Page 17 of Falling Fast
‘Fine.’ I toss my ponytail and then can’t resist digging the boot in. ‘And when you’re being interviewed in Spain, if you could say a little more than the absolute minimum, that would be really helpful. Maybe with a hint of a smile?’
He doesn’t answer, holding on to my gaze with a look that I can’t interpret, but that somehow makes it harder to breathe. It feels as if the air is subtly shifting, like somebody is lighting tiny invisible matches around us. The atmosphere feels taut, tense …exciting. Heat blooms in my stomach and I’m self-consciously aware of a now familiar (and entirely unwelcome) tingling sensation racing across my skin. I have a sudden image of us both springing across the table, his arms pulling me against him, me lifting my face up to meet his …
Wait, what?I push the thought out of my head. It’s so inappropriate I can feel myself blushing again.
Fortunately, Leif breaks the connection, pushing his chair back and standing up.
‘I’ll do my best.’ His voice sounds different, huskier than before.
‘That’s all I ask.’ My throat feels tight too.
Then he’s gone and I have a feeling that working with Leif Olsen is going to be a bigger problem than I anticipated.
Reigning champion Gio Bauer may be on pole in Barcelona, but with every grandstand full to bursting with Quezada supporters, he’ll struggle to keep Jaxon Marr behind him today.
@MotorsportEchoNews, 1 June
SIX
‘I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU’RE working for a rival team!’ Maisie exclaims the moment I open my front door.
‘I know.’ I hang my head in mock shame. ‘If you never speak to me again, I’ll understand.’
‘Well, I thought about it …’ She pauses for a moment, before thrusting a plastic tub towards me. ‘But then I made celebratory brownies instead. Congratulations on the new job!’
‘Oooh.’ I lick my lips as I open the lid. Maisie’s chocolate brownies are the best. She says the secret ingredient is sour cream, which doesn’t sound very appealing, but they’re absolutely mouth-watering. ‘In that case, you can come in.’
She pushes the door shut with her foot. ‘Um, not to sound critical, but what are you wearing? Couldn’t you be fired for wearing a Quezada shirt when you work for Rask?’
‘Not if they don’t know about it.’ I suppress a pang of guilt. ‘It’s theSpanishGrand Prix! What else can I wear? Anyway, I can supportbothteams.’
‘Can you?’ Maisie looks sceptical. ‘What if it comes to a choice?’
‘It won’t,’ I answer confidently. Quezada are in the toptwo, while Rask are stuck in the lower middle of the pack. No matter how effective their upgrades might be, something dramatic would have to happen for either Leif or Corey to challenge Jaxon Marr or Noa Shimizu.
‘But theoretically?’ She nudges me.
‘Theoretically?’ I arch an eyebrow. ‘My heart belongs to Quezada.’
‘I knew it! You’re just flirting with Rask.’ She laughs. ‘Don’t worry. I won’t tell.’
‘Thanks. Now, come on. Dan’s watching the race with us.’
‘Great.’ She follows me through to the kitchen-lounge. ‘So how’s it going at Rask? I won’t tell Gio, I promise.’
‘I love it!’ I grin at her over my shoulder. ‘I still have to pinch myself every morning to check I’m not dreaming. It’s pretty full-on, but it’s fun and the people in my department are all super nice.’
I sigh because it’s true; I really do like my new colleagues. After just a couple of days – even though Emika and Yuto left for Spain on Wednesday afternoon – I feel like I’m getting to know them well. For example, I know that Charlotte loves romance novels about vets and that she’s getting married to a real-life vet in January, during the off-season. Despite Yuto’s warning, I’ve already had several conversations with her on the subject. I also know that Emika is an identical twin, is sick of wedding talk and hates the smell of Yuto’s favourite prawn cocktail crisps. As for Yuto, he’s a huge Warhammer fan and, according to our new WhatsApp group, is prepared to switch to salt and vinegar on the condition he can still have prawn cocktail on Fridays.
In return for all this information, I’ve told them about my degree, my podcast, my friendship with Maisie and Gioand … Well, then I drew a blank. Not that my life is empty, but now that my main interest has also become my job, I guess maybe it’s time I found a replacement hobby.
‘Don’t Rask need you to work today?’ Maisie asks.
‘Not really.’ I shake my head. ‘Media Day on Thursday was busy, but the team at the track handle all the communications stuff today.’
‘Well, I’m really happy for you.’ She looks past me to the lounge. ‘Hi, Dan.’
‘Hi!’ My brother looks up from where he’s slumped on the sofa, watching the pre-race grid walk. ‘I hope you don’t mind me joining you?’
