16. Everest
Everest
Eight hours later, and it’s hard to believe that Harmony is the same woman I was sitting with in the garage.
I’m in exactly the same spot, and she's twenty feet away, surrounded by her co-stars, the director, a few of Grace’s larger sponsors, and Jaxx, who's grinning away at her as she chats and laughs with everyone.
All that gentleness and vulnerability I’d seen before has been wiped away and replaced with an excited and vibrant woman who lives for the spotlight.
It’s so interesting to watch the way she handles the group of people and how easily she jumps between conversations, smoothly answers questions, and expertly moves away from topics she doesn’t want to talk about.
As I watch her, I wish I had that kind of skill. But then I also wonder how many people have seen the Harmony that I saw this morning?
The group is waiting for Jacob to arrive to start the introduction. The press will come later for the big reveal of her new car, designed especially to show off at the Texas circuit.
And then we’ll leave the car in the US and hopefully our team will never have to work on something so intensely pink ever again.
I jump back as I suddenly realize that Jaxx is staring straight at me. I can’t tell what his expression means, but from the way he throws me a wink, it feels like he knows something. Something I don’t want anyone else to know.
“Do they have to do that here?” Maddock grumbles as he steps in beside me, glaring straight at her.
Everyone knows they used to be close, but I guess he holds a grudge against her for leaving racing, as well. I’m not the best at reading facial expressions, but anger is easy.
“They are holding the photoshoot here. Where else would they do it?” I ask.
He glances at me from the corner of his eyes before shrugging.
“Fine, but can’t they see people have real work to do?”
“Why do I think that anywhere they held the photoshoot would annoy you?” I reply.
“Fair point,” he sighs, folding his arms to keep watching them.
I still need to make some final adjustments before Maddock can take the car out tomorrow for the free practice runs, where he and Jaxx can test their cars on the track before the qualifying races on Saturday.
But Maddock just keeps standing there, silently staring. And not in the comfortable way that Harmony did.
His presence is so strong I actually step away from him and pretend to investigate the nose of the car.
Maddock and I have been friends since I joined the Grace team. I don’t really consider most people friends, but Maddock is easy to get along with, except for the fact that he doesn’t always take care of his car. Though he usually comes to apologize for any damage afterwards.
I tend not to get on his bad side due to good pit times and my general disinterest in his personal life.
And I like his own brand of honesty, even though he can be harsh at times.
He isn’t good at controlling his emotions, but he never takes that out on the team, just on the things around us. But that sets most people on edge.
And we share a mutual love of cars. Everyone on the team does, but the way Harmony had asked me about the newest car parts reminded me a lot of how Maddock and I can spend hours talking about cars, races, and the championship.
It’s a friendship with no expectations, and I never have to worry about trying to make conversation, because he always lets me know when he wants to talk or not.
Like now, when, after five minutes of glaring, he suddenly turns to me.
“Hey, can I ask your advice about something?”
I arch a brow, not sure what he’s going to come out with. Vegas went amazingly, I haven’t made any major changes to the car, and the window for any adjustments is closed, so I can’t think what I could help with. But I nod anyway.
He presses his hand against his mouth as he sighs.
“So, my friend ran into his ex the other day, but they broke up really badly, so he was asking me what he should do about it.”
I pause, turning to look at him, blinking slowly. His expression is hard, and it doesn’t feel right to call him out, because I might be mistaken.
“Does your friend have to do anything? Why doesn’t he just ignore her?” I ask.
“Because he has to work with her for the next few months.”
Awkwardness balloons in my chest, but I try not to act on it. I’m really not qualified for this kind of conversation.
I have to be delicate about this. I assume Maddock wants me to pretend I don’t know who he’s talking about. Or he thinks I won’t realize despite the fact he’s kept his eyes glued to Harmony since he arrived.
“How bad was the break up? Can’t they try to be friends?” I ask, trying not to groan in embarrassment. I don’t want to be stuck in another one of these situations, but they always seem to find me.
“It doesn’t quite work like that. They were scent matches,” Maddock says, his voice growing hoarser as his muscles tense under his shirt.
My eyes widen as the realization hits me, and suddenly guilt winds its way from my heart down to my stomach.
