Pete kept a fulminating silence after that. Paul glanced at him and then I think I saw him smile to himself. Which I wondered about…
Steve was hosting a Thrills and Spills special on the stage of the Oval and Extreme Motorsport hall of the Autosport International show. He was going to have us all up in batches to review the year’s documentary with us. First up was Tyler and Horrocks, myself and Quinn.
He asked us our plans for the following year.
“So Tyler, normally the Gold roof flits around between the top drivers, because there’s a big element of chance left in the final, but you’ve been dominating this position for several years now, are you going for it again, or are you getting bored?”
Tyler seemed slightly thrown off balance by the way the question was put. “Well if I was going to stop, I should have done it last year and saved my marriage,” he replied aggressively. “Now I’ve got no reason to go home at night, I might as well make the most of it, and go for a few other titles as well.”
“Are you tempted by the F1s?” Steve asked.
“Tempted,” Tyler agreed warily. “But this wouldn’t be the year to make the move, divorces are an expensive business.”
“Ok, Horrocks,” Steve re-directed the attention. “You gained the Silver roof as National Points Champion for the first time this year, which is a big achievement, especially knowing what problems you too have been facing at home. What are your plans for next year?”
Horrocks looked a bit downbeat. “Well my son Harry will be having one or more heart operations this year, so I might just have to resign myself to losing the Silver roof and just be content with racing occasionally for fun this year. It doesn’t mean that I won’t be back as a contender sometime in the future, but my family will have to come first this year.”
“So over to the young ones,” Steve smiled at myself and Quinn. “You’ve both had an eventful and seemingly quite stressful time of it, if what we’ve seen on our TV screens has been anything to go by. What are your plans for the future? Eve – you have been like a shooting star up the points table and have already nabbed a major title, have you enjoyed your year, and what are you planning for the coming season?”
“It’s been fantastic,” I said enthusiastically. “This year I plan to set up my own business with Jo Satterthwaite, looking after new drivers’ Stock cars. One day I hope to get into designing and making them too, but that will be in the future. I’ve written a business plan and gone to a bank with it, and so it’s well on the way. So you might as well all start talking to me,” I said in a rather challenging way out into the audience. “Because I’m not going away, and I’m going to be wandering round the pits learning everything I can off you, so you might as well get used to it!”
Steve raised his eyebrows at the audience. “Fighting talk there! All very positive from Eve! So Adam Quinn, how about you? And before you start, I believe we must mention that you’ve brought along a little something that has proved very popular with our female Thrills and Spills viewers.”
“Ooo, spare my blushes,” Quinn camped it up and everyone laughed.
“I meant your teddy bear Dubetskoi,” Steve corrected him in severe tones.
“Oh, how disappointing!” Quinn pouted. He pulled Dubetskoi out from under his leather jacket and had him wave a paw to the audience.
“Quinn will be standing in F2 section of the hall from two pm for half an hour, raising money for the the BriSCA F2 Drivers Benevolent Fund. A quid to the fund to have your photo taken with Adam and Dubetskoi – a great present to the kids. So Quinn, your plans for the year?”
Quinn spread his hands. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the year, but I haven’t done as well as McGinty here and maybe it doesn’t seem worth continuing. Rob won’t be able to support me next year because his F1 commitments clash with my own. And he’s been brilliant setting me off in it, but now I need to decide whether I recruit my own team of mechanics to support me, or give up driving myself and become one of Rob’s team instead.”
“What do you think of that, Eve?” Steve asked me.
“I’m gutted,” I declared. “I had no idea you were thinking of giving up,” I directed at Quinn.
“I’m not as competitive as you, McGinty,” Quinn’s green eyes beamed a level of apology at me, as though he felt he was letting me down. “You predicted I wouldn’t be able to keep up the pace because I wouldn’t be motivated enough, and you were right.”
“I’m always right,” I said in a tone that made the audience laugh. I sighed in a bit of a pantomime exaggeration. “So who am I going to have to fight it out with now?” I looked to my left where Tyler was sitting and met his gaze combatively. “Sorry Tyler, it’s going to have to be you.”
