Fast Track (24 page)

“Why would he?”
Anna asked, perusing the healthier options. “The customers love the
food here.”

“Yeah, but
sometimes change is good.” Lauren closed the menu and propped her
chin in her hand as she stared across the table at her cousin.
“Even when you think everything is working, there’s always room for
improvement, right?”

Anna shifted
under the close scrutiny. She hated being the center of anyone’s
attention for long, even when she knew that someone loved her
unconditionally. “I guess so. But why do I get the feeling we’re
not talking about food anymore?”

“Are you going
to tell me why you didn’t accept the offer Justin’s mother made?
You said yourself it was a great opportunity.”

Anna was
grateful when the waitress appeared. After ordering a glass of
white wine and a Cobb salad, Anna rested against the bench seat and
hoped Lauren’s thoughts had shifted direction in the last several
minutes. Anna wasn’t ready to list all the reasons she’d opted out
of a contract that could have helped her fulfill her dream of
becoming a published author. If she did, she would have to admit
the truth. She was a coward.

“Well?” Lauren
quirked an eyebrow. “I’m waiting.”

Anna huffed,
even though she knew her frustration wouldn’t deter Lauren. “I
still can’t believe you submitted my work to them without telling
me.”

“Someone had
to. You wouldn’t have done it yourself.” Lauren reached across the
table and squeezed Anna’s hand. “Honey, I don’t know why, but
you’ve never seen yourself the way everyone else sees you. You’re
smart, sexy, talented, compassionate-”

“Stop,” Anna
said, blushing.

She hated being
the subject of false praise. It was more awkward than having to
admit she may have some of the redeeming qualities Lauren
mentioned. She didn’t have low self-esteem. She knew her strengths.
She was a good teacher. She adored her students and added value to
their lives. She was kind and loved her friends and family to a
fault, but those qualities didn’t make her special.

Living in the
shadows of famous and talented people had always made her feel
ordinary. She was fine with that. Most days. But her books, should
they ever see the light of day, would set her apart from the
masses, and she wasn’t sure she was ready to share that part of
herself with the world just yet.

“Is it because
of Justin? You don’t want to remain connected to him through his
family? Is that the reason you declined their offer?”

“I guess that’s
part of the reason.” Though it was a very small part. She knew
Justin had nothing to do with his mother’s publishing company, and
their paths wouldn’t cross again unless she sought to make it
happen. “I guess I’m afraid. What if they offered me the contract
because of Justin? Maybe he asked them to.”

Lauren rolled
her eyes. “Colleen doesn’t strike me as the type of woman who would
use her business to do her son’s bidding. I did a little research
on her publishing company. They’re very successful and
well-respected in publishing circles. She wouldn’t put her
reputation on the line unless she saw potential in you.”

That was
reassuring, but Anna still had reservations. “I may call her, see
if we can’t work something out.”

Lauren punched
a button on her phone and handed it to Anna.

“What are you
doing?” Anna asked, looking at the phone as though she feared it
may detonate if she dared touch it.

“Colleen told
me to call her if you ever changed your mind. That’s what I’m
doing.”

“You’ve talked
to her?”

“And Dee.
Several times, in fact.” Lauren smiled as she forced the phone into
Anna’s hand. “Hurry up, don’t leave the woman hanging.”

“Hello.” Anna’s
heart pounded like a hammer in her chest. Could she really put
herself out there and risk rejection? “Mrs. Hunt, this is Anna
McCall. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“Anna, what a
pleasant surprise. How are you, dear?”

Anna expected
her to respond with cool indifference. She did reject her son,
after all. And her contract. “I’m fine, thank you. How are
you?”

“I’m doing
well. What can I do for you?”

Anna knew that
was her last chance to back out. “Um, my cousin Lauren told me
you’d like to know if I changed my mind about the publishing
deal.”

“Does that mean
you have?”

Her tone didn’t
betray her position on the subject, and Anna had the fleeting
thought that Colleen Hunt must be a stellar poker player. “Yes, if
you’re still interested in having me join your team.”

“I’d like
nothing more, Anna.”

