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RACING HEARTS


Buffy sat on the roof of her father’s garage as she ate her lunch, looking at the blue California sky, and couldn't help but wonder what had went wrong in her life. She looked down at her coveralls, wondering if her mother had lived if she would be a grease monkey working for her father right now.

Her parents had divorced when she was just a baby, his life on the racing circuit and the women he met along the way gave her mother reason to leave him. Joyce Summers had raised her daughter the best she could until one day she had laid down on the couch with a headache and never woke up again. Six-year-old Buffy was left waiting after school for her mommy to come and pick her up, but she never came.

Since that day, she had come to live with her father and his new wife Maggie and her seven-year-old daughter Faith from a previous relationship, and Dawn, her then new little half-sister who was only 6 months old. Since the day she had arrived with her little suitcase, she had been the outsider.

She knew more about building carburetors and replacing head gaskets than what was in fashion this year, or if she was a warm or cold on the color chart. At first, her interest in cars started as a way to get her father to notice her. It did not accomplish what she had wanted it to; her father still ignored her for the most part, unless something critical needed to be done to one of the cars.

Buffy looked across the way at the racetrack her father owned and operated, wishing she could be one of the drivers circling the track instead of the behind-the-scenes mechanic that kept the cars running. In the process of trying to make her father love her, she had found her dream, she wanted to race.

“Hey, Buffster, penny for your thoughts.” A male voice broke her concentration as she turned to acknowledge her co-worker and some times best friend.

“Wish I was taller,” she said, looking over at Xander, her best friend since grade school. He at one time was the person she could count on to listen to her troubles anytime day or night. Well, until he started dating Anya Jenkins. Now the only time she really had time with her childhood friend was at work.

“Why?” Xander replied as he looked at her like she had grown two heads. “For a girl, you aren’t too short.”

Buffy held back her anger at his comment as she looked back at the racetrack and sarcastically replied, “Yeah, for a girl, I’m just fine. I know, everyone tells me that, but can I drive professionally at my size? No.”

“Buffy, man, I’m sorry,” Xander apologized, realizing he’d put his foot in his mouth.

“That’s okay, we both know it’s only an excuse really,” Buffy replied as she shrugged her shoulders.

She looked down at her tuna sandwich and wrapped it back up, having lost her appetite. She was sure her father used her height as a restriction to keep her from driving for him. His refusing to give her a chance made it impossible to get anyone else to take her seriously either.



Xander decided that now would be a time to be quiet or diplomatically change the subject. “Well, the reason I was looking for you was to see if you had the time to go over Angel’s car with me?” he asked, going for the second choice.

“What did he do to Redemption now?” Buffy sighed, knowing she should be use to the fact no one ever came to talk to her about anything other than work anymore. “Did Angel kill the trans or strip the gears again?”

“Both, I think. He needs to learn to play nice with his expensive toy,” Xander said as he put his hands in his front pockets and offered her a sheepish smile.

He missed hanging with Buffy, but Anya had told him she would not share him with another woman, even if it was the mousey little grease girl. “So, think you can fit me into your busy schedule?”

“Sure,” Buffy sighed as she wrapped up the rest of her lunch, wondering to herself if anyone would ever want something more from her. Both Faith and Dawn were more popular than she was and prettier, too.

“You’re the best, Buffster,” Xander replied as he smiled, totally oblivious to the hurt in his friend's eyes as she turned to look back at the racetrack and back down to her lunch bag.

~~~~~~~

Hank Summers looked at the man sitting across from him and wondered if the answer to his prayers was sitting right in front of him. Rupert Giles, looking to invest money in his raceway, was like a dog finding water after days lost in the desert.

“Mr. Giles, I would be more than willing to try and negotiate a contract that would be beneficial to us both,” Hank said as he leaned back and smiled his best salesman smile.

Rupert Giles and his accountant Wesley Wyndham-Pryce sat across from the man they had hoped to do business within the near future. Spike was looking to get his hand back into racing, even if it wasn’t directly behind the wheel of a car, so Rupert had decided to invest money in a racetrack that offered possibilities to expand.

“I’m sure we can come to a mutual agreement,” Rupert said, imagining the shocked look on the other man’s face when he found out who was going to represent him here at the track. “You see, my stepson is very well-acquainted with the racing world and will represent me in this endeavor.”

“Oh really? And is there a chance I might know him?” Hank asked as he sat forward. His radar going off that this was the deciding factor on both ends if this deal went through or not.

“William Spike Carpenter,” Rupert replied as the recognition came over the other man’s face. “He is my wife’s son from a previous marriage.” He did not think Spike would appreciate it if he told the man that he loved Jenny’s son as if he was his own.

“Spike works for you? The same Spike that retired soon after winning the big one?” Hank asked, feeling like his world was about to change. “Do you think he's interested in driving again?”

Wesley cleared his throat and answered the question both he and Giles knew the man would ask. “No, he is not interested in driving again but still loves the sport and wants to be involved again.”

“What, did he lose his nerve?” Hank asked without thinking. He regretted the question when he noticed the angry glares both men directed his way.

“No, he did not lose his nerve,” Rupert said, his voice calm with a dangerous vibe to it. “It is a matter if he wishes to tell you about it, he will.”

“Fine by me. Most of us know when it’s time, no matter the reason, and the ones that don’t,” Hank said, wondering if either of them understood what he was implying.

“Yes, most of them crash and burn on or off the track.” Rupert decided to let the man know he did know something about the racing life. He had made sure to learn all he could about racing, when his stepson had decided that was what he wanted to do to make a living.

“You do know something about a racer’s life then.” Hank sounded surprised, finding himself more and more impressed with this man the more he talked to him.

“Yes, I know by looking at my appearance you would never guess that I attended almost every race that William participated in,” Giles acknowledged.

“Nope, not your appearance, just most gents that have the love of racing, well, they eat, live, and speak about it 24/7. The fact you never talked about anything but the business, well, it gave me the impression I was just a tax write-off,” Hank replied, letting them know he wasn’t the dumb racetrack owner they may have thought he was.

“Yes, there is that advantage to our merger as well,” Rupert replied as he looked over at Wesley. “Wesley, could you please give him a copy of the draft so he can go over it at his leisure and get back to us with any questions or suggestions?”

“Right away, Mr. Giles.” Wesley answered as he pushed up his glasses before reaching down and picking up his briefcase, laying it across his lap before opening it and retrieving a folder out of it.

“Here you go, Mr. Summers.” Wesley said as handed him the copy he had made for the man to keep. “We also would like to make sure your daughters are taken care of in the future, as well.”

“My daughters?” Hank asked as he looked down at the papers and back at the younger man of the two. “How do you think you can help secure things for my daughters?”

“We will be open to how you wish to protect their interests during the contract negotiations.” Wesley reassured the man that his family’s interest was important to them.

“Thank you,” Hank said as he relaxed, the one big worry during all of this was protecting his daughters’ interests.

He knew that out of his girls, Buffy was the only one he didn't have to worry about. The girl could take care of herself. Faith, he wished he could get her to settle down before she got hurt with all her wild antics. He was afraid that Dawn was going to turn out the same way since she idolized her oldest sister.

~~~~~~~





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