Heart Racer: A Billionaire Love Story

by Starla Harris

  Chapter Ten

  Olivia

  It only took a few days for the money to run out. The whole time I’d been traveling with Jake, I’d sent money back to pay my rent and bills. But somehow, my utility bill had snuck up on me and I stared down at the piece of paper with fear in my heart. I owed over seven hundred dollars and I didn’t have more than fifty to my name.

  I knew that I had to find a job, as soon as possible or else I’d truly be in deep shit.

  With Katie’s help, I landed an interview at a veterinary clinic three days after I got home. It felt so strange to stand in my bathroom, applying a conservative touch of makeup and pulling my hair back in a neat chignon.

  Wearing my old clothes felt even weirder. I’d gotten used to wearing high-end designer labels, but I left most of my new clothes back in Dallas. I regretted having left so hastily. In hindsight, I realized if I’d put a little more thought into leaving, I could have brought my clothes and sold some of it to the fancy consignment shops outside of Daytona Beach. But instead, I’d fled Dallas like the city had been on fire. I also knew that I could never speak to Jake again without feeling ashamed for the way I’d blown up.

  I finally left my apartment for the job interview, dressed in a conservative white blouse and a black pencil skirt. The heat of the day made me feel like wilting before I even got to Katie’s car. But her friendly smile gave me a little bit of hope.

  “You’ll be great, Liv,” Katie said. “I know them. They’re good people. I see no reason why you shouldn’t get the job.”

  I sighed. “I don’t deserve you.” I said, leaning my forehead against the window and watching as we passed by rows of houses and trees.

  “Liv, I’m your best friend,” Katie said. She patted my knee encouragingly. “You’re going to be fine.”

  “I wish I could be as optimistic as you,” I grumbled as Katie pulled into the parking lot of the clinic.

  “Oh, Liv,” Katie said. She leaned over and hugged me. “You’ve just been through a lot. I promise—it’ll get better. Soon, you won’t even remember that Jacob character.”

  Hearing Jake’s name sent a stab of pain in my chest but I forced myself to smile and nod.

  “You’re right,” I said as I climbed out of the car. “Thanks and wish me luck.”

  I was almost as nervous walking into the vet clinic as I was walking up to meet Jake that first time. Stop thinking about him, I ordered myself. Jesus, Olivia, you’re not doing yourself any favors right now!

  When I realized the clinic’s TV was turned to the racing channel, I swallowed nervously and walked up to the receptionist.

  “Hi,” I said brightly. “I’m Olivia Redwood, I have an interview with Dr. Miller at three-thirty.”

  “Oh, hi,” the girl said. She smiled broadly and I relaxed just a bit. “Dr. Miller is finishing up with a patient right now, but he’ll be right out. Have a seat.”

  I nodded. I didn’t have to wait long. I’d been sitting in the hard plastic chairs for less than five minutes when a youngish man with thinning hair and a nice smile came into the waiting area. He was carrying a cute, fluffy white kitten and I couldn’t help but smile as he placed it into the hands of a young girl.

  “Hi, Olivia, I’m Dr. Miller,” he said. He gestured to his office. “Please, come into my office.”

  I followed him, wiping my sweaty palms against my skin before easing into another plastic chair in front of his desk. It wasn’t the nicest office in the world—the walls were painted cinder blocks, and the window was tiny. It’s a job, I thought to myself sternly. And I need to do whatever it takes to land it.

  “So, Olivia,” Dr. Miller said. “Tell me what you’ve been doing with yourself for the last several months.”

  I swallowed nervously. “I’ve been traveling for the past few months, but decided to come back home to Daytona,” I said, speaking the words I’d carefully rehearsed in front of my mirror that very morning.

  “Oh, I love travel,” Dr. Miller said. He leaned back in his desk chair. “Where did you go? Anywhere interesting?”

  I swallowed again. “Lots of places,” I said. “But most recently, Dallas. Before that, I was all over Europe and in Brazil.”

  “Wow,” Dr. Miller said. “Brazil is on my bucket list for sure.”

