Chapter 6 #2
“But I agree.” The car pulled up to the pedestrian swipe gates. “This is us,” Emilio said.
Piper threaded her hand into the loop on Gus’s leash while the driver opened the door. The screams from the fans roared as
she and Emilio climbed out of the car with Gus. Curious, Piper turned to witness the commotion and took a step toward the
crowd. A sea of people cheered and waved and frantically shrieked for Emilio. She’d been in a group of people like that. She’d never been on the other side. “Wow. I didn’t know a human voice could reach that high
a pitch.”
Emilio coiled his arm around Piper’s waist and tugged her back. “Come. They’ll only take pictures.” In a split-second, Emilio
whisked her through security and away from the pandemonium. Then, he let her go. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to grab you.”
Piper needed to catch her breath. And collect herself. It wasn’t the fans that had her rattled. It was Emilio. That had been
such a protective act. “No. It’s okay.”
“It was an impulse. Sometimes my reflexes take over.”
“The curse of the Formula One driver.” It still made her question the things she’d been thinking about him. Maybe he wasn’t
merely tolerating her. Maybe there was some part of him that cared. Or . . . maybe he was protecting Gus by proxy. Someone had to watch him throughout the race weekend.
“Speaking of which, I need to get ready for practice. Are you and Gus coming to my driver’s room?”
Piper directed her vision skyward. “It’s such a beautiful day, I think I’ll walk around.”
“Okay. See you later.”
Piper wandered the paddock like she had yesterday, hoping to run into Isabel or maybe even Mia, but neither were anywhere
to be seen. She couldn’t stop thinking about the incident in the parking lot. Emilio had seemed a little freaked out by the
fans, but Piper was one of them. Maybe it was time to explore what the race was like from their point of view.
With her pass, it was no problem to wander over to the grandstands and poke around with Gus. She took great delight in seeing
the fans dressed up in the gear from their favorite teams and drivers. Everyone seemed very excited, with an atmosphere somewhere
between a carnival, music festival and major sporting event. And this was only practice. She could only imagine what it would
be like in time for the race on Sunday.
She found an empty seat in one of the grandstands and watched as the cars whizzed by once the session had started. Gus wasn’t
paying too much attention, so Piper felt the need to make sure he knew when Emilio drove by. “Look, Gus. There’s Daddy.”
The woman in front of Piper whipped around. “Is that—” She pointed at Gus “—Emilio’s dog?”
“Yes. This is Gus,” Piper answered truthfully, only second-guessing herself after the words had left her mouth.
“I knew I recognized him. I knew he was Emilio’s dog.” The woman and the guy next to her sprang up out of their seats. “Gus. Oh,
my God. You’re just the cutest thing,” the woman gushed.
Of course, Gus, who would accept all positive attention, wagged his tail like he was a helicopter.
“I can’t believe this is happening.” She thrust her hand at Piper. “I’m Luna. This is Marco. We’re huge Emilio fans. This
is so amazing. Meeting Gus.”
Luna’s sincerity and enthusiasm really got to Piper. Two weeks ago, Piper was in the same boat, just another fan. “Do you
want a photo with Gus?”
“Really? We would love it.”
“Of course. Give me your phone.”
Luna handed it over, then she and Marco posed with Gus, who looked so adorable—it was like he was smiling for the picture. When Piper saw the photo, something occurred to her. Gus had been missing from social media ever since Emilio
and Victoria had parted ways. And he’d always gone over big with the fans. “Do you mind if I take a photo with my phone? For
social media?” Piper asked.
Luna’s eyes grew impossibly large. “Please. That would be amazing.”
Emilio finished the second practice session with a wide smile on his face. It had been quite some time since he’d felt like
that climbing out of the car. Like he unequivocally knew what he was doing. Doubt? That old thinking hadn’t crept in even
once during the session. He wanted to hold on to this feeling forever.
“How’d that go?” his teammate Xander asked, his helmet tucked under his arm.
“Much better. I think we hit the right setup on the car. I already told the team not to change a single thing before qualifying
tomorrow.”
