Chapter 4 #2
main part of the city? I’ve never been here before.”
“This is the outskirts. London is massive. I live in Highgate. On the northwest side.”
“I need to look at a map.” Right now she felt as disoriented as she ever had, and not just because she wanted to know the
layout of London. There she was in a new place that was definitely not home, with a man who might be nice to look at but was otherwise not giving off great vibes. She felt untethered from everything
that helped her get through her day-to-day life—her family, her clients and the comfortable surroundings of the place she’d
lived her entire life. Would she be able to hack this for five weeks? Now that reality was sinking in, the bravado she’d had
yesterday when she accepted the job was slowly slipping away.
They pulled up to a brick row house with tall paned windows trimmed in white. Emilio pushed a button on his rearview mirror
to open a wrought iron gate. As it wobbled across a narrow driveway, it revealed a small garage, which he pulled into after
the door for that opened, too. “Only space for one car?”
Emilio killed the engine. “It’s not great, but I’m lucky to have parking at all in the city.”
Piper opened her door and Gus hopped out, then she followed as Emilio pulled out their suitcases and wheeled them through
a crooked door in the back of the garage that led into a fenced-in yard with a patch of grass and pink roses climbing a trellis.
Entering through the back door, they stepped into a cramped back hall with hooks for jackets and a place to leave shoes. “It’s
nice you have that outdoor space for Gus,” Piper said.
“It’s why I picked this place. The house isn’t the best, but everything happened so fast with moving here.”
Happened so fast . . . He meant the situation with being forced out at Vermillion. “I’m sorry about that. The situation with your old team.
I mean, I’m sorry, but Tristan Highbridge is creepy. And Vermillion was so sketchy about it. It wouldn’t surprise me at all
if the allegations were one hundred percent true.” She watched as Emilio’s expression changed from regular seriousness to
stern agitation. She needed to cut this short. “It wasn’t fair…what happened.”
“So you know about that. Did your dad tell you about this?”
It was time for Piper to own up to this one detail about herself, especially since Emilio sounded downright offended. “My
dad’s not the only F1 fan in our family. I am, too. We watch it together. And yeah, I’d have to be living under a rock to
not know about Vermillion letting you go. It was the biggest news during the off-season.”
“You and I are not talking about Vermillion. At all. Ever.”
Okay, then. Way to step in it, Piper. She had to change the subject. “Understood. How about a house tour?”
He picked up her bag with one hand while wheeling his own down the corridor. He gestured with a nod to his right. “Kitchen.
Through the next door is the living room. Dining room off that.”
Piper followed, poking her head into each space as they went. The kitchen was nice and looked as though it had been recently
renovated, but it was tiny by American standards. The living room was similarly small but had a wide picture window with a
view of the quaint courtyard in front of the house. The room was sparsely decorated, with nothing more than a couch and several
stacks of cardboard boxes. Clearly, Emilio hadn’t fully moved in.
“My room is on the second floor,” Emilio said as he started up the stairs.
Piper followed, trying in earnest not to watch his ass in the jeans that looked like they were made for him. All parts of him sure were easy on the eyes. “Emilio, I can carry my own suitcase. You don’t have to do that for me.”
He did not stop. He and his perfect ass just kept on going. “I was raised to be a gentleman,” he said when he reached the
landing. “This is me being a gentleman.”
Piper smiled, hoping she could somehow break him down just a little bit. “That’s sweet.”
“Don’t read anything into it. It’s just the way I was raised.” He looked away and placed his suitcase in the doorway to what
had to be his room. “The extra bedroom is on the third floor.”
Piper sneaked a peek at his bedroom, which was in the front of the house and much like the living room—minimally decorated.
Meanwhile, she tried to ignore the regular sting of his comments. They were not fun.
At the top of the stairs, Emilio carried her suitcase into the room. “The housekeeper comes once a week. I asked her to make
the bed for you. There should be towels in the bathroom. This is the first time anyone has stayed here. I’ve only been in
the house a few months. Still getting settled.”
“I saw the boxes.” Piper stepped inside, not saying more, lest she manage to trip into another uncomfortable subject like
Vermillion. The room had all the necessities—a bed, a bedside table and lamp and a small bureau. But once again, there was
little color or warmth. Doubt crept in once more. This place and the weather were depressing. Was it a mistake to come here?
Emilio didn’t seem that excited for her to be here. Why had she let the lure of a big payday, an admittedly adorable dog and
a distant, but handsome man get to her? Gabby often gave her a hard time about not going outside of her comfort zone, but
in truth, Piper appreciated her comfort zone. She hoped she didn’t live to regret leaving it.
Piper twisted her lips. She could get super chatty when she was nervous or out of her element, but right now she was at a
total loss for words, even though being in the house of a Formula One driver in London meant that, by definition, she was
out of her element. “You mentioned expectations in the car.”
“Yes. As I said in Miami, you’ll be responsible for Gus at all times. But he likes to sleep in my room at night. Unless he
changes his mind, I will continue that.”
“Of course. No problem.”
“I’m often on phone calls with the team, and if you overhear anything, that is one hundred percent confidential. Saying anything
about it is grounds for dismissal.”
“I understand.”
“I work out a lot. I often have to go to Mega headquarters for meetings and for working on the simulator. Otherwise, I’m studying
data or race strategy or fulfilling my other obligations. My life is very regimented, and it will stay that way.”
“Absolutely.” She had to respect him for being so clear about everything. She wasn’t great at creating boundaries. Case in
point: her sister’s wedding. She’d agreed to be maid of honor even though the best man was Kyle, her former fiancé. She simply
couldn’t bring herself to disappoint her sister or her future brother-in-law by saying no, so she sucked it up, and as a result,
she was really dreading her sister’s wedding. Poor boundaries.
Emilio cleared his throat. “Gus’s schedule.”
Right on cue, Gus wandered into the room and went to the window to look out on the street.
“How early does he get up?” Piper asked.
“Around five. I will take him, but if I’m out with my trainer, you’ll need to do it.”
“You train before five? What time do you go to bed?”
By the look on his face, she’d crossed a line. “Don’t concern yourself with my sleep schedule. Only Gus’s.”
Piper pulled her phone from her bag and opened the Notes app and typed out the details, trying to ignore the bite of his attitude.
Emilio jammed his hands into his pockets “He eats twice a day, once in the morning after he’s been taken outside, and again
at around 5:00 pm. I’ll take him for a run most days, but he’ll get enough exercise if you take him for a walk once or twice
a day.”
“Oh. I love to run. I can take him for a run today if you want. Might be good for me after being cooped up on the airplane.”
She rolled her head from side to side, working out the kinks in her neck. She wasn’t exactly a marathon runner, but she’d
found that for someone with excess nervous energy, it was a helpful pursuit.
Emilio shook his head. “No, no. I need some exercise. I’ll take him.”
“Maybe the three of us could go.” Piper crouched down and gave Gus some attention. “You can show me what route you like to
take 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’t
back 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 with
you later.”
He looked at her with that intimidating glance, the one that made her question everything—her decision to take this job, whether
she would still be an Emilio Baquero fan at the end of this five-week trial period, and most important, whether she would
even 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 cold
and 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 nothing
she could do about it.