“Is that Holly’s mom? Is she still alive?” I’ve wondered about where her mother is, but I never asked because I figured it wasn’t my business.

“Yes, if you want to call what she does living. She’s a heroine addict. After Grace cheated on me and discovered she’d given me HIV, she couldn’t handle the guilt. She ran off—cut pretty much all contact with Holly and me, except when she’s out of money. That’s when she comes around. When she’s desperate to find a way to get her next fix, she comes home, and I always give in.”

I shake my head. That’s so fucking sad. I know Noel Falcon’s drug use once destroyed Black Falcon. Thank God Riff was able to get through to Noel before he got in too deep and ruined his life.  “Jesus, I’m sorry. Drugs can royally screw a person’s life up. That’s a shame.”

“That’s what Holly used to say, but as she got older the emotion she felt towards her mother went from sympathy to anger. The last few years, every time Grace has come around, Holly chases her away and won’t allow her to speak to me. I was grateful to her, I could never tell Grace, “No”, but Holly is a lot stronger than me. She stands up for what’s right. She’s special.”

The weight of this secret presses down on my heart. How is this fair that I know this about her father and she doesn’t? Bill’s right. Holly is special. I knew it when I first laid eyes on her in the club. She stood out to me against all the other women vying for my attention—and she wasn’t even trying. That easy smile she wore when she hugged Max—the way she cut loose on the floor—I knew I had to have her and I didn’t even care if she was with another guy. That goes against everything I stand for. I hate cheaters. I was screwed over, so I know how bad it sucks. Cheating nearly ruined my life, but none of that even entered my brain because something about Holly drew me in and I was powerless to fight against it.

The inner turmoil must be easy to see on my face. Bill leans forward in his chair and catches my gaze. “Trip, neither of us wants Holly to find out what we’re keeping from her, so the only way I’ll promise to keep your secret is if you keep mine.”

I stare at this selfless man, who loves his daughter so much he’s willing to shield that he’s dying to save her some heartache. My heart cracks at the thought of how painful this must be for him. I don’t want to see Holly or Bill hurting. There has to be something I can do.

“Bill, I’m ready to agree to be your partner in this business, I’ll shake on it right now if you agree to allow me to pay for your doctor visits and medications. I want to keep you here for Holly as long as I can.” I know I can’t make this all go away, but considering the cards that have been dealt before me, it’s the best offer I can come up with. “Please let me do this for you.”

He doesn’t answer right away, just stares at the television absently for a few moments, but then he nods. “Okay. I’d be a fool to turn a deal like that down.”

I give him a small smile and extend my hand to him. “Do we have a deal?”

Bill’s hand meets mine. “We do, partner.”

And just like that I’ve agreed to take on half of the tracks problems in the hopes that someday we’ll be able to turn this place around and actually see a profit.

Tyke is going to ream me out for making such a hasty decision. He won’t understand that this just felt like the right thing to do. I’ve got to go with my gut on this one. I believe I can make a real difference here, so this is where I need to be.

Chapter 9

She Will Be Loved

Holly

I study the way the blue dress hugs my curves in the mirror. This isn’t exactly a “we’re purely platonic” outfit but it’s perfect for torturing Jackson some more. I almost feel bad about playing this game with him now, but when I allow myself to think about him sleeping with other women behind my back it relieves the guilt, and keeps pushing me to act indifferent towards him.

“I love the color of that dress,” Max says as he glances up from a magazine while lying on my bed. “Blue has always been your color. It matches your eyes. But I wish you weren’t wearing it to impress the asshole.”

I smooth the dress down. “Do you think it’s wrong to make someone jealous on purpose?”

“If you’re talking about making Jackson jealous, then you already know my answer. You know how I feel about him.”

I put my hands on my hips. “What if I am? How would that affect your answer?”

Max closes the magazine and tosses it next to him. “That asshole doesn’t deserve any more of your energy. He cheated on you, Holly. Then said he didn’t love you. Don’t let him mess with your head just because you’ve got something going with the new meat in town. Jackson’s fucked with your head long enough. He always strings you along. It’s time to move on, and maybe Trip’s the guy to do that with.”

“I thought you said he’s not the right kind of guy for me? What’s with the sudden change of heart?”

