Page 39 of Wrecking Boundaries (SteelTrack Racing #2)

“Oh.” I jump at Lily’s presence for no good reason. “I expected to be alone.”

I snuck through the back door and tip-toed to the workroom, thinking it would keep me occupied and allow me to go undiscovered.

“I work mornings,” she says flatly.

Lily often states things as known facts, making others feel guilty for not knowing. It’s a strange habit, to be sure, but I’ve since learned there’s no condemnation on her part. She’s a shy young girl with more than her fair share of social awkwardness.

“I forgot. It’s been a busy couple of days for me.” Sadly, most of that time was spent wrapped in blankets like a burrito and feeling sorry for myself. Now, I’m taking Jake’s advice: take the needed break and then finish out after.

“Are you quitting?”

“Yes, I am. There are only a few tasks to finish.”

It might seem like a hasty decision, but it was the correct one. I’ll miss Boone and Maddie more than I can describe. Julian and the rest of the crew have all been great friends.

For all that, a big part of me hasn’t enjoyed it in a long time. I thought it was NASCAR and all motorsports, but that was wrong.

“I’ll miss you,” she says, surprising me. “You’re the only person who talks to me. ”

I want to protest before realizing she’s correct. “Julian does. Aren’t you two friends?”

“Julian is nice to me because he’s nice to everyone. That doesn’t mean I’m his friend.”

I don’t argue because she’s correct about that, too. “Do you want this internship?”

“My father does,” she says, and her phone alarm goes off. “I have to go.”

∞∞∞

My office is now barren and sterile. All my plants are gone, and the walls are empty. Devoid of all their pictures, the eggshell white is dingy.

Lily may not be enthused about the internship, but she’s kept her promise with the museum work. A few sponsors call me out of habit. I’ll need to turn them over to marketing; otherwise, there isn’t anything else for me to do.

I owe Rivers Motorsports the rest of my two weeks’ notice, and I have nothing else to do. I’m also eager to get on with my next adventure. We meet with Top Row in less than two days.

“Sarah?”

“Maddie?”

“I didn’t know you were here.”

“I’m finishing up a few things.” I glance down at my barren desk. “They’re mostly finished.”

Maddie is in my office, and she didn’t expect me to be there. What does that mean?

She grabs at the fabric of her skirt. One foot wobbles, trying to decide whether to leave or continue entering my office .

This is miserable. Apologies may be necessary, but they’re still awful. She’s owed one; that’s not the problem. It’s that I’d prefer all of this was forgotten, like it never happened. Her features, and probably mine, tell me that isn’t possible.

I was a lousy friend, and I’m the one who needs to fix it.

“Lily asked to finish the museum work. You’ll want to check on her; otherwise, she’ll be fine.” She’s also lonely and uncomfortable. Lily never outright said so, but the fact that she only told me after she confirmed I was leaving made it clear. She doesn’t want to share because she isn’t comfortable with anyone else. “I like her.” The statement surprises me a little, especially after finding her so off-putting. It’s also true.

“I’ll take care of her.” Maddie smoothes the wrinkles out of her cotton dress. “Where will you be going next?” she asks, and I hear her question for the goodbye it is.

“New project with Jake. We launch this weekend,” I say, but she doesn’t respond. Here it goes. My churning stomach would prefer I run away, but screw that. If I can tell off the stupid toad Joey Fisher, then I can give a deserved apology to my best friend. “I’m sorry for what I said. It wasn’t fair or accurate, and you didn’t deserve to be spoken to like that.”

Her head tilts, and she returns to pulling at her dress skirt. “You were hurting. Sometimes, lashing out protects us, even if it’s not always useful. I can understand that.”

“Then you forgive me?” I cross my fingers like I did as a little girl. Back then, I also would have included several pretty pleases in a saccharine, high-pitched voice. It worked, but that was a long time ago.

“I’m not holding a grudge, Sarah. You’re my best friend. We won’t end it because of one silly incident.”

Relief floods me. “It was silly.” Except for my argument with Boone, but I have enough wisdom to keep that opinion to myself. If he refuses to listen, there’s nothing else for me to say.

“The stupidest,” she agrees. “I’m glad you’re here. I worried after that last day that you wouldn’t return.”

“Jake suggested taking a day or two for myself.”

Maddie’s eyes glide past my shoulder. “Did he? Wise man.” She smoothes her skirt again, though the wrinkles don’t disappear. “Everyone here is going to miss you. This place already feels emptier.”

“You could hire a replacement.”

She snorts, “I wasn’t talking about the job. Is there any chance you’ll change your mind?” Her hopeful smile changes into an exaggerated frown at my shaking head.

“We’ll still see each other, you know,” I say, trying to be helpful. Her expression tells me it isn’t working. “I’ll be at all the races. We also aren’t moving far, so we can still visit.”

“You’re moving?!?”

Oops. “I should have told you earlier. We need to be closer to Top Row . They’ll be helping make our cars and engines next season.”

“We could do that,” she protests. “Please don’t leave.”

No, we can’t, not as long as Boone decides. Her phone rings, sparing me the need to tell her.

“I already did,” she says into the phone, glancing at me.

I can make out Boone’s voice, although not the words.

“Yes, we can. Did you yell?” She glances at me with an enigmatic smile. “You were good? Okay, give us a minute.” Maddie beams at me. She bounces with energy. “I have something for you.”

Oh, no. “If this is a surprise going away party, please don’t.”

“It’s better. Way better, I promise.” She grabs my arm and pulls me into the hallway. “It’s in the conference room. ”

I blindly follow and blink several times when we enter. “Jake?” I don’t understand.

He leans against the far wall, one foot propped against it, and smiles wide at our entrance.

Boone sits in a chair, watching us, and he isn’t smiling—he never does.

“What’s going on?”

Please tell me because this doesn’t look like a surprise party.