Anna breathed a
sigh of relief. For the first time, she’d put herself out there,
risked rejection, and it had turned out favorably. Maybe taking
risks wasn’t as terrible as she’d feared. “That’s wonderful. I look
forward to working with you.”

“Would it be
possible for you to fly out this weekend to sign the contracts,
dear? If you’d like to have your lawyer review them first-”

“That won’t be
necessary.” Lauren had already taken the liberty of asking Brianna
to review the contract, just in case Anna changed her mind. “But,
um, couldn’t I just sign, scan, and email them back to you?”

Colleen
laughed. “I know that’s how things are usually done today, but I
admit to being a little old-fashioned. I still like the personal
touch, and I like my authors to know they’re not only a part of our
team but a part of our family when they join Hunt Publishing.”

“Oh, okay.”
Anna couldn’t very well argue with her logic. A personal meeting to
seal the deal didn’t seem unreasonable. “I’ll make the arrangements
and email you with the details. I really appreciate this
opportunity, Mrs. Hunt.”

“Please, call
me Colleen. And it’s my pleasure. I can’t wait to officially
welcome you to the family, Anna.”

“Thank you.
Good-bye.” Anna disconnected the call and handed the phone back to
her cousin.
Welcome her to the family?
Surely Colleen was
simply referring to their publishing company.

“So, I take it
that went well?” Lauren asked, unable to hide her enthusiasm. She
smiled at the waitress who set their order down on the table before
saying, “Tell me everything. What did she say?”

“She wants me
to fly out and finalize the deal in person this weekend. I guess
she likes to take her new authors out to dinner to celebrate or
something.”

“Oh, this is so
exciting!” Lauren said, clapping her hands. “Just think, your
stories and illustrations will be in bookstores everywhere! How
cool is that?”

Anna couldn’t
deny it was a dream come true. “I’m a little nervous about going
there,” she said, spearing her salad with a fork. “What if I run
into Justin? What will I say to him?”

“Let’s play a
little game,” Lauren said, setting her paper napkin in her lap.
“I’ll ask a question, and you answer without thinking.”

Anna laughed.
“What are you talking about?”

“Come on, it’ll
be fun. You always analyze everything to death. For once, I just
want you to respond honestly, without censoring your thoughts. That
should clear up any confusion you’re having about Justin.”

Since Anna had
done a terrible job of figuring things out on her own, she decided
her cousin’s approach couldn’t be worse than her own run-and-hide
strategy. “Fine, I’m game.”

“Good. Okay,
first question. You see Justin. What’s the first thing you would
say to him?”

“I’ve missed
you.” Anna was surprised the truth came so easily.

“Do you want to
see him?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Anna hesitated,
and Lauren gave her a stern look. “Remember what I said. You’re not
allowed to think about your response. You have to say the first
thing that comes to your mind.”

“Why do I want
to see him?” Anna sighed. “Because I miss him.” Deciding to take
another risk, since the first paid off, she said, “Because I think
about him all the time.”

“Do you love
him?”

“Yes.” That was
the easiest question to answer so far because, in spite of her
reservations about their odds as a couple, Anna knew she loved him
with everything she had.

“Do you want to
be with him?”

“Yes.”

Lauren smiled.
“Why aren’t you?”

“I’m afraid.”
It was as simple and as complicated as that.
Fear
. That’s
what stood between her and the future she so desperately wanted
with the man she
needed
.

Lauren looked
her in the eye as though she was trying to infuse her cousin with
courage. “Are you finally ready to face your fears?”

“Yes,” Anna
whispered.

“I can’t hear
you,” Lauren said, cupping her ear.

“Yes,” Anna
said, more emphatically. “I am ready.”

Lauren reached
for her hand, grasping it tightly. “I know you’re afraid, honey. I
get that. But even if the worst happens, you’re still better off
than you are right now. Even if you only have one more day to tell
Justin how you feel, at least you’ll have the peace of knowing he
knew how much you loved him.”

Anna reached
for a napkin to catch a tear before it fell. “I don’t ever want to
lose him. I love him so much.”