  “Rio is beautiful.” I smiled tightly. I couldn’t really tell how it was going. I was so out of practice. It had been such a long time since I’d had a job interview that my instincts were off.

  “Well, getting down to business—where did you go to school?”

  “I started at Chico State, in California,” I said. “But I actually didn’t finish.”

  Dr. Miller nodded. I cringed as he made some notes on his pad of paper.

  “And what experience do you have that you think is most related to this job?”

  I flushed, squirming in my seat. “I’ve had a few administrative secretarial positions before, and despite the fact that they were in different kinds of offices, the work was mostly the same,” I said.

  I was relieved when Dr. Miller smiled. “This is true,” he said. “This is mostly scheduling and filing with a little light typing. What are your available hours?”

  “Oh, I’m free any time,” I said, spreading my hands through the air. “Nights, weekends are okay. I’m really pretty flexible.”

  Dr. Miller nodded. “That’s good to hear,” he said. “We would need you to come in on some weekends and possibly stay late on Thursdays and Fridays when we have our late surgery hours.”

  That sounded terrible, but I forced myself to smile and nod.

  “I can do that,” I said. “I promise.”

  Dr. Miller smiled. “Glad to hear that, Olivia.” He glanced down at the papers in his lap. “Well, do you have any questions for me?”

  I bit my lip. The way he was staring at me made me feel like I should have something to say, but my mind was blank. My palms started to sweat and my heart began to race.

  “Um, yeah,” I said, trying to think as quickly as I could. “I do. When are you looking to fill this position?”

  “We have a few more interviews, but honestly I’m hoping to make a decision by the end of the week.” Dr. Miller smiled kindly. “Thanks for coming in, Olivia. It was really great to meet you. We’ll let you know.”

  I stood up and shook his hand. I did my best to radiate confidence and happiness, but I was pretty sure I wasn’t fooling anyone. I left the building and walked across the parking lot wobbling in my heels. I was pretty sure I looked ridiculous.

  Katie was leaning against her car with her face turned up to the sun. She grinned when she saw me.

  “Hey, how’d it go?”

  I shrugged. “I think I bombed it,” I said. “I didn’t know what to say. I felt like a complete idiot.”

  Katie shook her head. “I’m sure they liked you,” she said. “Come on—let’s get burgers on the way home, my treat.”

  As I buckled myself into the passenger seat of Katie’s car, I knew that I should be feeling grateful. I had the world’s best friend, and yet somehow, I was still miserable. I couldn’t stop thinking about Jake. I wondered where he was, what he was doing. Most of all, I couldn’t stop wondering if he was thinking about me as much as I was thinking about him.

  By the time Katie dropped me off at home, I was a bundle of nerves. I had no idea what I’d do if I didn’t get the job—I couldn’t keep asking my best friend to bail me out. I’d never been in this much trouble before. I know it sounds naïve, but I’d never worried this much about something really awful happening. Somehow, I’d always thought my luck would be enough to carry me through.

  I was so anxious about hearing back from Daytona Veterinary Clinic that I decided to pour myself a glass of wine to calm my nerves. After changing out of my interview outfit into my favorite pair of yoga pants, I flopped on the couch, turned on the TV and surfed through the channels. Nothing stood out—every channel seemed the same, and I was honestly terrified that I’d scrol
l past ESPN and see something about Jake.

  I winced. What’s happening to me, I wondered as I sipped my wine. The old Liv never would have been afraid of an ex. Even the word “ex” made me cringe. Before Jake, I’d never really had anything close to a serious relationship. Most of the guys I dated were cute guys I met at clubs who bought me drinks…they usually turned out to be a whole lot less cute the next day. But I’d never been too disappointed. I’d always relished my independence, and it was an odd thing that I’d fallen so hard and so fast for someone like Jake.

  My phone buzzed on the coffee table and I grabbed it, eagerly peering down at the screen. I hoped it was Dr. Miller from the vet clinic. Instead, it was a number I didn’t recognize.

  An international number.

  My stomach twisted into knots and I shoved the phone away from me, between the cushions of my couch. Still, the vibrations continued for what felt like an ungodly amount of time. When I was sure it was safe, I pulled my phone free and winced.

