Fast Track (10 page)

“You could just
as easily get yourself killed behind the wheel of your Volvo.”

Anna stuck her
tongue out, making Lauren laugh. “Besides, you know I don’t like
dealing with the press. He probably has to attend all kinds of red
carpet events for his sponsors and the companies whose products he
endorses.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’d hate that.”

Lauren wrinkled
her nose. “You’re right. Eating caviar and sipping expensive
champagne with a gorgeous man who has more money than Trump would
be horrible. I don’t blame you for cutting him loose.”

“I didn’t cut
him loose. I told you before, nothing was going on between us.”

“Nothing as in
you hadn’t slept together… yet.”

Anna knew they
would have been intimate had he stayed on the island longer. She
couldn’t have resisted the lure, no matter how compelling her
reasons for keeping her distance. “You don’t know we would have.”
Anna looked at her cousin, and the two women started to laugh. Anna
wasn’t fooling anyone with her weak protests.

“Can you come
up with any other lame excuses to talk yourself out of seeing him
again?”

“I Googled him
when I got home…” Anna said. Admitting it was embarrassing, but if
it would get her cousin off her back, the embarrassment would be
worth it. “There were a lot of pictures of him with different
women. I think he’s a player.”

“So what?”

Anna had a rule
about dating only one man at a time, and she expected her boyfriend
to be on the same page. “You know I don’t go for that.”

“You’re making
a lot of assumptions,” Lauren said, looking her in the eye. “How do
you know you wouldn’t be the one to convert him?”

Anna laughed,
expecting her cousin to follow suit. When she didn’t, Anna said,
“Get serious. A guy like that isn’t going to change for a girl like
me.”

“I disagree,”
Lauren said. “But that’s an argument for another day. Why do you
suppose he left when he did?”

“I don’t know.”
Anna had asked herself that ever since she found out he was leaving
the island. “I was saying good-bye to Tom on the dock and-”

“Hold up a
minute.” Lauren planted her feet on the floor. “Did Justin happen
to see this little scene unfold?”

“There was no
scene. I was merely saying good-bye to the man.”

Lauren raised
an eyebrow. “Were there tears and lingering embraces, by
chance?”

Anna smiled.
“You missed your calling, lady. You do have a flair for the
dramatics.”

“Just answer
the question,” Lauren said, slamming her palm on her desk.

“I guess so.
You can’t blame me. Tom was my fiancé. I thought we were-”

“Enough,”
Lauren said, slicing her hand through the air. “Where was Justin
when this was going on?”

“On his deck, I
guess.”

“I knew it! I
knew you said or did something to make him leave.”

Anna’s mouth
fell open before she snapped it shut. “I didn’t do anything!”

“Sure, you did.
You made him think you still have feelings for your ex. Can you
blame the guy for not wanting to be your second choice?”

It was
difficult for Anna to imagine Justin being anyone’s second choice.
“That’s crazy. I told him I was over Tom.”

“You know what
they say, honey: Actions speak louder than words. If you were a
whimpering mess when the guy left, you can’t blame Justin for
assuming the worst.” Lauren shivered dramatically. “Though I can’t
imagine a woman in her right mind choosing Dr. Dull over wild and
sexy Justin Hunt.”

“You and
Justin?” Ty McCall asked.

Anna groaned
inwardly when she heard her father’s voice. He was the last person,
okay, the second-to-last person, she wanted in on the conversation.
Her well-meaning but over-bearing mother would top the list. “What
are you doing here, Daddy?”

“Lauren’s
agreed to help me with the renovation project on my studio.” He
walked into the room and kissed both ladies on the cheek before
claiming the guest chair beside his daughter.

“She must have
forgotten to mention that to me,” Anna said, glaring at her
cousin.

“Must’ve
slipped my mind,” Lauren said, winking. “Uncle Ty, could you give
me a few minutes? I just want to check in on the guys working on
that triplex project I mentioned to you. It seems there’s one
problem after another.”

“Take your
time,” Ty said. “That’ll give me a chance to catch up with my
daughter.”

Lauren stood
and smoothed her black pencil skirt. “Perfect. I shouldn’t be too
long.” To Anna, she said, “Don’t forget about Jimmy’s. You want me
to pick you up?”

