Race With a Heart
Chapter 58: Not Only a Lover

Chapter 58: Not Only a Lover

"I really missed your face," Jack Lambert said to Martin. "In fact, we all miss you. So since you are not visiting us, I have to visit you. Forgive me for business hours, but I have a meeting tonight. A very busy period had begun. Anyway, you know it yourself. "

Martin might not know exactly, but he had some idea.

"You won’t mind if I hang around a bit?" Jack asked.

"Of course not," the boys replied warmly.

"Okay, so you get back to work and I’ll chat with the guys. I will tell them all the embarrassing stories you have had with you.

"I don’t have such stories!" Martin blushed. At least not the kind you could tell others, especially high school kids. He sincerely hoped Lambert wasn’t saying something stupid.

Of course he won’t say anything like that! Jack may sound like a light-hearted man, but he was very responsible and sensible.

"All right," agreed Martin. "I’ll try to finish as soon as possible."

"Great! So, guys, who’s the first to take a picture with me? "

Steve just ended his conversation with Karl and pocketed the phone. Walton informed him that the Fergus Stable had received a very good advertising offer for both drivers. Jack would actually be interested, but Karl doesn’t know how Paxton will relate to it? This contract would solve many of their current financial problems.

The driver only said one word: ’Okay’. A surprised Karl was speechless for a moment, then even more surprising when Steve unceremoniously announced that he was about to meet for another ad. Will it be okay?

Steve decided to do not one ad but two? Walton thought he was dreaming. He was delighted with this turn of events, he only asked Paxton not to sign anything. Karl personally wanted to review the terms of the contract to avoid what he called a ’conflict of interest’.

"Mr. Paxton, you cannot imagine how glad we are that you have chosen to hear our proposal!"

Steve wanted to reply that he had a rather vivid imagination, but remembered Lambert’s advice to bite his tongue every now and then and tried to smile instead. After all, he could smile when he stood on the podium, he will also be able to smile at his potential sponsor.

"Last year I was too focused on the starts and too stunned by the sudden success," he confessed. "Now ... you can say that I am used to this world and I am curious about the possibility of taking up a new challenge."

His answer was flawless. He did not commit himself to anything in her, he did not act as if he was desperate for money. He was an athlete who decided to do exactly what probably all of his colleagues did after reaching a certain level of popularity - earn from his fame. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it.

Steve was surprised and a little overwhelmed by how much a company representative was courting him. He was a bit like a persistent insurance salesman - overly polite and kind, showering him compliments. This was a new situation for Paxton, as he hadn’t even had conversations like this before, so he couldn’t tell if it was typical or appropriate behavior for this man. All he knew was that he felt uncomfortable in this situation and would rather avoid these kinds of meetings. The offer itself, however, looked interesting and Steve promised to consider it. He asked them to send it to his agent.

Paxton left this place with a great sense of relief, as if he could finally breathe. He hadn’t even paid any attention to the world of sponsors and advertising before, but now, when he looked inside it for the first time, it felt like he was in a stinking swamp. False smiles and exaggerated politeness were not qualities he would endure well. After all, he was a simple boy from a simple family who could only do one thing - ride races.

But Jack was right that the stable was in financial trouble. If he for his part did not do everything to help her, next year he would have nowhere to go, because Steve couldn’t even imagine changing his colors to something else, Even if it was F1.

For this reason, he just gritted his teeth and went to meet Karl Walton to hear the other sponsor’s proposal.

Knowing that Jack Lambert was waiting for him, Martin rushed to repair the car, which turned out to be easier than he expected. Before calling the client, he asked Teddy what the price would be for the service. The old mechanic asked how he thought himself? Martin thought for a moment and stated the amount. Teddy nodded with a smile. It was neither understated nor excessive. It honestly presented the amount of work involved in the repair, its difficulty and the cost of the part replaced. The client will also be satisfied and a satisfied client also comes back with another problem. He also recommends the service to his friends.

When Martin fixed the car, Jack wasn’t bored at all. It didn’t even surprise Martin how quickly the driver found a common language with the two high school students. It’s not that Jack was infantile, he was just an honest, open-minded man, who liked to have friends everywhere. He also had a slight sense of humor, so he made friends easily. Martin saw it for himself immediately when they had the opportunity for the first, longer conversation. The boys from the workshop were delighted with him, and he told them without hesitation about the backstage of working as a racing driver.

Teddy was, of course, less fascinated with the visitor than his staff, but he was also pleased with his presence. He looked as if he was remembering his youth. Who knows what he did when he was Martin or Jack’s age? Maybe then his dream was also working as a racing driver?

Lambert was actually having a good time. It’s not that he sought attention and considered himself the center of the universe, he was just very social and even the shy Sid dared to ask a few questions with him.

While waiting for a client to arrive to pick up her car, Martin finally had a moment to talk to Jack. He had a hard time believing the driver had bothered here just to see him, but Lambert explained that he and Steve had a day off today (after all, they were working at the weekend) and Jacek’s beloved had to work, so the driver didn’t know what to do with time, he immediately thought that he would see how Martin had settled into his new workplace. After all, he’d heard so much about this place and Martin’s new colleagues on the phone.

"What you told your friends that you don’t care where you will work to get cars repair, is it true? Do you no longer dream of working in our stable? " Jack asked.

"I like our stable. Did you hear?" Martin chuckled a little awkwardly, "I said ’ours’." I guess I grew to that place. I felt at home there. I really liked working there and all the people working in stable. Well, almost everyone," he sighed.

"Steve or Don?"

Martin blushed.

"Don" he admitted. "I think Steve and I are making progress."

Lambert grinned and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Congratulations! Steve is really changing," he added admiringly.

"He’s changing?" Martin wondered. "How?"

"He’s starting to emerge from his shell. Can you believe we even went for a beer together? Although we only drank water," Lambert remembered regretfully. "I think it’s your merit."

"Mine?" the young mechanic was surprised. At the same time, he felt great joy. He promised himself that he would do anything to help Steve, so if his treatments really helped him, he couldn’t imagine anything more beautiful.

"I think you are very special to him. More special than if you were his girlfriend or his wife. "

"What do you mean?"

"Women are from Venus, men are from Mars. There is a lot of truth to this saying. Although I am wholeheartedly in favor of equality, I cannot deny that men and women are not only different physically. That is why it is so difficult for us to communicate sometimes. You and Steve share common interests, common passions, and even similar problems. For him, racing is the whole world, so since you are part of this world, you are part of his world. He doesn’t have to explain to you what the adrenaline caused by driving the racing car is. He doesn’t have to play sweet in front of you. He is himself with you and you are his partner. His friend. Not only a lover. "