease.
“Yeah, probably,” he says without the least bit of embarrassment. “It’s still true. We had a bit of adventure, though.”
“What happened?”
“Bees.”
“What?” I ask.
“Bees. There was a giant beehive on top of the grandstand. We were swarmed at one point.”
“Did they sting you?”
Julian lifts his leg, displaying an ugly knot on one calf. “I got off lucky.”
I stare at it. “Are you allergic?” I stroke the spot, and he doesn’t relax. “That must have been miserable.”
“Wasps are worse. Trust me, and no allergy, thank goodness. The worst part is that we had a race going on. Bees wanted us dead, and we needed to do our jobs.” Julian laughs hard enough so his shoulders shake.
“It isn’t funny. You could have died.”
“Not likely. You should have been there to defend me.” He leans over to kiss me.
“I would have run away. In that situation, it’s everyone for themselves.”
“I’m crushed.”
“It’s race or be raced. Sorry, I don’t make the rules.” This is what dating Julian is like. Dr. Lambert was correct; my medication levels are perfect. There’s no way I could flirt and tease like this a year ago.
“Sweetheart, I’d sacrifice myself for you. Come here.” Julian cups my cheeks, pulling me close for another kiss. It starts with a soft peck and then deeper, like a reunion after being apart for so long. “I missed you,” he says after pulling away.
“It was one night.” To be fair, I missed him, too. Dad left Friday morning with Julian and much of the technical crew. We’re all scheduled for a late-night flight home tomorrow.
“It hits differently now. I’m used to us together so much that I miss you when you’re gone. It’s lonely without you.” Julian clears his throat. “Tell me about yesterday.”
I work during the day, and he spots for Matteo Diaz at night. This combination means we communicated very little during that time, apart from the occasional text. “I’m officially a part-time summer camp employee. It has an overnight trip for the older kids, which I’ll be a part of.”
“When is that?”
My application packet included a tentative schedule. The dates are also in my planner, which is in my dad’s trailer. “This summer sometime. It’s a weekend.”
Julian doesn’t blink. “You’ll enjoy it. What else?”
“Oh, Ms. Terry’s husband knows who you are. Could you autograph a picture for them? She’s so sweet to me, so I’m using a connection here.”
He smiles, and an eyebrow arches. “Let’s do one better. How about tickets? Charlotte is at the end of the month, so it’s close to home.”
That’s better than I hoped for. “Can we do that? It feels like cheating.”
“We do it all the time as part of our outreach or charity raffles, that sort of thing. We also do tours. I get roped into those.”
Julian cuts up his chicken and takes a bite. It’s a lemon marinade today, and surprisingly good, considering the limitation a trailer kitchenette provides. Dad will eat later, with the pit crews like usual. The rig drivers puts out a fantastic spread which gets sucked up by the men as if they come with vacuum parts. There’ll be nothing left by the time we all go home tomorrow.
“There are tours? It makes sense, considering the museum.” The museum will bore the kids, especially the younger ones. “Can they see everything up close?”
“That’s why it’s a tour. Some parts of the garage are off-limits if we’re building a car, but the rest is available. Why?
Ms. Terry said she wants more unique field trips planned. The loud car engines could be a problem, but the rest wouldn’t. The sim room puts anything they have at home to shame. “Would I be allowed to have a field trip at headquarters?”
Julian blinks in surprise before a grin breaks out. “You want to inflict an army of children on us?”
“They’re well-behaved,” I say.
“God, I hope not. Can you imagine Boone trying to shoo away kids and their sticky fingers? It’s an awesome idea; I love it.”
“So, it’s allowed?”
“All you’d need to do is ask.” He senses my reticence and offers a hand, which I accept. “I can do it for you.”
“No,” I blurt out. “It’s for me. I’ll ask Maddie tomorrow.”
“That’s my girl.”
Warmth floods me at his word choice. I’m falling hard for Julian Murphy, and I still think my dream will end at any moment. We’re committed and spend every spare moment together, but it feels temporary. I keep expecting Julian to change his mind or remember how weird he once found me.
Dr. Lambert wants me to share all my worries with him, and I will, but not yet. It can’t happen the night before a race, far from home in Kansas. If everything falls apart, there is nowhere for me to go, and Dad’s trailer doesn’t count.
“I’m still hungry,” Julian says as he goes back for a second helping. It’s such a mundane statement while I’m navigating our future.
“Dad says you might win the championship this year,” I say, wanting to switch the conversation.
His smile changes from pleasant to enigmatic. “We’re having a good season. Fast car, and the pit crew are working their asses off. Mostly, I’m not letting myself think about it. There’s tomorrow and then next Sunday, and that’s it.”
“Yes, but I was talking about my dad. His opinion of you has changed.”
Julian bites his lip and leans back. His eyebrow arches and his jaw tightens. Pleasure radiates off him. “That’s your influence.”
