Page 49 of Off the Mark
“Ooooooh,” the first woman said. “We thought there was something going on between you two.”
“Rowan’s from Philly,” I explained, “and he’ll be here for the championships.”
“Oooooooh,” all three crooned.
Rowan flicked a playful gaze my way. Winked. I was definitely smiling now—which meant he’d won,again—but it was only for the optics.
“Well, we won’t hold you two lovebirds up for long,” the first woman said. “But I wanted to tell you that my sisters and me”—she pointed behind her— “we’re fraternal triplets, if you can believe it. And we had an older brother who raced dirt bikes, and he made the mistake of putting us on one when we were five years old, and I don’t think we’ve stopped riding since.”
I brightened. “That’s so cool. Dirt bike racingtriplets—I love it. Is this your first time at the championships?”
“It is,” she said, “and we came specifically because ofyou, Charlie. You’re our absolute favorite, and we know you’re gonna win the big one.”
An electric joy zipped up my spine. I wasn’t a stranger to having fans approach me, sweet and starry-eyed. But it never got old, having the support, knowing that there were other women out there taking up space in the same sport we were all devoted to, a sport that not everyone understood.
“Thank you, it means a lot to me,” I said. “Knowing there are people in the audience, rooting for you, is a true gift.”
“We’ve been following you since your dad was racing,” the second sister said. “We’re also big Malcolm fans.”
“Hell yeah,” I said with a laugh. “I’ll tell my dad I ran into you. He’ll get such a kick out of it.”
She leaned in, tossed a look at Rowan. “We adored watching Charlie’s old man out there. He was such a hoot on the track, didn’t care one bit about being nice or polite. But honestly? Charlie’s better.”
I opened my mouth to disagree, but the triplets were shaking their heads.
“It’s the truth, honey,” the first sister said. “You’re the future of this sport, and I know your dad must be so proud. Our daughters sure are, and so are we.”
My throat constricted. I thought about my dad, and all his pictures of us on the wall, sitting in that house he loved, those bright red eviction notices in a pile on the table.
“He is,” I said. “And tell your daughters I can’t wait to see them at a race someday.”
“Do you want me to take a picture with all of you together?” Rowan asked, stepping back and away from the counter to give us space.
The sisters turned for permission, and I waved them close.
“Please, let’s do it. I’ll send it to my dad too, if that’s okay.”
After passing their phone to Rowan, they crouched next to me, arms lightly around each other while he snapped the photo. For a moment, I felt peacefully content in a way I hadn’t in months.
A contentment that was made extra confusing when Rowan handed the phone back to the sisters and interlaced his fingers with mine. We’d practiced handholding already, had touched each other even more intimately back in the lobby, but he’d done this with an easy familiarity that spiked my heart rate.
“Well, if that didn’t make my entire damn day,” the first sister said. “Thank you so much, Charlie. We’ll be cheering for you. That race has your name on it, we just know it.”
“Thank you for stopping by,” I said. “It made my day too.”
“Andyou,” she continued, pointing at Rowan, “are adorable. You’re adorable together. Stop flirting so much, it’s already too hot in here.”
He raised his palms with a sheepish grin. “Guilty as charged. I’ll tone it down a notch so we don’t give everyone in here heatstroke.”
They laughed delightedly, waving again as they walked back toward the entrance.
Rowan cocked an eyebrow in my direction. “How’d I do?”
I was prepared to do our usualgiving each other shit, but I’d glimpsed the painful yearning on his face while the sisters were talking to me and had a suspicion on what it was about.
“A-plus for charm,” I said. “Thank you, Rowan.”
He waved it off. “It’s the boyfriendly thing to do. Also, it’s no surprise to me that your fans are badass.” Then he sighed, sliding his phone and wallet back into his pocket and leaving cash for the bill. “And as much as I’d love to hang longer, I should get back to the center. These back-to-back meetings ain’t gonna conduct themselves.”