  I had two new voicemails. Both of them were probably from Jake. I didn’t think I was ready to hear his voice again. I was afraid that if I did, I’d burst out crying. I didn’t want him to see me so helpless.

  Don’t be such a wimp, I chided myself. You’re twenty-five years old! You’re much too mature to be afraid of a stupid voicemail.

  I pressed ‘play’ and cautiously held the phone to my ear, dreading Jake’s angry words. Was he going to insult me because I’d left? Would he tell me that he was doing so much better without me?

  Either way, I knew I had to find out or the suspense would kill me.

  “Hi, Liv. It’s me—Jake. I mean, sorry, I guess you probably figured that out before now. I… I really miss you, Liv. I’d do anything if you’d think about coming back. You’re still my lucky charm, but I’m not whole without you. I love you.”

  My heart skipped a beat and I started to tremble. He actually said the “L” word! I felt like I’d just taken a punch to the gut. Immediately, I played the message again, hypnotized by the sad, earnest tone that sounded a million miles away. My heart ached. Tears welled up in my eyes and I stared down at my phone, wondering what I should do.

  Part of me wanted to curl up in a ball and listen to the message over and over again until the words blended together in a jumble of meaningless nonsense. Another part of me wanted to delete the message and forget everything that happened—that I’d ever met Jake, that I’d ever fallen in love with him, and that my heart had ever been broken.

  But I couldn’t deny that what I really wanted to do was call Jake back, apologize to him for having left, and beg for another chance.

  My phone buzzed in my hand again and I winced at it. I dropped it onto the couch. Seconds later, my screen lit up with a new text message. I glared, desperately wanting it to be anyone but Jake.

  I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Katie’s name pop up on the screen, followed by the message: “Hey! Laur and I are going out for margaritas later. You in?”

  Just as I was about to type back “no”, my phone buzzed again with another text. I rolled my eyes, expecting it to be another desperately cheery message from Katie.

  Instead, it was from Jake.

  “Liv, I love you so much. I’d do anything to make this work with you.”

  Tears came to my eyes and I gritted my teeth. It felt like sheer torture. Was it possible that he was taunting me because he was still angry at me for the way I left and how I’d embarrassed him in front of his friends? I wanted to ask him why he was doing this to me. I pounded on my phone, angrily deleting Jake’s message. What did he want? Didn’t he know that I was broken and that someone like me couldn’t possibly stay in a relationship with someone like him?

  Instead, I pulled up Katie’s text and typed, “Count me in.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Olivia

  Two hours later, I was perched on a bar stool between Katie and Lauren. I hadn’t seen Lauren since that fateful day at the Daytona racetrack—the day when I first met Jake. I half expected her to be snide and dismissive. Lauren wasn’t flighty like me, or even that optimistic like Katie. She was one of those very pragmatic girls, who would never do anything based on a whim. I was also a little scared of her because I knew from previous conversations that she was prone to judging others quickly.

  Still, I knew that I needed to get out of the house and be around people or else I’d go crazy feeling sorry for myself. And so I put on my tightest, shortest skirt and a crop top that showed off more than just a little cleavage. Both items were bought when I was with Jake in Italy—we’d gone to a party and had been drinking champagne all night with a group of rich ex-pats. It felt like a lifetime ago. It was hard for me to believe that for a few months there, my life finally had all of the glamour and glitz that I’d dreamed of.

  The bartender placed a drink in a chilled copper mug in front of me and said, “This is from the gentleman at the bar over there.” She nodded her head toward the end of the bar where a distinguished older man was sitting. When I glanced over, he lifted his drink and winked at me. I forced a quick smile.

  “Do I really have to take it?”

  The bartender laughed. “Come on,” she said. “This is like, high-dollar vodka. I’ll just tell him you didn’t want it but that I made you accept.”

  “God, Olivia,” Lauren said snidely. “I thought you were single again. Loosen up!”

  “Lauren!” Katie said quickly. “That was harsh.”

  “Sorry,” Lauren said. She didn’t sound sorry, but I shrugged and smiled at her anyway.

