Chapter 9 #2
“How are you supposed to say no? She’s getting married. She never should’ve put it on you.” Emilio reached over and laid his
hand on Piper’s forearm. The electricity she’d felt when they’d accidentally touched had nothing on an intentional touch—it
was like she had all new nerve endings, and man, were they excited to meet him. “Or, what if she told her fiancé he needed
to pick a different best man because her own sister had her heart broken by him?”
Piper felt frozen. She’d asked herself those same questions, but she’d assumed it was because she was giving in to selfish
thoughts. Maybe it was another instance of her being terrible with boundaries. “I could never ask her to do that.”
“Why?”
“Because I believe if you really love someone, you make sacrifices for them. Even if it’s hard or painful. This isn’t a permanent
situation. It’ll be forty-eight hours of discomfort, then I’ll move on with my life. I really love my sister. I’d do anything
for her. And I want to have a good relationship with my future brother-in-law.”
Emilio shook his head. “You might be a saint.”
“Piper Murphy, patron saint of dogs.”
“It’s better than being Emilio ‘Hot Lap’ Baquero.” Emilio laughed and she joined in, making the best noise Piper had ever
heard. It put her under a spell, one that was disrupted when the doorbell rang. Gus took off for the front door, barking up
a storm. “That must be Xander and Mia,” Emilio said.
Piper followed him to the foyer.
“We’re here!” Mia exclaimed when Emilio opened the door.
“We made it, despite my navigator’s insistence I drive the speed limit,” Xander said.
“He got a ticket two weeks ago,” Mia said.
“We all get them at some point.” Emilio waved them in and shut the door. He shook Xander’s hand while Piper eagerly took a
hug from Mia.
“Xander, meet Piper,” Mia said. “Piper, this is Xander.”
“It’s so exciting to meet you,” Piper said, fully enamored. She was a true fan after all. “And I almost got a speeding ticket
on the way to the Miami Grand Prix. So I feel your pain.”
“You’ll have to tell me all about it,” Xander said.
Mia held up a jumbo bakery box. “I wasn’t sure what you were making, which made it hard to decide what dessert we should bring.”
“We brought three,” Xander quipped. “Plenty for everyone.”
“Come on,” Piper offered. “We can put them in the fridge.”
Piper and Mia laughed their way into the kitchen, a flurry of conversation. Emilio wasn’t sure what they were up to, but those
happy sounds in his home hit him hard, right in the center of his chest. When he’d first moved into this house, aside from
the pitter-patter of not-so-tiny paws, there had been no happy sounds. Only the incessant blare of the alarm clock before the sun was up, or the plunk plunk plunk of dog food tumbling into Gus’s bowl, or the buzz of his electric toothbrush. Occasionally, he would laugh if he was watching
The Office, but otherwise, there were only the sounds of seclusion. The low hum of feeling lost. The warmth and spark he felt with Piper
around? It made him feel like he was coming back to life.
“So, this is your place.” Xander stepped toward the living room and peeked inside. “It’s really nice. I like it.”
Emilio admired his and Piper’s handiwork. “It’s a work in progress. As you know, I didn’t have much time when I was shopping
for a house. I just finished unpacking this room yesterday. Piper helped.”
“Sounds like she’s more than the dog nanny.” Xander reached down to pet Gus, who’d appeared at his side. “Especially if you
believe the stuff on the internet.”
This again. Emilio couldn’t bring himself to be upset about it. Unless it bothered Piper, they could let it fade away on its
own. “People love to read a lot into situations.”
“Oh, believe me. I know. Mia and I were under that same microscope.” Xander nodded. “Mia really likes Piper. It seems like
they’re becoming friends.”
He and Piper were becoming friends, too. Between unpacking and dinner and Gus seemingly trying to lure them into the same
bed, yesterday had brought a whole lot of closeness. He’d thought about kissing her last night, but he worried how she’d react.
And he was paying her to be there. She was in his employ. That was another aspect of their relationship that made it difficult
to navigate. “Unfortunately, she’s only around for another two weeks or so. Just for Spain and Monaco. Then she’s back to
the US.”
“Can’t convince her to stay?”
Emilio glanced toward the kitchen, where the joyful sound of Mia and Piper laughing rang out again. “I don’t think that’s
in the cards. But I haven’t asked her since the day I first offered her the job. So maybe.” Although he had doubts as to whether
it was his place to convince her. She’d made no secret of how close she was to her family. “Let’s go check on dinner.”
