“No…well…” he stammered.
“Is he alright?”
Russell's gaze snapped to hers. “Why wouldn't he be?”
The bands around her insides loosened and her shoulders relaxed a fraction. “No reason,” she waved away her concerns. “Go on.”
“I thought you should know… people are talkin'…sayin' things…”
“Such as?”
Every moment he hesitated, Caro imagined another possible horrific scenario. “Just spit it out, Russell. Whatever it is.”
“Some of the guys went out for a drink after the race. They heard some people talkin' about you. And Dell.”
Caro clenched her fists in her lap. Seriously? Was she going to have to get a pair of pliers and yank the story out of him? “What did they say?”
“That you and Dell…were, you know…”
“They think I'm sleeping with Dell.”
“Yeah, that's the story goin' around.” Russell sat up, squaring his shoulders. “You're both adults, and what you do ain't none of our business, unless it reflects on Hawkins Racing. As long as you're runnin' the team, people are gonna to talk. Your daddy was right. This ain't any place for a woman.”
His words stung, and Caro sat for a moment, unable to take it all in. She matched Russell's firm posture and looked him in the eye. “You're right about one thing, Russell. My personal life isn't anyone's business. As for this not being my place, well, I don't care what anyone thinks. I own Hawkins Racing, and I intend to run it.” Russell squirmed under her counter-attack. Caro continued. “If you or anyone else in the garage doesn't want to work for a woman, then you're free to go. Good luck finding another place in the middle of the season.”
Her take-no-prisoners attitude took some air out of Russell's tires. “No, no.” He slapped his hands on his knees. “The crew ain't going anywhere. We all believe in Hawkins Racing.” Caro would have smiled at how fast he shifted into reverse if she hadn't been so angry.
“Then why bring it up? What's this really about?”
“I think you should sell.”
“To who?” she asked.
“I hear Renfro might make you a good offer. Your daddy was friends with Butch Renfro. He'd approve if you were to sell.”
The band around her stomach tightened again. So, the old boys network was trying to force her out, and using her own crew to do it. “And how do you know this?” she asked.
“Well, he told me.”
“He told you,” Caro enunciated each word as she let the knowledge settle in. “When?”
“'Bout the time you took Dell on, I guess.”
“So why did you wait until now, and more important, why didn't Butch come to me with the offer?”
Russell squirmed again. Caro sighed. His body language answered for him. “He told you to wait, didn't he? He told you to wait, to see how we did. What was it? Owner points? Driver points? Wins?”
“Owner points. Look, Carolina. Butch is only doin' what he knows your daddy wanted. This is no – “
“Place for a woman. Yeah, I've heard it before.” Caro leaned back in her chair and tried to look calm while she seethed inside. “You can tell Butch Renfro Hawkins Racing isn't for sale, and I'm going to act like this conversation never took place.” Instead of falling apart like she wanted to, Caro sucked up all her courage and issued orders. There'd be plenty of time to hit the wall later.
“We only have a few days to build a car for Darlington. Use the frame from the Bristol car and the short track engine we tested at Las Vegas. I have some changes I want to make to the engine and the trim. Get the crew started. I'll consult with the engineers about the changes while you get started on the teardown. Oh, and salvage what you can from the Las Vegas engine. We'll rebuild it and use it in Charlotte. We've got the All-Star week coming up. We'll need everything we've got to get through it.”
As soon as Russell was out of her office, Caro crossed her arms on her desk and dropped her forehead on top. She took a couple of deep breaths and refused to give in to the panic threatening to take her under. Doubts crept in. Maybe she wasn't ready to run the business. Maybe her father had been right all along. Another deep breath. She sat up and looked around the office. Her office. Her business.
So, things weren't going as smoothly as she hoped. As far as she was concerned, the race was far from being over, and as long as she kept a car on the track, there was a chance of a decent finish, if not a win.
Pain throbbed behind her temples. Caro yanked the elastic band loose that was wrapped around her high ponytail. Her hair tumbled to her shoulders. She shook it out, smoothed it back and secured it at the neck. She found a couple of aspirin and washed them down with cold coffee.