18. Wes
Elizabeth Jacobs is the last person I expected to fill in for a PR handler.
But here she is, in the lobby of this hotel, wearing a black pantsuit and those sexy-as-hell glasses, with her hair slicked back in a ponytail.
And here I am, dumbstruck.
I’ve never done this sort of work before. I’ve never been asked to talk about the science of racing in detail. To say I’m nervous is an understatement.
“Morning, Elizabeth,” Jack says after we’ve crossed the lobby to her. “Thanks for making it on such short notice.”
“Of course,” she says. “I understand that we have a very full day ahead of us.”
“We do, indeed,” Jack says with a smile.
And with that, our very full day begins. Thankfully, the first interview is a breeze. Part of me thought this science writer might try to stump me to get a headline like, “F1 Driver Does Not Have Basic Understanding of Physics,” but she was incredibly kind and we had a genuinely great conversation.
The experience gave me confidence. Though I was still nervous about the panel and facing an entire room full of literal geniuses, luckily, it went off without a hitch. Most of the questions were for our R&D team, but I was able to answer the ones that came my way with ease.
By the time I’m at the networking drinks, I’m more relaxed, though still low-key intimidated by the company I’m in—and Jack seems to know everyone.
When he introduces me to the MIT physicist who authored the aerodynamics paper that inspired our thermal upgrade, it’s all I can do to remember how to speak.
I didn’t even realize I could feel starstruck anymore.
Eventually, I look around for Elizabeth.
She’s been quiet today, sticking to the back corner of rooms while she takes notes, snaps photos, and records videos—as if she’s the kind of person who could ever escape notice.
She was with us when we walked in here, but at some point she melted into the crowd.
I wonder if she left. But no—she wouldn’t leave us here when we could be approached by enterprising journalists or fucking Elio Rocca. Not that he would deign to attend something like this. There are too few people donning Loro Piana and the title of CEO.
I finally spot her in the sea of people near the bar, and make my way over.
Maybe we can go somewhere quiet so I can apologize properly.
But as I get closer, it’s obvious something isn’t right.
Her posture is rigid, her fists are clenched, and her gaze is fixed on a blond man with a square jaw in a navy suit—who is leaning toward a pretty redhead, his hand cupped around her elbow.
My gut twists. I know next to nothing about Elizabeth’s personal life. She doesn’t wear a ring, but that doesn’t mean she’s single. She’s never mentioned a partner, but I’ve also never asked. With the way she’s staring daggers at this guy, it seems she’s just caught her man red-handed.
The thought makes me simultaneously irate, disappointed, and thrilled.
“Jacobs,” I say, sidling up beside her. “You look like you’re about to defenestrate someone.”
“I am,” she says through gritted teeth, her voice lower and harder than I’ve ever heard it.
“Need any help?”
I expect a grin or, at the very least, a lip twitch of amusement. But Elizabeth is the kind of mad that completely erases a sense of humor. “No.”
She walks purposefully over to the man and woman. I know I should keep my distance, but I follow her anyway, finding a spot at the bar on the other side of the redhead.
“Hello, Todd,” Elizabeth says.
The man’s eyes go wide and his hand drops like a weight. “Lizzy.”
What the hell? A man named Todd gets to call her Lizzy,?
She crosses her arms, and sizes him up. “I always knew you weren’t good enough for my sister.”
I register that bit of information right as I clock the gold wedding band on his finger. This guy isn’t hers—he’s her sister’s.
But also: holy shit.
“This isn’t what you think,” he says easily. “Lizzy, meet Bianca. She’s a colleague of mine at NASA.”
My eyebrows shoot up. Todd the brother-in-law just casually works at NASA?
“Oh wow, you’re Lizzy!” Bianca says, her voice high-pitched and breathy—sounding exactly like someone who was just caught flirting with a married man by his sister-in-law and is panicking.
Elizabeth ignores Bianca entirely. “To be honest, I’m not even surprised.
Men like you always think you’re untouchable and that you won’t have to suffer the consequences.
But the thing is, Todd, the reason my job exists is because of men like you.
You think you can get away with absolutely anything.
And I’m here to tell you that you can’t. ”
“Lizzy, you’ve got this all wrong,” he says patiently, smiling at her as if he truly is innocent.
“Bianca and I were just discussing the panels we went to today. I can see how you’d be confused—it probably didn’t look great.
It was loud, so I leaned in to hear her better.
A person bumped into me, so I grabbed Bianca’s elbow to steady myself. ”
“I watched the whole thing,” Elizabeth says, her voice laced with contempt. “No one bumped into you.”
Bianca mutters something about finding the restroom and flees.
“So then you know nothing untoward is happening here,” Todd says, still smiling. Even I want to punch the guy.
“You can’t gaslight me, Todd,” Elizabeth says. “I see you for what you are.”
“All right, Lizzy,” he says in an exasperated tone, as if she’s a toddler throwing a tantrum. “Think whatever you want. But I know the truth. And who do you think Jane is going to believe?”
Elizabeth pulls out her phone. “Let’s find out, shall we?”
There’s a quick flash of panic in Todd’s eyes. But then he checks his watch and grins in a way that has all of my senses on high alert.
He knows something Elizabeth doesn’t.
I start to move from my eavesdropping spot to cause a distraction that helps Elizabeth—but her phone is already at her ear. It remains there for several breaths, until her eyebrows pinch together and she puts her arm down.
“My turn,” Todd says, a pompous viciousness in his tone.
He takes his phone out of his pocket, and holds it in front of his face.
Just a couple of seconds later there’s a “Todd?” and he says, “Hi, honey. You’ll never guess who I just ran into at this conference!
” He shifts his phone so that Elizabeth is in view, and the woman says, “Lizzy! Oh my God, I didn’t realize you were going to the same conference as Todd! ”
For one tense moment, I think Elizabeth is going to tell her sister what she witnessed.
But then she blinks and smiles, playing the hand she’s been dealt with remarkable skill.
The call ends shortly after when the woman—Jane—says something about bedtime, and Todd emerges triumphant.
“You can think what you want about me. But your sister is my wife. She’ll choose me every time. ”
Jesus Christ, the balls on this man. Is it possible he has no idea what Elizabeth is capable of? Or does he just genuinely think she can’t beat him?
Even if he was telling the truth about him and Bianca being nothing more than colleagues, I saw them too—and my assumption was that nothing collegial was happening there. Elizabeth had good reason to be suspicious as hell. She had every right to call him out.
I glance at Elizabeth and the look on her face is one I’ve never seen before. I expected her to be giving him her Sphinx-like stare before delivering a withering one-liner. But instead, she looks crushed.
And that is unacceptable.
I know what I have to do.
After moving from my spot and circling the room, I walk up to Elizabeth and Todd as if I’ve just found them. “There you are, Jacobs! I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
She barely moves, but Todd glances at me—and his eyebrows jump up his forehead. “Are you…wait, this all makes sense now. You’re Wes Grant.”
“Guilty as charged.”
“That’s why Lizzy is here—she’s with you. I’m Todd Andrews,” he says, extending his hand. I don’t particularly want to take it, but I grit my teeth and do it anyway, squeezing harder than necessary. “I’m Lizzy’s brother-in-law. It’s great to meet you.”
I smile rather than returning the pleasantries. “Sorry to cut this short, but I actually need to steal Jacobs here.”
“Of course!” Todd crows. “Enjoy your night. And Lizzy, I’ll see you in Cape Cod on Sunday, right?”
She says nothing as she turns and silently walks away.