Emilio had some last-minute preparation to do, then they all got settled in the tiny dining room off the living room, a space
that hadn’t been used once since he’d moved in. From the first bite, Emilio felt self-conscious, even as the reviews from
his guests were all raves.
“This is bloody brilliant,” Xander said, scarfing another forkful from his plate. “Delicious. Thank you so much.”
“Next time, I want to be here when you’re cooking. So you can teach me,” Mia said. “But I agree. It’s fantastic.”
“It really is wonderful.” Piper let a tiny hum escape her lips and Emilio shifted in his seat. He was right next to her, their
arms occasionally brushing. Every time they touched, his breath caught. Then she’d look at him. And he’d look at her. And
he’d smile, then she’d blush and drop her chin, and then the conversation would become a distraction, but only for a few minutes
before it all happened again.
“Who wants some F1 gossip?” Mia asked with a leading tone. “Some gossip, that if it turns out to be true, should make Emilio
very happy.”
Xander slid her a glance. “Are you sure you want to bring this up? It’s just rumors.”
“I know. I know. I mean, I’m not going to talk about it on my podcast. But if I can’t talk about it with Emilio and Piper,
who can I talk about it with?” Mia replied.
It got very quiet in the room as it became clear Emilio was expected to give his stamp of approval. “I’m listening.”
Mia leaned in closer. “There are rumbles at Vermillion that trouble is brewing for Tristan Highbridge. The allegations you
spoke up about, Emilio, were never cleared. Even though Vermillion said they were. And apparently, these women have receipts.
Evidence that senior management at Vermillion either ignored or tried to suppress.”
Piper turned to Emilio, her eyes wide and questioning. He couldn’t blame her for wondering how he was feeling about all this.
Emilio couldn’t arrive at an answer, either. He might end up feeling vindicated if that was the case, but it wouldn’t change
the fact that people had been hurt. The damage had been done.
“That would be huge if it turned out to be true.” Piper placed her hand on his bare forearm. Her skin was so soft and inviting.
Her presence so comforting.
“Emilio? What do you think?” Mia asked.
Emilio looked down at his lap for a moment, gathering his thoughts. He hadn’t wanted to talk about Vermillion ever, but he
felt safe with this group of people. “I hope Tristan gets whatever is coming to him. Good or bad, I want everyone to get a
fair shake. But more than anything, I want those women to have their voices heard. They deserve that. That was all I asked
for.”
Xander nodded. “I agree.”
“No matter what happens, you did the right thing,” Piper said. She turned to him again, clear-eyed and determined. “You spoke
up for truth and transparency. Not enough people have the guts to do that, especially when there’s a price to pay. You paid
the price. It’s the sort of thing that brings mere mortals to their knees, but not you.”
Emilio allowed himself a fraction of a smile. He so appreciated her approval, even if he doubted himself. She made him sound
like a superhero, when he felt so exceptionally human, especially now, when he was still struggling to regain his old form.
“We’ll see what happens, right?” Mia asked. “And I suppose it all worked out for the best because you and Xander get to be
teammates.”
Emilio looked across the table at Xander. “I do love driving alongside this guy.” And that was the truth. He might not be
where he wanted to be with his driving, but he did have an amazing teammate.
“Same for me, Emilio. Same for me,” Xander said.
Just like it was a car, Emilio steered the conversation away from the topic of Vermillion, and the four of them enjoyed the
rest of their evening together, through coffee and the three delicious desserts Mia had brought—flan, a Basque cheesecake
and a Spanish almond cake called Torta de Santiago. It wasn’t quite authentic, but it was damn close, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. There was laughter and lively conversation,
and Emilio realized he felt nothing short of grateful for the gathering. For these people. And for this house he’d been occupying
to finally feel like a home.
“Thank you for what you said earlier. About Vermillion. I appreciate it,” Emilio said as he and Piper cleaned the kitchen
together. He didn’t want her to think her kindness had gone unnoticed.
“It’s the truth. I really admire the way you’ve handled it.” She stepped closer to him and planted her hand on his biceps.
“And it means a lot you were willing to talk about it. Remember, you told me when I first got here we would not be talking
about it. Ever.”
He drew in a deep breath and tossed aside the kitchen towel in his hand. “I still don’t like talking about it, but I’m sorry
I put up so many walls when you arrived. I was trying to take control of my life.”
“Makes sense to me. So many things happened that were completely out of your control. Probably super frustrating.”
He smiled at her. She had such empathy. So much kindness in her heart. “Thank you for saying that.”
She grinned. “You’re welcome.”