He stared at me and our eyes locked. He said nothing. And then the silence continued even longer.
“Come on Tyler, say something,” I said with a slight laugh. “You’re making me nervous now.” A ripple of laughter went round the audience.
He looked out at the audience then. “Ok folks, I think I’ve just received a warning shot across my bows. I think we can assume that she’s definitely not going away!”
Next up were Pete and Jo Satterthwaite. “So Jo, we know you cut your teeth on the Ministox at the age of ten and have given up your fifteen year long driving career to support Eve. Is this a whole new direction with the business you and she are setting up?”
She pulled a face at me standing in the front row. “I haven’t agreed to it yet! So that was a bit fait accompli, but yes, hmm, no, you know what? Yes. I think it’s time I branched out. I didn’t know she’d already done a business plan and gone to a bank, but hey – we all know she’s unstoppable – the irresistible force, so I don’t fancy being an object in the way…”
“I think that’s a ‘yes’ then Eve,” Steve smiled out at me.
“And Pete, you have continued to keep your rankings in the steady red zone and have had some good placings. Is it more of the same?”
He won’t like that, I thought. It’s implying he’s not going to improve that much and that the Stocks fraternity weren’t expecting anything very exciting from him. I wondered how it affected him that his father had been a regular champion, and he wasn’t.
“We’ll see,” Pete said cagily.
Then Rob Rudd and Paul Satterthwaite were brought up on the stage.
“The pair of you have had the starring roles as the two mentors setting your protégées at each other. You two battled it out for the top spots for years, and so are familiar figures in the F2 world, and the Satterthwaites may legitimately be thought of as the nearest the F2s get to a dynasty. What do you think of how your new recruit has done this year Paul?”
“She’s the most talented new driver I’ve seen come on the scene for a decade at least,” Paul said. “And when you think that she didn’t graduate up from the Ministox and had only just passed her driving test when we first met her, I think what she has achieved in the face of some really stressful circumstances this year is phenomenal.”
“High praise indeed,” Steve commented. “And Rudd, you are still a welcome face in the F2 camp despite your defection to the Other Formula,” (he hammed up the boo hiss potential of the accusation). “What do you think about Quinn and McGinty?”
Rob smiled, his bright blue eyes seeking out first Quinn’s face in the front row of the audience, and then, a few metres further along, my own. “Well, Quinn’s a good mate, a good laugh, and a good mechanic, but I guess McGinty’s beaten him hands down in the competitive driving department. I knew she had it in her from the very first race I saw her in. She’s a lean mean driver, and she knows what she wants and she’s not going to stop until she gets it. I reckon she’s going to go all the way.”
Everyone started clapping.
“Well accolades all round for our newest female driver it seems,” Steve finished up. “We’ve had a great season in F2 this year which after all the good publicity with the documentary raising both its profile and gat
e takings, can surely only get better. Thanks to the Thrills and Spills production team for a fine piece of work, and thanks to all those who have taken part this afternoon.” And then we were free to go.
Pete walked off without looking at me.
“You are such a pain, Eve, announcing it like that!” Jo said to me.
Paul put a hand on both our shoulders. “What other secrets are you keeping up your sleeves you sly females?”
Our complete absence of instant denials made him smile wryly. “Thought so! You can talk to me you know, I’d like to be involved.”
Jo bit her lip and said nothing.
“It’s not all out war between us just because of Pete,” he reasoned with her.
“No,” she said slowly. “But I’m going to have to break away some time aren’t I?”
“Yes, and I can smooth that path for you both,” Paul said.
We both stood in silence, assessing what he’d just said. He waited patiently, with a slight smile evident.
“What are you proposing?” Jo said stiffly.
“You bring that business plan to me and we’ll see shall we?” He suggested.
