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a last-minute fan meet and greet in the Nationwide hospitality tent. He continues to ignore me. I have no choice, but to follow Ryan’s lead because I have absolutely no idea where to go or what to do.
    We enter the Nationwide suite, and Ryan stops abruptly in his tracks. “What the fuck is he doing in here?” he exclaims, turning back to face me with fevered rage across his face.
    What now?
    “Who?” I ask, because I don’t immediately see who he is referring to.
    “Colton!” Ryan snaps.
    I look across the room and spy Colton Johnson, another dashing stock car driver, who is Ryan’s teammate. I guess good looks are a prerequisite for NASCAR drivers.
    “Oh, the meet and greet was with the entire team since it is a shared sponsorship,” I say matter-of-factly, like I have been handling this for years.
    Ryan immediately jerks me out of my confidence. “We need to get a few things straight!” He explodes into a fit of rage as the entire tent turns to witness his meltdown. “Colton and I may be teammates, but that is it. I don’t do press with him. I don’t do interviews with him. Are we clear?”
    Whoa! This is news to me!
I am so embarrassed that I don’t even have a sassy comeback. And I keep my mouth shut to avoid any further mortification.
    “Yes,” I mutter quietly. “I am sorry, Ryan!” I add an apology in hopes he will calm down. My face must be seven shades of purple, and Isuddenly can’t breathe. Ryan must notice my vulnerability because he doesn’t miss a beat.
    “This is exactly why I was against you taking this position, not to mention the fact that you were over an hour late this morning! But that’s fine because if I have anything to say about it, this will be your
first
and your
last
race.”
    He accents those last words with utter contempt for me. Tears spring to my eyes. I look down so he can’t see them.
    Ryan turns on his heel and vacates the Nationwide venue without even meeting the contest winner. I am so upset and embarrassed that I am livid. I cannot even think straight. I walk over to where Colton is talking with the fan to apologize.
    Colton smiles at me sympathetically on my approach. I begin to profusely apologize for Ryan’s behavior and for my errors. Colton immediately puts me at ease.
    “Whitney, that is typical Ryan Carter. There is no need for you to apologize!”
    I smile at him and let out a huge breath that I didn’t know that I was holding. I hold out my hand to him. “We haven’t officially met, but as you know now, I am Whitney Parker.”
    Colton smiles a gorgeous smile that lights up his green eyes, and he extends his hand to firmly grip mine. “The pleasure is all mine,” he says smoothly.
    He is beautiful. He has the most vibrant olive skin, which lets me know that he must have some Italian heritage. I want to reach out and caress his face.
Cool it, Whitney!
Colton is the kind of handsomethat Ryan could be if he didn’t act like such an ass. The total package.
Why do all these drivers have to be so freaking hot?
    Colton leads me out of the tent. “We had better head back to pit road. It will be time for opening ceremonies soon.” I gladly take his lead. Colton guides me through the infield area, into the pit area. He gives me a brief tour of his pit box and shows me where I should sit over Ryan’s pit. “Ryan qualified behind me, so he is further down the lane.” Colton turns my body to face the back as he points out the #62 flag that represents Ryan’s race team.
    “Huh?” I exclaim with my best southern drawl.
    Colton laughs, “Each driver has to qualify their car before each race. The starting race lineup is determined by who has the fastest car. We line up based on those results. And your buddy is almost at the back. I think he is thirty-first or so.” Colton laughs with a tsk-tsk.
    I don’t give a shit about Ryan right now. I am enjoying this time with Colton. He is actually taking the time to show me around and to get me acclimated to