Chapter thirteen Cole #3
After dinner, I swam a few laps in the pool.
I wanted to talk to Nix, but after everything Brian had said, I figured it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get some physical exercise first. The last thing in the world I wanted to do was lose my temper with him, and I felt it simmering beneath the surface, ready to explode when Nix told me what I was sure he would say.
No, he wasn’t coming out to the training camp.
I was asking a lot of him and not giving anything back.
He had a lot of traveling, but it was more flexible than mine.
He didn’t have to train between races. He could pop in and out to wherever his next assignment happened to be.
I wanted that assignment to be me. I’d gotten very used to him shadowing me when we were in Jacksonville.
I knew from the beginning that it wouldn’t last, but that didn’t make me want it less.
I dried off and went back to the RV to change into my comfy lounge pants and call Nix. He answered on the third ring. “Hey, Cole.” He sounded so happy to hear from me, I didn’t want to ask him to come out and blow his mood.
“Miss you,” I said, instead.
“Miss you, too. Filming you was way easier than these snowboarders. And I’m freezing my ass off.”
The opening was perfect, so I took a deep breath, let it out, and pounced. “So maybe come out here and thaw out for a few days?” I held my breath, waiting for his answer and determined to keep my anger in check when he said no.
But he didn’t.
“I’d love that, Cole. I can’t drop everything this minute, but…uh…you’re there two more days. I think I can come the last day and then fly out to the race with you? That’s in California, right?”
“Yeah. Sacramento.”
“I think I can get the flights.”
“Sure you can’t come sooner?”
“Sadly, no. I want to, but I have obligations.”
“I know. I get it.” I didn’t want to sound so sullen. “I’ll look forward to Thursday. Get an early flight!”
“As early as I can. I’ll text you when I have the details.”
“Great.” I’d gotten through that without blowing up. Granted, he didn’t say he wouldn’t come, but only having one day sucked. “One day is better than no days.”
“And I’ll be at your race.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll do what I can. If this is going to work, we’re going to have to find some time together. I don’t mind squeezing it out of my schedule for your sexy ass.”
That had me chuckling. “Speaking of sexy asses, I can’t wait to have yours again.”
“The dirty things you say, racer-boy.”
I thought we were up for some phone sex for sure. “I have on a very loose pair of pants, Nix.”
“Fuck. You’re killing me, but I have to go.”
“Go?” I felt my adrenaline spike. I was losing it, but I remembered what Brian had said. I took a long deep breath.
“Yes. I have to go film the awards ceremony for —”
“It’s okay. Go do what you have to do. I’ll see you Thursday.”
“Cole, I don’t…”
Another deep breath, extremely long. I held it a second, blew it out slowly. Calm. “It’s okay, Nix. I understand. Text me your flight info.”
“Okay. I will. Bye.”
“Bye.”
I hated hanging up like that, but I hadn’t gone off.
That had to be counted as a win. I crawled under the covers of my bed and rehashed everything.
My next session with Brian was in the morning before track time.
I actually wanted to go to it. I had something positive to share.
I would need to get up at six and hit the gym, then meet with Brian, then grab a quick breakfast and be at the track by eight am for my first ride. I set my alarm and headed to bed.
I woke to a rainy day. It was pouring, and I wondered what that would do the track. Zeke would have me riding anyway. Always good to practice on conditions different than I was used to.
I dressed headed to breakfast in the small cantina style café they provided, then it was out to Brian’s office.
The conversation didn’t go exactly how I thought it would.
Brian seemed a lot less impressed with my conversation with Nix than I was.
Well, it didn’t fucking matter anyway. What mattered was what happened on the track.
With a quick goodbye, I headed out to meet Zeke.
When I got to the track Fischer was fiddling with the bike. “Cole, hey! Check this out.”
“What’re you doing?”
He showed me his laptop, but it looked like a foreign language. “This. We’re kind of relaxing the bike a bit. Making it more forgiving. It’s maybe a better set up for the moto tracks.”
“So BikeMax is serious about getting a win? There’s only like what? Two races left?”
“We’re always serious about winning.” He pointed a T-handle socket wrench at me.
I held up my hands. “I’m in.”
“Good. Take it around.” He hipped the bike off the stand.
I made several test trips around the track, stopping to let him adjust things, before he said he thought he had it down. That’s when Zeke and Brian showed up.
“Glad the rain didn’t slow you down.” Zeke clapped me on the shoulder.
“Nah. Just about to hit the track for real.” I pulled my helmet on and reached for my goggles.
“Well, hold up a minute. I’ve got Ryker coming.”
“Ryker? He won’t be able to keep up with me on his 250 now.”
“Today he’s on a 450. I’m challenging you both.
” Zeke waved back and forth as if Ryker were there.
In the distance, I heard the braap of a bike, though, and knew he was on the way.
It was better to train with someone. It pushed me to do better, go faster, scrub jumps a little lower. Alone, I tended to slack.
Fischer packed his laptop in a bag. “He’s not beating Cole today. We have his setup straight.”
“We’ll see,” Zeke answered with a shrug.
“It’ll be fun to watch if nothing else,” Brian threw in. He’d shown up while I was on the track.