  “It’s fine,” I said dismissively. I wrapped my hands around the chilled mug and took a long sip. “Besides, free booze, right?” I snickered at my own joke, then took a long sip.

  “So,” Katie said. She glanced nervously from me to Lauren, then back again. “How are you feeling? Did you hear from the vet clinic yet?”

  I shook my head. “The guy who interviewed me told me he had a few more people,” I said. “I’m trying to keep my hopes up, but it’s hard.” I sighed.

  “I bet,” Katie said sympathetically. She reached out and touched my arm.

  “I’m happy to be back, though,” I said quickly.

  Lauren yawned. “Really? I hate it here,” she said. “I wish I was lucky enough to travel around like you did. That must have been awesome.”

  I bit my lip. “It was nice,” I said slowly. “I mean, I never really traveled like that before. I wasn’t really worried about anything, except for you know…like what I was going to wear to dinner and parties later that night.”

  Katie laughed. “That’s classic Liv,” she said. “You’ve always been a free spirit!”

  “Well, it’s not like I had a lot of responsibility on the road,” I joked. “Jake wasn’t as busy as I thought. He had some press tours and stuff, but mostly his boss wanted him to stay away from the public eye. Something about showing off.”

  Lauren and Katie laughed. For the first time, Lauren looked genuinely interested in my stories.

  “What was it like?” Lauren asked. Her eyes grew wide as she took a long sip of her red sangria. “I mean, was he like famous-famous?”

  I laughed. “Not exactly,” I said. “But everyone knew who he was at least in the circles we hung out with.”

  “That must have been cool.” There was no trace of sarcasm or derision in her tone. “What was your favorite place?”

  I yawned, thinking as I stretched my arms over my head. “Looking back, it all seems like such a dream,” I said honestly. “It’s kind of hard for me to remember all of the details about everywhere we went and everything we did. It happened so fast, you know?”

  Lauren nodded. “I went backpacking for two months when I turned twenty-one,” she said. “It was so much fun, but I wish now that I’d taken more pictures. It almost feels like someone else did all that traveling, not me.”

  “Oh my God, yeah,” I said enthusiastically. We were actually kind of bonding. I finished the re
st of my free drink and slammed the copper mug down on the bar. Drops of alcohol flew away and splashed my face. “I mean, it’s just so crazy!”

  Katie and Lauren laughed. “It’s so nice to see you with your spirits up,” Katie said.

  I frowned. Her words had somehow cast a pall over the energy and happiness I’d felt recalling the trip.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” I muttered. Leaning forward, I smacked my fist down on the bar. “Hey, bartender!” I yelled. “A round of tequila shots down here!”

  Katie snorted. “Liv, I have work in the morning,” she said. “I don’t think this is a great idea.”

  “Come on,” I said. I rolled my eyes. “Just cut loose a little, Katie. It’s not going to be the end of the world if you show up to work a teeny bit hungover, now is it? Live a little!”

  Katie blushed and Lauren burst out laughing. It felt odd to have a sudden ally in a girl I was absolutely positive had hated me, but then again, nothing about today felt normal. When I thought of Jake’s voicemail and his desperate text, pain stabbed me in the heart.

  “Okay,” Katie said. “Just one shot, that’s it.”

  The bartender passed us three double shot glasses, brimming with tequila. The smoky alcohol invaded my senses and for a second, I felt doubt rising in my chest. No, I realized. I have to forget all about Jake. And if this is the best way to do it, well, fuck it!

  “Bottom’s up!” I chirped. Lauren and I clinked glasses together with such enthusiasm that tequila slopped over my fingers, but Katie eyed me suspiciously.

  “Oh, Liv,” Katie said. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Oh my god,” I muttered. “It’s just a shot!”

  Katie blushed. After a second, she hesitantly clinked her glass against mine. In unison, the three of us threw back the tequila. Lauren and Katie sputtered and coughed, reaching for their glasses of water. But for some reason, the alcohol only seemed to settle my stomach.

  “Wow,” Lauren said. “I feel like that just put hair on my chest.”