It was guilt, he told himself. Guilt about messing up that interview. It wasn’t Gaby’s fault he’d raced like a rookie, nor that the journalist had asked such intrusive questions. Actually, it was her fault about the questions, she should have known better than to set him up to talk about that stuff. Still, he didn’t like to see the droop of her mouth, and the furrow in her brow that suggested she was working hard to keep her equilibrium. He knew how she felt. He’d really thought he might make a top-five finish today. To have the race end the way so many others had… “I’ll call Getaway, prepare them for more bad press,” she said. “Then I’ll get to work on setting up your next media appearance. For which we’ll spend a lot more time preparing.” The urge to touch her vanished. Zack shoved his hands in his pockets. “I need to spend a lot more time preparing for my next race.” Whatever sympathy he’d imagined she might have had for him before the race was gone. She gave a little hiss.
