I’m wondering if it’s my turn next, but then he starts to walk away, and I let out the breath I was holding.
That’s quickly sucked back in when Carrick stops at the bottom of the stairs and turns around. He strides over to Robbie with angry determination.
I’m frozen in shock, not sure what to do. Neither are any of the guys. And I’m guessing Robbie thinks the same. We’re unsure of what’s going to happen.
When Carrick stops inches from Robbie’s face, fists clenched at his sides, I actually wince, fearing that he’s going to hit Robbie.
Robbie stumbles back a step.
“You’re an annoying little prick, Robbie, and I’m sick of your shit. Pack your crap, and get the fuck out. You’re fired.”
“Wh-what?” Robbie chokes out.
Carrick takes another menacing step forward, leaving no space between them. “Are you deaf as well as stupid? I said, you’re fired, so get the fuck out!” Then, he turns on his heel and storms out of the garage.
There’s a moment of horrified silence.
My wide eyes swing to Robbie, who’s just standing there, looking shocked to hell.
Then, my body springs into action. Jumping from my seat, I sprint across the garage, heading for the stairs. I start quickly climbing them.
“Carrick!” I call out to his back as he nears the top step.
He stops and slowly turns to me.
I take a few more steps up, closing the gap between us. “Please reconsider firing Robbie. He might be a twat at times, but really, that was my fault. Honestly, I started it. I wound him up about something that’s none of my business. I was a bitch, and he was just biting back. If anyone should be fired, it’s me.”
He stares at me for a long moment, his expression tight, brows knitted together.
Then, I see his face relax, something warm passing through his eyes.
He shakes his head. “Robbie berates you in front of everyone. Then, you come running after me to plead his case, and you offer up your own job instead of his?”
I walk up a step. “I never claimed to be bright.” I tip my lips up into a half smile.
A hint of a smile touches his eyes, and then he turns serious again. “He ever talks to you like that again, and he’s gone.”
I blow out a breath. “He won’t. Thank you.”
Our eyes catch and hold, and the air between us suddenly becomes thick and electric.
I see it explode in his eyes at exactly the same time it does in mine—memories of Barcelona. Me in his arms…him inside me.
He takes some steps down, bringing him closer to me. He holds my stare the whole time. My stomach is flipping like an acrobat.
He stops a step away from me.
My heart starts to beat out of my chest.
“I miss you.” His voice is so low, so filled with meaning, that it grabs a tight hold of me.
I part my lips on a breath to speak—
“Carr!”
I blanch at the sound of Sienna’s voice.
Carrick’s eyes lift to the ceiling, and he lets out a sound of annoyance.
The moment is broken.
I take a step down away from him. “I should let you go. And I need to get back and let Robbie know that he still has a job.”
Carrick stares at me for the longest second and then gives a sharp nod. He turns, taking the stairs up two at a time.
“There you are,” Sienna’s voice says. “I was getting lonely without you.”
I stop listening and jog down the rest of the stairs, my heart racing the whole time.
“I miss you.”
When I get back to the garage, Robbie is still there, still looking shell-shocked. A few pairs of eyes lift to me, Robbie’s included.
I walk over to him. “You’re good. You still have your job.”
He blows out a relieved breath. “Shit…thanks, Andi.” He drags a hand through his hair. “Look…I’m real sorry about what I said.”
“Don’t worry about it.” I wave him off. “I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have said what I did about Petra.” I’m going to owe her an apology, too.
“Well, whatever. You saved my arse, so first drink is on me tonight, okay?” He holds his fist out to me.
“Okay,” I say, giving him a fist bump.
The race is fraught with tension for me, especially when Carrick blows a tire and comes into the pit. The guys quickly get it changed and have him back out on the track.
But after that, I can’t take my eyes from the screens. My heart is in my mouth for the rest of the race.
Petra gets a little time off from the kitchen and comes down to watch the race with me. I should take a break, I even need the restroom, but I’m too afraid to move in case anything happens.
Then, I start to feel sick, wishing that I had told Carrick that I miss him, too. Wishing that we were okay, back to how we used to be before Barcelona. Then, all of these terrible scenarios begin to play out in my mind, and in each one of those scenarios, I lose him permanently.
I suddenly feel hot, and the room spins.
“Hey, you okay?” Petra touches my arm.
I turn my face to her.
One look at me, and she’s saying, “Come on. Let’s get you out of here.” Then, she’s leading me out of the garage with her arm threaded through mine.
Instead of taking me to the restroom, she takes me up to Carrick’s private room. Oddly, being surrounded by his stuff, I start to feel a little better.
She sits me down and gets me a drink of water.
“Thanks.” I curl my fingers around the plastic cup and take a sip of the chilled water. “I don’t know what happened. I just felt a bit weird.”