25. Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Five
S he'd messed up.
In so many ways.
Maxi found herself stranded on the southern tip of Bluestar Island. She looked down at the broken chain on the bike. There was no other way back to town other than to walk and push the bike. So, that was what she did.
She checked the time. There was no chance she would be able to make it back in time for the race. The thought of letting down her aunt—even though her aunt didn't know about what Maxi was going to do with the prize money—had her walking faster.
There was no one on the road. It appeared everyone was in town, preparing to watch the inaugural vintage grand prix. Now that she’d been careless and ridden the bike so far from town, there was no way she would make back in time for the race.
Her brow broke a sweat as the morning sun beat down on her. She kept moving. It was definitely going to be a hot day.
The image of Owen with his lips on Regan formed in her mind. Just the thought of him getting back with his ex made her aching heart sink down to her tennis shoes.
When she finally made it back to town, she wanted to retrieve her car and head back to Virginia. The only problem was that they weren’t releasing the race cars until after 7:00 p.m. They didn’t want people driving on the roads while they were filled with tourists and spectators.
Maxi stopped and swiped her forearm over her sweaty brow. She reached into her backpack for her water bottle. She looked at it and realized there wasn’t much left. She hadn’t expected to be gone this long. After a quick sip of the now-warm water, she returned it to her backpack.
She grabbed the handle bars and continued walking.
A few minutes later, she spotted a cart off in the distance.
A flicker of hope ignited in her chest. She glanced at her fitness watch to check the time.
If they were willing to give her and her aunt’s bicycle a lift, she might make it to the race in time.
But would this person be willing to turn around and rush back into town? She could only hope.
As the cart drew closer, she waved a hand. She didn’t want them to turn off on one of the long driveways that led to some of the island’s farms. She squinted. It looked like there was only the driver in the cart. There would be room for her. Her achy legs and tired feet would appreciate the assist.
Except as the cart drew closer, she noticed the blue cart looked familiar. And then there was the driver with the dark sunglasses followed by the straight nose and strong jawline and chin.
Her heart leaped into her throat. It was Owen. What was he doing out here? He should be back at the race, getting ready to head for the starting line.
His cart pulled to a stop next to her. “Everyone is looking for you.”
Everyone? She doubted that. Although her aunt and Lily might be concerned, since they both knew that she’d worked all week to be ready for the race.
She narrowed her gaze on him. “What are you doing here?”
He took off his sunglasses and stared directly at her. “Looking for you.”
His words filled her chest with hope. She tamped it down. It didn’t matter what reason he had for being there; nothing would erase her memory of him kissing that woman.
“Well, you’ve found me. Now you can leave.”
His brows rose. “Don’t you want a ride back to town?”
She did but not from him. “I’m good.”
She continued walking and pushing the bicycle. The next thing she knew, she heard another set of footsteps behind her. She softly sighed, but she didn’t stop walking.
“Are you really going to be this stubborn?” he asked from behind her.
“Yes.” She made sure to keep walking at the same steady pace. She refused to let him know how much his presence got to her.
“Maxi.” He reached out and grasped her upper arm.
She stopped and turned to him. She glared at him, and without a word from her, his hand fell away from her arm. “Don’t do that again.”
He held up his palms. “I’m sorry. Can’t we at least talk about this? You know that I didn’t want to go on that date.”
“So you said.” She turned and continued walking.
“Wait.” When she didn’t, he rushed to catch up with her. “We can talk about last night later. But right now, you’re going to miss the race.”
She didn’t trust her voice not to crack with emotion, so she quietly shrugged.
“Maxi, you worked all week to make sure your car was ready for the race. How can you just be a quitter?”
A quitter? Seriously? She abruptly came to a stop and turned to him. “I am not a quitter.”
“Then prove it.”
“You mean I have to race in order for you not to think that I’m a quitter?”
He didn’t say anything but the challenge was there in his eyes.
Maybe he was right. Maybe she needed to accept a ride from him back to town and then she could beat him on the racetrack. The idea appealed to her.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
For the briefest second, a small smile lifted the corners of his lips. “Good. I’ll get the cart.”
It was only after he jogged away that she looked back, realizing they’d walked quite a distance. It was tempting to keep walking, but he was right. She’d come to the island with a purpose—to win the race.
She glanced at her fitness tracker. There wasn’t much time left. Only thirty-nine minutes until the start of the race. Could they make it in time?
One minute to go.
Owen sat behind the wheel of his race car. He glanced over at Maxi. As they didn’t finish the practice race, they were positioned at the back of the pack.
He knew Maxi had high hopes of winning the race, but he didn’t think it was possible from this position.
But he’d wanted it for her. He knew if she didn’t at least try, she’d regret it.
