Page 22 of Not So Fast
“I met him in the media center. Well, not so muchmethim as was accosted by him. He saw you wave at me after the press conference. He figured out who I am and he knew that you paid my way here. He grilled me about it.” After that long explanation while power walking, Mia was breathing hard.
“Why did you feel the need to divulge that I invited you to Monza on your podcast?”
Mia was struggling to keep up, literally and figuratively. “You listened?”
“Yes. I listened. You don’t have to tell everyone everything.”
“I try to be forthright with my listeners. That’s all. I want them to know what’s going on.”
“People like Reginald Huff will exploit your honesty until you regret it.” Xander took a right down an even narrower side street, this one entirely residential-looking, with laundry hanging from lines overhead, an orange cat sitting in a doorway and a silver-haired woman leaning out of a second-story window. “He is not a good person. Stay away from him.”
“What does that mean exactly?”
“Just stay away from him, okay?”
“Got it. Where are we going?”
“There’s a park at the end of this street. I like to go there when I’m here. It’s quiet. And private.” He let go of her hand, but he already had her fully convinced. She wasn’t going anywhere except precisely where he was. “If you come with me, there’s one condition. This is just us talking. I don’t want any of this ending up on your podcast.”
Mia knew she’d earned that comment. She deserved to be put on notice. “Promise. Plus, I got so much material in the paddock today it was kind of ridiculous. I think I’ve talked to every single driver on the grid. Except for you, obviously.”
“I’m sorry if it feels like I’ve been avoiding you. I needed to keep my head down. I can’t afford to lose focus.” Behind them came the sound of laughing. A group of people in Mega Racing gear were approaching. “Bugger.” He took her hand again and they hustled around a corner, then across a quiet alleyway. Ahead was a stone wall covered in ivy with a wrought-iron gate to one side. Xander opened the latch and ushered Mia inside.
As she crossed the threshold between the street and the stone pathway, it was like stepping into a secret garden—a lush expanse of grass edged by carefully kept hedges bordered by a thick canopy of trees crowning the space, leaving an opening in the center that framed the cobalt night sky. The air was so much sweeter here, filling her lungs and lazing over her skin. Time suddenly slowed down. Moments were ticking by at an entirely different pace.
“What is this place? Are we even allowed to be in here?”
“It’s a public park. Not many people know about it. I discovered it the first time I raced here and I make a point of coming every time. It’s nice to have a break from everything.” He strolled over to a bench and sat. “I’m sorry about the cloak-and-dagger routine back there and in the hotel. I didn’t want to deal with either Reginald or fans. They’re just going to ask about tomorrow, and well, I don’t want to think about it too hard.”
“I’m amazed at how much you all get hounded. I witnessed some of that while I was chatting with the drivers in the paddock.”
“They all want a piece of us. It’s exhausting. I realize the sport wouldn’t exist without them, but it’s still a lot to deal with.”
“I’m a fan, too. Before I started the podcast, that’s all I was.”
“You don’t really seem like a person who would chase a driver down the street.”
“You’re right. I’m not.”
He laughed quietly. “Can I tell you a secret?”
“Of course,” she answered a little too eagerly.
“Sometimes I wear a disguise. I even have a fake mustache.”
“Seriously?”
“Sometimes it’s the only way I get a moment to myself. Some semblance of privacy. Just so I can bloody think.”
Mia heard the strain in his voice, the way it got thin and wobbled at the end. She saw the pressure on his handsome face, forming deep creases between his eyes and wrinkles on his forehead. Good God, the man was stressed, which left her feeling so sad. This wasn’t right. He’d been struggling all season, but he’d done amazing in qualifying that day. He should be floating on air, feeling as though tomorrow was filled with endless opportunity.
“Makes perfect sense to me. I don’t know how you deal with the pressure. Having to smile and be nice all the time. And you never know who’s watching. Who’s got a phone pointed at you. All of that on top of the actual job has got to feel impossible sometimes.”
* * *
Xander sat quiet. How long had it been since someone had acknowledged that what he did was fucking difficult? It feltlike a lifetime. He took a seat on a wood bench and gestured to Mia with a nod of his head. “Come. Sit.”
“You sure?”