All the Thrills and Spills drivers were to be driving in the live action arena plus some other Champions and superstar grades, and Rob was going to be in the F1 show. I knew the score this year so had a bit more fun, giving Wentworth, the newly crowned Novice of the Year (my own title the previous January), a bash that sent him skittling out to the right, as I passed him. Then I lapped him and did it again in the other direction, then I lapped him a third time and watched him desperately try and get his backside out of my way. He was clearly finding the slippery concrete quite scary. I had a bit of good natured argy bargy with Quinn, whipped my behind out of reach of Tyler and waved cheerfully at Horrocks as I passed him. I liked Horrocks. He was a thoroughly decent bloke. Pete drove round completely ignoring me.
Afterwards Jo said disapprovingly, “I hope you’re not going to turn into a bully, Eve.”
“Oh you mean Wentworth?” I surmised. “Just marking my territory, Jo. He needs to learn early on that’s it’s best to get out of my way.”
She shook her head, “Just one year ago that was you.”
“Yeah and Tyler was trying to teach me the same lesson,” I reminded her.
“Fat lot of good it did him,” she muttered. I glanced up to see Paul smothering a laugh in the background.
A week later, Tyler rang me up. “I’m over your way tomorrow, but I can’t get hold of the engine till next week. But I figured we could meet up anyway, for a meal perhaps? And discuss things?”
“Ok,” I agreed. That sounded ok. “Do you want to come to the flat to pick me up?” I gave him the address and he said he’d arrive around six.
When he turned up, I’d only just got in from work. I sat him down at the table and put the kettle on for him. Quinn was wandering around making some toast for Mariah. He looked mildly surprised when he saw who it was. “Oh, hi Tyler!”
I put a cup of tea in front of Tyler. “I’ve only just got in, I need to shower. You don’t mind waiting do you? So what do you think? Dress up, dress down or somewhere in between?”
“Where are you two off to?” Quinn asked with a slight frown.
“No idea yet, unless Tyler has already decided?”
Tyler confirmed he hadn’t. Quinn got that jealous look on his face.
“You’d be very welcome to join us Quinn, but you’ve got Mariah, and I defy anyone to have a sensible conversation over all that wretched pish-ti-koo, the train’s coming into the tunnel, feeding routine.”
I divined from Tyler’s expression that Quinn wouldn’t actually be welcome to join us, but that didn’t matter as I’d only said it because he clearly couldn’t. It would ease Quinn’s feelings without us being in any danger of him taking us up on the offer.
“So? Dress code?” I turned back to Tyler.
“I haven’t got anything else with me so we can’t go too upmarket, but far be it from me to stop a woman dressing up for me…” He teased.
“Ok, somewhere in between then,” I agreed.
Mariah had spotted a potential new human climbing frame, toddled over and hauled herself up on Tyler’s legs. She was a seriously gorgeous little cutie, and that’s a real compliment from a baby-hater such as myself. Big intensely blue eyes, china doll skin with rosy cheeks and dark curly hair.
“Is this the famous Mariah?” He asked reaching down and picking her up. Mariah gurgled at him.
Quinn turned round and smiled.
I left Tyler bouncing her up and down on one knee, singing ‘row the boat’, and blowing raspberries on her tummy, to squeals of delight and kicking giggles from her.
When I came out again, sometime later, Tyler was dipping Mariah’s marmite soldiers in her soft boiled egg and expertly posting them into her mouth while he and Quinn talked RAC politics.
Tyler glanced over at me and looked a bit shocked. Quinn laughed at him.
“Yes she does possess legs, everyone takes a second glance at her when she gets them out…”
“Not surprised,” Tyler said in a complimentary tone. “Only now I feel a bit,” he glanced down at his oily jeans, “underdressed and work soiled.”
“Go and have a shower,” Quinn said. “You can borrow my shaving stuff if you like, Mariah’s pulling faces every time she pats your face.”
I laughed, “That makes two of us then, I’m always pulling faces when I’m obliged to pat his face.”
Tyler disappeared off into the bathroom.
“You look great as ever,” Quinn said with a smile.
