Page 41 of Not So Fast
“What exactly happened before the crash, Xander?”
He didn’t know the answer to that, either. It simply happened. One hundredth of an inch too far into the corner and it was all over.
“We’ll have a look at the data and the onboard to see precisely what happened. I don’t want to make any assumptions.”
This continued for at least another twenty minutes, all while the drivers around him were talking about the race they’d managed to finish. That included Dirk, who’d had another great points finish and hadn’t so much as asked if Xander was okay after his shunt.
Meanwhile, Xander couldn’t help but notice that his phone wasnotbuzzing. Mia was not texting him back. Had he misread what was happening between them? They’d had so many intimate phone calls… But maybe he’d been all wrong. He and romance weren’t a great mix. He always managed to bungle it. He’d always put driving first, and although he still didn’t regret that choice, he could admit it put him at a disadvantage in any sort of romantic relationship.
He and Isabel were on their way back to his room when his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen. A text from Mia. An emoji-filled, panicky, wordy text about the accident. Followed byI thought I sent that an hour ago. I didn’t hit Send! OMG! I’m so sorry. Can you talk?
“I need to make a call. If you don’t mind.” He clutched the phone to his chest.
“Someone special?” Isabel asked.
“No,” he answered, a little too defensively. “Why do you ask?”
“You’re smiling, Xander. And there’s nothing to smile about today.”
His face went dry and hot like pavement in the sun. “Leave me. Please.”
“Of course.”
Xander ducked into his room, closed the door behind himand dropped down onto the couch, fumbling his phone, but managing to place the call.
“Oh, my God, Xander. Are you okay?” Mia asked, seeming frantic.
“I am.” He exhaled and sank back on the couch. He deeply disliked the fact that he’d questioned whether she cared. Clearly, she did, on some level. “So much better now. Hearing your voice is nice.” In truth, it was a salve for his ragged nerves.
“I am so sorry about the text. I typed it right after the accident. I thought I hit Send.”
“I didn’t see the three dots, so I wasn’t sure.”
“I think those only stay on your phone for sixty seconds. Which is great for me. It makes me nervous to think I’m building anticipation with someone by typing a message.”
He laughed quietly. Only Mia would think that way. “It’s okay. No worries.”
“I could’ve sworn I hit Send. But there were so many people at the watch party and they were all trying to talk to me. Honestly, it was a big blur.”
“It means a lot that it was your first instinct to text me. Even if it didn’t work out that way.”
“You’re sure you’re okay? You’re not hurt? Tell me everything.”
He was such a bloody fool to worry about Mia’s concern for him. There it was, plain as day.
“Pretty run-of-the-mill shunt, honestly. And I’m not hurt since the car went into the barrier sideways. If it had been a front or back end collision, it would’ve been much worse.”
“I’m so sorry. You were so close to scoring points. I could tell you were trying to get past Hubbard. I really thought you could get him at the chicane.”
He had to laugh. Half a world away, she knew precisely what had been happening on track. “I thought I could, too. But that’s this sport. One minute you’re up, the next you’re out.” Of course, it was more like one minute he was in the middle of the pack and the next minute he was sucking rocks. “Tell me about your event. How did it go?”
“People are still here. I ducked outside for a minute so I could talk to you. I probably need to go soon.”
“Good turnout?”
“Amazing. We ended up with a fantastic crowd. The bar is super happy. They sold a ton of food and drinks. And I got talked into doing another event on the Wednesday of Austin race week.”
“Weended up with a fantastic crowd? Weren’t they there for you, Mia? Didn’tyouend up with the crowd?”
