Page 28 of Not So Fast
“Sure.” An awkward quiet settled between them. “I was about to hunt down a bottle of champagne. Do you care to join me? No pressure.”
She unleashed her lovely grin. “Well, yeah. Absolutely. It’s a big day.”
He couldn’t contain his own smile. “It is, isn’t it?”
He led the way inside, only to find that hospitality was being packed up, which came as no big surprise. With the race over, the teams were always ready to head out, especially with next weekend off before Monaco. Still, he knew his way around enough to find what he needed.
“Hold on one minute.” He ducked into the kitchen and found a beverage fridge with some beer. That would do. He grabbed two bottles and held them up, feeling victorious.
“Nice.”
“If it’s okay with you, I know a quiet spot where we can talk.”
“Away from the fans?”
“Exactly.”
She followed him out back behind hospitality. It wasn’t deluxe accommodations, but it was quiet and away from fans and reporters. He stood while Mia took a seat at a picnic table.
She clinked her beer with his. “Huge congratulations for today. You were spectacular. I saw shades of the old Xander.”
He took a long drink of the cool and hoppy beer. Damn, it tasted good. “Thanks. But I thought you told me to not look back. To only look ahead.”
“Don’t listen to me. Clearly, you know what you’re doing.”
Part of him did think Mia had made a positive impact on him. Or maybe it was simply that he’d wanted to prove to her he was capable of being back on his game. “Thanks for listening last night. I appreciate it.”
“Are you kidding? I love it. I love every minute of getting to be around this sport.”
How he appreciated she felt that way. Aside from other drivers, very few peoplelivedthe sport the way he did. “What’s next for the podcast?”
She shrugged. “Back to the grind, I suppose. No more exotic locales for me, but I really appreciate you bringing me here. Thank you. It’s done so much for me. I have tons of new followers and subscribers. I’m sure that will only grow after I do my big Monza episode. Hopefully, I’ll get a few more sponsors out of this weekend. Just keep growing.”
“Do you have anyone helping you with all of this?”
“It’s just me. Recording. Editing. Marketing. Social.” She took another swig of beer, her mesmerizing eyes locked on his.
How he admired her entrepreneurial spirit. It reminded him of the things his dad had done when Xander was just starting off—scraping money together to buy secondhand karts, maintaining and learning to fix them on his own while the other kids had top-of-the-line equipment and their own mechanic.
“It’s very impressive. I’m glad it’s going so well. I really am.”
“Considering where it started when we first met, that’s a real sea change, Xander.”
He smiled and downed the last of his beer. “I suppose it is.”
Mia finished hers as well, then got up from her seat. “I guess this is it, then. Thanks for everything, Xander. Especially for bringing me here. Even if it was only out of ego.”
“I never owned up to that, you know. But you’re more than welcome.”
“I’m not hard to find if you’re ever in need of a neck rub. Or an insult.”
“Ah. But I already follow your podcast. The insults are free there, aren’t they?”
She unleashed a musical laugh. “One hundred percent.”
“Isabel has your email, right? She sent you your tickets. So I could reach out to you that way.”
“She does. Although I could give you my cell number. I mean, if you want it.”
