Victory Lane (Shady Falls #1) (6 page)

“Guys, this is Toni Rizzo. She comes to us from NPCT. This is the intern we talked about a couple weeks ago.” He turned to me and smiled. Loud enough for everyone to hear he continued, “Toni, these guys have seen all of the information we received on you. We watched your competition and your subsequent win last semester. We were all impressed with your knowledge and leadership skills in the garage and in the pit. These guys also all know my dad and his impossible standards. Many of ‘em worked with my father and others went through the same program you’ve gone through so they know what it means to impress the likes of Roger Redding.” He turned back toward the room. “Alright guys, let’s get our shit together and get these cars ready to race. We have time trials in Daytona in two weeks. Toni’s just gonna jump right in on car number two.” All of the guys nodded and set off to leave their seats. They all nodded at me as they passed.

“What does that mean? ‘Jump right in on car number two’?”

“It means,” Kyle grinned, “we’re focusing on two cars for Daytona. We’re gonna to take two cars to time trials in Daytona this year, and you’re workin’ on car number two.”

“I’m helpin’ on a car that could race at Daytona?” I asked shocked. My heart pounded so hard in my chest, I was sure it was going to break my ribs from the inside.

He placed his hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes. “Look Toni, I feel you can handle this. If I didn’t, believe me, you’d be fetchin’ my coffee by now. But you have this. Right now, you need to go back up and see Margie. She’ll help you get all of your paperwork together. Then return to the garage and we’ll get under way. Don’t worry; this is a good crew of guys. They’ll be fine.”

I took in a deep breath; here was where my biggest fear would come in. I let out a long sigh and made my question come out in a whisper, “What if these guys can’t handle working with a woman?”

“The guys I chose for you to work with will be fine. And believe me, if they ain’t, I’ll know it. Don’t worry.”

He said not to worry, but it was all I could do. I worried about proving myself. I worried about not being up to the challenge. I worried about making a fool of myself. And right now I worried I wouldn’t be able to find the lobby and Margie again.

Chapter Three

Toni

After I, basically, signed my life away and agreed to give them my first born if I divulge any team secrets, I returned to the garage where Kyle and about ten other guys stood around two identical cars. They were all talking but when I approached, they stopped and looked at me. Kyle had a shit-eating grin on his face—it kind of scared me. I needed to learn his facial expressions. His goofy grin terrified me because when Cade or Jake had that expression, they had something up their sleeve and I usually didn’t like it.

Cautiously I approached the group of men and looked at Kyle curiously. His grin widened when he saw the trepidation in my step. “Hey Toni. So here’s what we’ve got goin’ on. I decided I wanna see what you can do and what you can handle, so I’ve decided to throw you in the mix right away. These guys here are gonna be split between the two of us. Five on my team and five on yours.”

I looked at him and furrowed my brow. “Team? What are you talking about?”

“Glad you asked. See we need to have these two cars ready for testin’ in Daytona by the middle of next week. They’ll be shipped out to Florida next Wednesday, which gives us eight days to have these cars track ready for shippin’.”

Okay, I focused my attention on the car. Track ready in eight days. Seemed easy enough. But then the word team reentered my thoughts, I looked to Kyle for more information. His smile widened when he met my eyes. “I’ve decided to make this a little competition. Your team against mine.”

“What?” I exclaimed. “
My team?
You want me to lead one of the teams? You can’t possibly expect me to compete with you. You’re one of the best crew chiefs ever. How can I compete?”

“I wanna see how you handle stress. I wanna see how you perform when pushed to the limit. So what do ya say? A competition, your team against mine.”

“But, I’ve never …”

“Relax, Toni. You’ll be workin’ with Kevin Dunn, our car chief. Kev and I usually do separate and work on two different cars to get ‘em ready.”

“I can’t lead the
car chief
,” I insisted.

“Yes, you can,” Kyle asserted. “Kev’s ready to step back and see what you can do. But he’ll be there to guide you if you need it. Now, what do you say? You up for the challenge?”

The way he talked and acted made it seem like there would be something wagered in this competition. A gamble scared me even more. “And is there a wager here? I’m just a student Kyle, I don’t have money,” I said.
I can’t handle this. How am I supposed to compete against someone like Kyle Redding? I can’t do this.
I could feel myself starting to hyperventilate, the breaths were coming fast and unsteady. My hands were shaking and my stomach rolled. I was going to be sick.

Kyle laughed. “No money, Toni. First off, the winner’s car runs the first race of the season at Daytona. Second, winner gets braggin’ rights. And third,” he paused and smirked, “well that’s complicated.”

