Chapter 104

Aria’s POV

“How about some ice cream?” I asked William on the way back to the mansion.

“No,” he said. With his head turned toward the window, I couldn’t see his face, but his voice sounded small enough to reveal the depths of his hurt. He might have been crying. I pretended I didn’t notice.

“We could go to the park for a while,” I offered.

“I want to go home,” William said miserably.

“Okay,” I said. “We’ll go straight home.”

For the rest of the drive, I tried to think of something I could do or say to lift his spirits, but the things Sophia had said to him were beyond cruel. They were things that a mother should never have said to a child.

William was a strong kid. He’d been through a lot. Even this, he was carrying on his shoulders, the heavy weight, and he wasn’t complaining about it. A six year old shouldn’t need to be this mature.

“If you ever want to talk,” I said. “Even if it’s just to get some things off your mind. I am always here to listen, okay? I’m here for you, no matter what.”

Liam was the thread that connected all of our new family, but William and I didn’t otherwise have much binding us. Before, I knew William as Joe’s friend. Now, I wanted to think of him as someone like a step-son, but I wasn’t sure that would be welcome on his part.

I was not even sure my offer to listen would be welcome, especially when he didn’t reply to my offer. He just continued to silently look out the window.

When we reached the house, the minute I stopped the car, William jumped out and rushed inside.

I followed along, slower, giving him the distance he seemed to want and need. Joe was in the living room doing homework, with the babysitter helping him.

Joe looked worried. “William ran by, Mom. He was sad.”

“Let’s just give him a little space for now, okay?”

Joe frowned but nodded.

After paying the babysitter and seeing her off, I helped Joe with his homework instead, then went into the kitchen to make William’s favorite dinner, hoping it might help cheer him up, at least a little. I didn’t know if there was any meal good enough that would soothe the damage Sophia had done today.

I knew she was wicked, but to say those things to her own son…

I could only hope he wouldn’t want to go back there ever again.

Liam’s POV

I didn’t want to do it, but HR was insistent and the executives impatient. So today, I had to sit in on a series of interviews of candidates who could potentially replace Aria as the team’s trainer.

I did my best to drag my feet about it, wanting to give Aria more time to consider returning. But if I continued to wait, it would only hurt the team. I loved Aria, but I couldn’t risk the team. So I begrudgingly sat in on the interviews.

There were seven in total. The first three had severely exaggerated their qualifications. One had never been at a racetrack before, not even to spectate, let alone train the drivers. Another never finished their certifications and was just winging it. The third didn’t want the drivers to eat anything other than beets.

Those first three interviews were so bad that I start wondering if maybe it was HR who really needed replaced, if this was who they thought we should waste time talking to.

The fourth interview went slightly better. He was an older man, coming back into the workforce after being retired for ten years. His qualifications were solid. His references were a bit outdated but a good selection. His experience really set him apart.

All around, he seemed like the best possible person for the job, second to Aria. But, towards the end of the interview, he came forward with his demands.

“I will only work three days a week. No evenings, no weekends, no holidays, and no Fridays – those are my golf days,” he said.

“For race days, perhaps we would be able to call you or have you in a video call,” the HR representative said.

“No evenings, no weekends, no holidays, no Fridays,” he said again.

“Not even for race days?” I asked, to be positive.

“No,” he said.

“That’s part of the job,” I said. “The drivers will need you at the track.”

“It’s non-negotiable,” the candidate said.

There was no way this would work, no matter how qualified he was. “Then, we won’t waste any more of your time,” I said, dismissing him. Once he’d gone, I looked to HR. “Did you know that he had all those conditions?”

The HR representative lowered her head. “I didn’t think he was serious.”

I sighed. “Who’s the next one?”

Interview number five and six went similarly. Both were freshly out of college. They had the book knowledge but no experience putting it into practice. Everyone had to start somewhere, but we were a professional team. This wasn’t a good position for entry-level employees. They needed to start at the amateur level and work their way up, like Aria had done.

Number seven was the closest to a hirable candidate. His qualifications were adequate and he answered all the questions with confidence. He seemed somewhat knowledgeable about the team and the sport. He even had experience working at a smaller track for three years.

However, at the other track, he’d been more of an assistant than a trainer in his own right. This would be a leap forward in his career, and there was no telling if he was ready for it.

We thanked him for his time and he left.

“I think we should hire that one,” the HR representative said, looking at me. “What do you think?”

I thought who we really needed was Aria. I’d thought that before, but now seeing the candidates trying to replace her, I was even more convinced. Perhaps it was because it was the middle of the race season, but it seemed improbable that our team couldn’t acquire some decent candidates.

Yet here we were.

“Give me a day to think about it,” I said.

“But sir, the executives are really pushing for us to act,” the HR representative said.

“They are,” I agreed, “But we would be worse off in the long run to pick the wrong person because we rushed. Give me one day, then I’ll make a decision.”

The HR representative didn’t seem happy about it, but she nodded. “Very well.”

She didn’t have much choice. As her boss, I got the final say. Though I did feel slightly bad, as the executives would likely call her before me, looking for answers.

“You can forward any executive who calls you to my office,” I told her. “I will tell them myself what I told you.”

“Okay,” she said, her spirits slightly lifted.

I told her that I needed one day to make my decision, but truly the decision had already been made. Interview number seven was the only possible candidate to select. The rest were un-hirable.

But I needed these few hours to see if I could convince the perfect candidate instead.

Number seven was adequate, but Aria was perfect.

I just needed her to agree to return.