Pole Position (21 page)

Making the arrangements for our holiday was surprisingly easy. I rang the bookshop first and explained that my boyfriend had been in an accident, and I wanted some time off to help him recover. The manager was brilliant, and we arranged for me to take two weeks off, starting immediately.

I rang Mum and gave her the same story, but neglected to tell her any details of
how
the accident happened, just that it had been a car crash. She’d no idea I was even seeing anyone, so this came as a surprise. However, she sounded delighted that we’d be coming to stay at the B&B, assured me there were no guests booked, and went off to tell Dad.

Jon would sort out a hire car with his dad’s help, and I took a taxi home, braving the journalists that were still camped out, to pick up my car. I headed off to find Clare.

She was kindness itself. Giving me a monster hug, reminiscent of Danny’s bear hugs, she assured me Sam would be treated like a paying guest. Bev would exercise him daily, and she’d happily cover for my lessons. I hugged Sam. He’d been magnificent this weekend, and I would miss him badly, but Jon was my sole priority right now.

As I left, with Clare practically pushing me into my car to make me go, Bev came running out of the office. “Your trophy!” It’d been in Clare’s car overnight, still wrapped in the picnic blanket. Folded neatly inside was my red sash and the giant rosette I’d won. I took them gladly. I knew Mum and Dad would be thrilled to see them.

Then it was just a case of going home to pack. I wanted to see Colette and Danny too, before I left. I’d be staying at Jon’s again, and then we were off to Anglesey and not back until the end of next week.

Danny was home when I arrived, and he greeted me with a big hug. “What’s this about you going to your Mum’s? You’re not running away to get over splitting with Jon are you?”

What the hell?

“I haven’t split up with Jon. He’s coming with me, and we’re going to Mum’s for a week or so while he recovers.” I eyed him crossly. “And he’s going to be okay, thanks for asking.”

Danny’s face tightened. “I think we’d better have a talk.”

I sat at the kitchen table while Danny brewed some coffee, humming under his breath as he did so.

“What’s up?” I accepted the coffee with a smile. “Bev’s going to look after Sam, and Clare will cover my lessons. You won’t even notice I’m not here.”

He sighed, and ran a hand over his face. “I’m worried about you. After that article on Jon, and his wife, I’m concerned you’re getting in too deep with him.” He held up a hand to stall my interruption. “He’s
married
. He has a
wife.
And now a
mistress
. That’s all you are.”

I hadn’t thought of it like that. In truth, I tried not to think about his wife at all. My cheeks burned and I sought a reply, but Danny hadn’t finished. “Don’t be taken in by Jon’s pretty-boy face. He’s just like Rob.”

Wait. What?

“My ex?”

Danny nodded.

“How did you know Rob?”

“I met him.”

“You
met
him?” My head spun at the idea.

“I went looking for him. You never gave me the details, but I know it was bad. I saw you when you came home, Anita. I saw the mess he’d made of you.” Danny closed his hands over mine. “I couldn’t let him get away with that.”

It felt like an ice pick scraping my lungs. “What the hell did you do?” And why did I not know? Manchester was only twenty miles away, but could have been a different world.

Danny gazed at the table, where his hands wrapped around mine. “It didn’t take long to track down his favorite pub, and I had words with him one night. Told him to keep the fuck away from you, or he’d answer to me.”

The idea made me dizzy. “I had no idea. You never breathed a word about it.”

“You mean the world to me, lovey. I’d do anything to stop you getting hurt.” He played idly with my fingers. “You know,” his voice was soft now. “I always thought we’d get together one day.” He smiled at me. “Oh come on, would it be so strange? We’ve been working and living together for years. I could make you so happy.” He paused. My mind whirled.

“I was planning to ask you out after Charrington, but then Jon swooped in and dazzled you. Can you blame me for being jealous?” He raised my hand to his mouth and dropped a soft kiss on my knuckles.

This was wrong. How had he ever thought this? He gazed at me, and I swallowed. I had to let him down gently. I felt so sorry for him. “Danny, I don’t see you like that. I love you, but as a brother.”