“No, I’ll take
a cab.” She wasn’t much of a drinker, but she just might make an
exception that night.

“Suit
yourself.” Anna blew her a kiss and wiggled her fingers. “See ya
later.”

Ty propped a
cowboy boot over his knee. “So, your mama and I haven’t seen much
of you since we got back from St. Thomas. Why’s that?”

She couldn’t
pretend she’d been busy since she had the summer off. “Um, I don’t
know. I’ve been working on my books, hoping to find a
publisher.”

“Really?” Ty
asked with a grin. “That’s great, honey.”

“I don’t know
if anything will come of it,” Anna said, shrugging. “But I figure I
should at least try, right?”

“Absolutely.”
He reached for her arm. “You know I don’t like to pry, but… Justin
Hunt? Really?”

Anna would
gladly have sought refuge under the desk, if possible. Anything to
avoid having that conversation with her father. “We’re just
friends.” Even that seemed like a stretch since they hadn’t spoken
in weeks.

“Why do I get
the feeling there’s more to it?”

Anna smiled
sweetly. “Maybe because Lauren has a big mouth.”

Ty chuckled.
“I’m kind of glad I walked in when I did. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t
have had a clue you’re seein’ someone new.”

“I’m not seeing
Justin.” She cleared her throat when she realized her voice was a
little too high-pitched. “Like I said, we’re just friends.”

“You know I
like him. He’s a hell of a nice guy…”

“But?” Her
father rarely spoke ill of anyone, and given the fact he’d sung
Justin’s praises dozens of times over the short time they’d shared
the island, Anna couldn’t imagine he would object to their
friendship.

Her dad cleared
his throat. “You’re just gettin’ over what happened with Tom. I
think you need a little time before you think about gettin’
involved with someone new. Especially someone like Justin.”

“What’s that
supposed to mean?”

Ty hesitated
before he said, “Let’s just say he rarely visits the island
alone.”

“You mean he
has a different woman with him every time?” Anna thought back to
the night they’d met. He’d tried to lure her up to his bedroom
within minutes of meeting her, and there were half a dozen scantily
clad women nearby. No doubt one or more of them had shared his
bed.

“I’m afraid
so.”

Anna smiled,
trying to convince her father his words had no impact on her. “I
already suspected as much, Daddy. Don’t worry, I have no intention
of getting mixed up with a guy like that.” She leaned over to kiss
his cheek.

Capturing her
chin in his hand, he looked her in the eye. “I love you. You know
that. I just don’t wanna see you get hurt.”

“Don’t worry, I
won’t.” She would never admit she was already hurting just thinking
about Justin with another woman.

Justin had felt
restless all day, so he decided to hop in his Lamborghini and drive
to Nashville instead of taking his plane as planned. A long drive
always helped clear his head. Turning up the tunes, he rolled down
the windows and let his mind drift to thoughts of Anna as he passed
the sign welcoming him to Music City.

He assumed she
was still in St. Thomas, unless she’d returned to prepare for the
approaching school year. At the very least, he hoped her brother
could give him some insight into her relationship with the good
doctor… like whether she was really over him and ready to consider
moving on with someone new.

Justin followed
the directions on his G.P.S. until he saw a sign for Jimmy’s bar.
It didn’t look impressive from the outside, but he’d been around
enough to know the hole in the wall spots were often the most
memorable.

Pulling into a
parking spot, he checked his messages before getting out of the
car, locking it, and pocketing his keys. He hadn’t even reached the
entrance when people started swarming him.

An older man in
a black cowboy hat and boots said a few words to the bouncer before
beckoning to Justin.

Eager to slip
inside before fans started demanding pictures and autographs,
Justin walked up to the men. “Hey, any chance I can get in without
waiting in line?” He smiled and hoped the men were racing fans.

The man wearing
the cowboy hat offered his hand. “Justin Hunt, right?”

“That’s right,
sir.” Justin shook his hand and smiled.

“I’m J.T.
McCall. I own this joint.”

“McCall?”
Justin frowned. “You wouldn’t be any relation to Ty, would
you?”

“Yeah, he’s my
brother.”

Justin smiled.
“Hey, he and I are neighbors in St. Thomas. Your brother’s a hell
of a nice guy.”

