Gambling It All

Chapter Twenty Two

Talk about all the old familiar places, Dixie thought, striding through the haulers around the infield in Sachsenring, dodging tire changers, publicity mavens and the press on her way to Nicky's coach. Just because she missed a race or two didn't mean the circus changed much. She and Jackie had take the same red eye flight from California the day after Cade's call, and now Jackie was ensconced in Cade's coach for a 'summit meeting', as Cade called it, and Dixie was on her way to confront her newly assigned client – again.

She was nervous, she admitted to herself, trying to still the butterflies in her stomach. She knew it would be weird to see him again, and yet, she was oddly excited.

And nervous.

And still a little pissed off, but...

She'd really try to just get past the awkwardness and just get to work on his muscles, because if what Cade said was true, Nicky was in a world of hurt – literally.

And he was still very much in the hunt for the championship, but from here until the end of the season, every single race counted.

Plus, in a few weeks, the circus would be back on American soil for two races – Laguna Seca and Indianapolis, and she wanted Nicky to be at his fighting weight to show the Americans why they should be proud to call him their rider.

She caught sight of Nicky's coach and took a deep breath, blew it out slowly, and then rapped on the door three times.

"C'mon in, it's open," Nicky's muffled voice called from within.

Dixie pulled open the door, stepped inside and ran up the stairs, then pulled the door shut behind her, shedding her jacket a few moments later.

Nicky emerged from the back of the coach with a towel in his hand and froze in place when he caught sight of Dixie standing by the door shifting from foot to foot.

"Hi," he said, sounding surprised, pleased and a little nervous.

"Hi," she echoed.

"Hi," he repeated, and she had to bite back a small smile at that.

"Stellar conversational skills you have there, Gamble. No wonder Speed TV always wants to interview you," she shot back and he bit back a smile of his own.

"They don't usually show up uninvited," he shot back, tossing the towel on a nearby chair and she shrugged.

"I was invited," she countered.

Nicky sighed then, running his hand through his hair, making it stick up haphazardly, something that Dixie found adorable despite herself. "Cade. He called you, didn't he?"

"Yes, and not just for a booty call on my assistant, though that was a part of the call," Dixie said, cracking her knuckles one by one. "He said you're hurting yourself, and that, I won't stand for. If you've been fucking up all the work I've done on you these last few months, I'll kick your ass myself."

"Of that, I have no doubt," Nicky said, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

Dixie shook her head and squared her shoulders, needing to clear the air before they started talking or working or flirting or whatever it was they were doing right now. "Look, I know back at the ranch..." she waved a hand around vaguely. "And then, you know..."

Nicky nodded, as though knowing exactly what she was saying.

"But you know, here... whatever. I think we should..."

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

"You're the boss," Nicky said, sounding genuine. "In this, if nothing else."