He turns toward the door, but I beat him to it, pressing my back against the cool metal surface. “You want to try that again?” I say, all of the worry and lack of sleep surfacing in the venom in my voice. “Who are you and what is the meeting about? I can probably settle this for you.”
“I am Mark Durant, an investor,” he says condescendingly. He presses his lips together but doesn’t try to move me away from the door. “Jim was seeking a half-a-million-dollar investment to open a second motocross track in Dallas. He assured me that our meeting today would show me exactly how successful he is in this business, but he’s ignored all of my phone calls and doesn’t even seem to be here, so I really have to question the integrity of the man who’s asking for my money.”
I take my time drinking another sip of coffee, but really I’m letting all of this information sink in. Dad was hoping to open a new track a few hours away? He hadn’t told me anything about it. Mark clears his throat impatiently, and I step aside. Something in the way he looks at me like I’m some kind of idiot doesn’t sit well with me.
I mock him and clear my throat as well. “Sorry you had to come all this way, Mr. Durant, but we won’t be needing your investment. We’re going another way.”
“Another way?” he scoffs. “Who the hell would invest in a chunk of dirt with a guy you can’t get a hold of who has no credit score because he claims he doesn’t believe in credit?”
Anger boils inside of me, reaching a tipping point in the form of full bitch mode. “Sorry not everyone is a slave to high interest credit cards,” I seethe, using words I’d heard my dad say about debt before.
“Whoa now, little girl,” the man says, holding up his hands in a joking surrender. “This is an adult matter, so you don’t need to get all upset over things you don’t understand.”
Dorothy steps forward and says my name, but I ignore her. “Jim is in the ICU fighting for his life right now, you dumbass. Had I known about the meeting I would have cancelled it, but I didn’t because we’ve all been busy keeping this place running. You know who would invest in a chunk of dirt with Jim Fisher?” I ask, standing to my full height. “Someone who wants to make a lot of money.”
I throw open the door. “Too bad that’s not going to be you. Now get the hell off my property.”
He leaves, and I slam the door behind him, then I sink to my knees on the cold floor. All the stress of this week and time at the hospital, and I hadn’t cried, but now it’s about all I can do. Exhaustion overtakes me, and my head feels swollen from all the tears. Dorothy pats my back, bending down as far as her old bones will let her.
“Honey, you need to go home and get some sleep.”
I shake my head. “Why would Dad want an investor? I didn’t even know he was thinking of opening a new track. Do you think he’s out of money?”
Dorothy shakes her head. “No, honey. Your father is very good with money. People get investors for all kinds of reasons. But I think you made the right call with that one. He was a bad seed.”
“More like an asshole,” I mutter.
“You need to go home and get some sleep,” she says, her hand on my shoulder.
“I can’t. The races are tomorrow and everyone is showing up today. There’s still people to register and—”
“I’ve been registering racers since you were a baby, Hana.” Dorothy chuckles. “I’ll handle it for now. You get some sleep and come back this afternoon. That’s an order.”
I push up to my feet and nod. It’s only seven-thirty in the morning. A few hours of sleep wouldn’t hurt. Unlike the last few nights that I have sat up worrying about the track and Dad and Ash, I think I’ll actually be able to fall asleep without a problem now. My body has finally become so exhausted that nothing can keep it awake any longer.
Before I leave, I turn back to Dorothy, who has already started making copies on the copier.
“I’m sorry you’re stuck doing all of this without me or Dad to help,” I say, just as a yawn overtakes me. “I promise I’ll make this up to you.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” Dorothy says as her gaze softens. “The motocross family sticks together no matter what.”
*
Waking up in the afternoon always feels wrong. Like I’ve fallen asleep in the real world and awoken on some strange foreign land, where morning is when the sun is starting to droop over the horizon. My thoughts are heavy and my chest still aches when I roll over in bed and remember back to last night and this morning. This has been a terrible two weeks, and tomorrow is the biggest business day of the year for Mixon Motocross Park. Although our staff most likely has everything under control, it still feels like it’s all up to me to make sure everything works out.
Tears spring to my eyes, and I immediately wish I were at the hospital with Dad instead of at home trying to run things like it’s a normal day. Staying home and working feels like a daughter’s betrayal of her father, but at the same time, being at work seems like something Dad would want me to do. He’d prefer me to be here, helping the track, right? Not stuck at the hospital fussing over him when that’s what the nurses and doctors are for.
Still, it doesn’t feel exactly right. In bed, I close my eyes and stretch my arms up over my head. Everything hurts. Sleep has only cured the exhausted parts of me, leaving all of the broken part
s still aching for relief.
I am worried about Dad.
I miss Ash.
When I check my phone, I see two missed calls from Shelby and then a text from her.
Dorothy said she sent you home to sleep. Don’t worry about us, we’re keeping the track afloat and I’ve already signed in three extremely hot guys. Don’t tell Jake.