“Smartandrelentless. You’re going to go far.”
“That’s the plan.” She blew on her tea and carefully took a sip. Then she set it down, narrowed her eyes, and cocked her head to the side. “Are you trying to push me away?”
“I just called you smart, and we’re sharing a meal. If that’s my goal, I’m not doing a great job of it.”
“That’s because you don’t really want to push me away.”
He leaned forward, beer glass firmly in hand. If the backs of his knuckles brushed hers, that was accidental. “Why wouldn’t I want to push you away? You’re nothing but trouble for me.”
“Not true. I’m also a lot of fun.” She nudged her index finger against his. Nothing accidental about that. “Or do you take smart girls to the track every Friday night?”
He never did.
Luckily, he was saved from answering by the arrival of their sushi boat.
As they dug in, he wondered how they had never met before.
The answer, of course, was rich people drama. “My parents had a bitter divorce six years ago.”
Roughly the same time that Josh was hired.
“And when I was a minor, my mother kept me away from here. California. Home of all of his infidelities and vices, I guess. She allowed him custody, but something something…” She waved her hand. “I don’t know. Long story short, I went to boarding school in Switzerland, because that was close to the European racing circuits my father likes to visit.”
“Your mother didn’t object to that?”
“I don’t think she put two and two together. She really just wanted to keep me away from L.A.”
“And now you’re back.”
“Yep. It’s complicated.”
“Isn’t it always?”
She nodded ruefully. “How about you? Parents? Siblings?”
He took a careful swallow of beer. “Four brothers. We’re all close. Our parents died when I was a teenager.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Her brow furrowed. “Are they here in L.A.?”
He shook his head. “Actually, nowhere near here. I’m from Canada. A little town on one of the Great Lakes.”
“Wow. You’re a long way from home. Do your brothers still live there?”
“Three of them. We all left home for a while—some longer than others.” He gestured at himself. “I’ve been gone for twelve years. Pulled pin as soon as I graduated high school. Went to Detroit for the summer, got into working on racing teams. Went back across the border to Canada and trained as a mechanic, knowing I’d probably be able to get a work visa if I narrowed in on a specific skill set. Went to Texas next, and landed here six years ago.”
“Right when I left.” She would have been a colt-legged teenager.
Another reminder of their age difference.
She carefully picked up a piece of sashimi and ate it delicately as she looked at him.
Why had he encouraged curiosity? “What?”
“Just trying to figure you out. You like your job, and you’re not a fan of late nights—”
He barked a laugh. “It’s more the early mornings I struggle with. If you’re wondering if I’m boring, then yeah, probably, but not because I don’t have dangerous tendencies. I’ve just learned to curb them.”
“Like racing.”
