Total Control

by Pamela Britton

  It took three.

  Todd’s car was good when he hugged the wall. The bit of rubber that congregated there—the marbles—stood in his favor. It made his tight car loose in a way that gave him the best lap times he’d ever had at Richmond.

  “Damn, Todd. You look like you’re trying to qualify out there.”

  Todd didn’t comment. He was too busy gunning Lance down. He was half a car length behind, but that distance closed quickly. Three feet. Two. A dive to the right and Todd was in his groove. Lance actually waved as Todd drove by. Todd waved back. Leave it to Cooper to know when he was licked.

  It was his race to lose from that point forward. With every lap he pulled farther and farther away. A caution fell with twenty laps to go, thus negating Kristen’s fears over gas mileage. On the restart Todd drove away from the field as if they were all in reverse.

  “Two more laps to go,” Dan said a few minutes later.

  “Roger that,” Todd said, and although he told himself not to smile, Todd couldn’t help it. He hadn’t won a race all year. Yet, he’d somehow made it into the Chase.

  He’d made it to the Chase.

  This whole time he’d been so focused on winning the race for Benjamin that he hadn’t given the Chase a moment’s consideration.

  He pressed the mic button on his steering wheel. “You guys ready to make a run for the championship?”

  Todd could hear the excited cheers of the crowd when Dan spoke next. “Hell, yeah, we are.”

  The crowd was probably cheering for Lance, hoping he’d overtake him. But that wouldn’t happen. Todd glanced right, out his main rearview mirror. He’d have to blow an engine in order for Lance to catch him.

  And now you’ve probably gone and jinxed the deal.

  Only he hadn’t. A lap later he’d rounded Turn Four. Up ahead he could already see the checkered flag being waved.

  “Whoo-hoo! Great job,” Dan yelled.

  “Benjamin, that win’s for you,” Todd said, knowing the boy was listening.

  “Go ahead and talk to him,” Todd heard Dan say, obviously speaking to the kid.

  “Oh, my gosh, that was so cool,” Benjamin said a split second later. “I can’t believe you won. And that I’m talking to you right after.”

  Todd felt laughter build. “You’re my good-luck charm, kid. Now you’re going to have to go to all the races.”

  “You think I could?” the boy asked, his voice cracking at the end.

  “We’ll talk to your mom about it. Now get yourself over to Victory Lane.”

  He didn’t bother with a burnout, but he did ask NASCAR for the checkered flag. He presented it to Benjamin the moment he exited his car.

  “For me?” Benjamin asked over the excited cries of Todd’s team members. The kid’s skinny little arms wrapped around his neck when Todd scooped him up. Linda beamed and so did Indi.

  “For you,” he said.

  “Gee, thanks,” Benjamin said, green eyes shining.

  “You can have my helmet, too.”

  Todd wouldn’t have thought Benjamin’s eyes could get any wider, but they did. “Right on! This is so cool,” the boy said.

  When Todd’s eyes snagged on Linda, the woman had tears in her eyes. She came around to his other side and wrapped her arms around his middle.

  “I just can’t thank you enough,” she said.

  Todd would have squeezed her back, but he was afraid of dropping Benjamin. “Hey, whatever I can do to help.”

  “You’ve already done enough.”

  “Great job,” Dan said, coming up to him next.

  “Really top-notch job,” his team owner said, Mathew’s smile nearly as wide as Benjamin’s.

  “Congratulations, Todd,” Kristen said, and then she ducked out of the way at the same time she said, “Look out.”

  Todd tried to shield Benjamin, but they both ended up getting showered with some kind of soda. Benjamin laughed so hard he started coughing and for a moment Todd felt his breath catch. But Benjamin recovered quickly, squealing when someone tried to douse them again.

  “Todd, Todd,” the network’s pit road commentator said. “How does it feel to not only win the race, but make the Chase, as well?”

  Todd shifted Benjamin in his arms, whispering in his left ear, “Smile,” before he turned toward the camera. “It feels great, Brad. Really great.”

  “Did you have any idea coming here that you had a shot at winning?”