Xander smiled and clapped Emilio on the shoulder. “Brilliant. Glad to hear it.”
Emilio started for the back of the garage, walking side by side with Xander, wondering if the congeniality between them was
real. They’d had a friendship before they were teammates, but it was different when you were driving the same car. Most drivers
couldn’t let go of that rivalry. “Thank you for asking. I feel like half the people in this sport are rooting for me to fail.
No one would blame you if you felt the same way.”
“I don’t really buy into all of that. Teammate rivalry. I mean, when we’re both in the car, I want to be better than you.
I want to beat you. That’s just the driver in me. I know you feel the same way. But once we’re off track and I catch a breath,
I remember we’re both on the same side.” Xander came to a stop out in the paddock. “No matter what, you’ve already accomplished
the big thing I’m striving for. You’ve won a driver’s championship. I haven’t. I can learn from you.”
Emilio took a beat to absorb that. He’d become so accustomed to feeling like a loser he’d lost sight of the fact he was the
reigning world champion. He had the number one on his car and helmet because he’d beaten everyone last year. Maybe he needed
to spend a little less time dwelling on the bad things and spend more time focusing on the positives. He was healthy. He had
the coolest job in the world and was paid handsomely for it. And despite the unhappiness in his personal life, especially
with his parents’ split, he still had Gus, the best dog in the world. And then there was Piper, who was keeping Gus happy.
She gave Emilio so much peace of mind. “If there’s anything I can do for you, please ask.”
“Funny you should say that. There is something.”
“Please. Tell me.”
“Mia keeps talking about the interview she did with you last year when you told her all about cooking and the Spanish dishes
your grandmother taught you to make. I’m not trying to invite ourselves over for dinner, but now that we’re both in England,
let me know if you’re ever willing to make a meal for Mia and me. She’s so curious about cuisines from all over the world.”
“I do love to cook.” And it had been so long since he’d done it. He hadn’t even fully unpacked his kitchen. That’s how unsettled
he’d been since making the big move. His focus on driving was key, but he could make a little room for one thing. “Let’s do
it. Next week? How about Tuesday? We don’t leave for Spain until Wednesday night. You and Mia can come over. I can show off
my place.” Of course, there wasn’t much to show off. Even Piper had pointed that out on their run. But he could get it in
shape. Maybe Piper could help.
“That would be great. I’ll let Mia know. I’ll see you tomorrow for qualifying,” Xander said.
“See you then.” Emilio headed into Mega Racing hospitality, just as he got a text from his dad.
I can’t make it this weekend. I’m sorry. Business stuff. I hope you have an amazing race. I’ll see you in Monaco.
Emilio’s first feeling was annoyance. He’d looked forward to sharing today’s good practice with his father. He was one of
his biggest supporters. Then again, he could be critical, too. A good practice didn’t mean the rest of his weekend would go
well. Emilio wasn’t overly superstitious, but every athlete had a predilection for keeping things as they were after a solid
performance. He’d done great without his dad around. Maybe it was good he couldn’t come.
I’m sorry I won’t see you, but it’s okay. Thanks for letting me know. Love you.
In the dining area, he said hello to a few team engineers, then wound his way back to his driver’s room. When he got there,
Piper and Gus were waiting inside. Piper was tapping away at her phone and smiling while Gus sprawled out on the couch. “Taking
a break?” He closed the door and grabbed a bottle of water.
“More like managing Gus’s burgeoning new life as a social media influencer.” Piper’s voice was bursting with enthusiasm.
Normally, that might be a welcome sound, but given the subject matter, it made him pause. He reached down to give Gus some
love. “I think I missed something.”
She set her phone aside. “I took Gus for a walk through the general admission areas during the practice sessions. To watch
from the grandstands. A woman sitting near me recognized Gus from Victoria’s old social feeds. It was right after I pointed
out your car to Gus.”
“You do know he doesn’t understand English.”
“That’s not true. He knows lots of words and I’m pretty sure he understands Daddy.”
