Page 35 of Falling Fast
I’m trying to think of something to say when I see a familiar figure walking through the paddock towards us.Jasper Ramirez! Shit!This trip was so last minute and I’ve been so busy I somehow forgot he would be here with Quezada. Not that I necessarily expect him to recognize me – I’m just some girl he interviewed six months ago – but if he does, this really isn’t a good time for a reunion. One, because it would draw attention to the fact that we know each other, and two because the bags under my eyes don’t exactly scream ‘Hire me!’.
I drop into a crouch and keep my head down. ‘Sorry. I need to retie my laces.’
‘Take your time.’ Leif’s feet stop beside me.
‘Um, what?’ I hear Emika protest. ‘We don’thaveany spare time.’
‘I’ll just be a sec,’ I murmur, waiting until Jasper’s shoes pass by. ‘There we go.’ I spring up again. ‘Ready.’
‘Good.’ Emika is starting to sound panicked. ‘Because we haveoneminute!’
‘Are you OK?’ Leif asks, as we hurry on again.
‘Yes.’ I give him an innocent look. ‘Why?’
‘You look tired.’
‘Oh.’ Apparently my make-up really isn’t fooling anyone. ‘I didn’t sleep well. All the excitement, I guess.’
‘Working your first GP is a pretty steep learning curve.’ He stops outside the door to the garage, a serious expression on his face. ‘But you’re doing great.’
‘Thanks.’ I smile up at him, feeling a warm, fuzzy glow at the words.
‘OK, OK, in you go.’ Emika ushers him and Corey inside. ‘We’re off to find Vienna, but we’ll be back in a couple of hours. No running away!’
‘Yes, boss.’ Corey salutes her.
‘And don’t forget to drink plenty of water!’ I call after them.
LEIF’S SCHEDULE SAYS ‘Not to be Disturbed 12–12.55’ in red capital letters. It’s a planned nap time so I wait outside his room in the team motorhome until exactly one hour and five minutes before the race starts, and then knock gently.
‘Hello?’ I open the door a crack when there’s no answer. ‘Leif?’
There’s still no answer so I push my head through the gap and peer inside. Leif is sitting in an armchair, his feet propped on a small table in front him, snoring softly. After a hectic morning of meetings and discussions, most people would be too wired to sleep, but F1 drivers seem to be able to conk out on command.
‘Leif?’ I creep forward, keeping my voice low so that I don’t startle him. ‘It’s time to get ready.’
‘Mmm.’ He moans. ‘Ava …’
I inhale sharply because he’s never said my name likethatbefore. Softly, almost tenderly. His eyes are still closed too, like he’s dreaming … about me?
My stomach flips. Because, despite myself, Ilikethe way he said it; part of me wants to hear it again.
‘Leif?’ I gently press a hand to his shoulder. He’s still dressed for the heat, in shorts and a vest, and his skin is smooth and velvety soft beneath my fingertips. It makes me want to slide my hand lower, over his bicep and forearm all the way down to his wrist. I feel a bizarre urge to take hold of his hand, to slip my fingers through his. Only that would be wrong, taking advantage, an invasion of privacy –completelyunprofessional. I’m not a hand-holder anyway, never have been.
‘Ava?’
I jolt my gaze up from his hand to find Leif’s eyes wide open and locked on to mine. For a moment, we both stay that way, staring at each other like we’re hypnotized. I’ve always thought his eyes were cold, an icy rather than tropical blue, but right now they’re warm and intense and … oh crap,confused, like he’s wondering what I’m doing, bending over him like this.
‘You have a race to get to,’ I say, as I take a step back and try desperately to pretend that nothing weird just happened. My voice is so tight and high-pitched I hardly recognize it. ‘They’re waiting for you in the garage.’
‘Right.’ He rubs his hands over his face. ‘I’ll get dressed.’
I breathe a sigh of relief. He looks so sleepy he probably thinks he imagined me staring.
‘There’s just one more thing.’ I pull a small plastic box out of my pocket and offer it to him. Inside is a silicon pill containing a micro-thermometer.
‘Urgh.’ He rolls his eyes, puts the pill in his mouth and then reaches for his water bottle. ‘You know, in the past they let drivers justdrive.’