“Complicated? I don’t think I like complicated,” I mumbled loud enough for Kyle and the others to hear. Kyle’s grin widened at my complaint.
I don’t think I like this at all. I don’t think I can handle this anymore. Is he serious? How can he expect me to perform at this level on the first day, or in the first week?

“Yeah, complicated because really it’s a win-win for me. See if I win, you’ll work this entire season as my apprentice. You’ll promise to give your time to this team, traveling and working for the entire season. The catch is; you’ll do it just like right now, no pay. You’ll be my intern for the entire season instead of just a couple months.”

It was a win-win for him? Yeah, I guess, but it was a dream come true for me. I’d be part of the team, working and traveling with the team. It was exactly what I’d always wanted. The no-money part wasn’t ideal, but I could pick up time at the bar and at least have some spending money when we’re here. “And if I win?” I asked cautiously.

He smiled hugely. “If you win, you have a permanent position on this team with an immediate contract. Equal to any of the other guys who’ve proven themselves worthy to be here. Equal pay, benefits, everything and you’ll start being paid immediately. No waiting until your internship is finished. So, what do you say?”

I was sure I was dreaming. I was being given the biggest opportunity of my life. Everything I’ve ever wanted, ever worked for, was being set before me and all I had to do was rise to the challenge. But what if I couldn’t handle it. I thought about everything I’d been through, everything I’ve endured to get to this place. A couple years ago, I didn’t know if I would ever reach my dreams. Hell, yesterday I wasn’t sure I would even be here. But there I was and no matter what, my dreams of working in this place were coming true. I just had to be brave enough to take it.

Sticking his hand out toward me, Kyle smiled and asked, “Do we have a deal?”

Grabbing his hand in return, I shook it and nodded my head. “Yeah, we have a deal.”

~oOo~

The next week proved to be the most fun, but gave me the most stress I’d ever felt in my life. The team I worked with were some of the most talented mechanics I’d ever met. Even though every one of these guys had years more experience, they allowed me to listen to my gut and they did everything I asked them to do. A couple of the guys gave me questioning looks when I asked them to do something unorthodox, but they still followed my direction without question. Throughout the week, I managed to earn their trust and their respect. My unorthodox methods worked for the car and they worked for me.

“Where’d you come up with your method for makin’ the adjustments on the chassis? I’ve never seen it done that way before,” Kevin asked. Kevin was one of the older crew members in the garage. He had kind dark brown eyes with smile lines stretching from each. His timeworn reddish-brown skin was wrinkled, showing his years of experience. Kevin was the second in command on the number fifty-five team. As the car chief, Kevin was in charge of helping Kyle figure out the setup for the cars and then overseeing the work being done.

“Well, I found the regular way of doing the adjustment was too hard for me. I had to be able to do the job, so I began to find my own ways of doing some things.”

“Very impressive, Toni. I must admit, I was skeptical about a woman bein’ here. But I must say—you’ve won me over. I think our car has just as much a chance at Daytona as Ky’s,” Kevin said approvingly. His opinion was incredibly important to me and I knew Kyle put him with me because his analysis of my work would be vital to the turnout of this challenge.

A smile spread across my face. “Thanks, Kevin. I’m glad to be here and I appreciate your help and guidance this week. It’s been quite the learning experience.”

He laughed as he said, “I hope all the swearin’ and sex talk don’t bother ya much. They’ve toned down, ya know.”

Laughing too, I shook my head. “No, no bother there. I grew up in a garage with a bunch of grease monkeys. Y’all didn’t say anything I’ve never heard before.”

Kevin laughed. “Good, ‘cus I don’t reckon we’ll be gettin’ anyone to change their ways too quickly.”

“Don’t look at me like a girl. I’m just another team member, like y’all.”

Patting me on the top of my head, Kevin headed through the shop and down to where the locker rooms were located. I watched him go, feeling like I just leaped a huge hurdle. I managed to impress one of the best mechanics in the shop. If I had Kevin and Kyle’s approvals, I was doing well.

The rest of the guys followed Kevin; they all gave me words of praise and encouragement as they went. I guessed since Kevin remarked on how I was doing, they all decided to follow suit. It made me feel good to earn their respect.

Instead of heading to the locker room so I could get ready to leave, I decided to spend a little more time tweaking a few things on the engine. It was running well for the most part, but I noticed a slight stutter on acceleration that I wanted to fix before tomorrow. It only took days before I started to enjoy staying around at nights by myself. I found it was easier to think and focus on the car when all of the normal noise and commotion of the garage was gone. Leaning under the hood of the car with my earbuds securely in my ears, I continued to work.