“They…” I clear my throat. “They were scent matches? Did they reject each other?”
Maddock shakes his head. “No, the match is still there. They just broke up. But he hasn’t been able to get over it since she left. That’s why he doesn’t know what to do.”
I haven’t heard of scent matches living apart like that. Normally when a couple breaks up, they will reject each other and break the match between them so that the addiction caused by their scents doesn’t affect them. And that’s only possible if they haven’t shared a bite.
The only reason I think Harmony and I haven’t suffered that fate is because she hadn't scented me in the past.
“Does… Does he want to get back together with her?” I ask, preferring not to hear the answer.
If she already scent matched with Maddock years ago, then what I think I might have with her is nothing. Sometimes packs will start out as a couple, and new alphas will match with the omega, until twenty years later it becomes an eight-person pack.
Just because her favorite hobby seems to be stealing my jackets, that doesn’t mean she actually wants me.
“Well, that’s also why he’s confused. Because she perfumed for him the first time they spoke, and now he doesn’t know what to think.”
I suddenly feel like I’m stepping on his toes.
I’m the one who threw myself at Harmony and tried to rip her bra off, and I’m making assumptions about how she feels about me.
What if it’s one of those situations where I have to choose between them?
If I want Harmony as my omega, will that mean I’m taking her from Maddock?
What if Maddock says he wants to be in a relationship with her again and I was never an option in the first place?
If I say something to her, maybe Maddock will get angry at me for going behind his back.
I might have walked into a situation I really don’t want to be part of. No matter how delicious Harmony smells and how amazing it is to spend time with her, what if my actions affect Maddock’s driving and performance?
I try so hard to make sure the cars are perfect for our drivers, but what if I mess it up, anyway?
“Everest? Are you listening to me?” he asks.
I blink at him again, tension winding through me.
We're so close to the end of the championship. Just three more weekends, and we’re in with a chance for a top-three spot this year. But that could all vanish if Harmony distracts Maddock.
I can understand now why he looks even angrier than usual, especially when he’s so close to his goal.
“It might just be best for your friend to focus on work and not a relationship,” I say hurriedly. “If his job is really important to him, he can try to endure it.”
Maddock goes silent as Harmony’s high laugh echoes around the garage, and Jaxx murmurs something in her ear.
Maddock doesn’t say anything, so I guess that isn’t the answer he wanted.
“Or he could wait and see what happens. If they are scent matches and she perfumed, I’m sure she has some feelings about it as well. If he’s already talked to her, maybe she’s already given him a clue about what she wants.”
But he's still silent, and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do as we both stand there watching Harmony in the crowd of people.
I’ve never imagined being in a pack, but maybe that’s something the two of them might consider as well. If it makes Harmony happy and it helps Maddock with his race times, I would be open to it, too.
“I’m sorry, Maddock. I wish I had an answer, but I think it might be better if you have a talk with your friend and ask him what he really wants to do. I’m not sure I’m the best person to give advice here.”
He finally unsticks his eyes from Harmony and sees how awkward I look.
“Sorry, Everest,” he says sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to get in your way.”
“It’s okay. We could talk tonight rather than like this? It’s not like I do anything other than work on the cars.”
“No, you’re right. My friend needs to figure out what he actually wants first before anything else,” he says with a growl.
I nod before Maddock leans forward and asks me about possibilities for the Texas circuit and how to handle the car.
I relax as we talk about the track and pit stop strategies rather than anything complicated like relationships.
By the time our conversation winds down, Jacob has finished his health and safety presentation, and the film crew are preparing for Harmony's maiden voyage of her new car.
I glance back at Harmony and the way she still naturally flows with the crowd as they disperse.
I nearly flinch back as her gaze suddenly clashes with mine. It’s like she knew I’d been looking at her.
I give her a nod, and she smiles, though I can’t tell if she’s happy because of me.
I want to show her I see her. So, I lift the collar of my polo shirt, pressing it against my nose.
Her smile turns into a laugh, and all my disappointment and guilt float away.
Whether she and Maddock resolve things between them, we still have those moments in the garage that are only ours. Even if I feel like I’m getting in Maddock’s way, I can still be a friend for her.
I just have to hold on to that and ignore the way my cock pulses every time she smiles.