Page 13 of Too Fast To Fall
And just like that, Gus let go. Piper and Emilio looked at each other in disbelief. What had just happened? Did Gus understandwhat was going on? Piper supposed she’d figure out exactly how smart he was soon enough.
She jogged through the paddock, which was a bustle of activity with the teams packing up unbelievable amounts of gear. Itwas like a traveling circus—a high-speed, multibillion-dollar circus. And this was going to be her life, at least for thenext five weeks. It was impossible to wrap her head around. Nervous excitement zipped through every inch of her body.
She spotted her car in the parking lot, climbed inside and forced herself to catch her breath. She sat perfectly still fora moment, staring ahead, her heart still thundering. Today had been truly bizarre. Meeting one of the cutest dogs she’d everseen. And an invitation from a super-handsome man to get on a plane and fly across the Atlantic. Things like this did nothappen to her.
“Oh, my God. Am I seriously doing this?” She started the car, popped it into Reverse and backed out of her parking space.“Yes, I am.”
When she got to the house, she was surprised and a little disappointed to see that neither of her parents’ cars were there.She’d really wanted to share this news with her dad. Inside the kitchen, she found a note on the center island.
Dad and I went out for dinner and a movie. Date night! xoxo, Mom.
Piper had to tell someone she was leaving. Since her sister Meghan was the softest and squishiest of the pack, that’s wherePiper would go. She walked back to her old room, dialed Meghan’s number and put her on speaker.
“Oh, my God. It’s late, and it’s Sunday. Are you okay?” Meghan answered.
This had been the only flaw in Piper’s plan to go to Meghan first—Meghan was a worrier. “I’m fine. And it’s eight o’clock.That’s not late.”
“Late for me.” Meghan was a middle school science teacher, so she had to get up superearly, especially this close to the endof the school year.
“Oh, right. I’ll make this quick, then. I’m calling because I had a dog sitting job today. Down at the Formula One race inMiami.”
“Dad told me. It’s so cool you finally got to see a race. Was it fun?”
“It was amazing. So exciting.” Piper could think of one million more descriptors for her day, includingunbelievable, but she didn’t have time to deliver a soliloquy, so she pulled her suitcase out from under the bed and unzipped it. Insidewere some stray grains of sand. Pretty normal considering that she lived in a Florida beach town, but she knew exactly wherethat particular sand was from—her trip with Kyle, her ex-fiancé, to Key West. God, this was annoying. She was so tired ofliving with this dark cloud overhead. She really did need a fresh start. “But that’s also why I’m calling. The dog’s ownerasked me to be a dog nanny and I said yes.”
Meghan snorted. “There is such a thing?”
“For people who can afford it.” Piper tried not to take offense. “And I leave for the job tonight. I’m flying to London.”
“You’re going to England? Right now? For how long?” She gasped. “Are you skipping out on Gabby’s wedding?”
“No. Never,” Piper blurted. “It’s just for a month. Five weeks. I’ll be back before that.”
“Gabby has a to-do list for us that’s like a mile long and I’m so fried from the school year. We need your help.Ineed your help.”
A potent mix of guilt and familial obligations weighed down on Piper, and she knew it was about to get worse. “I can do plentyover the phone and with email. I’ll be back a few days before the actual wedding.” Piper didn’t necessarily feel the needto stand up to Meghan, but she did feel the need to express that for once in her life, she was going to do something thatwas outside her comfort zone. “I need to do this. This job pays a ton. I can get my own place again. I might even be ableto pay off my car.”My world couldopen upjust a little.
“I know what it feels like when money is scarce.” Between Meghan being a teacher and her husband, Mike, owning a small bikerental shop near the beach, they didn’t quite have money streaming in, either.
“Which is part of why I’m asking you to tell everyone else. You’re most sympathetic to my life situation.”
“If Gabby kills me, you have to pay for my funeral.”
Piper laughed quietly. “Fair enough.”
“I’m not telling anyone until tomorrow, just so you know.”
“I was sort of counting on that. I’ll be an ocean away by then. It’ll give me a head start.”
“I’ll miss you.”
“Aww. I’ll miss you, too. It won’t be long.” Piper ended the call, finished piling clothes into her suitcase and scribbleddown a quick note to her parents.
Going out of town for a few weeks. Meghan has the particulars. Don’t worry about me. I’ll call soon. xoxo Piper
An hour later, Piper was at the private air strip in Miami. She was nervous pulling up to the gate, a mix of anticipationand worry creating an odd cocktail. “Hi. I’m Piper Murphy,” she said to the guard.
“ID, please.”
