Wrecked (Dirty Air 3)

I swallow back the lump in my throat as I turn my head away from her. “No. My parents passed away when I was younger.”

“Oh, dear. I’m so sorry to hear that. Jax never told me.” Her shaky hand clutches onto mine in a motherly way.

“He doesn’t know. It’s not a fact I share with many people.”

“I appreciate you trusting me, especially when pain has a way of making us retreat into ourselves.”

We sit and people watch for a few minutes. I don’t know what to say, and Vera’s silence tells me she might not either.

Vera laughs to herself. “You know, my parents are total arseholes. To be honest, my whole family is a rotten bunch.”

I turn my head toward her. “What happened?”

“They threatened to cut me off from the family once I started dating Jax’s father. At first, they thought I was rebelling, choosing to date a Black man from a poor family. My mum’s British and my dad’s Swedish, as if that can justify their mentality. Once things became more serious with me and Zack, they couldn’t handle their daughter not dating a white man. It went against everything their racist hearts believed in.”

“Really? So, what did you do?”

“I told my sisters to keep in touch with me before telling my parents to rot in hell.”

“No.” I cover my mouth.

“With my middle fingers in the air, too, I should add.” She winks at me.

A giggle explodes out of me. “You’re iconic.”

“Like vintage Chanel, darling.”

“How do you keep this positive? Tell me your secret.”

“Rather than what? Wallow in my diagnosis and hate my life?”

“Whoa, I

didn’t mean it that way. Please don’t take offense.” I lift my hands in submission.

“I know, I’m only teasing you.” She knocks her shoulder into mine. “I’ve always been this way. Mind over matter is my way of life. I can’t change the cards I’ve been dealt, but I can change the way I approach my hand.”

Okay, Jax’s mom used a poker reference. She instantly gains cool points in my eyes. “That’s admirable.”

“I wish parts of me rubbed off on my son.” Vera’s lips press together in a thin line. “He’s changed along with my lifestyle, and it breaks my heart. I keep extra positive for him because I don’t think he could handle it any other way.”

“I don’t think he could either.” Based on the way Jax handles everything with his mom now, I can’t imagine what it would be like for him if she revealed how much she suffers privately.

“He’s such a fragile person, despite the front he puts on. That boy is all marshmallow fluff on the inside no matter what the media says about him. But he’s changed for the better over the past few weeks. He’s less agitated when I call him, and of course we all know he’s not getting into much trouble this season—if any. Thanks to you, I reckon.”

I smile at her. “It’s my job.”

She shakes her head from side to side. “It’s more than that. A job makes it sound much less significant than it is.”

My eyebrows raise. “What do you mean by that?”

“It was destiny for you to work with him. People are put into our lives for special reasons, and I think you need to explore that.”

I keep quiet as I think of what she said.

Vera’s shaky hands clasp together. “All I want is for my son to be happy. Truly, deeply happy. More than what he feels when he races. I want him to heal and grow, and you are part of that equation.”

What does someone say to that? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.