Max throws his legs over the edge of the bed. “I’ve seen you two together. The way both of you look at the other…I don’t know…it’s weird, like you have some sort of connection. I think I was wrong about him. Besides, I don’t care much for Jackson threatening to beat my ass if I didn’t tell him everything I knew about Trip. That jerk is the biggest fucking bully. I can’t understand what you ever saw in him.”

“I’m sorry he did that to you. He can be an asshole sometimes, I know.” I sit next to Max, my heart feeling heavy that I’ve been keeping things from him about Trip. “If I tell you something, promise not to yell at me?”

He tilts his head. “When have I ever yelled at you?”

I laugh. “Okay, maybe you don’t yell, but you certainly like to try and change my mind when you think I’m doing something bad.”

“I only do that because I love you, Holl. And, yes, I firmly believe if you would take my advice more often where men are concerned you’d be happier.”

I sigh. “I know, which is why I need your advice now.”

Max twists his lips. “I’m all ears.”

I clutch my hands together in my lap. “Trip and I aren’t actually dating.”

His brow furrows. “What do you mean? You told me last week Jackson and Trip got into it because Jackson is jealous you’re dating Trip. I don’t understand.”

I take a deep breath. “I know that’s what I said, but the truth is, we’ve sort of been pretending to be an item.”

Max leans his head back and groans. “Oh no. Tell me you didn’t rope Trip into making Jackson jealous.”

I grimace. “It was his idea.”

“And you thought it was a good one? When did you make this little deal?”

“The day after we met him at the bar.”

“So after you kissed him?”

I nod. “Yes.” Max laughs and I smack his leg. “Why is that so funny?”

“You honestly think you two can pretend to like each other without real emotions getting involved?” I open my mouth to answer, but he cuts me off. “I saw you two at the bar, remember. That’s attraction, babe, and you can only fight that for so long. This is going to blow up in your face.”

“So you think what Trip and I are doing is a mistake?”

He shakes his head. “No. I think trying to win Jackson back is a mistake. Trip seems to be really into you. I’d rather you see where that leads.”

“Where is this coming from? Aren’t you the one who warned me off of him a couple weeks ago?”

“I was, but that was before I saw the two of you together.”

“Even if I think I might have feelings for Trip, he’s leaving, so they won’t matter. I don’t want to develop feelings for a guy that’s not even going to stick around.”

“You don’t know that. He might be willing to leave everything behind to move out here if things work out.”

“That’s crazy talk, Max. I only know the very basics about him. I know he’s from Kentucky, has a twin brother, and his parents are still married. Other than that, I don’t know a thing about him. I don’t even know if he has a real job.”

“Well, why don’t you ask him?”

“You think it’s that simple?”

“Yes. Yes, I do. Trip should be the one you’re going out on a date with tonight, not Jackson. You like him. Admit it and get to know him.”

“I told you, this isn’t a date with Jackson. He has a way to help the track, so this is a business dinner.”

Max rubs his chin. “Then why didn’t he tell you to bring your dad along?”

I have no answer to that, really. That’s a great question. “I don’t know. Maybe he feels more comfortable just talking to me about it first?”

He raises his eyebrow. “He’s known your dad just as long as he’s been coming to this track. Face it. Jackson is a spoiled toddler who doesn’t like to share his toys. If he really loved you, Holly, it wouldn’t take another man showing an interest in you to make him remember that. People want what they can’t have. It’d be smart of you to remember that.”

What he says makes perfect sense, yet the curiosity to see how Jackson thinks we can save the track wins out. “You’re probably right, but I still need to go.”

Max reaches over and holds my hand in his lap. “Just be careful, would you? I don’t want to get my ass kicked when I try and go beat those two jerks up over hurting you. Believe it or not, I’m delicate.”

I laugh and pat his hand. “You’re such a good friend.”

He grins. “That’s what a best friend is for.”

 After I double check myself in the mirror, Max and I head downstairs. The heavenly aroma of sizzling steak fills the lower level of the house. Dad is fast asleep, curled up under a blanket in his recliner while Trip is busy in the kitchen, cooking. I study my father, he looks so much older than he did even five years ago. It makes me sad he doesn’t take better care of himself. He’s all I have left and I wish he would at least make an effort to get well for me.