Five
SAWYER
The man I quarreled with in the elevator.
The one who I called incompetent and almost hit with my car is the same man I am interviewing with.
To be a member of his racing team.
Now I know where I’ve seen him before. I didn’t recognize him because we live in the same building, and he’s not a model.
I’ve seen him in magazines and online in blogs and tabloids, though.
He’s always either in a tux with one of many gorgeous blonde women on his arm, or he’s in a racing jacket, sporting a backwards hat and sunglasses.
How can I be so stupid?
I feel my dream crumble into dust and float away. There is no way, after the few interactions I’ve had with him, that he’s going to give the last spot on his team to me. I grab onto the arm rests of my chair and my head falls forward.
“Oh, God,” I whisper to myself as I start to feel the tingle of panic swim through me.
“Sawyer, what’s wrong?” Vic crouches down in front of me.
I look him in the eye and apologize.
“I’m so sorry Vic.”
“What are you sorry about?”
“Remember the guy from my garage this morning? The one who I argued with? It’s him.”
Both Vic and I take a look at Jackson, who’s standing still with a goofy grin on his face and his hands in his pockets, loving every minute of watching this unfold before him.
Of watching me shatter.
“Oh,” Vic mutters.
He stands before proceeding. “Mr. Powell, thank you so much for meeting with us this morning.”
Vic offers Jackson his hand, and Jackson takes it.
“The pleasure is all mine, Vic. I’m glad you’re here. Both of you.”
My head snaps up so I can look at his face. I don’t believe him. Why would he be glad to see me? For my rude attitude toward him the two times that we’ve met prior to today, or for my poor display of driving skills that he witnessed in the garage this morning?
“I’m Jackson.” His introduction is directed toward me where I sit immobile in my chair, the ten-ton weight in my gut holding me down. “We haven’t been formally introduced yet. Though I’ve known who you are since the elevator incident last week.”
It takes a moment for the shock to wear off, but finally, I’m able to stand and accept his handshake.
“Mr. Powell. Nice to officially meet you. May I add that I am profusely sorry for my attitude the past couple of times we’ve crossed paths.”
“Nonsense. Not only have you tried to rescue me from being stuck in an elevator, but you also provided me with comedic relief on an otherwise stressful morning.”
My horror is quickly replaced with anger, remembering how he laughed at my driving this morning and Daniel’s voice pops into my head again.
You just don’t have what it takes to be a race car driver
“Glad that my near accident brought you some measure of joy, Mr. Powell.” I turn around and face Vic. “Vic, I’m sorry, but this isn’t going to work. I can’t drive for someone like him.”
This man, Jackson Powell, is just like Daniel. He doesn’t see me as an equal. Only as a silly little girl meant to be seen and not heard.
“Now, hold on a second.”
“Sawyer, I don’t understand.”
Jackson and Vic speak at the same time. The surprised reaction on Vic’s face crushes me. I feel like I’ve taken his support and guidance for granted. Meanwhile, Jackson looks like I slapped him, and damn if I don’t feel like actually doing it right now.
“He’ll never take me seriously,” I say to Vic.
“Sawyer, you need to have a seat so we can start this meeting,” Vic whispers to me gently as he scrubs his hand down the back of his neck.
But I can’t. The anger I felt in the garage this morning is back.
“Why didn’t you cancel the meeting today?” I swing around so I’m facing Jackson once again.
I need to know why I’m here. Did he bring me here to embarrass me, or is he actually interested in my driving skills? Jackson’s playful smirk has turned serious when he realizes how upset I am.
“You admit you knew who I was in the elevator last week when you saw my badge. You even commented on my less than stellar driving skills in the garage this morning.”
“Sawyer, I knew who you were, and that’s why I said those things this morning. I was just joking around with you. Your driving skills are incredible, and as long as there aren’t any parking garages on the track, I think you’ll be very successful.”
He adds the last bit in with a laugh. His comical attitude has returned, but I find it far from humorous. I can do nothing other than glare at him.
“Look, you gave me no reason to want to cancel. Did she tell you what happened?” he turns his attention to Vic.
“We got stuck on the elevator in our building. She tried to pry the doors open so we could get out. I didn’t think she had it in her, but then she got the first set open.
I was blown away. It started up again before she got the second set open, though. ”
“Really?” Vic asks.