  “I really wasn’t worried about winning. I just wanted to finish the race in one piece so Benjamin here wouldn’t be disappointed.”

  “Who is this little guy?” Brad asked.

  Todd filled the sportscaster in. Behind him, his crew continued to celebrate. He saw Lance Cooper walk by. The driver gave him a nod and a smile, which Todd returned.

  “So you think Benjamin is your good-luck charm?” the commentator asked.

  “He definitely is that, but he also helped me to see how lucky I am to do what I do for a living, and made me realize that I want to help kids like him.”

  “Do you have any plans to bring Benjamin to other races?” the guy asked.

  “Well, now, that’s up to his mom and doctors, but I’m certain we’ll chat about it.”

  “Oh, I’m going to more races,” Benjamin said into the mic. And in his eyes was a certainty Todd only hoped proved true.

  “Well,” Brad said, “we hope to see you and Benjamin back in Victory Lane before year’s end.”

  “Me, too,” Todd said.

  “Thanks,” the commentator said to Todd off camera. “Good luck to Benjamin,” he said before he walked away in pursuit of other top-five drivers.

  And suddenly there was Indi standing right behind him.

  “Come here,” Linda said to her son. She held out her arms. “They need to present Todd with the trophy.”

  “He can stay here,” Todd said.

  “No, that’s okay. Your arms must be killing you.”

  They were, but he didn’t mind. Still, Linda looked insistent and so Todd set Benjamin gently back in his chair. “Stay close, ’kay?”

  “’Kay,” Benjamin said.

  When he turned back, a man in a suit and tie had a trophy in hand. Indi had faded back, but Todd met her eyes again.

  She smiled.

  The beauty of that grin took him by such surprise. He’d never seen her smile, truly smile. The grin seemed to come from deep within her soul, lighting her whole face up. He almost didn’t clutch the trophy when it was presented to him.

  “Congratulations,” the man said.

  “Ah, thanks,” Todd answered, glancing back at her.

  She seemed to be edging out of Victory Lane. She looked uncomfortable standing there amidst the revelry.

  “Excuse me,” Todd said, surprising Dan when he handed him the trophy.

  “Where are you go—”

  “Indi,” Todd called. He darted away before anyone could stop him. She only looked up when he placed a hand on her shoulder.

  “Hey, Todd,” she said, the smile long since gone.

  Too bad, he thought.

  “Why are you leaving?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t really need to be here.”

  “Benjamin needs you.”

  “No,” she said with a shake of her head. “He needs you more.”

  He knew the admission must have cost her. She stared up at him and Todd found himself thinking that the fluorescent lights made her eyes look greener, the lashes around them darker.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  He touched her hand. “You’re welcome.”

  “Todd, they’re waiting for us,” Kristen said, curiosity making her eyes look bigger behind the dark-rimmed glasses she favored.

  “I’ll be right there,” he said. Kristen didn’t look convinced, but she left them alone. “Are you going home after this?”

  Indi nodded. “We leave in the morning.”

  “Then this is it.”

  “This is it,” she
echoed. And then, as if arriving at a decision, she tipped herself up and kissed him on the cheek. “I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done.”

  “It was the least I could do.”

  They both turned and looked at the boy. Someone had given him a new hat, one with the race’s name on it and he was busy trying it on. Todd felt some of his joy fade when he saw how little hair Benjamin had left.

  “This day truly was a miracle,” Indi murmured.

  “The next miracle will be to get him well.”

  The eyes that looked into his own were naked with emotion. Sadness, sorrow, fatigue. Then her lashes dropped and she turned her face away. “Let’s hope you’re right.”

  He clutched the hand he’d touched earlier, forcing her to meet his gaze. “I am right.”

  He didn’t want to let that hand go, but someone called his name.

  “Congratulations, Todd,” Indi said. And then she was gone.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  “YOU, MY DEAR, are a miracle worker.”

  Indi shrugged out of her coat and hung it on a rack—another garage-sale find—before turning to face Maggie.

