THREE
FRASER HEADQUARTERS LOOKS LIKE it was made fifty years in the future, then transported back to now and deposited in the middle of a country park. The front of the building is 90 per cent glass and the rest is painted silver, with a horizontal blue stripe halfway up one of the many, many floors. Coming from a city that prides itself on its medieval architecture, the view requires some mental readjustment.
‘Welcome to Fraser!’ A blonde woman in a floral maxi dress and chic oversized blazer greets us in a lobby that looks like the lair of some Bond villain. It’s so big it makes the three racing cars in the middle look small. ‘I’m Izabel, Gio’s assistant.’
‘Hi!’ Ava and I answer together. Ava’s looking fabulous and professional in a black trouser suit and pointed kitten heels, while I’ve opted for some new-ish Adidas Spezials, my best Levi’s and a classic white T-shirt.
‘Come this way.’ Izabel gestures, smiling like we’re old friends. ‘Would you like to freshen up first or shall we get straight to it?’
‘We’re ready,’ Ava answers. She’s obviously conquered her nerves because she’s already striding alongside Izabel, shoulders back and chin in the air, like she’s totally accustomed to this kind of VIP treatment. Meanwhile I trail behind, shielding my eyes from the glare, as we walk past a wall of trophy cabinets. All of them are full.
‘You can set up in here.’ Izabel leads us into a room with a large white table and seating for at least two dozen people. The walls are frosted glass, but there’s a camera in one corner to show that we’re under surveillance. ‘Gio’s in a meeting right now, but he won’t be long. You’ll have twenty minutes, but just so you know, we’ll be recording the interview as well.’ She gestures to the camera. ‘Is that all right?’
‘That’s perfect.’
‘Amazing.’ She smiles as a man enters carrying a tray with a jug of water and some glasses. Crucially, he manages not to drop any of them. ‘I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.’
‘So …’ I say, as Ava pulls her laptop out of her bag. ‘What can I do? Hold the microphone?’
‘No need.’ She whips out some gadgets. ‘I have tabletop packs, but you can pass Gio some headphones when he arrives.’
‘Then what?’
‘Nothing. I’ve got it all covered.’
‘But I have to do something ,’ I whine. ‘Otherwise it’s like I’m only here because he summoned me.’
‘Invited you,’ she corrects me.
‘Invited me, knowing I couldn’t say no because of all this.’ I gesture at her and the equipment. ‘It felt like a summons.’
‘Really?’ She looks worried. ‘You don’t mind, do you?’
‘No … I just wish I knew why he included me.’ I make a pleading face. ‘Can I at least sit by your laptop and pretend that I’m monitoring sound levels?’
‘OK.’ She clasps my arm suddenly at the sound of footsteps heading in our direction. ‘That must be him! Tell me I can do this.’
‘You can totally do this.’
‘Thank you.’ She lets go of my arm and squares her shoulders a split second before Gio appears, dressed in cargo pants, a form-fitting blue Fraser polo shirt and a matching baseball cap, flanked by Izabel and a man with copper-blonde hair wearing a smart navy suit.
‘Hi.’ Gio smiles as his gaze sweeps over Ava, then me. For a moment, our eyes catch and I feel my breath hitch because I’d somehow forgotten how incredibly handsome he is, or maybe he’s just even more gorgeous in daylight … Whatever the reason, suddenly I can’t remember why I turned down his offer of going to Canada, but then the moment’s over and he’s holding a hand out to Ava. ‘You must be the superfan flatmate? Great to meet you. Sorry about the short notice, but I have to be in Canada –’ his gaze flickers back towards me – ‘by tonight.’
‘No problem.’ Ava shakes his hand like she’s been interviewing famous sportspeople her entire life. ‘Thank you so much for agreeing to do this. You remember Maisie?’
‘How could I forget?’ he says, giving me that same half-smile from the other evening. Considering that I don’t even know whether I like him or not, it’s irritating how much of an effect he has on me. ‘Hi, Maisie.’
‘Hi.’ I try to sound nonchalant, though I have a feeling it just sounds moody. He might have offered to shake my hand too.
‘This is my manager, Bo,’ Gio goes on, indicating the man beside him. ‘He’s here to make sure I don’t say anything stupid, so ask me anything you like.’
‘Um …’ Bo coughs.
‘ Almost anything.’ Gio grins, going round to sit opposite us at the table. ‘Let’s do it.’
‘Give me thirty seconds …’ Ava starts tapping away on her laptop while I sit beside her, feeling pointless.
‘Maisie?’ Ava’s knee touches mine under the table.
‘Mmm?’
‘Headphones?’
‘Oh! Right.’
I spring out of my seat again, mortified that I’ve managed to forget my one job, and pass the headphones to Gio, or at least I try to, but the table is so wide I have to stretch my entire body across it to reach.
‘Here.’ He leans forward to meet me halfway. His hand brushes against mine, as he goes to take the headphones, and I give a jolt at his touch, dropping them on the table.
‘Sorry,’ I mutter, blushing and simultaneously realizing the neck of my T-shirt is gaping open at this angle. ‘Are they OK?’
His gaze dips infinitesimally before locking back on to mine, as he picks the headphones up and adjusts them over his ears. ‘They’re perfect.’