“Y’all should have a little more confidence in me. I’m the veteran here.”
They smiled while Fischer agreed with me. I’d had my share of different mechanics throughout my career, including my dad and his buddies. Fischer was hands down one of the best, and I liked him. We made a good team, and today’s testing was about to prove it.
Ryker pulled up on a red and green 450. He stopped, resting one foot on the ground to keep the bike up, and reached out to me for a fist bump. “What’s up, Cole, my man?”
I gave him the bump. “About to kick your ass on this track, that’s what.” I adjusted my goggles. “Ready?”
“Ready to teach an old dog like you some new tricks.” Ryker smiled, lightening up his words.
I didn’t care what he said. I was up for the challenge. “We’ll see.”
“Quit running your mouths and line up at the gates.” Zeke had someone setting up two portable gates while we were shit-talking, so we both rode over and lined up.
“The track has some major wet spots, but mostly the same as yesterday, if you rode yesterday,” I offered. “Or do you want to do a quick walk?”
“I’m good.” Ryker lined up. “I was on it this morning when it was raining harder. That was fun. I slid all over the place.” He motioned with his hands. “That second turn was slicker than shit.”
“That’s where it’s still wet.”
“Cool. This should be good. I love running mud.”
Zeke stepped in front of us. “Okay, get ready.”
We didn’t have a steel grate to stand on before the drop, just dirt.
I didn’t bother with it much since we weren’t racing, and the conditions were the same for both of us.
I knew how to use my clutch to get the best start on this particular track, and I knew how to race in the mud that all the rain had left behind.
I was more than ready when Zeke stepped out of the way and the little green bar dropped in front of us.
I took off. Of course, I left Ryker to eat my roost. It wasn’t until the fifth lap that he even started challenging me, but he didn’t have a chance. On the eighth lap, with Ryker still trailing, Zeke waved us over.
We chatted about the track and how the bikes were running.
Fisher definitely had mine set perfect. It was hard not to compare him to other mechanics I’d had.
I’d liked most of them, with the exception of Tyler, but I didn’t want to think about him.
Still, Fisher measured up, and I was once again impressed with Gavin and how he ran his team.
Ryker was still kind of cocky but fun. We set up a time to use the bicycles the next day, then I had to meet with Gavin’s nutritionist before grabbing a workout.
Things were going well, and my attitude felt better, lighter. A lot of it was because of Nix, but also because I was happy with this team. That was also because of Nix. I owed him a lot. I wanted to find a way to keep him close.
After meeting with the nutritionist, I met up with Gavin in the same room where I had my meetings with Brian, though it felt a lot less comfortable sitting across from Gavin. He could make or break me.
“Did you finalize your manager?” he asked, breaking the tension.
“I think so. Brandi Madden is probably who I’m going with. I’m just waiting to have my lawyer review the contract.”
“Great choice. I like her. I think we’ll work well together.”
“Great. So, you think this is going to work out?” I gestured to him and then me.
“I think so. If things keep going well. Brandi will help us with PR for sure. But there’s something else I was thinking about.”
“Yeah?”
“This isn’t something that changes your deal with us, with BikeMax. This is just something I think is a good idea. If you say no, I’ll understand. Okay?”
I nodded for him to go on. I was curious of what he might want me to do that had nothing to do with racing for BikeMax.
“I’d like to get Jason and Nix to keep filming your progress.
Even though the documentary was originally set up with your old team, it’s a good thing maybe to continue.
It could help with PR. Maybe put a new spin on the Cole Lindt story.
One we want people to have. But I get it if you’re over that.
Having a camera in your face almost all the time must be nerve wracking. ”
“Oh it is, but I agree. We should do that.” I wanted to tell my story, my way. Plus, I had an ulterior motive. I wanted more time with Nix. “I’m kind of in a relationship with Nix. You know that, right?”
“Also, another reason I thought you might not want to do it.”
“Quite the opposite, actually. I mean, more time with Nix is going to be great. If I have to have that camera in my face to get it. I’m cool with that.”
“Great. You need to run it by Brandi. I want us to start out on the same page.”
“Will do. I’ll call her as soon as we’re done.”
“You do that, and I’ll call Jason to set it up from his end. It’s better if we go at it from that direction.”
I agreed to that as well, but as soon as Gavin left the room, I called Nix.
“Hey, Cole. Glad you called.” He sounded sad. This couldn’t be good.
“Yeah, I have some news, but what’s up?”
“I’m not sure if or when I can come out to the training or next moto. I thought it would work out, but now it doesn’t look like it.”
“You said you’d come.” I couldn’t believe he was changing his mind. “What the hell, Nix?”
“Don’t get that way, Cole. It’s work.”
“You make your own work.”
“Not always. Sometimes events are happening, and I have to be there.”
“What event? I thought you said the snowboarding was done.”
“Cole. Stop acting like a child.”
“Child? Child. Really?” My emotions rolled over me and everything Brian had said was gone. “I want more with you. I miss you. That’s all.”
“I want that, too. More than anything.”
“Apparently, not more than anything, or you’d be here.”
“That’s not fair, Cole. Come on.”
“No, you’re backing out on coming here is not fair, so I’ll be childish and hang up now.”
And I did.