He cocked his head slightly to one side and regarded me. “I know you do now, but things change. You know as well as I do that Jon will never be a permanent fixture—he’s too ethereal, too glossy. He belongs in the gossip rags and with supermodels. It’s a cliché, but he’s living in the fast lane.”

I stared down at the table. Danny was painfully accurate, and I didn’t want him to see how hard I found it.

“Hey?” He squeezed my hand, and I looked up. His teddy bear face, with all its wild red hair was just inches away. “When Jon’s off the scene, I’ll still be here.”

“You two-timing pair of bastards!” Colette stood in the doorway, yelling at the top of her voice. Danny shot back as if scalded. I stood, ready to make my escape.

Silent tears fell down Colette’s face as she gazed at Danny, and then flicked a glance at me. “Isn’t Jon enough for you? Why do you want Danny as well?”

“I
don’t
.” I was cold with anger. “This was the last thing I expected. Believe me Colette, I’m not interested in Danny that way.”

He stared up at me with a blank expression. “I’ll still be here when Pretty Boy is long gone.”

“And what about me?” Colette looked amazing when she was angry. Her spiky, black hair fizzed with a life of its own. I expected to see lightning bolts flashing from her eyes. “Am I just something to keep your bed warm in the meantime?”

“Babe. You know you’re more than that. Don’t be angry with me.”

“Angry,” she spluttered. “I’m not angry. I’m fucking furious!” She swung round, grabbed the plate rack from the sink and began smashing the crockery on it, piece by piece.

“Wanker!” She shouted as she hurled a plate at the wall. “Tosser!” Another plate followed. “Prick!” A mug followed the plates. I escaped to the sanctuary of my room and slammed the door behind me.

Sinking onto my bed, I still heard the mayhem downstairs. Colette screeching abuse, plates smashing, Danny roaring back. I sat there, my mind racing over the weird scene that had just taken place in the kitchen.
Danny and me?
A couple? He was like my brother for God’s sake. I could never see him as more than that. But if he thought that, while I didn’t, would we ever be able to go back to our old easy friendship? What a complete mess this was.

I grabbed my rucksack, emptied out the dirty clothes and repacked it with clean undies, T-shirts and jeans. I wouldn’t need any riding clothes for the next two weeks, and that limited my wardrobe straight away. I packed a lightweight sweater, a hooded fleece top, and dug out my walking boots. Then it was just toiletries.

It had gone quiet downstairs. Was that a good or a bad sign? I hoisted my pack onto my shoulder, picked up my jacket, and went down to see what damage there was.

As I peeped round the kitchen door, I was horrified at first to see Danny lying on the floor. Had she hit him? Then I realized that Colette lay underneath him and they were kissing, devouring each other.

“Ahem.” Thank Christ they were in the process of patching things up. There was a pause, and then they separated and stood, rearranging their clothing with some giggling from Colette. “Come on guys, keep it in the bedroom please. Besides, I’ll be out for the next two weeks. You can shag anywhere you like while I’m not here, apart from my bed of course.”

“You off now?” Danny gave me a hug, but it was a quick, brotherly hug again. “I’ve got something for you, hang on a minute.” He clattered upstairs.

I crossed the kitchen to Colette and put my arms around her. “It really wasn’t how it looked, hun. I don’t see Danny like that. I think he just wanted to reassure me about what happens when—
if
—Jon and I split up. I’m no threat to you. You’re both my closest friends, you know that.”

She gave me a little smile, but it looked strained. “I know you think that, but I’m not convinced he does.” She hesitated. “I don’t think we’ve got much longer together, to be honest. I’m planning to move out. A friend of mine works for a computer sales company in Manchester, and she says they’re looking for admin staff. I could move into her flat. She’s looking for another to share.”

I stared at her, tears springing to my eyes. “Colette, please don’t. I’ll miss you. So will Danny, even if he doesn’t realize it at the moment.”

“Don’t tell him.” She sounded fierce. “It’s my call. Let me enjoy these last few days with him.”

We hugged. It felt like the end of an era.

“By the way, my phone turned up. It was stuffed behind the seats in the horsebox, and Danny said it must have fallen there. Didn’t you see it when you were looking for yours?”