Emilio shook his head. “Tell me you don’t refer to me that way.”
“Why? I think it’s cute.”
“Cute is subjective.”
She shrugged. “Well, the woman and her boyfriend wanted a picture with Gus. Then more people showed up. So I took about—”
Piper looked up as she counted on her fingers, then waved her hand “—I don’t even know. Twenty? Thirty? People just kept walking
up and asking for a photo with him.”
Emilio hadn’t thought to worry about this. When he and Victoria were still together, she’d always cared for Gus during race
weekends, but she never would’ve gone walking around in the general admission areas. She didn’t mingle with “the normos” as Victoria referred to
the fans. As for the other dog sitters he’d had, most didn’t care at all about the racing and stayed with Gus in Emilio’s
driver’s room. “I don’t think you should do that again.”
“Why? It was fun. Kept me occupied for at least an hour and Gus loved the attention.”
“I don’t love the idea of you two giving the fans so much access when you’re by yourselves. From a safety standpoint.”
“I felt perfectly safe the whole time.”
“What if Gus decided to take off? What if someone nabbed him? Some fans will do some pretty unhinged things.”
“I hadn’t thought about that.”
“It’s your job to keep Gus safe.”
She looked so deflated. “I’m sorry. I just thought your fans would love it. They love Gus because he’s your dog. I talked
to a lot of the fans. They worship you. They think you’re the greatest driver. Meeting Gus is a big treat for them. And it’s
a little way of saying thanks by letting them take a photo with him.”
“I still don’t like it. I despise social media. It’s too much oversharing. Victoria loved to overshare.”
Piper slumped back against the couch cushions and folded her arms across her chest. “Kyle loved to overshare, too. Mostly
his penis.”
Emilio cracked a smile. “A joke. It sounds like you’re over him.”
She dismissed it with a wave of her hand. “Just a moment of brutal honesty. Don’t worry. I still have moments where I feel
broken in two by the whole thing.”
He had to wonder if that was really true. It seemed to him Piper didn’t let most things faze her. Or maybe she was simply
good at putting on a happy face. “Can I see the photos?”
“The ones I put on Gus’s account?”
“Gus’s what?” Emilio blinked.
“I set up an account for him. I wasn’t about to post his photos on my account. I mean, he’s not my dog. And that way, you
can take over the account or you can hand it off to the next dog nanny. He already has a ton of followers. Several thousand.
It doesn’t take long for the fans to hop on something.”
“I officially hate this idea.”
“Just look, okay?” Piper eagerly handed over her phone.
He scrolled through the photos, and he had to admit that not only were they full of joy, Piper had a bit of a photographer
in her, too. “Is Gus smiling?”
“I thought the same thing!”
Emilio shook his head. How did everything turn to rainbows and sunshine around Piper? “The photos are cute.”
“Does that mean you’re okay with it if I keep doing this?”
He didn’t want to squash Piper’s enthusiasm, but he also didn’t love the idea of Gus becoming internet famous. “Let me talk
to the team. You never know. Sponsors get mad at the smallest things.”
“Okay.” Piper was clearly disappointed.
Emilio’s phone beeped with another text. This one was from his mom.
I heard your father isn’t coming this weekend. I’m so sorry. This is what he does. He doesn’t support you like I do.
“Great,” he muttered under his breath.
Don’t worry. I will be there in Spain.
“What’s going on? Great job in practice today, by the way. Your times in sector two were blistering.”
“My parents. My dad was supposed to come this weekend, but he can’t. And now my mom is using it as an excuse to criticize
him. She’ll take any chance to get in a dig.”
“I’m sorry. Are they divorced?”
“About to be. Going through it.”
“And you’re stuck in the middle. That’s got to be stressful. Maybe disappointing? Sad?”
Emilio wasn’t sure which label his parents’ drama deserved. This time last year, they’d seemed fine, just like they had for
the entirety of Emilio’s life. In love. Happily married. Now it had turned into something Emilio didn’t even recognize. “All
those things, but mostly stressful.” He sighed. “And stress is the last thing I need.”