“I know you do,
and chances are you two will have a long and happy life together.
Could he lose his life on the track? Sure, he could. But he could
also get hit by a bus crossing the street or his plane could go
down or he could eat a bad piece of seafood or-”

Anna held her
hand up. “I get the picture. Okay, I’ll do it. I’ll tell him how I
feel and hope that he feels the same way.”

Lauren held her
baby finger in the air. “Pinky swear?”

“Pinky swear,”
Anna said, giggling as she locked pinkies with Lauren.

“Hey, girls,
can anyone join the party?”

Anna looked up
and saw Megan. She looked stunning in a pair of black skinny jeans,
high heeled strappy sandals, and a multi-colored A-line tank top.
“Of course,” Anna said, sliding over. “Join us.” She gestured to
Lauren. “You remember my cousin Lauren McCall, right? Her daddy,
J.T., owns this place.”

“That’s right,”
Megan said, offering her hand. “And your mama’s Nikki Spencer
McCall, right? I interviewed her just last week. Beautiful lady,
talented too.”

“That she is,”
Lauren said, smiling. “It’s nice to see you again, Megan. So, how
are you liking our city so far? Is Anna’s family treating you right
while you’re staying out at the ranch?”

“Everyone
except…” Megan groaned as she dropped onto the bench seat next to
Anna. “Oh no.”

“Well, well,
well,” Nick said, approaching the table. “Isn’t this cozy? Angled
for an invitation to girls’ night, did you, Megan?”

“No,” she said,
glaring at him. “I just stopped by to say hi. I’m waiting for my
date, not that it’s any business of yours.”

He narrowed his
eyes, gripping the coat post on the side of the booth until his
knuckles lost color. “Your date?”

“Yes.”

“Who the hell
are you datin’?”

Anna and Lauren
shared a smile. If Anna didn’t believe her brother when he told her
he couldn’t stand Megan, she may actually suspect he was
jealous.

“Your neighbor,
Shaw Carver.”

“What?” Nick
shouted. “You can’t be serious!”

Shaw had always
been Nick’s biggest rival. It had started back in high school, and
the two men had never outgrown their need to out-do each other.
From Anna’s perspective, they competed for everything, including
who had the most valuable and fastest horses in the country. If the
rumors were true, they had even competed for women a time or
two.

“What’s wrong
with Shaw?” Megan asked, looking at the two women.

“Absolutely
nothing,” Lauren said, fanning her face. “The man is gorgeous,
rich, smart, single, charming-”

“Did anyone ask
for your opinion?” Nick growled.

Lauren smiled
sweetly at her cousin. “Yes, Megan did. Now get lost. I wanna get
the scoop on what Shaw’s like in bed before he gets here and
interrupts the party.”

Anna had never
seen her brother so close to the edge, but Lauren didn’t seem to
notice he wasn’t taking her taunting in stride. That could only
mean one thing: He was jealous.
Very interesting.

“Nick,” Anna
said gently, “maybe you should think about calling it a night.
Uncle J.T.’s gonna kick your ass if you start trouble here.”

“Who the hell’s
gonna protect this one from Carver?” Nick asked, hooking his thumb
toward Megan.

Megan looked at
him like he was the gum she’d just scraped off the bottom of her
Prada shoe. “I don’t need you or anyone else to take care of me,
cowboy.”

“Yeah, well my
parents asked me to keep an eye on you while you’re here so you
don’t get yourself into any trouble. That’s exactly what I intend
to do.”

Megan’s face
lit up when she saw Shaw walk through the door. Getting up, she
planted her hands on her hips and tipped her head back to look up
at Nick. Even with heels, six inches separated them, making the
physical disparity almost comical as she tried to stare him down.
“Fine, stay and watch. You might learn something about how a real
man treats a lady.”

“Don’t you-”
Nick cursed when she spun away and walked across the crowded bar
with the confidence of the television personality she was.

“Looks like
you’re gonna have your work cut out for you trying to tame that
one, cuz.” Lauren masked her laugh with a cough when Nick glared at
her. “Look on the bright side… you just might have the time of your
life trying.”

The air got trapped in
Justin’s lungs when he saw Anna step off the sidewalk. She was
wearing skinny jeans, silver ballerina flats, and a cropped black
mesh sweater over a long black tank. No woman had ever looked more
beautiful to him.