“No.” I thought back to my frantic search. “I looked all over the cab, behind and under the seats, since that was the most obvious place for it to be. I’m sure I would have seen yours.”

“Oh well.” She shrugged. “So where are you off to now? Moving in with Jon?” She gasped. “Oh my God, I forgot to ask. How is he?”

I updated her just as Danny walked back into the kitchen. “Here you are,” he announced. “I’ve done a CD of photos from the Charrington Show, and the Blackheath one. You can view it on any PC, or even stuff it into a DVD player, so you’ll be able to look at them at your mum’s. And there’s this.” He held out the Daily Comet issue from Saturday. “I think you should take it, even if only to ask him whether any of it is the truth.”

I’d managed to block that unpleasantness from my mind, but I stuffed the CD and the folded paper into the front pocket of my rucksack, and then left. Behind me, I heard Danny saying to Colette, “So where were we?”

Jon greeted me with a huge smile and a lingering kiss, heedless of the fact his parents were watching. I was relieved to see the reporters had finally gone.

“The doctor’s given me approval to go away, as long as you drive us there. I’m not allowed behind the wheel for another few days. And Dad’s got us a car.” He guided me to the window and pointed out a massive SUV parked on the other side of his Corvette.

“What the hell is it?” I laughed in disbelief. “You can’t seriously expect me to drive that.”

“Come on.” He took my hand, and we walked outside. “It’s automatic. You just put it in gear and point it in the right direction. It’s also got cruise control, so it’s perfect for long motorway journeys.”

He opened the driver’s door for me. “In you go.”

I clambered up inside the cabin and sat behind the wheel. “It’s awfully high up.”

“Much better views of the road. It’s four wheel drive and a perfect off-roader, if you want to take it somewhere more adventurous.”

“I think Anglesey is as far as I want to take it, thank you.” I fiddled with the seat, and adjusted the distance to the pedals. It felt surprisingly comfortable, with generous leather seats and good visibility, but totally alien after driving my tiny car.

Jon leaned against his ‘Vette, and watched me, the corners of his lips tugging up with barely contained amusement. My heart did a little flip. Apart from the wrist bandages, almost covered by his loose fitting shirt, he looked perfect. His hair covered the Band-Aid on his forehead, his eyes crinkled as he squinted into the late afternoon sunlight, and he gave me his gorgeous come-to-bed grin. He looked even sexier with a few days stubble.

The faded jeans fit him like a second skin, and I couldn’t help glancing down to his groin. The thought of a week of uninterrupted sex with him made my mouth go dry.

Jon cleared his throat and I dragged my attention back. “It’s a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Five cylinder, two point seven liter diesel engine. Zero to sixty in eleven seconds and one-sixty brake horsepower.” He scratched his chin, and thought for a moment. “Turbo-charged, four-speed automatic gearbox.”

I huffed a laugh. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. It’s all just numbers and letters.”

He rolled his eyes in mock annoyance. “It’s got a stereo system with iPod connection, built-in navigation—”

“I don’t need a navigation system. I know where we’re going.”

“It’s got masses of room for all your luggage. I’ve seen when women go on holiday, they take everything except the kitchen sink.”

I stuck out my tongue at him. “I have one rucksack. That’s it.”

“Do you want to take it out for a test drive?”

Did I? It was huge, and heavy, and looked a bit like a tank. It was also undeniably expensive, but I’d be driving over a hundred miles in it tomorrow. It’d be a good idea to get the feel of it now.

“Are you coming with me?”

“Do I need to?” I could tell he was finding this great fun.

“Get in, please.”

****

The Jeep was actually good to drive. We took it out for a trip round the country lanes. I kept it well under the speed limit and drove as gently as I could, trying to avoid any bumps. I could tell Jon hadn’t taken his painkillers. He winced and paled as we went over a speed bump, and he clenched his fingers a few times. He didn’t complain though, just encouraged me to get familiar with the car. Half an hour later, we were back at his parents’.

I asked him about his pills.

“I don’t want to take them all the time. I’m hanging on until bedtime when I’ll take another dose.” He flashed me a grin. “I’m hoping a little TLC from you might take my mind off the pain for the moment.”