  “Well, yeah, I know,” Indi said, distracted. She’d been that way all weekend. Ever since Todd’s little speech on national television, and their private conversation in Victory Lane….

  “No, no,” Maggie said. “I meant you’ve worked a miracle.”

  “Huh?”

  Maggie’s frizzy hair bounced with the same energy she seemed to exude. “You wouldn’t believe the number of calls I’ve gotten from networks, newspapers and major corporations, all of whom want to talk to Benjamin.”

  “Really?”

  Maggie’s jaw thrust out excitedly as she bobbed her head. “But that’s not the best news of all.”

  “It’s not?” Indi asked, taking a seat. She had a feeling she’d need the chair’s support.

  “We got a call from headquarters.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Indi asked, knowing by the way Maggie dragged things out that she was purposely trying to build up to the moment. “What’d they want?”

  Maggie leaned over her desk. “They asked if Todd Peters wanted to be our next celebrity spokesperson.”

  Spokesperson. Print ads. Media interviews. Commercials. She’d have to admit, Todd would be perfect for the job—if he accepted.

  “But you want to know what’s even more of a shock?” Maggie asked.

  “What’s that?”

  “He agreed.”

  “Great,” she said, feigning enthusiasm because the truth of the matter was, she didn’t want to think about Todd.

  “He even said he’d donate his time.”

  “Did you talk to him?” Indi asked, curious.

  “I did. This morning. He asked how Benjamin was. I told him I didn’t know and that you’d call him back later.”

  Call him? No, no, no. She didn’t want to call him. She just wanted to forget about the whole deal because when she recalled how rude she’d been to Todd at first, her whole body burned in embarrassment. She hadn’t given the man a chance; she saw that now. She was just happy her unprofessional behavior hadn’t soured him on working with Miracles.

  “How is Benjamin, anyway?” Maggie asked.

  “Good…well, as good as can be expected.” She had stopped by the hospital on her way to work and she’d been relieved to see that his cold appeared much better. Now if they could just get that damn cancer to go away….

  “Any word on his treatment plan?”

  Indi shook her head. “No, but they’re working on it. There has to be some new drug they can try.”

  “I’ll keep my fingers crossed, but in the meantime, we’ll need to get his doctor’s permission to attend this camp Todd mentioned.”

  The Happy Campers Ranch. Indi had smiled when she’d heard the name. “I’ve already put some calls in.”

  She’d had plenty of time to do so during a two-hour layover on the trip home. Benjamin and Linda had gotten a ride on Todd’s private jet. Indi had declined, preferring to fly commercial. Since she’d gotten in close to midnight last night, she’d had cause to regret her decision.

  “Good,” Maggie said. “And when you call Todd back, you’ll need to set up a time for the two of you to meet privately.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “That’s the other bit of good news,” Maggie said with a wide, oblivious smile. “You’re getting a promotion. Todd Peters was so impressed with your work he requested you be his liaison. Congratulations.”

  “What?”

  Maggie looked like a kid who’d been told summer vacation had been canceled. “What’s the matter? I thought you’d always wanted a shot at doing national PR. That was one of your main goals when you joined Miracles.”

  “I know, but I just…” Don’t want to work with Todd. “I’m not sure I’m ready.”

  But Maggie was like a hound dog with the scent of skunk in its nose. “What happened?”

  “What do you mean ‘what happened?’”

  “Bull. Did you and Mr. Famous Race Car Driver hit it off?”

  “No, we most certainly did not hit it off,” Indi answered.

  Maggie’s grin faded. “Then this is a personality conflict?”

  “Yes,” Indi pounced. “That’s it exactly. See if headquarters will give it to someone else.”

  “No can do. Todd made it clear he wants you. No Indi, he said, no deal.”

  “He did not.”

  “That’s exactly what he said.” Maggie’s grin returned. “You must have made a big impression.”

  Oh, Maggie had no idea that was the truth, Indi thought.

  “Look. Just talk to the guy. You may not get along with him, but obviously you hid it well. And he can’t be all that bad if he’s volunteering his time. Give it a shot.”

