THIRTEEN
‘Is here OK?’ I ask, winding my window down as two men in overalls emerge from an office.
‘Fine.’ One of them gives me a thumbs-up.
‘Thanks so much for doing this. I’m really grateful,’ I say, climbing out and handing him the keys. Despite its battered exterior, the inside of the garage is perfectly neat and tidy.
‘No problem.’ The man grins at Leif, who’s just walked up behind me. ‘You owe me a favour, Olsen.’
‘Anything you want. How long will you need?’
‘To change all four tyres? About an hour. We’re not a pit crew.’
‘Oh, it’s not all four,’ I protest quickly. ‘It’s only the rear left.’
‘You can’t do one and not the others.’ Leif looks remonstratively at me. ‘It makes them unbalanced.’
‘It’s also four times the cost.’
‘Do all four.’ Leif turns back to the man. ‘We’ll sort the money out later.’
‘Hang on!’ I hurry after him as he heads for the door. ‘It’s my car. I should be the one making the decisions.’
‘I know, but I can afford a few new tyres, especially now that Rask have a new sponsor.’
‘ Leif ,’ I say in my sternest voice.
‘Ava.’ He stops walking. ‘Safety is important. I can’t let you drive away on unsafe tyres.’
‘That’s a massive exaggeration.’
‘Maybe, but I’d still feel better if you let me do this. You’ve done a lot for me recently.’ He catches my eye and sighs. ‘Look, if you feel that strongly, you can buy dinner to make up for it. There’s a decent fish-and-chip shop on the front.’
‘Fish and chips?’ I squint at him suspiciously. ‘Are you allowed to eat fried food?’
‘Absolutely not.’ His eyes twinkle. ‘But what Kelsey doesn’t know, she can’t yell at me about.’
‘Doesn’t she do blood tests?’
‘Yes, but I have a fast metabolism and a week and a half to burn it off.’ He notices my sceptical expression and lifts his eyes skyward. ‘Fine, I’ll get a small.’
I tap my foot, taking a moment to consider.
There’s a stubborn set to his jaw that suggests we could be here all night arguing if I don’t give in, and anyway he’s right – I have done a lot for him.
I’ve pretty much single-handedly reinvented his image.
I’ve persuaded him to smile! Also, it occurs to me that I’m hungry.
Ravenous even … And it’s not like we haven’t eaten together before.
We’ve had several meals in the team motorhome.
This could be like an informal professional meeting, so long as I keep any impure thoughts firmly under control.
‘Fine. Fish and chips sounds good.’ I stalk past him towards the street. ‘But no mushy peas.’
‘I can live with that.’
‘How do you know this town so well anyway?’ I ask as he falls into step beside me. ‘First the garage, now the fish-and-chip shop.’
‘I’m renting a house here.’
‘What?’ I almost fall off the kerb in surprise. It’s not exactly glamorous. I should know. I grew up in a town just like this.
He shrugs and slips his hands into his pockets. ‘I like the sea.’
‘Monaco has the sea. I thought all F1 drivers lived there?’
‘There or Switzerland. But I like it here.’
‘Doesn’t that mean paying lots of tax?’
‘So Nathan keeps telling me.’
‘Huh.’ A lightbulb pops to life in my head.
‘You know, it would be great if we could do an “At Home with Leif” feature with you. Corey filmed one at his place in Monaco a couple of weeks ago. Here.’ I pull up a TikTok, a short video of Corey sipping espresso while giving a tour of his luxury apartment.
With his dishevelled bed hair and twinkling brown eyes, it has five hundred thousand likes already.
It probably didn’t hurt that he decided to go shirtless.
‘What do you think?’ I look eagerly at Leif.
‘I think Corey’s better at that stuff than me.’ He sounds dubious. ‘But I’ll think about it.’
‘That’s all I ask.’ I slip my phone back into my bag as we reach the fish-and-chip shop. There’s a dining area inside, but it’s such a beautiful evening I head for the outdoor counter instead. ‘Now you go and find us somewhere to sit while I get dinner.’
Luckily, a couple of fish have just come out of the frier so it’s not long before I get to join Leif on one of the picnic benches overlooking the water.
There’s a scattering of other people about, dog-walkers mostly, as well as a group of kids heading into one of the arcades on the front, but otherwise it’s peaceful.
All you can hear is the occasional gull and the sound of the waves lapping gently against the sea defences.
It still feels pretty surreal, though. I can’t believe I’m having fish and chips by the seaside with an F1 driver.
‘Here you go. Dinner with a view.’ I hand him a cardboard box and point my fork in a generally north-eastwards direction. ‘Norway must be over there, right?’
‘A little more this way.’ He takes my hand and moves it slightly to the left. ‘You were pointing at Denmark.’