He had to make do with a kiss.

While I’d been out, Jon had changed the number for his phone, and arranged a new phone to be delivered for me. His thoughtfulness warmed me.

I gave Mum a call, to check everything was still okay for us to arrive the day after.

“That will be perfect.” She sounded excited. “And I wanted to ask you something. We don’t fly out to Spain until Friday, but since you’re coming up on Tuesday, we were thinking of leaving on Wednesday and having a couple of nights at Aunty Sheila’s. What do you think?” My parents rarely took holidays, and I was happy to oblige. It also meant Jon and I would have more private time together.

****

Jon was tired and grumpy by dinnertime and getting visibly irritated by his mum fussing over him. He ate some soup and picked at the salad, made little conversation, and then suggested we go to bed as soon as I’d finished eating. It was only eight o’clock.

“I need to talk to you first.” Trevor was firm, and Jon scowled. His light-hearted mood from earlier had vanished.

“Dad, I’m tired and aching. Can it wait until tomorrow?”

“You’re going away tomorrow, and won’t be back for almost two weeks. We’ve got some business matters to sort out before you go.”

I didn’t know what to do. Sara had already left the kitchen as soon as she’d finished her meal, and there was no sign of Mrs. P. I decided to make myself useful and clear the table while they talked.

Trevor pulled his laptop forward. “We’re due in Houston on Tuesday the fifteenth, and the new engine will be ready for testing on the sixteenth.”

Jon looked up, interest flickering on his face. His bad mood forgotten, they talked in an incomprehensible language of specifications and strange terms, while poring over a set of documents on Trevor’s laptop. I loaded the dishwasher, put away a few things and slowly brewed some fresh coffee, before sliding into the chair next to Jon. He smiled briefly at me, took my hand, and turned his attention back to Trevor.

The discussion seemed to have reached a natural pause, so I spoke up.

“How long will you be away?”

Jon glanced at his dad first. “It’s likely to be about a month.” He spoke carefully, I got the impression there was something he wasn’t telling me.

A
month
. I was gutted. In my mind, we had six weeks together until his next race. In reality, we just had the time in Anglesey, and then he was off to America. I swallowed and tried to sound casual.

“I know it’s Donington Park in October, so what happens after that? Do you get some time off then?”

There was a long pause. Jon and Trevor looked at each other and some unspoken message passed between them.

“I’m going to see what your mum’s up to.” Trevor got up and left the kitchen, closing the door behind him.

I smiled tentatively at Jon, still holding his hand.

He gazed into my eyes, raised my hand to his mouth, and gently kissed the palm.

“Well?” I wasn’t going to be fobbed off.

He sighed. “I was hoping to leave this until after our holiday. I’ve been invited to try out for the Torro Rosso team.” I must have looked blank. He smiled encouragingly. “Torro Rosso? Used to be Minardi? Formula 1 Grand Prix racing team?”

I stared, not comprehending.

He gave me a tentative grin. “You could say ‘congratulations’. The F3 season isn’t over yet, and they’ve already invited me to trial for them.”

I groped for something sensible to say. “And er, where are they based?”

“Faenza.” I must have looked blank again. “Italy.”

“Oh,” I looked down and tried to fix a smile on my face. “Well, I guess, congratulations.”

He sat back in his chair, a beaming smile creeping across his face. “It’s brilliant news. I thought I’d have to do at least a couple of years at F3, but it’s a new team, and they want to bring on some relatively unknown drivers. Which is perfect timing for me.”

I bit my lip and tried to look interested. This was why Sara had been upset at dinner, why she and Jon had been sniping at each other. She was as scared about him moving to Formula 1 as I was. And he’d be based in Italy.

As Jon chattered on happily, the most animated I’d seen him all evening, I sat there and let it all wash over me. We had these next two weeks together, and then I would have to bring things to a halt, if he hadn’t already done so by then.

Two weeks left. It was nothing. I didn’t want to waste a minute.

I interrupted him, silencing him with a kiss. “It’s wonderful news, and I’m so proud of you. Why don’t we go and celebrate in bed?”