‘Great!’ Ava dispels the crackle of tension that seems to fill the room as we return to our seats. I’m still wondering whether he was referring to the headphones or something else when she starts talking. ‘So, Giovanni Bauer, welcome to Single Seat News . I’m so thrilled to have you as a guest.’
‘I’m happy to be here.’
‘Your career rise has been meteoric. You were a junior karting champion at twelve, then you fought back from a serious accident in the European F3 series when you were sixteen to become an F2 champion at nineteen.’
He did? My ears prick up and I feel goosebumps at the coincidence. I was sixteen when I had my accident …
‘But before we get on to the driving,’ Ava continues, ‘how would you describe yourself in three words?’
He doesn’t hesitate. ‘Impulsive, passionate and headstrong. Or so my mother’s always telling me.’
‘And how have you found your first few months in F1?’
‘I feel incredibly lucky. This is my childhood dream come true. It’s been intense, but I’ve loved every moment.’
‘Even Australia? You had some issues with your gearbox in Melbourne, didn’t you?’
‘You’re right.’ He laughs, displaying his dazzlingly white teeth. ‘Every moment except Melbourne.’
‘So you’re pleased with the car in general?’
My attention drifts as they lapse into a technical discussion about aerodynamics and downforce and something called DRS regulations. It’s not that I’m not interested, I just have no idea what a diffuser is, and I don’t understand why I was invited today when there’s genuinely no point in me being here.
‘How does it feel having a dad who’s a three-time world champion?’ Finally, Ava asks a psychology question and I perk up again. ‘It must be a lot of pressure.’
Gio’s jaw tightens before he answers. ‘It’s a double-edged sword. Obviously, it’s given me a head start in racing. My dad is great and I’m lucky to be able to go to him for advice.’
‘But?’
‘But … the comparisons can be tough. Some people have extra high expectations and others just want to beat you because of your name.’ He exchanges a quick glance with Bo. ‘Fortunately, I’ve never known anything else, so I’m used to it.’
‘Is it something that motivates you, wanting to equal his record?’
This time a muscle twitches in his cheek, though when he speaks his tone is still friendly. ‘Lots of things motivate me.’
‘And what about your relationship with your teammate, Luc Farron? How would you describe that? Is it intimidating being teammates with someone who’s been driving at this level for so long?’
Gio’s nostrils flare suddenly in a way that makes me regret encouraging Ava to follow this line of questioning. ‘Look, Luc and I are both strong personalities and we both want to win. The first rule of F1 is to beat your teammate. That inevitably means we don’t always get along.’
‘That makes sense—’
‘However, if you don’t mind, I’d like to put the record straight about a couple of things.’ His tone shifts from stern to sterner. ‘I’m not proud about some of my behaviour recently. The pressure in Formula 1 is a lot, maybe too much sometimes, but at the end of the day what I do reflects on my team, and being a driver means being an ambassador for the sponsors, as well as a role model, both on and off the track. All I can say is that I’ve learned my lessons. I’m taking responsibility for my mistakes and turning over a new leaf.’
‘Wow.’ Ava sounds impressed, though personally I get the strong impression he’s reciting from a PR script Bo gave him. ‘So I’m talking to the new Giovanni Bauer?’
‘New and improved.’
‘That’s twenty minutes,’ Bo murmurs.
‘One more question?’ Ava looks pleadingly at Gio. ‘Are you going to win the championship this year?’
‘That’s the plan, but my dad taught me to take it one race at a time.’
I gasp, causing Gio and Bo to look at me. That’s what my dad used to say too. Not exactly original, I admit, but suddenly I feel drawn to Gio again, as if some shared understanding is passing between us.
‘So you’re completely focused on Canada right now?’ Ava sneaks in another question.
‘I’d say about 90 per cent. The other ten is wondering whether your assistant would agree to have coffee with me?’ He lifts an eyebrow, bracing his forearms over the table as my jaw drops open. ‘What do you think? Will she say yes?’
Ava’s face lights up. ‘Oh, I think so. Offer her a cinnamon bun too. She cannot say no to those.’
What are you doing? I mouth at her. I’m completely blindsided and she’s still recording.
‘I’m sure we can find one of those. What do you say?’ Gio turns a megawatt smile towards me, blue eyes twinkling. But there’s something cocky about it again, like he thinks he’s tricked me a second time. ‘Maisie, wasn’t it?’
I twist my head between the two of them as they wait for an answer. I’m pretty sure that my face, throat and even the tips of my ears are now a luminous shade of scarlet. I have to admit, it makes an entertaining end to the podcast, a kind of shock-twist moment, but I don’t appreciate being ganged up on. I’m not sure what’s happening either. Is Giovanni Bauer actually asking me out on a proper date or is this just some PR stunt? And if he is, or isn’t, what am I going to do about it? What do I want to do about it? I don’t even know if I like him! But he is gorgeous …
‘Maisie?’ Ava prompts me.
‘Fine.’ I agree because I don’t want to ruin this for her and, despite my hesitations, I’m curious about what he has to say. ‘On condition there really is a cinnamon bun.’
‘You heard it here first, listeners! Giovanni Bauer and my best friend Maisie are going for coffee!’ Ava can hardly contain her glee. ‘I’ll let you know how it goes on the next episode. In the meantime, if you’ve enjoyed this podcast then don’t forget to click Subscribe and leave a review. I’ve been your host, Ava Yearwood, and this is Single Seat News .’