Plus, it gave him a little more time to figure out how to make things up to her.
She was even more upset with him now than she was the night before.
The green flag was waved, and the motors of the fifty race cars revved. Owen found it frustrating to wait for the rest of the field to get going before it was his turn to press on the accelerator.
The track was congested. At the moment, there was nowhere to go. He chanced a glance over at Maxi. She had the same problem. As she weaved side to side, it was obvious she was searching for an opening.
He searched for his own break. Every time things started to open up in front of him, they would head into a curve. When they once more made it to a straight away, the field would become congested again. Both of his hands clenched the wheel as frustration mounted within him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed some motion. A quick glance to his right, and he noticed Maxi make a move. One moment she was next to him, and the next she was snaking her way through the pack of cars.
After another curve, he made his move. Maxi was a couple of cars in front of him and quickly lengthening the distance. He was impressed with her moves. Not only did she have a sleek car, but she knew how to work it.
By the last lap, Maxi was no longer in sight. He hoped she was inching her way to the lead. He couldn’t think of anyone better to win the race. No matter what, she’d beat him fair and square.
It was a race to the beach, and it was coming into sight. The checkered flag was scheduled to fly next to Beachcomber Park, where they were going to hold the trophy ceremony.
The carnival was still set up with colorful game booths, rides for the little ones, and a big Ferris wheel. He would like to take Maxi for a ride on the Ferris wheel. In fact, there were a lot of things he wanted to do with her.
He made it around the final curve. He maneuvered around two more cars when the finish line came into sight. When he drove beneath the checkered flag, he looked around for Maxi. She was nowhere in sight. And he had no idea who had won the race.
He pulled his car over to the side. He took off his helmet and climbed out. He stretched as he glanced around. Maxi had to be there somewhere. There was no way she would have left already.
It took a couple of minutes, but his family came rushing up to him.
His brothers and sister with their significant others were all smiles and clapping him on the back.
When he asked why they were congratulating him when he hadn’t even won, they said because he’d restored their grandfather’s car and made the family proud.
“Has anyone seen Maxi?” He was starting to think she really had left.
“No, I haven’t,” Grant said.
“I haven’t either,” Josie said.
He needed to go find her. There were things he needed to say to her—things that he hadn’t known until now that he’d ever be ready to say to another person. Maxi had come crashing into his life and turned it upside down. Now he couldn’t imagine his life without her in it.
Owen didn’t have the answers of how they’d make their relationship work with her living in Virginia and him on the island. They did have one thing going for them—his job was mobile. As long as he had a computer and the internet, he could work anywhere.
“I have to go,” he said to no one in particular.
He’d only taken a couple of steps when his sister called out his name. He didn’t want to waste any more time, but he couldn’t just blow off his sibling. He stopped and turned.
“I just saw Maxi over there.” Josie pointed toward the stage where they were going to hold the awards ceremony. Later in the day, a band would be up there, playing as part of the carnival.
“Thank you.” He strode toward the stage.
He tried to figure out what to say to Maxi first. There were so many things that needed to be said. But before he could reach her, Maxi stepped up on the stage. She was having a conversation with the mayor and Aster Bell.
Owen came to a stop. He stood there, quietly waiting for his turn to speak to her. He didn’t care how long he had to stand there. He wasn’t leaving until they hashed things out.
“Hi, Owen.” Bonnie approached him. “Isn’t it great that Maxi won the race?”
She won? That’s awesome! A smile pulled at the corners of his lips. “I knew she’d do it.”
“She’s certainly something amazing.” Bonnie’s smile slipped from her face as she turned to him. “Too bad you don’t know it.”
“Me?” He pressed a hand to his chest. “I know how special she is.”
“It sure doesn’t seem like it. She wouldn’t eat dinner last night. She went straight to her room, and this morning she was up before the sun. She left without saying a word. Something is wrong, and I have a feeling it has a lot to do with you.” Her direct stare poked him in the chest.
He knew Maxi was upset about the auction last night. He shouldn’t have gone out with Regan, even if it was to fulfill an obligation. How was it that Regan was still messing up his life?
He hoped she’d taken him seriously the night before when he’d told Regan they had absolutely no chance of getting back together. It was his hope that she’d already left the island.
His shoulders drooped. “I’m sorry. Maxi is upset with me about the auction last night.”
“Don’t apologize to me. You need to apologize to her. She cares about you—a lot from what I’ve seen.” Bonnie stepped closer. Her voice took a firm tone. “She’s been hurt a lot in this life. If you aren’t serious about her, let her go now. Do you understand me?”
She might be more than a foot shorter than him, but he knew she meant business. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good.” She smiled at him.
He turned his attention back to the stage. Maxi was smiling, although he noticed her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. He hoped to fix that as soon as possible.