“He’s said the
same about you,” J.T. said. “My nephew’s waitin’ on you inside. Why
don’t you head on in?”

“Thanks, J.T.
It was nice meeting you.”

“You too.” J.T.
gestured toward Justin’s car. “I’ll make sure the boys keep an eye
on your ride tonight, too.”

“I’d appreciate
that.”

“I set you boys
up at a booth in the back,” J.T. said, “and I told the bouncers
inside to make sure the autograph seekers keep their distance. I’m
assumin’ that’s the way you want it?”

Justin didn’t
have to ask how J.T. knew he’d appreciate a little peace; his
brother was Ty McCall. “That’d be great. Thanks.”

“See ya
inside,” J.T. said, tipping his cowboy hat. “Drinks are on the
house tonight.” He grinned. “I’m a big racin’ fan. It sure is nice
to see you back on the track.”

“Thanks, man.
It feels good to be back.”

As soon as
Justin stepped inside, one of the doormen ushered him to a booth in
the rear of the crowded bar, trying to draw as little attention to
him as possible. “Let me know if you need anything, Mr. Hunt.”

“Thanks, I’ll
do that.”

Nick got to his
feet when he spotted Justin, a huge grin splitting his face. “Man,
it’s good to see you,” he said, offering his hand. “It’s been a
while. Why the hell did you make yourself scarce when we were on
the island visitin’ Anna?”

Justin sat down
across from Nick and reached for one of the clean glasses and the
pitcher of beer. “I was packing up, getting ready to head home.
Besides, I didn’t want to intrude on your family time.”

“Since when?”
Nick laughed. “You know we always love to see you.”

“That’s nice of
you to say.” Pouring the beer into his glass, Justin tried to sound
nonchalant. “Speaking of your sister, how is she?”

A waitress
approached, her pen and notepad poised until her eyes landed on
Justin. “Oh wow,” she said with a smile. “You’re Justin Hunt,
aren’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am.”
He took a sip of his beer, hoping she would take a hint and make
herself scarce. She was cute, but he didn’t come all this way to
hook up with a random waitress.

“You want
anything to eat?” Nick asked, sliding a menu toward him.

“No, I’m good
for now.”

“So am I.” Nick
smiled at the waitress still fixated on Justin. “That’ll be all for
now, Marla. Thanks.”

“Just call if
you need anything, Nick,” she said, winking.

“You know I
will.” Nick chuckled as he watched her walk away. “Man, does havin’
pretty girls throwin’ themselves at you ever get old?”

Justin
shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess it depends on the girl.” He
wouldn’t mind if Anna felt so inclined, but that wasn’t her style.
He suspected that may be the reason she’d managed to reel him in so
quickly.

“I’m glad you
finally made it to our neck of the woods,” Nick said, topping his
glass up. “What brings you out here? Business?”

Justin had
confided in Nick about his business interests outside of racing,
including a company that specialized in a line of hot sauces and
had an office in Nashville. “Uh, no.” He decided he couldn’t dodge
the truth forever. “I was kind of hoping to talk to you about
something.”

Nick laughed.
“This is a conversation we couldn’t have had over the phone?”

“It’s kind of
personal.”

“I’m
listenin’.”

Justin leaned
back and reached for his beer. “It’s about your sister.” He brought
the glass to his lips.

“What about
her?”

“Has she… uh…
said anything to you about me?” Justin closed his eyes when Nick
chuckled. The question made him sound like a high school freshman
with his first crush.

“Yeah, she
mentioned you,” Nick said, smiling.

Leaning
forward, Justin asked, “She did? What did she say?”

Nick laughed
and slapped the table. “Man, you’ve got it bad, haven’t you?”

“Don’t mess
with me. Just tell me what she said.”

“She said she
liked you, that you’re a decent guy.”

Justin tried to
hide his disappointment. “That’s all?”

“She also said
she could never get involved with someone who does what you do for
a livin’.”

“Huh.” Justin
didn’t want to reveal too much, but he knew he wasn’t concealing
his displeasure well. He’d come all that way; he may as well ask
the question that had tormented him for weeks. “You think she’s
over that doctor dude?”

Nick grimaced.
“God, I hope so. Just the thought of havin’ that guy for a
brother-in-law gave me a rash.”