Page 52 of Falling Fast
‘Trust me.’ He leads the way through a door and along a corridor towards a glass wall. Behind it I can see a long, narrow pool, clearly designed for doing laps, and in the far corner another room made of wood.
‘A sauna?’ I laugh. ‘That issucha cliché.’
‘I know.’ He grins unrepentantly. ‘I’m thinking of adding a plunge pool too. But this still isn’t the best part.’
‘Wait, upstairs?’ I falter as he takes me back to the main staircase. ‘You want to show me the bedrooms?’
‘No. We have to go through one, but that’s not what I want to show you.’
‘OK…’ I go ahead. There’s a landing at the top, with four doors leading off it. Leif goes to the first, opening it to reveal a large bedroom with a mat and sleeping bag on the floor.
‘Are you camping?’ I blink in surprise.
‘Kind of.’ He sounds sheepish. ‘It’s a temporary arrangement until I order a bed, but it’s actually quite comfortable.’ He walks across the room, opening some more doors leading on to a large wooden balcony and …
I stop and stare in amazement. From here, we can see above the tops of the trees and out over the fens. It’s breathtakingly beautiful.
‘Wow …’ I whisper.
‘I’m hoping, on a good day, I might be able to see Scandinavia.’ He rests his forearms on the railing beside me.
‘So you’ve actually bought this place?’ It’s a genuine effort to tear my eyes from the view.
‘Yes.’
‘It’s pretty close to Rask.’ A tendril of worry steals down my spine. ‘I guess this means you’re fully committed to the team?’
‘I try not to plan too far ahead. But for now, yes, I’m 100 per cent committed to Rask. If that changes …’ He tilts his head towards mine. ‘I can always keep this place as a getaway.’
‘Meaning, if you move to a different team?’ I ask, in as casual a tone as I can manage. Given what he told me about his childhood, I guess I can understand his attitude to planning, even if it’s the complete antithesis of mine.
‘I suppose so. The driver’s market is kind of up in the air at the moment.’ He gives me an apologetic look. ‘I can’t really talk about it.’
‘That’s fine.’ Relief floods through me. If he doesn’t wantto talk about the future, then there’s no obligation for me to either. ‘You don’t have to tell me anything. It’s completely your business.’
‘Not that Iwantto leave Rask –’
‘But opportunities crop up,’ I finish. ‘You have to do what’s best for your career. I understand that. If you want to be a world champion, you’d have a better chance with a team like …’ I pause like I’m actually considering the answer. ‘Quezada, for example.’
‘That’s true.’ His brows draw together. ‘And I do want to be a world champion one day, but Rask gave me an opportunity this year when other teams wouldn’t. Bastian and the Jokkinens took a chance on me when it looked like I was going to be stuck as a reserve driver for another year. I feel a sense of loyalty to them for that.’
I drop my gaze because his words hit a little too close to home. Rask took a chance on me too, yet here I am, fully intending to interview with Quezada in December.
‘I’m sure they’d understand,’ I argue. ‘F1 is a business, after all. And it’s not like you haven’t been delivering results for them this year. You’ve got eighteen points in the last two Grands Prix.’
‘I guess so.’ He clears his throat. ‘But that’s enough about work.’ He slides one hand along the railing until it’s touching mine. ‘Thank you for coming.’
‘Thanks for inviting me.’ I lift my little finger so that it’s overlapping his.
‘I couldn’t wait to see you any longer. Kelsey keeps asking what’s wrong with me. Every time I work out, my mind starts wandering.’ He gives a wry smile. ‘Suddenly I find gyms very distracting.’
My face heats at the words. The last time I went jogging, I found myself distracted too. The way my heart was pounding reminded me so much of the last time we were together. It’s starting to flutter now. If I’m not careful, I’m going to forget what I came here to say.
‘Leif.’ I pull my hand away and turn towards him. ‘Before we … do anything, there are some things I’d like to discuss.’
‘Of course.’ He nods. ‘Go ahead.’
‘First of all, what I said about not being good at relationships …’ I take a deep breath. ‘I meant it. So I think, if we do this … I’d need to take it slow.’
