22. Chapter 22
Chapter twenty-two
I returned to Newport Beach with a funk that lasted the entire drive back. I’m the one imposing restrictions that I am having a hard time abiding by, which is why the funk has settled heavily on my shoulders. I’m competitive and stubborn enough to see through a failing, hole-riddled plan just because I was the one to set it in motion.
Thank goodness for good news that creates a welcome distraction. I have been in contact with Trista of Yellow Wheel Productions and we have finalized a huge part of my plan to make sure Smoke and Mirrors makes it onto the radar of every fan of the American Drift League while bringing in more business and sponsors.
“Paul, I want you to sit down. I have news,” I say, swinging into his office on Monday.
He looks up at me from where he is rifling through his filing cabinet next to the desk. “Uh oh, good news or bad?” He pulls his desk chair around and sits down, his hands nervously smoothing down his thighs.
I feel a little guilty with the unofficial offer from TW Motorsports buzzing around my brain and tempting me with breaking boundaries as a female drift driver. I shake my head and push away all thoughts of other offers and remember my place here with S&M. I have a job to do, and I have news that will make Paul smile.
“Good, of course. I don’t think I would set you up for bad news like that.” I suppress a laugh as the tense expression on his face dissipates into a crinkly-eyed smile.
“What do you have to surprise me with today, Shelby? It seems like every week there’s something new and exciting you come up with to help us out.”
I grin and shake my head as I plop onto the plaid couch. “Next week, before we leave San Jose after the competition, I’ve arranged for us to film a tandem run on a beautiful Bay Area road through the Santa Cruz mountains. Highway 9 cuts from the town of Saratoga to Santa Cruz, over thirty-five miles of super winding touge-type roads. We don’t have to do the entire route, but it will be a lot of fun to tear it up and have a professional film crew with multiple cameras and even a few drones to capture it. It won’t be at Ken Block’s Gymkhana standards, but Yellow Wheel promised me they could deliver a fantastic finished cut that will blow people away.”
“Wait, what?” His mouth drops open and his eyes bug out. “How is that even possible? It will probably cost a fortune to get that kind of thing produced, not to mention how difficult it would be to take our track-legal cars to the streets where they would for sure be impounded on sight for all sorts of violations.”
“Relax, I have you covered.” I smile, knowing he will have so many questions.
“How? This is crazy.”
“Yellow Wheel is only charging us for the permits and equipment rentals. I’ve already paid for it. They have filming permits to close the road for the day, so we can use the track cars. They have all of the gear we will need to make this killer and nothing can stop us.”
“Why...?” Paul at a loss for words is a beautiful sight. He doesn’t know what to do with his hands, so they flutter from his hair, to his legs, to the arms of the chair beside him.
“Because I’m not capable of creating the kind of video I want this to be with my GoPro, and because Trista is an old friend and the production company wants to break into action sports.”
“Why would you pay for this out of your pocket, though? You don’t have to do that. It should be on the shop since this is promoting the team. I don’t understand.”
“Paul, I love the opportunity you’ve given me here with Smoke and Mirrors. You could have told me to smile for a camera and hand out swag and never listened to a thing I said. You didn’t have to allow me to take over the social media, or listen to the crazy ideas I bring to you. Instead, you’ve always respected me, valued my ideas, allowed me into your home and treated me like family, and even given me a place to stay. That means more than you will ever know. This is my way of saying thanks and helping S&M get more exposure, which is my job.”
“I don’t know what to say.” His eyes are shining, full of sincere gratitude that makes me blush .
“Say you’ll let it happen. Let’s get the Supra and the Z out on NorCal roads and see how much fun Griffin and Wyatt can have.”
“And you.” He leans back in his chair and crosses his arms over his chest.
I frown, my mouth snapping closed. “What about me?”
“You will drive the Black Sheep. It will be a three person drift run. I want you driving in the video, too, because you and Black Sheep saved us when the Supra was out of commission. It wouldn’t be right to leave it out, and since it’s your car, you’re driving.”
Now I’m at a loss for words. “Are you sure? I’m not a driver for S&M, it doesn’t seem right.”
“Yes, absolutely. You’re as much a part of this team as the boys are, and you’re a damn good driver.”
I smile and shake my head at him. He’s too good to me. “Thanks, Paul.” My simple words of gratitude are thick and heavy with more emotion than they can convey.
“No, thank you, Shelby. Now, tell me more about this road you have us set to drift.”
We talk about the film plans throughout the day, with me going so far as to pull up maps and YouTube videos of the drive I have in mind. He’s all for it and can’t believe I was able to arrange it so easily. I don’t tell him how hard Trista had to work to get the permits, but she’s tenacious and feisty and was set on a goal, so she made it happen. There was a moment last week when I thought for sure we wouldn’t be able to arrange all of this in time to make it happen while the team is in San Jose, but she’s a miracle worker .
I’m just so glad Trista and Yellow Wheel were on board with my idea when I brought it to her. The company had never done something of this scope before, so they have nothing to compare it to. She said they like a challenge, and drifting videos are growing in popularity, so they might as well try their hand at one now. Cormack, the director and her business partner, emailed over a video treatment for me, and it looks like he has a handle on my vision.
I spend my afternoon at the shop holed up in the office while Paul and Ryan work on the customer cars that are now keeping them busy. They have had steady work coming in since we started getting buzz from my videos and I can tell it’s making a big difference. At least Paul seems thrilled with the backlog he is having to manage now.
I find my own excitement going through the social media comments from the weekend. We’ve gained more followers due to Griffin’s win, and Wyatt is getting plenty of attention for his top eight finish as well. Our guys are getting noticed for the right things, their drifting abilities, and not for throwing fits or unsportsmanlike conduct. This is exactly the kind of thing Mas Boost will look at as they determine if our team should be sponsored.
It’s a fucking huge relief.