“So, what’s going on?” I ask as Nate’s phone starts ringing with the bullshit ringtone Tora added to his phone for every time she calls. “Wanted to get in on the new track?”
“Sort of,” he tells me, glancing around Nate’s shop once again while Nate takes the call. “I wanted to come and see if you could use some extra labor getting the track complete.”
I raise a brow, more than interested. Noah knows racing and as much as I wanted to rely on Nate to make this track everything it could be, he’s been so fucking busy with work that picking his brain has become a nuisance. Noah though, he’d be perfect. Not to mention, being from Haven Falls, he’s no stranger to manual labor. “Are you sure, man?”
“Yep,” he says with a firm nod. “I’m all in. Whatever you need.”
“Alright,” I grin, liking the idea more and more. “In that case, do you want to head down there and I’ll give you the grand tour and introduce you to some of my guys?”
“Fuck, yeah,” he says like a kid in a candy store.
We start heading back out toward our cars when Nate stops me. “Max,” he calls out. “Wait up.”
I watch with furrowed brows as he jogs toward me. “What’s up?” I ask, wondering what could have him looking so panicked.
“Where are you heading to?”
“The track.”
“Shit,” he says with a cringe. “Could you head around to the girls’ place first?”
The fuck? Does this bastard know who he’s talking to right now? I can’t head over there without Brooke kicking me straight back out the door.
“Dude, are you feeling alright?” I question as Noah watches on in concern. “What are you talking about? What’s going on?”
“It’s Brooke, man. I was just talking to Tora and I could hear Brooke in the background. It didn’t sound good.”
I find myself stepping in closer to him. “What do you mean?”
“I think she just caught that fucking prick cheating.”
Anger pulses through me. Was my fucking warning not enough? I’m going to tear him to shreds. I try to put the anger to the back of my mind and reel in my emotions despite it being the hardest thing I’ve ever done. “I don’t know,” I tell him, glancing down at my fading bruises on my knuckles. “With our history, I’m probably the last guy she wants to see right now.”
“You really think that?” he says in a tone suggesting that I’m a fucking idiot. “You’re probably the only one she’ll speak to.”
“What about Tora? Isn’t she there?”
“Yeah,” he says. “Tora’s going to wipe away the tears and make her feel better, but you’re going to take away the pain.”
I think it over for a moment. It’s a risk. If I go and she doesn’t want to see me, then I make it worse and come across as an ass, but if she does want to see me, I can make it all go away just as Nate said.
It takes me all of two seconds to decide. “Alright, I’m on my way,” I tell him before turning to Noah. “Sorry, man. You’re welcome to still head down there or I could meet you there first thing tomorrow morning?”
“No need, man,” Noah says with a guilty smirk. “I kind of gave myself the full tour when I was there looking for you earlier.”
I laugh. Why am I not surprised? “Alright, man,” I say, walking backward toward my car so I can continue our conversation. “I’ll call you later and we can negotiate what you want to get paid.”
“Sounds good, Max,” he says before getting distracted with Nate’s shop and disappearing, probably to go and watch over Nate’s shoulder.
With that sorted, I drop down into my car and race toward my girl, knowing she needs me now more than ever.
———-
I let out a breath as I stand before her door. I really hope Nate is right about this.
I raise my hand and knock. What have I got to lose? Either she lets me in or she tells me to fuck off. Either way, she knows I came to check in on her and that’s better than having her thinking I don’t care.
The door opens and I prepare to see the girl of my fucking dreams, only I come face to face with the girl of Nate’s dreams, and to be honest, she doesn’t look too fucking thrilled to see me. “What the hell are you doing here?” she says, scrunching up her face.
“I… uh. Shit.” I sigh, trying to rid myself of the cringe that doesn’t seem to want to leave my face. “Can I see her?”
“What? No.” she says bluntly. “Why?”
“I was with Nate when you guys were talking. I just want to check she’s alright,” I tell her as her gaze drops to my knuckles, taking in the cuts and bruises that have been slowly fading over the past week.