Chapter Thirty-Three #2
She nodded, swirling the last of her wine.
“Anthony’s a lot of things—liar included—but he’s not exactly a great actor.
He looked pretty sincere. But honestly? It doesn’t matter.
I used to think an apology would fix something inside me.
That it would make it all okay. But when he finally said the words, I realized I didn’t need them.
I’d already moved on. He doesn’t get to live in my head anymore. ”
“I’m glad,” I said, giving her hand a quick squeeze. “He doesn’t deserve your time.”
Noticing her glass was empty, I opened my wine cabinet.
My fingers grazed over the labels of the wine bottles, searching for one of my favorites.
As I poured us both a glass, Georgia leaned back in her chair, taking a sip before letting out a contented sigh.
During the last few weeks, I’d finally caught a glimpse of the Georgia that Henri always raved about.
As each layer pulled back, I was finally seeing the witty, charming Georgia that had her friends and family in a chokehold.
That now had me in a chokehold.
The oven timer dinged, signaling that our dinner was ready. “Shall we eat?” I asked over my shoulder.
She lifted her glass in response, her face beaming. “Excited to be the first customer of Chef Rossi!”
Laughing, I grabbed the two plates of mac and cheese, balancing them expertly in one hand as I ushered her back to the living room, setting them on the coffee table. “Dinner is served, amore.”
Georgia took a bite, moaning softly as the gooey cheese and al dente noodles melded with the rich, creamy sauce. It had been a long time since I’d cooked for someone else, let alone enjoyed their company this much.
“So,” Georgia said between bites, “if you don’t mind me asking, how are things going with your dad?”
“Okay. Better after the Monza win. I thought he’d be over the moon, that the win would give me some relief, but honestly? It’s almost been worse. Like Monza showed him that I could win, and so now he expects it every race.”
“Well, for what it’s worth, Luca, I believe that you can do it. You’re just as capable of winning the championship in that Hermes car as Henri is.”
Her eyes had such a determination in them, so fast and steady that I almost felt the self-doubt melt away. If Georgia had a superpower, it would be the ability to instill unwavering confidence in anyone she believed in.
“Hermes still haven’t signed my contract extension,” I mumbled finally.
“There’s still plenty of time. Summer break only just started. Have any other teams made offers?”
I laughed dryly. “Matteo said there’s been a little interest, but I don’t think I’m the most desirable driver on the grid right now.”
Georgia just shot me a pointed look. “You’re a Formula 1 race winner. Plenty of teams would be lucky to have you. If he gets a meeting set up with another team, you should go.”
Trying to hide my nerves, I looked down at my slippers. “Maybe.”
“So, are your parents annoyed that I have to join you on this break?” Grateful didn’t begin to describe how I felt at her changing the subject.
“Not at all,” I chuckled. “My mom’s a huge fan of yours, if you couldn’t tell by the Valkyrie shirt she wore on Sunday.” Georgia’s eyes lit up, undoubtedly pleased at my mother’s choice of attire last week. “I’m sure if my dad got to pick my actual girlfriend, you’d be top of the list.”
“Oh?” she questioned, intrigued by that answer.
“A talented race car driver who doesn’t break the rules, get wasted at parties, or steal yachts? Pretty sure my father would happily swap the two of us.” I didn’t mean for the words to sound so pathetic.
Georgia tilted her head, a wry smile playing at her lips. “You make me sound so dull, Rossi.” Georgia topped off my glass of wine, shuffling closer to me on the couch. Her presence felt like a warm blanket on a cold night.
The shrill ring of Georgia’s phone cut through the quiet living room.
“That’s odd. Why is Nora calling?” Georgia answered, putting it on speakerphone. “The interview went fine, Nora. So nosy.”
“Georgia, is Luca there as well?” Nora’s voice was low and serious, instantly killing whatever buzz we had left.
“Yes. You’re on speaker,” Georgia said nervously. “What’s going on?”
“I’ve had some bad news. We’ve just been told that the Daily Reporter is working on a story about us. Fortunately, I went to university with one of their journalists, so she called to give me a quick heads-up.”
Georgia’s face went still. “Wha-what do you mean? What story?”
“They’re going to publish an article at the end of summer break about your relationship with Luca. Our guess is they’re going to accuse Valkyrie and Hermes of conspiring together, possibly by trading secrets, but we aren’t sure.”
“That’s bullshit!” Georgia yelled.
My phone buzzed violently against the table. Dozens of texts from Matteo. This wasn’t some absurd rumor, it was already moving. Georgia’s hands were trembling, and I intertwined them in mine.
“We don’t know who their supposed source is, but we’re working hard to find out.
Isabelle has retained a crisis manager, a close friend of hers who works in London.
We’re to meet at the Valkyrie Monaco offices tomorrow, we’ve booked you a flight first thing.
Luca, Matteo is booking you a flight back to Hermes HQ.
With any luck, it’ll be a nonsense story that’ll blow over after the Austrian Grand Prix. ”
I exchanged a glance with Georgia, and for the first time all evening, her confident blue eyes were filled with dread. Her jaw clenched, lips parted, like she was still trying to form the words to fight back. Georgia said a quick goodbye to Nora before hanging up the phone.
“My F1 career is going to be ruined,” she sobbed, her voice cracking with every word.
I cupped her cheek, letting my thumb swipe away the tear trembling on her lashes. “No, it won’t, Georgia. I’m here for as long as you want to keep doing this. I promise you that. Whatever is going to be said about us, we can fight, prove them wrong.”
“Even if we break up at the end of the season, everyone is going to accuse us of this being a PR stunt! I can’t force you to date me forever.” She continued to cry into me as I kept rubbing her back, trying to soothe her tears.
“Georgia Dubois, I promise you, I don’t care how long this takes.” I wiped away a tear with my thumb, gazing deep into her exhausted eyes. “I’m not going anywhere.”