Chapter 28 – Jasper #2
“Marcus?” Mason asks. “Who’s Marcus?”
“Marcus is new to the team, only joined this year so there might not be that much information on him. But I call him a Montague Racing superfan,” I tell him. “He also happens to be Otis’s best friend.”
“Jasper,” Otis retorts. “Mason, Marcus is our friend. Someone is a little jealous that I’m now friends with Marcus too.” Which causes Mason to chuckle.
“Anyway we’re here,” I say as the van comes to a stop.
The driver gets out and comes around to open the door and we all slowly get out. Mason stops in his tracks and looks up at the building, and I hear him say, “wow.”
“Impressive, isn’t it?” I ask, coming over to stand next to him.
“It’s, just, so…” Mason starts.
“Shiny,” I finished for him, making him laugh.
“Yeah,” Mason confirms.
Walking into the building, we find Vincent and Richard waiting for us. Otis had sent them a text when we had left the hotel to say that we were on the way back.
“Happy Birthday, Mason!” Vincent booms as he walks over to us. “Welcome to Montague Racing.”
“Thank you for having me Mr. Montague,” Mason replies.
“My friends call me Vincent,” Vincent starts. “I think we’re friends now, even if a little birdie told me you like another team.” And Vincent gives him a wink.
“I, um, I do like this team. Mr. Montague. Promise,” Mason adds.
“Friends, remember, so it’s Vincent.” And he reaches out a hand for Mason to take. “Now come on. We need to give you a grand tour and then we have a little surprise, and after that, you fancy going on the go-kart track?”
“Go-kart, really? On my own?” Mason asks.
“Of course not. What would be the fun in that? I lined up some people to join you. I think you might have heard of them,” Vincent replies. “Lars, David and someone called Otis.”
“I’m going to be racing all of them?” Mason exclaims.
“Yeah, but I told them not to go easy on you,” Vincent says.
“Mum, you hear that?” Mason says, turning to face Tina.
“I do. How exciting,” Tina replies.
“What about Eden?” Mason asks, looking over to his sister.
“I’m sorry, she’s a little too small,” Vincent explains. “So she will stay with Jasper, but she will be able to watch you.”
Mason seems to be happy with that answer, and I hang back with Otis, as Vincent walks Mason around HQ. Telling him about the different rooms and what happens in them. Mason listens intently and asks some brilliant questions.
“Now, are you ready for your first surprise?” Vincent asks.
“Yes.” And I think that Mason is bouncing on the balls of his feet.
“This way,” Vincent replies, and starts to walk towards a garage at the back of the building.
“I never knew that Vincent had a way with kids,” Otis whispers over to me.
“Me either,” I reply.
“It’s good to know,” Otis replies.
“Why is it good to know?” Wondering where Otis is going with this.
“For when we have ours,” Otis states, and it stops me dead in my tracks.
“What?” Not sure that I heard him right.
“You never thought of having kids?” Otis asks, and looks a little surprised.
“Not really,” I reply honestly. “Kids were something other people had. Wasn’t something for me. But then I also never thought I would settle down, so things change.”
“Oh,” Otis responds, “I have always wanted kids, it’s not a huge thing, but it’s something I would like us to discuss. You would make a great dad. I’ve seen you with Mason and Eden.”
“Let’s get married first,” I say with a smile. “Then discuss kids, maybe for when you retire.”
“I can live with that,” Otis confirms. “Now come on, we need to catch up with the rest of them. I don’t want to miss Mason’s face.”
We walk in the garage just as we hear Mason exclaim, “Holy moly!” And I get a feeling he might have said something different if his mum wasn’t standing next to him.
“Want to sit inside?” Vincent asks.
This part of the garage was where some of the old cars were housed. When Vincent started organising the party, he’d had David’s car from last year brought up.
“Can I? Really?” Mason asks.
“Course! Otis, why not show him some of the controls, considering you drove it last?” Vincent adds.