I had no idea how much time had passed when I felt a tap to my shoulder, surprising me out of my concentration. I thought I was the last one there tonight. Startled, I pulled the earbuds out of my ears and whipped around to see who was behind me. As
Seize the Day
by Avenged Sevenfold continued to blare from the tiny speakers, I was shocked speechless. I didn’t expect anyone to be here. Kyle went home a while ago with Margie, and the rest of the guys dispersed about the same time.

Julius Fuller stood in front of me in all of his gorgeous glory. His dark hair was on the long side, shaggy with wisps of curls that I wanted to touch. I hadn’t had this kind of reaction to a man ever. His sun-kissed face was covered in several days of dark stubble making him that much more attractive. He was the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen. I stood there wide-eyed and just stared at him without a word. What do you say when your celebrity dream boyfriend was standing in front of you in real life? It had been a full week and I had yet to meet him or even see him in the shop. He probably had no idea who I was.

He frowned at me when I didn’t say anything at all. “What are you doin’ here under the hood of my car?” he growled.

The tone and deep timber of his voice surprised me. I didn’t expect him to be so big and so intimidating. Most drivers were not exceptionally large, my height or a little taller at best. But Julius Fuller was huge in comparison, at least seven or eight inches taller than I was. His broad, muscular shoulders and height seemed to take up a lot of space in the huge garage. His frustrated scowl and deep brown eyes seemed to bore into me as he stood there waiting for me to speak.

Why haven’t I spoken yet? Land sakes, what’s my problem?

“Do you speak?” he rumbled, annoyance flowing through his every word. He looked at me angrily, I hated being on the receiving side of anyone’s irritation. I felt myself cowering away from him, the old fears just below the surface. I looked down at my feet.

“Um … Yeah, sorry. I’m Toni Rizzo. I’m an intern from NPCT workin’ with Kyle Redding,” I said meekly. I paused and looked up at him through my lashes, then continued when he just stared down at me as if I was a science experiment gone wrong. “I’m … um … I’m a … mechanical engineer. Kyle challenged me to get one of the cars ready for testin’ in Daytona. It needs to be ready for shippin’ for tomorrow. There was a stutter on acceleration I needed to fix. Then I started tinkerin’ with a few other things. And–”

“Alright, I get it,” he growled. “Since when is there a woman workin’ in
my
shop?”

“I … um … I got here last Tuesday,” my voice a little less secure and more worried now. I kept tripping over my words.
He didn’t know about the woman in his pit crew? What does that mean for me?

Leaning in and looking under the hood of the car, he eyed me cautiously. “You’re a student at NPCT? You’re the Tony that Ky and Kev told me about? Tony is a guy’s name. You’re no guy.”

Thanks for noticing.
I almost rolled my eyes, but I stopped myself.
“Um … Well … My name’s Antonia actually, but everyone calls me Toni. And it’s Toni with an ‘i’ not a ‘y’. I’m definitely not a guy, no. And yes, I’m a student at NPCT.”

Julius Fuller stood there and kept his dark brown eyes on me while he seemed to think about the situation. He was ridiculously handsome and his deep brown eyes drew me in—I’d always had a thing for brown eyes. Standing there in a tight cotton t-shirt and jeans, the hint of a tattoo peaking just below the sleeve on his arm, he was every woman’s dream. His olive complexion and strong square jaw made him look intimidating. His physique was perfect, he looked like an Adonis wrapped in denim and cotton. He was definitely the most handsome man I’d ever seen up close. I couldn’t control the visceral reaction my mind and body were having over seeing him standing in front of me. For the first time in years I felt the long forgotten fluttering that once accompanied the feeling of attraction. I wanted to run from the building, hide in a corner and never come out. I knew Julius Fuller was a handsome man, but this guy, this
man
was beyond what any picture or television could give justice. I sucked in breath after breath trying to calm my erratic heartbeat. But then his next words brought my world crashing down around me. 

“I thought I was on a championship team. Since when do I get the bottom of the barrel for crew members?” he seemed to say more to himself than to me. But his words took me from attraction and star struck to pissed off in a heartbeat. How dare he assume I’m
‘bottom of the barrel’
just because I’m a woman!

Steeling my eyes at his arrogance, I stood up straight and looked him dead in the eye. I was pissed, and I was going to make sure he knew it.

“For your information, Mr. Fuller, I’m not ‘
bottom of the barrel’.
In fact, I’m the best damn engineer in my class. I’ve been workin’ on cars since I was ten years old and I earned my way into the pit crew program and then as intern for Kyle because I am goddamn freakin’ good at what I do.” Pushing past him and moving to the front of the car, I closed the hood and turned to look at him one more time. “If you’ll excuse me.” I moved around the car and walked toward the locker rooms so I could shower, change and go the hell home. I might even go to the gym first to work off some of this anger before going to bed. But before I got too far, Fuller called out to me.