  GIVE IT A SHOT.

  Yeah, sure, Indi thought. She hadn’t known “giving it a shot” would mean meeting with Todd a week later. She’d expected it to be impossible to schedule some time with him. She’d watched the race this past weekend so she’d known he’d moved up a position in the Chase. She’d expected that to mean he’d be even more focused on racing. She’d been wrong. He’d agreed to fly out to California, although he could only spare a day, and to her surprise, he’d insisted on popping in to visit Benjamin.

  But why was that a surprise?

  She hadn’t truly expected Todd to insist she come to him, had she?

  No, she admitted, that wasn’t it at all. What she’d expected was that Todd would forget about Benjamin the moment he was out of sight. To be honest, it wouldn’t be the first time a celebrity had done as much. That hadn’t happened and now she felt like a complete and utter idiot because yet again she’d completely misjudged the man.

  So when she pulled into San Jose’s Jet Center early one afternoon, she promised she’d treat Todd with the kindness he deserved. That was the least she could do. Still, she felt a fair amount of trepidation when she entered the Jet Center’s plush lobby. Having greeted other celebrities before, she knew her way around, but the private terminal’s marble floor and tall windows always made her feel a bit uncomfortable. She’d never achieve the kind of wealth it took to own a private jet, and that was a fact of life she usually shrugged off. Not so today.

  “Well, well, well,” she heard when she entered the main waiting area. “If it isn’t Ms. Indi, Miracles worker extraordinaire.”

  She recognized the words, and the speaker, and the…

  Dog?

  Sure enough, when she turned, not only did she spot Todd standing by a potted palm, she saw his dog, Lex, too, the silly canine giving her that bulldog grin.

  “You brought Lex?” she stated the obvious.

  “Of course,” Todd said, walking forward, an overnight bag held in one hand, Lex straining at the leash in the other. “I bring him everywhere.”

  “Hey, Lex,” Indi said, bending down and being very nearly knocked over when the dog’s paws landed squarely on her b
lack slacks.

  “Down, Lex,” Todd ordered. His overnight bag slapped the floor when he released it to use both hands to hold Lex’s leash.

  “It’s okay,” Indi said, scratching under the dog’s collar. Lex gave her another goofy dog smile. He had such an under bite that she could practically see all his tongue. Silly dog. “I don’t mind.”

  “Obviously, he’s glad to see you.”

  Yeah, but was Todd?

  The question caught her by surprise. She stood up abruptly. “Did you have a good flight?”

  “We did. Thanks.”

  And as he stood there, she had to admit that he looked good. More relaxed than she’d seen him before. And she hadn’t realized how much taller than her he was until right then. Or maybe she hadn’t wanted to notice. Just as she hadn’t wanted to notice how blue-black his hair was. And how he always seemed to have a five-o’clock shadow that highlighted a very sexy, masculine jaw.

  “You ready to go?” she croaked.

  “Sure,” he said.

  “Good,” she said, turning away before he noticed the color in her cheeks. “The drive over to the hospital shouldn’t take longer than a half hour, especially during this time of day,” she said, lifting the sleeve of her suit to check the time.

  Her hand shook.

  Nerves at facing Todd, she surmised. “Would you like to stop for some fast food or something before we head on over?”

  “Nope. Lex and I ate on the plane.”

  Of course they had. They’d probably had a four-course meal, complete with dog biscuits. Didn’t the über wealthy hire personal chefs? Any man who made close to half a million in a weekend could undoubtedly afford one of those.

  “Well, then,” she said, using her best tour director voice. “Follow me.”

  They garnered a few extra looks because of the dog, Lex’s nails clack-clack-clacking against the floor. Thankfully the driver of the limo didn’t bat an eye. Indi had worried he might balk at ferrying a dog around. Then again, he was probably used the whimsies of the rich.

  She glanced up as a jet took off. Todd was stowing his bag in the back of the limo. It was one of those clear fall days where the sky looked so blue it seemed impossible to believe that just a couple weeks ago it had been raining cats and dogs.