“It would be a pleasure,” Otis replies.
I watch as Otis picks up Mason and lifts him into the car, clips in the steering wheel and starts going over all the controls.
“I can’t believe what you guys are doing for Mason,” Tina says, coming over to me.
“We can’t believe what you did for us. Going in front of the cameras like that. So brave.”
“Maybe, but I didn’t think about the repercussions,” Tina adds.
“What’s happened?” I ask.
“Mason’s school called me in for a meeting. A student had heard Mason being bullied. Mason hadn’t said anything to me. They had seen Clive’s interview on TV and then mine, and well, were being kids.”
“What? That’s horrible. Did you talk to Mason?” Already thinking if there is something I can do to help. Maybe talk to Mason myself.
“I did. I had to tell him the truth to a point. He knows you had a relationship with Clive, but he knows Clive hurt you,” Tina adds.
“Would you like me to talk to him?” I ask.
“No, but if he has questions maybe I can send him in your direction?” Tina asks.
“Yes, of course,” I exclaim, then just because I need to know, “has Clive been in contact again?”
After the initial meeting with Tina, Kimber’s solicitors had looked into Clive’s claims that he would be able to take the kids and said that it would be very unlikely that a judge would give custody to Clive, but it could be useful to get a restraining order, which Tina did, and was granted.
“No, Clive hasn’t, but his parents have. Called me out of the blue, demanding to know how I could say this stuff about Clive. That I was destroying his life,” Tina responds.
“Parents have a way of seeing their children differently from the rest of us,” I add. “Clive destroyed his own life.”
“He tried to take yours down first,” Tina adds.
“He did.” But when I look over to Otis, who is smiling at something Mason said, I realise that Clive was never going to destroy me. Not really.
“You’re very lucky to have Otis,” Tina adds as she follows my gaze.
“I am,” I confirm.
“Uncle Jasper,” A tiny voice sounds, and when I look down, I see Eden looking up at me.
“Yes?” I say, crouching down to her level.
“Can I look at the car?” Eden asks.
“Let’s go and see,” I reply, taking her hand and leading her over to Otis. “Otis, Eden wants to have a look at the car. You think that’s possible?”
“I think so. Mason, can you sit back a little and keep a hold of your sister?” Otis asks Mason, and I leave Eden in Otis’s more than capable hands.
“Uncle Jasper?” I say over to Tina.
“I have no idea. All week I have just been calling out Jasper and Otis. No idea where the uncle came from. I’ll ask her not to call you that?”
“No, I like it,” I tell her. “You have some great kids. You should be damn proud of yourself.”
“I did my best,” Tina confirms.
“I know we’re all having fun, but I’m so hungry,” Vincent shouts, “Anyone else hungry?” Mason and Eden’s hands shoot into the air, and the room chuckles. “Let’s get some food then.”
Otis helps Eden and Mason out of the car and Eden retakes Otis’s hand, and we all follow Vincent out of the room and towards the conference room. Pushing open the door, Mason gasps when he hears happy birthday and looks at the room full of people all clapping.
“Oh, Jasper,” Tina states beside me. “I can never…” her voice breaking into a sob.
“You became family the second you helped me and Montague Racing,” I whisper back over to her. “This is our way of saying thank you.”
“Nicky!” Mason exclaims as he races over to him.
“Happy Birthday, Mason!” Nicky states.
“How?” Mason asks.
“Do you know someone called Otis?” Nicky asks.
“Yeah, he’s over there. He’s one of my favourite drivers,” Mason says.
“Snap,” Nicky replies. “Well, he called me and said it was your birthday and that you happened to say I was your first favourite driver. Well, I couldn’t turn down the chance to meet you.”
“Thank you, Otis,” Mason says, and races over to him, giving him a hug which causes Tina to gasp.
“You okay?” I ask.
“Yeah. Just, my boy is happy. He hasn’t hugged in months,” Tina explains, and I know then that Tina and her kids are going to be very special to Montague Racing.