Page 18 of Too Fast To Fall
“Maybe the three of us could go.” Piper crouched down and gave Gus some attention. “You can show me what route you like totake and then I’ll know where I’m going. Get to know the neighborhood.”
Emilio shook his head. “You won’t be able to keep up with me.”
Piper wasn’t someone who would take a dare, but when it was delivered with a heavy dose of male superiority, she couldn’tback down. “Why don’t you let me show you what I can do? If I’m too slow, you and Gus can run ahead, and I’ll catch up withyou later.”
He looked at her with that intimidating glance, the one that made her question everything—her decision to take this job, whethershe would still be an Emilio Baquero fan at the end of this five-week trial period, and most important, whether she wouldeven last long enough to get paid. “No, thank you. I’ll go by myself.”
She didn’t know what else to say. So she nodded.
“Basically, I need you to keep to yourself.”
“So, you’re saying we will not be hanging out.”
He swallowed hard, making her wonder if this was difficult for him, although he seemed to be doing just fine with being coldand distant. “We will not be hanging out.”
Piper had been put on notice. Emilio had her on a short leash. Pun intended. And from where she was sitting, there was nothingshe could do about it.
Five
Piper’s first week in London had a distinct undercurrent to it, summed up by the words Emilio had said to her:I need you to keep to yourself.As it turned out, she hardly had to try at all. He was like a ghost. A phantom. A presence in the house that Piper triednot to take it too personally. He was a busy guy, after all. He’d made that clear. But for someone whose schedule was so overloaded,hedidhave downtime.
His room was right beneath hers and she could hear him watching TV at night. It took her a while to figure out he was watchingthe British version ofThe Office.Piper and Gabby had watched an episode once, but it was far more cringey than the American adaptation and Piper couldn’t takeit. She had a low tolerance for cringe. Emilio apparently enjoyed it since she could hear himlaughing,a curious sound coming from her grumpy housemate. She was certain she’d never see Emilio laugh in real life. He wouldn’t darebe so unguarded with her.
All alone and needing to occupy herself, she’d taken Gus on at least two walks a day during her first week. Sometimes it wasas many as four—rain, shine or drizzle. There was a lot of drizzle. She’d also taken an afternoon nap with Gus every day,a luxury she loved, although Gus did snore.
Most things Gabby had asked her to do for the wedding were done, and she’d dutifully checked in like she said she would. Gabbygave her the silent treatment for three whole days before she got over herself and called Piper back.
“Are you done being mad at me?” Piper asked.
“I didn’t expect you to bail on the wedding preparations,” Gabby said. “You stood there in Moondance Bridal and said I shouldn’tworry about the wedding, that you would help me. You were on a plane to England the next day.”
Piper choked back an exasperated breath. “I didn’t plan for this to happen, but I had to take the opportunity. I’ve finishedeverything you asked me to do, and I’ll be home in less than five weeks.”
She sighed. “But that sounds like forever. I like having you here. You’re so much better at telling Mom to back off.”
As if Piper would ever have the nerve to tell her mother such a thing. “All I do is distract her. It’s not the same.”
“If you decide you hate this job and want to come home, no one will think any less of you.”
The thought had occurred to Piper since she had a lonely and drizzly existence right now, but she really wanted the moneyand she was already so attached to Gus. “I’ll keep you posted.”
Also during the first week, Piper read three cozy mysteries, decided to start doing planks and watched the entirety of a YouTubeseries about an American couple renovating a massive French chateau, which only ended up making her very envious of otherpeople’s adventuresome lives. She also stayed busy with baking. She’d whipped up three batches of her secret recipe dog treats,which had helped her meet a few dogs in the neighborhood, as well as their human owners.
And because caring for only one dog left her with an unusual amount of downtime, she’d gone down the rabbit hole of Emilio’scareer. The highlights were already in her head from having seen the races on TV, but it hit differently now that she knewhim. It really was astounding to watch the highlights of his on-track performances from last year. He was unstoppable. Forthe other drivers, a frustrating force to be reckoned with. It was a real shame that he'd lost all that, merely because he’dspoken up. Of course, she couldn’t bring up the topic. Emilio had been clear. They would never talk about Vermillion.
Not that they were talking about anything. There hadn’t been a single conversation. She’d at least expected a little chitchat.A check-in here or there about Gus and how he was doing. At the very least, she thought he might ask if she was liking Londonor whether she’d figured out how to navigate the neighborhood. At the very, very,veryleast, she thought he might inquire about what in the heck she was baking in his kitchen all the time.
But none of that had happened, and frankly, it was hard not to be annoyed. Busy was one thing, but what had happened to basichuman communication? They were supposed to travel to Italy tomorrow for the race at Imola. Shouldn’t they talk about a departuretime or what she should pack? Interact on a minimal level? She thought so. And since they seemed to have opposite schedules,her only move was to force an interaction. Which was how she found herself up at 4:30 in the morning.
“This is so dumb,” she muttered to herself, tugging on her leggings, then wrestling with her sports bra and a workout tank.“I shouldn’t have to wake up before the sun to talk to my boss, but apparently that’s what’s necessary in this household.”She tucked her phone into the side pocket on her pants and ducked into her bathroom. She pulled her hair back into a highponytail and brushed her teeth. She couldn’t ignore that she was already starting to pit out. There was something about Londonthat made her sweat. It was sodamp. And that was saying a lot since she came from a place with ridiculous humidity. But early summer in England was sweaty.And that meant she was, too.
She tiptoed downstairs, carrying her shoes and socks, and put them on while sitting on the couch in the living room. Thenshe crept into the hall like a ninja to lay in wait for Emilio to emerge from his room with Gus so they could go for theirrun. While she was there, she quietly did a few affirmations, a habit she’d gotten into while coming to terms with her brokenengagement. “Coming to England was a good idea.”At least that’s what I keep telling myself.“There are things here that bring me comfort by reminding me of home.”Like spending all my time with dogs.“I need to see if they sell clinical strength deodorant here.”Amen to that, sister.
It was easy to wonder if she was making a poor decision by ambushing him in the downstairs hall and inviting herself on hisrun. She might end up pissing him off. But the truth was he had been so grumpy with her the day they arrived. It couldn’tpossibly get any worse.
Just then she heard two sets of footfalls upstairs—human and canine. She waited as they came down the stairs. When they turnedthe corner, Gus trotted down the corridor for her, filling her heart with glee and her brain with dopamine. At least someonewas excited to see her.
“Good morning, sir,” she said to Gus, ruffling his ears. God, she was so in love with this dog. He really was the sweetestthing ever.
