Page 64 of Crash Course

I go to look for Jameson after but run into Theo in the garage first. His eyes meet mine and he grins as I make my way over.

“Congratulations!” I call. He ended up choosing Raj and Zane for his team, and I’m happy for all of them.

“Thanks.” Theo sweeps me up in his arms and spins me around, making me laugh. “The lap was good, but I need more. Can I show you something?”

When I don’t respond, he pulls some stats on his tablet and I skim them.

I need you on my side. Jameson’s words come back and hesitation rises up. If I was working with Theo, I might suggest a few tweaks. But it doesn’t feel right.

“Looks good,” I say finally. “Drive your race and you’ll be fine.”

I go back to Jameson’s car, but he’s still not there.

Shay: You drove great. You’ll get it tomorrow.

While I’m waiting for his response, my phone rings.

“Dad!” I answer. “You wouldn’t believe it here—”

“I just got a call from one of the guys at work. He was looking for you.”

“Me? Why?” My heart thuds against my ribs.

“Apparently the person you arranged to cover your shift for the weekend forgot.”

Shit. Shit, shit.

My brain scrambles to come up with a response, but surrounded by the buzzing of the track, it’s like I’m trying to solve for a variable in a math problem I don’t understand.

Dad doesn’t wait for me.

“The paychecks haven’t stopped coming because you’re working my shift. Not because ARI signed off on my leave.”

My stomach plummets. I’ve never heard him sound this remote. Not only disappointed, but hurt.

I’ve been careful since I started. Bree had my back if Dad called the diner, and I arranged for an excuse every time I went out. None of the guys would have knowingly betrayed me.

But none of that changes the fact that he knows, or that he’s furious.

“It was temporary,” I tell him. “You weren’t ready to go back to work so soon after the surgery. They would have fired you.” I clutch the phone tighter, pressing farther into the garage to try and find a quieter place.

“That’s not your problem. You lied to me. I told you to keep your distance from ARI.”

I flinch at his directness. He’s the person I’ve always been closest to, whose approval I wanted more than anything. But as much as I shrink from his criticism, part of me rejects it.

“Everything is my problem,” I say, my voice rising. A few heads turn this way, and I swallow and try to stay composed. “If it’s your problem, it’s mine. Just like my problems are yours. You’ve always said we’re a family, even if we’re a small one.”

Especially if we’re a small one.

Dad curses, and I hope to hell my words got to him.

“Listen to me, Shay. The Ashfords will make your problems worse, not fix them.”

“Then why have you devoted your entire life to working there?”

I don’t expect an answer, but I give him time anyway. Each breath is painful, my lungs tight and ineffective.

“If it’s good enough for you, it’s good enough for me,” I say at last. “I’m your daughter.”