Something prickles between my shoulder blades. “No, I don’t think so. He’s been easy lately.” He’s probably glad I have a boyfriend.
Julian’s voice lowers, growing intimate as he leans close so his lips nearly touch my ear. “It’s your influence, Lily. You’re the one changing us all. It’s all you.”
Is it?
∞∞∞
“The day is very flexible. Since it’s a summer camp, we can do it mid-week, so it doesn’t interfere with Sunday races.”
Maddie frowns. “Or Friday ones.”
I forgot about those because they don’t matter to me. Julian suggested pitching my field trip idea to Maddie since she’s always polite and PR conscious. “Of course.”
“How many children?”
“Around thirty, give or take.”
“Thirty? That’s quite a lot. Let me think.” She taps her lips. “We can break them into groups and get each of the drivers involved. Jake will want to take part for sure. We could do it. Between the museum and everything else, we can turn it into a fun day.”
That was easy. Despite Julian’s assurance, I expected excuses. “Can we take them for a drive? It can be a slow one on the practice track. Is that possible?”
We’ve done it before; I know that because Dad told me so. It’s usually for VIPs, but my kids are important, too.
Maddie doesn’t respond, probably searching for a polite refusal. “This isn’t your usual group of children. They all attend Horizons Academy.” Her blank-faced stare says she’s never heard of it. Of course not; if you don’t need accommodations, why would you? “Most are neurodivergent, and some don’t verbally communicate. They’ll respond to the sensory feel of a race car. We have the chance to offer something unique. Could we do it?”
She smiles, and my stomach settles. “Let’s talk in the office tomorrow. I’ll arrange for someone to take the lead if you act as a liaison.”
I flubbed the museum renovation last year. They shouldn’t trust me with this, either. “Absolutely.”
“This will be exciting.”
“What’s exciting?” Sarah barges between the two of us. “Sorry, I’m nosy, and need to be in the middle of everything.”
“We’re hosting a day for Lily’s summer program,” Maddie says. “It looks like we’ll have children all over us, including the cars.”
“Jake will do it,” Sarah says, just as Maddie guesses. “I love this so much.”
“I’ll need to prepare everyone ahead of time,” I say, as the different tasks start jumping in my head. The list is already growing, and my planner isn’t nearby. “We’ll need to adjust lights in some of the garage, too. Also, can one of the cars be quiet? Oh, and can they use headsets?”
Confusion sits on both their faces. “We can do all that,” Maddie says, taken aback by my exuberance.
Habit almost makes me apologize. It’s a big ask, and I’m not technically an employee. I’m around because they want my dad to be happy, and Julian cared enough to wiggle me into a fake assistant job.
“Thanks so much. It will be so much fun,” I say instead of an apology. These are my kids, after all.
Julian is in the driver’s meeting right now, or I’d run and tell him the good news.
∞∞∞
“How are you feeling right now? After yesterday’s practice, you have one of the fastest cars out today.” Chris Williamson is a fixture at every race. He’s been around for years, checking in with every driver, and manages to be the first to report every twist and turn. Dad says Chris knows more about the sport than anyone alive, including him.
Julian’s gaze meets mine before it turns to Chris with a dazzling smile. “That’s our team’s effort. They’ve been phenomenal this year, and I’m grateful for it. As for today, you know I don’t make guesses on performance. How about you? Tell me how I’ll do today?”
Chris blinks with surprise. “Well, considering you finished third last year and your lap times during practice, I’d guess the top five.”
“Yeah, I’ll take that.”
They go back and forth a little longer while I feel increasingly awkward. I’m on the track with everyone else to support Julian, not because I have an actual job. Supposedly, I’m his part-time assistant, but there’s nothing to do even then. I mostly use his office for homework, and he’s asked me to get him lunch a few times.
The interview ends, and Julian strides towards me. “You look gorgeous,” he says.
“In this old thing?” I say, despite being secretly flattered.
The red sundress matches the wrap on his car, which he noticed. It’s also perfect for the early summer weather. It’s a breezy day, and I’m grateful for the hairpin keeping my French knot in place.
“In that beautiful dress,” he corrects.
Julian puts a hand on my back, guiding me towards his car and the waiting crew members. They nod towards me before returning to their conversation. I’m a regular fixture every week and no longer interesting. That’s fine since I prefer it that way.
“I’m watching with Sarah and Maddie again.” They’ve added me to their tradition, which I enjoy. We watch half the race and spend the other half on something else. Sarah fell asleep halfway through last week, and we let her rest right up until the end when it looked like Jake was about to win.
“There’s been no one here these past few seasons for me. I used to look around and see other guys with their parents or wives and think it would be great if there were a single person who gave a damn about me.” His hand moves up my back to my shoulders to pull me closer. “Thank you for being here with me.”
The anthem starts, and I wish it waited another minute or two later.