Speed Demons by Gun Brooke

known pointing that fact out would make you frown instantly.”
    “Any cheesy comment would.”
    “Aw, I thought it was pretty inventive.”
    “Go figure.” Blythe tried to sound sarcastic, but the smile she hid was tugging at the corners of her lips. “We need to look over next week’s schedule before I return to New York.”
    “All right. I imagine you want to shoot my training sessions at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway?”
    “Absolutely.”
    “I go there on Tuesday.” Something tensed around Evie’s eyes.
    “Oh. Your first time at a track since the crash?”
    “Yes.” Swallowing hard, she let go of Blythe’s hand and flung her hair behind her shoulders in a defiant gesture. “That’s going to be interesting. I guess it’s one of those ‘defining moments’ Oprah talks about.”
    “How do you mean?”
    “Either I can do it—or I can’t. If I can’t even make myself drive around the racetrack all by my lonesome, then…?” Evie raised her hands, palms up. “I’m done racing.”
    “I have faith in you.”
    Evie looked sternly at Blythe for several moments before her expression softened marginally. “Thank you. Actually, I totally appreciate your comment. My team manager means well, but his exuberant, gushing reassurances make me wonder if he’s trying to convince himself or me.”
    Blythe finished her breakfast and found that she wasn’t at all eager to drive back to New York. “I wonder if my car’s all right.”
    “I poked my head out earlier. Doesn’t look like anything hit it.”
    “Good.” Blythe stood and carried her plate and coffee mug over to the sink. “Thank you. Your scrambled eggs were really good. I’m a horrible cook, so I appreciate those who aren’t.”
    “I enjoy cooking when I have the time.”
    Suddenly their small talk seemed formal and stiff. Blythe hadn’t felt self-conscious since last night and the disappointment rolled over her in waves. She didn’t understand why until she fetched her overnight bag and stood in the hallway to say good-bye. I don’t want to leave her. Stunned, she fidgeted with the strap to her camera bag.
    “Drive safely, Blythe.” Evie moved closer. “Bound to be a lot of stuff on the roads. Branches, garden chairs, roof tiles, you name it.”
    “I will. Thanks for having me.”
    “Anytime.” As polite as the comment sounded, the way Evie emphasized the word made Blythe relax more.
    Impulsively, and so utterly unlike herself, she stood on her toes and placed a gentle kiss on Evie’s cheek. “See you Tuesday. Text or call me when you know exactly what time.”
    “I will.” Evie’s eyes darkened with unspoken emotions, but she smiled gently as she nodded. “Bye.”
    As Blythe drove away from the house, her mind whirled with thoughts of the previous night and the revealing morning. Almost dizzy, she gripped the steering wheel harder. When had she opened up to someone else at all, let alone so quickly? Apart from her mentor, Pearl, Blythe couldn’t think of anyone who knew more than basic information about her. To think that she’d freely given Evie access to such private matters, and also that Evie had shared similar things about herself, rocked the very foundation on which Blythe built her life.
    She made her life work by ensuring she was safe behind an imaginary, but very real, wall. If she didn’t let anyone in, then she didn’t give anyone any leverage against her. A hard-learned life lesson, but one that Evie’s survival instinct had provided her with. Until now. Their conversations might not seem like much, she mused, but it was as if the world’s axis had shifted. Everything seemed new.

Chapter Six
     
    Evie viewed the sleek, red Dodge Viper with equal parts affection and terror. Brand-new, provided by her sponsors, it had just been backed out of the trailer by the team and sat there looking exactly like the car she’d driven into the pileup of burning cars and injured drivers.
    “Oh, God,” she murmured,