Page 41 of Falling Fast
‘Absolutely not.’ His eyes twinkle. ‘But what Kelsey doesn’t know, she can’t yell at me about.’
‘Doesn’t she do blood tests?’
‘Yes, but I have a fast metabolism and a week and a half to burn it off.’ He notices my sceptical expression and lifts his eyes skyward. ‘Fine, I’ll get a small.’
I tap my foot, taking a moment to consider. There’s a stubborn set to his jaw that suggests we could be here all night arguing if I don’t give in, and anyway he’s right – Ihavedone a lot for him. I’ve pretty much single-handedly reinvented his image. I’ve persuaded him to smile! Also, it occurs to me that I’m hungry. Ravenous even … And it’s not like we haven’teaten together before. We’ve had several meals in the team motorhome. This could be like an informal professional meeting, so long as I keep any impure thoughts firmly under control. ‘Fine. Fish and chips sounds good.’ I stalk past him towards the street. ‘But no mushy peas.’
‘I can live with that.’
‘How do you know this town so well anyway?’ I ask as he falls into step beside me. ‘First the garage, now the fish-and-chip shop.’
‘I’m renting a house here.’
‘What?’ I almost fall off the kerb in surprise. It’s not exactly glamorous. I should know. I grew up in a town just like this.
He shrugs and slips his hands into his pockets. ‘I like the sea.’
‘Monaco has the sea. I thought all F1 drivers lived there?’
‘There or Switzerland. But I like it here.’
‘Doesn’t that mean paying lots of tax?’
‘So Nathan keeps telling me.’
‘Huh.’ A lightbulb pops to life in my head. ‘You know, it would be great if we could do an “At Home with Leif” feature with you. Corey filmed one at his place in Monaco a couple of weeks ago. Here.’ I pull up a TikTok, a short video of Corey sipping espresso while giving a tour of his luxury apartment. With his dishevelled bed hair and twinkling brown eyes, it has five hundred thousand likes already. It probably didn’t hurt that he decided to go shirtless.
‘What do you think?’ I look eagerly at Leif.
‘I think Corey’s better at that stuff than me.’ He sounds dubious. ‘But I’ll think about it.’
‘That’s all I ask.’ I slip my phone back into my bag as we reach the fish-and-chip shop. There’s a dining area inside, butit’s such a beautiful evening I head for the outdoor counter instead. ‘Now you go and find us somewhere to sit while I get dinner.’
Luckily, a couple of fish have just come out of the frier so it’s not long before I get to join Leif on one of the picnic benches overlooking the water. There’s a scattering of other people about, dog-walkers mostly, as well as a group of kids heading into one of the arcades on the front, but otherwise it’s peaceful. All you can hear is the occasional gull and the sound of the waves lapping gently against the sea defences. It still feels pretty surreal, though. I can’t believe I’m having fish and chips by the seaside with an F1 driver.
‘Here you go. Dinner with a view.’ I hand him a cardboard box and point my fork in a generally north-eastwards direction. ‘Norway must be over there, right?’
‘A little more this way.’ He takes my hand and moves it slightly to the left. ‘You were pointing at Denmark.’
‘Oh. Sorry. My sense of direction isn’t the best.’ Electricity bolts up my arm at the touch and I pull my hand away under the guise of spearing a chip. ‘Thanks for your help tonight, by the way.’ I try to sound casual. ‘I can’t believe you got a garage to reopen for me.’
‘It’s in my best interests.’ He shoots me a sidelong smile. ‘If you didn’t have transport tomorrow, who’d run my socials?’
‘Excuse me?’ I splutter. ‘Did you just say “run my socials”?’
‘I picked it up from Nathan.’ He laughs at my stunned expression. ‘He says it’s all looking good.’
‘It is. You’ve got almost a million followers already. In fact, Rask’s overall numbers are on the up. We’re getting a ton of engagement.’
‘Great.’ He looks pleased. ‘They deserve it. They’re a good team.’
‘They are. You know, I thought it was just an image thing at first, but Rask really are like one big, happy family.’
I smile and drop a vinegar-soaked chip into my mouth. It’s hot and delicious. Unfortunately, I can’t fully enjoy it because now that we’re sitting down, facing each other, my head is suddenly brimming with questions, all of which I should probably keep to myself. If Leif doesn’t want me to know he was the one who got me the job with Rask, then I probably shouldn’t ask him about it. I should keep my mouth firmly shut. Yes. Totally. Only …
‘Why did you get me this job?’ I blurt out before I can stop myself.
As expected, his forehead creases into a frown.
