Page 62 of Too Fast To Fall
With his helmet tucked under his arm, Emilio wound his way into the paddock. The instant he saw Piper and Gus, his heart swelled.“Hey...” he said. He really wanted to pull her into his arms, but that would have to wait.
“Oh, my God, Emilio.” She planted her hand on his biceps. “I’m so sorry about the wheel gun. What a nightmare.”
He nodded. She wasn’t wrong, but he still couldn’t be bothered to be annoyed about it. She’d put a lot into perspective forhim. “You know what? It happens. I still finished one position higher than I started and it was the team’s best finish ofthe season. Lots of good to take away from the weekend.”
“Plus, that move at the start? That was the most amazing thing I have ever seen!”
Emilio smiled the biggest smile he could remember. “Honestly, if I had crashed right after that, I would’ve been okay withit. The car felt so damn good. Made it all worthwhile.” Emilio saw out of the corner of his eye that Isabel was running towardthem.
“I’m so glad I caught you,” she said, a bit breathless.
“What’s going on?”
“First off, great race today. Everyone’s really excited, and I spoke to Harmony. She’s thrilled. But that’s not what I neededto tell you. I wanted you to know that Victoria did an interview.”
“Okay...”
“A journalist grabbed her after the race, since Brett was on the podium. I just wanted to tell you. Both.” She looked backand forth between Emilio and Piper as if gauging what to say.
Emilio ran out of patience. “Isabel. Please. Just tell me.”
“She told everyone that you’re a couple. I realize there have been rumblings, but now it’s very much not a secret. I thoughtyou should know.” Isabel cleared her throat. “I mean, I don’t know if it’s true or not. And it was good to know which waythe wind was blowing when Xander had this same issue with Mia last season. But it’s none of my business.”
Emilio only had to think about it for a moment before he made his decision. He had a great amount of respect for Isabel—shehad a very difficult job. He didn’t want to make things unnecessarily hard on her. He also trusted her. But he needed to consultwith Piper before making any sort of declaration. “Between us, it’s true. It never occurred to me that Victoria would talkto the press, but I suppose I should have anticipated it. For now, I think it’s best if the team simply doesn’t comment. Piper’sonly here for one more race. No need to rock the boat, right?”
Isabel nodded. “Got it.” She fished her phone out of her pocket. “I need to run, but I’ll see you both in Monaco.”
In a flash, Isabel was gone, and Emilio and Piper rushed through the paddock to meet the driver who would take them and Gusback to the motorhome so they could pack up their things. Emilio’s mind was a chaotic place, filled with too many competingthoughts. “I wanted to ask your opinion about the situation with the press. That’s why I asked Isabel not to make any comments.It should be our decision. Not the team’s.”
“You’re the expert. This isn’t my world.”
That was true. There were times when he wished he could be a normal guy who didn’t have to think about things like this. Evenso, he wouldn’t give up his place in Formula One for anything. Unfortunately, being under the media spotlight was part ofthe job. “I just want to make sure you’re protected.”
“Victoria already outed us. There’s nothing we can do about that.”
“I know, but she’s just one person.”One person who can’t help but be vindictive.“The story coming from her could mean it’s seen as nothing more than gossip.”
Piper nodded as she stroked Gus’s head. Gus had his eyes closed, soaking up the attention. “Okay. Maybe that’s a good thing.”
“I’d like to think this shouldn’t be an issue.” It was like he was trying to convince himself, but deep down, he only wantedto respect her wishes.
“This is really bothering you, isn’t it?” Piper smiled sweetly and reached over, placing her hand on his arm. “You had anamazing race weekend. Let’s focus on the good.”
That right there was why he was falling for her. She had an uncanny knack for pulling him back to where he was happiest—centeredand grateful. “You’re right. Let’s focus on the good.”
“Speaking of good, I enjoyed hanging out with Harmony.”
“She seemed nice.”
“She’s awesome. Loves animals, so we had a lot to talk about. She asked me about the dog treat recipe. She said she’s interestedin buying it for Nom Nom. Gumdrop really liked them. But that seems sort of far-fetched, doesn’t it?”
Emilio could hardly believe the timing. What an amazing development. He loved this for Piper. “No. It’s incredible. What didyou say?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t really know what to say. I’m not sure I’d just want to sell the recipe. Maybe I want to start my owncompany. Like you suggested.”
“You should still talk to her. See what she offers. Maybe you could do some sort of licensing deal. Have revenue sharing.”
Deep furrows formed between Piper’s brows. “I don’t even know what you just said. I’m not a businessperson. The thought ofit makes me nervous.” She looked down at her lap. “She’s supposed to call me about it this week.”