“Thanks Quinn,” I said. He was getting quite civilised in his old age. I disappeared back into my room now I knew I had an extra fifteen minutes to make sure I looked perfect. My best friend Jaimi and another friend Lisa had taken a strong hand in my fashion sense (or rather lack of it) in the past year, and they had picked out virtually my whole current wardrobe. They advised me to avoid blue, as my eyes were grey, and now I was wearing a sixties style silver grey/blue miniskirted dress, with a tightly fitted top, and a gauzy almost see through short waisted bolero jacket over the top for extra warmth on a January evening. I’d used curling tongs to create some loose spirals from the hair that I’d piled up, and used Lisa’s strict make-up regime of natural tones to highlight and sculpt my cheek bones and pale greys and creams on my eyelids to make my eyes look larger and my lids more arched and heavy, plus pale pink, pearly lipstick. Hopefully Tyler wouldn’t notice that I was more made up by the time he got out of the shower. He came out and I heard him chatting to Quinn again so I slipped my feet back into my silver blue high heels and came out again.
“Off we go then,” I said cheerfully.
Tyler blew a good-bye kiss to Mariah, who giggled and opened and closed her hand at him, and then he led the way down to his van.
“Oh God,” he said, sweeping all sorts of crap off the seat beside him. “Now my van seems scummy as well!”
“Maybe I should have stayed in the oily jeans in solidarity,” I said, beginning to feel a bit embarrassed by the fuss.
“No, you look lovely,” he said. “Next time I’ll have to remember to bring a change with me.”
Next time? I thought.
We went to a nice Italian restaurant, ordinary enough to be ok for oily jeans, posh enough to be ok with legs. We were sat in a low lit corner and served with assiduous polite attentiveness. The meal was beautifully presented and we chatted and laughed about people we knew on the Stocks scene and I drank two glasses of white wine and he had two red. Alcohol doesn’t much affect me though. Relaxes me a bit I suppose, but I don’t lose my head. He smiled at me a lot and I smiled back. Finally, just before the end he reached across the table and rested his fingers on my bare wrist. He stroked it thoughtfully, and uncurled my hand and looked at it, saying nothing. I was shocked at the quiver of reaction that went through me. Maybe the wine had affected me more than I realised. He raised his eyes to mine and
we locked gazes. His fingertips gently stroked my wrist. I blinked at the jolt that went through me. Then he lifted my hand and kissed the palm, still looking into my eyes. I found myself breathing fast. I snatched my hand away.
“Sorry,” he apologised quickly, looking mortified. “Sorry Eve. You just looked so gorgeous sitting there, I couldn’t help myself.”
“That’s ok,” I said hurriedly.
He asked for the bill and paid it, and we got up to leave. Normally I’d have insisted on paying half, but he seemed like the sort who’d be offended if I tried, and I was feeling awkward enough right now as it was.
Outside, the air was nippy and I shivered a bit. I hopped up into the van and he got in the driver’s side. We sat in silence for a moment. Then I thought, ‘oh what the hell! You only live once!’ And I reached over to him and kissed him on the cheek. For once his cheek was smooth.
He turned his face with his lips seeking mine and then his hand came around my waist and he pulled me strongly to him with his hand in the small of my back. By the time we parted my breath was coming rapidly, my heart was thudding loudly in my ears, and I felt a bit weak.
“Ok,” he said abruptly, taking a tight hold of the wheel in front of him with both hands and putting his forehead sharply and despairingly down on it. “Ok, sorry Eve. Sorry again. God what’s got into me? You’re just so bloody lovely.”
“Maybe we need to discuss what we want to do,” I suggested.
“I can’t tell you what I really want to do, Eve,” he said with a groan. “Because it wouldn’t be right!”
The more disturbed he got, the calmer I felt. “Ok. What do you want? Are you just wanting sex? Are you wanting a one night stand? Are you wanting a relationship? Be honest now.”
He looked taken aback. But it immediately snapped him back to himself. He rubbed at his cheek and said nothing for a moment.
The Way Barred Page 8
