Chapter 7 #2
each other for years, even when he knew very little about her. “Does working with dogs help you through hard times? Like your
broken engagement?”
“Absolutely. But also, my family is everything. We’re so close. My mom, my dad, my two sisters. We’re a very tight unit.”
He understood now in a much greater sense that she had truly made a sacrifice to take this job. He might be paying her well,
but she was cut off from her support system. It made him realize he should probably stop trying to be so rigid about maintaining
boundaries between them. She’d demonstrated more than once she only had his and Gus’s best interests in mind. “That’s nice.
I’m glad you have that to go home to.”
“Me, too.”
“I wanted to tell you, Xander and Mia are going to come over to the house next week for dinner. Probably Tuesday. Are you
okay with that?”
Piper scratched the back of her head and scrunched up her nose. “Sure. Gus and I can stay out of your hair. Or if you want
him there, I can stay upstairs.”
Of course she’d assumed that. He’d told her to keep to herself, even though they were living under the same roof. Traveling
together. “Piper. No. You’re invited to join us. I’m going to cook.”
“You are?”
“Don’t act so surprised. I’m pretty good at it.”
“Oh, right. I forgot Mia did that interview with you last year where you talked about Spanish food. The part that had me confused
is you hadn’t fully moved into your kitchen.”
He nodded. Maybe he needed to start living more of his whole life, not just the racing part. “Yes. True.”
“Oops. Hold on. My shoe’s untied.”
She bent over while Emilio stood next to her, watching Gus, who was acting a bit like a crazy man, running around in circles.
Around and round. Then suddenly he stopped, jagged to one side and began charging back up the hill. At breakneck speed. He
was heading straight for them.
“Gus! Stop!” Emilio shouted. “Piper—” It was too late. Gus collided into her the instant she stood. Emilio’s lightning-fast
reflexes sprang into action. He braced for the impact as Piper slammed against his chest.
“Are you okay?” he frantically asked, his arms wrapped around her.
“Um. Yeah. Wow.”
Gus ran in circles around them, leaping like a demented reindeer.
“What in the world has gotten into him?” Emilio asked, trying to ignore how good Piper felt in his arms. It’d been a while
since someone had been there, and he’d really missed this human contact. Plus, she was warm and soft and smelled so good.
Her heart was racing, and his was falling in step with the beat. Even their breathing was in sync now. “Gus, why did you knock
Piper over?”
“He really beaned me, didn’t he?” She caught her breath then peered up at Emilio, eyes scanning his face back and forth, her
lips mere inches from his. It would be the easiest thing in the world to kiss her. Turn at least one tiny part of that dream
he’d had into reality. “Thank you for catching me. I guess that’s the advantage of hanging out with a Formula One driver,
huh? Your reaction time is basically zero seconds.”
“I’m so sorry. I don’t think he knows his own strength.”
Gus slowed to a trot and beelined to Piper, nudging her hand with his nose and casually wagging his tail.
“Gus, you have to be careful.” Emilio reluctantly let go of his hold on Piper.
Piper stepped back. “Remember, he doesn’t really know English.”
Emilio glanced over at her, only to see a wide smile on her face. “Very funny.”
“I try.” Piper brushed off her pants with both hands. “We probably shouldn’t let him off leash again.”
“Never. Ever.” Emilio laughed quietly. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m good. I once got knocked over by a Great Dane. That was a pain that lingered.”
“I bet.” In the fading light of day, he caught Piper still looking at him. Did she feel what he did? Was she as unsure of
what it meant? Was there part of her wanting to race toward it the way Gus had run toward her, with nothing but reckless enthusiasm?
“We should probably head back now he’s gotten out his ya-yas.”
Piper started back and Emilio waited for an instant, wondering why it felt like things had just shifted.
Back at the motorhome, Piper filled up Gus’s water bowl, then poured herself a big glass of water. “I guess I’m going to head
to bed.”
“I should do the same.” Emilio followed her into the narrow corridor where the bedrooms were.
Piper reached her doorway, then paused and turned back to him. “I don’t want you to worry about tomorrow. You’re going to
kill it.”
If only he had her confidence. Still, he loved that it was her instinct to be encouraging. She never questioned him. Only
spread her particular brand of positivity. “I’ll try. No promises, but I’ll try.”
“Well, good. Because you are a champion.” She placed her hand on the center of his chest, spreading a wave of warmth through
his shirt and across the plane of his chest. Again, he thought about a kiss . . . but no. Kisses would only make life complicated.