“Yeah,” I shrug, looking between them both.
I roll my eyes slightly and fold my arms across my chest. The attention is making me nervous.
“Why would you think I’d want to cancel? Because you’re a bit of a spitfire?”
“Partially.”
“Because you’re a female driver?”
“Basically,” I reply again between gritted teeth.
“I’ll admit, it threw me for a loop when I realized that the badass who tried to escape the elevator was none other than the talented driver I wanted to interview for my team.
But ultimately, no. I don’t care whether you’re a male, a female, a chimp, whatever.
All I care about is creating the best, most talented team of drivers that I can create. ”
JACKSON
I watch Sawyer as she battles the demons in her head.
Either that or she’s seriously pissed at me right now. I guess I couldn’t blame her for that.
“I think that you can help me do that, Sawyer.”
Her gaze rises from the floor and meets mine again. Penetrating her stare, I plead for her to see that I want her here. That she does deserve to be here. What happened to the confident girl in the elevator? The she-devil who put me in my place in the garage this morning?
I’ll admit, I was an ass to pull out in front of her when I saw her coming, but I couldn’t help myself.
I’d been thinking about her since last week.
I knew she was a tenant in the building, but that was it.
I wanted to see her one more time before the meeting today and kept hoping that we would run into one another again.
I needed to see if her strong determination was a one-time thing or if that’s who she is at her core.
Maybe I can even figure out why she has the world’s biggest chip on her shoulder.
“Mr. Powell—” Vic begins.
“Please, call me Jackson,” I interrupt, my eyes still locked on hers.
“Jackson, would you mind if I have a moment with Sawyer?”
“Sure, I’ll be in my office. It’s just next door. You can come grab me whenever you’re ready.”
“Thank you,” Vic replies.
I walk from the room, but I don’t go anywhere. Standing outside of the doorway, I listen to their conversation. I’m not normally an eavesdropper, but I have to know what’s going on in that head of hers.
“Sawyer, listen to me,” Vic begins. “I wasn’t going to tell you this, partly because I don’t agree with it, but partly because I hate when you get down on yourself. However, you need to know that very few of the other team owners that I spoke to showed any interest in you.”
“Because of my driving skills?”
The room falls silent for a moment, then I hear Vic sigh.
“The few who wanted to see your tape would never consider signing you, no matter what it showed. You know this is a man’s sport. No one wants to bring a female on to their team.”
The room goes silent again. I’ve always wanted to take this wall out and replace it with glass.
I would give anything to see her face, but I’m glad I haven’t changed it yet.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to hear their conversation.
I feel a little guilty eavesdropping, but I need to know more about this girl.
“But here’s Jackson. A decent guy, and a great team owner. He is interested. As much as you may not like him, he’s the only choice. And he’s an excellent choice. Plus, he’s willing to take a chance on you. I think it’s only fair for you to do the same for him.”
Silently, I cheer Vic on from my place outside the door. I don’t hear a response from Sawyer, but when Vic speaks again, it confirms that she must agree with him.
“Okay, I’ll go ask Jackson to join us again.”
Before he sees me, I dart into my office and stand in front of my bookshelf, pretending like I’ve been here the whole time. I wait until I hear Vic knock before I turn my attention to the doorway.
“Hey, you ready for me?”
“Yeah, thanks for giving us a minute.”
“It’s no problem at all. Hey, before we go back in there, I’ve got to ask. Where is this self-doubt coming from? The times I’ve seen her before this, she’s been full of fire and determination.”
“Honestly, I don’t know for certain. She’s very private, so we really only talk about her driving.
I kind of get the feeling that she doesn’t have a ton of support.
Don’t let her behavior in there dissuade you from wanting her on your team.
That badass spitfire that you mentioned?
That’s the Sawyer Stone you saw on her tape. ”
“Then that’s all I need to know.”
I follow Vic out of my office and back into the conference room.
“Okay, if you’re ready, let’s all have a seat and we can discuss things further, shall we?”
I stay where I am as both she and Vic take their seats once again.
She still looks uncomfortable, and I want to do anything I can to ease her mind.
I walk to the small refrigerator in the back corner of the conference room and pull out some waters.
Handing one to each of them, I take my seat.
This time, instead of sitting at the head of the table, I choose the seat directly across from Sawyer.
I want her to look into my eyes and see that I truly want her as part of my team.