‘Oh. Sorry. My sense of direction isn’t the best.’ Electricity bolts up my arm at the touch and I pull my hand away under the guise of spearing a chip. ‘Thanks for your help tonight, by the way.’ I try to sound casual. ‘I can’t believe you got a garage to reopen for me.’
‘It’s in my best interests.’ He shoots me a sidelong smile. ‘If you didn’t have transport tomorrow, who’d run my socials?’
‘Excuse me?’ I splutter. ‘Did you just say “run my socials”?’
‘I picked it up from Nathan.’ He laughs at my stunned expression. ‘He says it’s all looking good.’
‘It is. You’ve got almost a million followers already. In fact, Rask’s overall numbers are on the up. We’re getting a ton of engagement.’
‘Great.’ He looks pleased. ‘They deserve it. They’re a good team.’
‘They are. You know, I thought it was just an image thing at first, but Rask really are like one big, happy family.’
I smile and drop a vinegar-soaked chip into my mouth.
It’s hot and delicious. Unfortunately, I can’t fully enjoy it because now that we’re sitting down, facing each other, my head is suddenly brimming with questions, all of which I should probably keep to myself.
If Leif doesn’t want me to know he was the one who got me the job with Rask, then I probably shouldn’t ask him about it.
I should keep my mouth firmly shut. Yes. Totally. Only …
‘Why did you get me this job?’ I blurt out before I can stop myself.
As expected, his forehead creases into a frown.
‘I found out by accident,’ I explain. ‘It’s not Vienna’s fault. I just don’t understand. I mean … why ?’
He twists his face away, looking out to sea. ‘When we met in Monaco, you said you wanted to work in Formula 1, so I passed your name on. It’s no big deal.’
I contradict him. ‘It’s a huge deal. You didn’t have to help me.’
‘But I could, so I did. Rask gave me the opportunity to live out my dream. Why wouldn’t I help somebody else do the same? It’s what anybody else would have done.’
‘Actually I’m pretty sure most people wouldn’t have bothered. And why all the secrecy?’
‘Because if you’d known it was me, you might have thought you owed me something.’ He glances back at me briefly, then away again. ‘You don’t. Besides, it doesn’t matter who mentioned your name. Vienna wouldn’t have hired you if she’d thought you weren’t up to the job.’
‘Well, I’m grateful, but I still wish you’d told me. All this time, I thought you didn’t like me. Now it turns out you’re the one who got me my job and you’re buying me new tyres.’ I tilt my head to one side. ‘Is it because of this person I remind you of?’
‘No.’ He shifts in his seat like he’s uncomfortable. ‘Honestly, Ava, I just wanted to help.’
I pop another chip into my mouth and chew thoughtfully. I should almost definitely stop asking questions now. We’ve only recently started getting along and I shouldn’t push it, but I’m too curious. ‘So, who was she?’
His jaw tightens instantly. ‘It’s a long story.’
‘I have a lot of chips.’ I lift my box for emphasis. ‘Although, if it’s too personal, if she was a girlfriend or something, then –’
‘No,’ he interrupts. ‘It was nothing like that. She was a friend. We were in care together.’
I freeze in my seat. ‘You were raised in care?’
‘Yes.’ His jaw is so tight now I can see the cords of his neck. ‘My mother died when I was eight. There was nowhere else to send me.’
‘That’s …’ I gulp. ‘I’m so sorry. I had no idea.’
‘Nobody does. I don’t talk about it.’ His eyes glint silver in the evening light. ‘Usually.’
‘If you don’t want to now …’
‘It’s OK.’ He puts his fork down. ‘Ask whatever you like.’
‘Really?’ He’s such a mystery that my mind is bursting with questions. ‘Well … what about your father?’
‘I never met him.’
‘A foster family?’
‘I had a few.’ His voice falters. ‘But I was so messed up and angry I refused to let anyone help me. Eventually, I ended up in a facility for difficult children. It felt like a kind of family. One of the girls, Britta, had red hair, green eyes …’
‘Ah.’ I let out a breath. ‘How long were you there?’
‘Only a year, in the end. Then I met the Falsens. They were my sixth foster family.’
‘And it was different?’
‘Not at first. Then they took me ice karting.’ He braces his hands against the table.
‘Remember how you asked me what I would have done if I hadn’t been a driver?
The truth is, I don’t think it would have been a good path.
But ice karting was a turning point, maybe even saved my life.
I’d never been good at anything before, but being behind a wheel …
That was different. It made me feel alive, but calm too.
It helped me channel my feelings, and all of my pain and anger just faded away.
People said I was talented, so my foster parents took me go-karting next.
I was old for a beginner, but I worked hard and gradually moved up the rankings. Being a driver became all I wanted.’
I listen in wonder. This must be the most words I’ve ever heard him say in one go. I feel honoured and touched and … confused. Why is he telling me this? But I still have questions.
‘And Britta?’