Page 58 of Not So Fast
“Where are you off to? Back to the motorhomes?”
Mia’s heart sank. Had that worm of a man figured her out? Even if he hadn’t, she had to get rid of him. “Looking for a bathroom. I have my period.”
Reginald stepped back. “Uh…”
“Any more personal info you require from me, Mr. Huff? If not, I’ll be going now.”
She hustled off before he could say anything else, but of course that meant she couldn’t head in the direction of the motorhomes, at least not right away, so she circled back, ducked into the Mega Racing hospitality and used the bathroom.
A half hour later, she was back in the relative safety of Xander’s trailer. She checked her socials to pass the time until he returned.
Right away she saw Cloud Sports had done a post with a clip of her interview and tagged her. Mia winced a bit watching herself doing the interview. It wasn’t because Claudia was tall and willowy, and Mia was not. The truth of Mia’s absolute center was that she enjoyed being in the background.She was accustomed to that space, which was why podcasting suited her so well.
Soldiering through the clip, she felt pretty good by the end about the things she’d said. She was knowledgeable about the sport and she sounded so. Now, to see what everyone else thought. As she scrolled through the comments, she unfortunately ran across a few unkind things.
What happened to Mia Neal? She used to be one of us. Now she’s going to every race as an “influencer”? And doing interviews with Claudia Simon? I’m done.
No wonder Mia Neal is going soft on the drivers. She’s in the inner circle. Bye bye, Not So Fast. It was fun while it lasted.
Gah! No! Mia used to be cool. This is so corporate. What’s next? Hanging out on a yacht in Monaco?
Mia grumbled under her breath. This was what was really starting to annoy her about her place in this sport. F1 was built on glamour and excitement, all polished to a fine sheen, but still people expectedherto be relatable. To get close but nottooclose. They loved that she had access, but they didn’t seem to want it to become a regular thing. Would she be receiving this type of criticism if she were a man? Or…wait for it…an actress or a model? Someone who looked like they were part of this world? Something told her no one would think twice about it if that were the case. The idea infuriated her. And honestly, it only made her want to try harder to reach new heights. Maybe she should contact Claudia about that job.
To make things worse, she got a text from Heather.
I saw you did a live interview with Claudia Simon. I didn’t know you were in Austria! I wish you had told me. I could share it with the fan club. They love knowing these things about you!
My bad. I’ll let you know next time I go to a race, okay?
Awesome. Also, some people are being trollish about your interview. I thought it was fine. I’ll keep an eye on things and definitely hide any ugly comments on your account.
Mia hated that it was necessary, but she was thankful for Heather.
Thank you. You’re the best.
Xander opened the door and Mia hopped up from her seat, casting her phone aside. “You were so amazing today.” She threw her arms around him. “Congratulations. I’m so proud of you.”
He hugged her and picked her up for a moment, then kissed her forehead. “Was I amazing? Really? Or did I do the bare minimum to hold on to a halfway decent qualifying?”
“What? Are you disappointed in the finish?”
He took off his baseball hat and tossed it on the small kitchen table, then slumped down on one of the bench seats. “I know I shouldn’t be. I would’ve killed to be sixth at any other race this season. But it’s not that hard to overtake on this circuit. I just couldn’t find my opportunity and I was worried about managing my tires, so I played it safe. And now I wish I’d taken a few more chances.”
Mia sat next to him. “There’s nothing wrong with delivering a solid result for your team. You finished in the points,which is all anyone can ask of you. And you beat Dirk. That’s got to feel good.”
“He was really pissed earlier. He told me to stop playing mind games with him.”
“If only he knew he was your childhood idol.”
“That shall remain a secret forever, thank you very much.”
Mia took his hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m really proud of you. I hope that counts for something.”
Xander put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. “It does count. And I want you to know that having you here makes these weekends much more fun.”
“Good. I’m glad.”
“Oh. Wait.” He sat up and faced her. “I saw you talking to Claudia Simon in front of a camera. Did you do an on-air interview with her?”