“Like I said before, everything you need is already inside you.”
Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
Imola, Italy
Piper was so excited for her second race she could hardly stand it. The paddock was abuzz with electricity, while her brain
and body were still abuzz with the memory of the instant last night when she’d been in Emilio’s arms. His hand on the small
of her back. Peering up into his handsome face. God, she’d wanted him to kiss her. His lips on hers . . . wow. That was a
tantalizing thought, however irrational. It would never happen. Obviously.
“Excuse me?” Someone tapped her on the shoulder. “Is this Gus? Can I get a picture with him?”
Piper snapped back to reality. “Absolutely. No problem.”
A few more people appeared.
“Do you want to be in a picture with us?” one young man asked her.
“Absolutely not. But thanks.” Piper shook her head. “I’m more of a behind the scenes sort of person.” After all, she’d be
gone in a few weeks, and everyone would be left wondering months from now about the random person in Gus’s social feeds.
“Oh. I thought you were dating Emilio,” a woman said.
Piper froze. “What?”
“Yeah. There were those photos of him with his arm around you at the security gates the other day. Everyone assumed you’re
together.”
Somehow, Piper had missed that. Completely. “Uh, no. Sorry. I’m just the dog nanny. Nothing else.”
As it got closer to race time, the crowd around Gus dispersed. On her way to the paddock club, Piper spotted Mia, who was
doing on-camera work for Cloud Sports, chatting with famous people and VIPs in the paddock. When she was done filming a segment,
Piper popped into her line of sight and waved.
“Oh, my God. What did you do to Gus?” Mia asked. “You made him famous in twenty-four hours.”
Gus was obediently standing by Piper’s side. If he was famous, he sure didn’t act like it. Maybe that was the genius of being
a dog. He didn’t let it go to his head. “The fans love the drivers’ pets, don’t they?”
“It’s true. Kenji is always talking about his cats, and the fans go crazy for it. I can’t imagine the chaos if he ever brought
them to the track. And I heard Florian got a puppy.”
“Aww. Maybe Gus can have a buddy.” Piper had never met French driver Florian Laurent. “Maybe his dog would like my homemade
treats.”
The mere mention of treats grabbed Gus’s attention. In an instant, he was nudging Piper’s hand with his nose.
“Gus, sit. Shake.” Piper held out her hand and Gus offered his paw. She rewarded him with a treat.
“He loves those things,” Mia said. “I remember you giving them to him in Miami.”
“My special recipe. Even Emilio likes them. Sorta.”
“He tried them?”
Piper laughed. “Long story.”
“Speaking of you and Emilio, you are aware there are rumors, right?”
Piper could hardly believe this was a thing. “It’s not true. Obviously. Not true at all.”
Mia nodded, but didn’t seem entirely convinced. “Oh. Sure.”
“Mia,” her cameraman said. “It’s time for the grid walk.” One of the amazing things about Formula One was that right before
a race, VIPs and celebrities were allowed to mingle on-track while the drivers were climbing into their cars. It was a prime
time for Mia to catch some famous folks on camera.
“I’ll let you go,” Piper said.
“Sorry,” Mia replied. “But I’ll see you in London? At Emilio’s place for dinner?”
Piper wondered if perhaps she’d been invited because Emilio didn’t want to be the third wheel with Xander and Mia. Regardless
of the reason, Piper was thrilled at the prospect. She adored Mia and had always wanted to meet Xander. “Looking forward to
it.”
“I’ll text you. Maybe we can bring dessert.”
Piper watched as Mia walked away, then glanced around the paddock. She wanted to pinch herself. What had her life become?
Seeing the sport she loved from behind the scenes. Making dinner plans with another driver and their partner. When she’d first
come to London, she’d been so bummed out, then bored. And in the blink of an eye—or, perhaps, the click of a smartphone camera—everything
seemed to be turning way more exciting.
Emilio despised being nervous, but there he was, sitting in his car, nearly sick to his stomach. He’d been desperate all season
to start this high on the grid, and in his mind, he was clinging to it like it was the most precious prize he could ever receive.
Because he couldn’t imagine the humiliation if he finished worse than seventh. As for moving up the order, he’d try like hell,
but he’d made no promises. Not even to himself.
Piper found a quiet corner in the paddock club, where Gus could sleep beneath the table at her feet and she could watch everything
on TV, but still have access to the balcony overlooking the pit lane. As the drivers drove their formation lap, Piper couldn’t
help but notice how different this was from the Miami race. She’d been invested in Emilio’s performance then, but it was nothing