“Your point?” I snapped.
Being suspended sucked.
Quitting was hard.
Coming back was fucking torture.
It was like I was going through a damn hazing period before anyone trusted me again. The worst part?
I hadn’t even seen Brooks yet. I had figured he would be the one to pick me up from the airport, or at least be at the shop when I came in, but he wasn’t.
No one mentioned him, but that was probably because it wasn’t unusual for him to not show up every day.
“My point is, you’re back, and none of us want to see you leave again. I know you know this car inside and out, Frank. I have faith in you, but we’re worried about what is going to send you over the edge again.”
I took a deep breath. “I messed up, Remy. I won’t deny that. I have my pride, and it took a lot of hits the past few months. But, I’m back and ready to work with the team because I know together we make that car win. Not just me, not you, certainly not Jay,” I laughed, “but us as a team.”
Remy held his fist out to me. “Team.”
I bumped my fist against his and smiled. “I’m back, and I’m not going anywhere.”
“That’s what we all asked for. Even Brooks.” Remy walked to his toolbox and worked on putting everything away.
I closed my eyes and dropped my chin to my chest.
Brooks.
I came back thinking things were different between the two of us, but it seemed like things were the same as before I left.
He showed up for the races, and then he was MIA the rest of the time. All I needed now was for him to walk through the doors, give everyone credit for the work I had just done, and it would be like I had never left.
*
Chapter Fifteen
Brooks
“Here is my number. Call me no matter what. If I don’t answer right away, call 9-1-1- and then call me again.”
The nurse pursed her lips. “I don’t think that will need to happen.”
I didn’t like this woman. She wasn’t nice to me, so it made me wonder how she was going to be with my mom. “I’ll be back Sunday night around eight. There are a list of things my mom likes to eat, and the fridge is loaded with anything you could possibly need. Just act like her friend, and not like someone who is babysitting her.”
After spending three continuous days with my mom, I was starting to figure her out. Her memory wasn’t that far gone, but she definitely had her moments where I could see the dementia getting worse.
“You won’t have anything to worry about, Mr. Cummings.”
I really looked at her and sighed. She was at least in her mid-fifties, short, round like a ball, and had the personality of a drill sergeant. I knew she wouldn’t work out in the long run, but I was desperate, and she was the only one who I could get on such short notice. “I’ll call throughout the weekend.” I needed to leave, and I didn’t have any other choice but to leave her here with my mom.
Mom was sitting in the living room crocheting a blanket she had been working on with the TV turned down low. “Heading out?” she asked as I walked to the edge of the couch she was sitting on.
“Yeah. I need to get to Bright by noon. Roc already called wondering where I was.”
She smiled and nodded. “Then you better go win that race.” It was a good day for her. At least, so far.
“Susan is going to stay with you to hang out all weekend.”
A laugh bubbled from her lips. “Brooks, you can just call it what is. She babysitting me.”
“It’s not babysitting. I just don’t want you here by yourself,” I insisted.
She waved her hand at me. “I don’t want you to worry about me, Brooks. If having her here to stay with me will help you to breathe a little bit better, then I’m fine with it. I’m sure Susan and I will get along grand.”
I glanced over my shoulder and looked at Susan standing at the kitchen island. “We’ll be best friends by the time you get back, Mr. Cummings.”
“I’ll be back Sunday night,” I promised. Hell, if I didn’t make it in the top sixteen, I would be back Saturday night instead. Though, I couldn’t think like that.
While I had been MIA from the shop, I had still been in touch with Roc. I knew Frankie was back, and she had worked her ass off on the car for the past three days to get it back to where it was before she walked out.
I pressed a kiss to the side of Mom’s head and left.
I had done everything I could the past week.
By Tuesday night, I had everything Mom wanted moved out of my father’s house, all of her stuff stashed in the guest bedroom, and a call into her doctors to see what they thought she needed.
After I had talked to her doctor, I was a bit more optimistic. Her doctor had a good feeling that if we could get her medications sorted out, it could help to delay the effects of the dementia.
The word dementia scared me.
It was worse than scared.
It fucking terrified me.
I had been thrown into the deep end with my mother, and I was treading water trying to keep our heads afloat.
I just needed to make it through the next three days, and I could breathe a little easier. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do that, but I didn’t have a choice.
My mother depended on me.
My team didn’t race without me.
Everyone relied on me, and I wasn’t going to let them down.
*
Chapter Sixteen
Frankie
“It’s good.”
Brooks walked off toward his trailer without a backward glance to me while Roc delivered the news that my adjustments worked. “I told you.”
Roc shrugged. “We needed to make sure.”
Brooks just ran his first qualifying pass and was sitting in the number one spot. My adjustments were better than good. They were fucking spot-on. “We don’t even need to do anymore passes. He’s in to the big show already.” That’s how fucking good I was. He only had to do one pass, and he was done working until Sunday afternoon.
“He wants to run the rest of them to make sure all of the bugs are worked out of the car.”
Of fucking course he did. He could handle being strapped into the car for another fifteen or so seconds meanwhile it meant we needed to tear down the engine three more times before qualifying was over. “Whatever you want, Roc.”
I turned to walk away from Roc, but he grabbed me by the arm. “You’re doing a good job, Frankie.”
I looked down at his hand on my arm. “That was one thing I never doubted, Roc. I always know I do a good job.” I pulled my arm from his hold and headed over to the car.
I just never knew if anyone noticed how good of a job I did.
Losing once made everyone ring the alarm to get me back, but now that I was back, shit was the same as it was before.
This wasn’t going to work for me.
Brooks and I were going to talk before I threw another wrench at his head.
*
Chapter Seventeen
Brooks
I was at the top.
I had done four qualifying runs, and with each pass, the car got faster.