Chapter 2
two
SAKHIR, BAHRAIN
Not that she would pay any attention to how cut he was, how she could see the hard lines of his muscles as his broad shoulders narrowed into a trim torso. Avery, get it together. We do not check out the talent. It was time to roll up her sleeves and be her most professional self.
“Hello, sweetheart,” her dad called, looking up from the screen and waving her over.
Sweetheart? No one was going to take her seriously when the boss called her sweetheart. Avery joined the huddle, trying to duck away from her dad's arms, outstretched for a hug. He wouldn’t hug his other employees, would he?
“Hi, Dad. Hi, Brandon,” she said, in her deepest, most adult-sounding voice. She turned to Teddy and stuck her hand out, trying to appear much more confident than she felt. Fake it ‘til you make it they say.
“Hi, I’m Avery Silver, Director of Silver Charitable Giving.”
“I know who you are, Avery,” Teddy replied quietly, his British accent tinged with a hint of a Scottish brogue. “But it’s a pleasure to officially meet you.”
He knew who she was?! Teddy, who had more followers than a Kardashian, knew who she was. She was surprised, and a bit flattered, if she was being honest with herself.
“Oh. Okay, cool,” she replied, her voice rising.
Avery looked down at her outfit and tried to smooth the creases that had already formed on her shirt.
Why did she suddenly feel self-conscious wearing a staff polo, athleisure skirt, and sneakers?
Every member of the staff was wearing some version of the same outfit, and she was trying to blend in, wasn’t she?
“Welcome to the team, and good luck out there today,” she managed to squeak out, her deep professional voice long gone. She hadn’t been this flustered by being in close proximity to a driver since she was a silly, hormonal, pubescent girl.
Maybe it was the combination of his movie-star looks and her nerves. Or maybe Teddy Ross had this effect on all women. That would explain why he was often swarmed by female fans who were more interested in his megawatt smile and chiseled cheekbones than how fast he could drive a car.
Teddy nodded seriously at her and put the earbud that had been dangling around his neck back in his ears and turned and walked toward the car.
Was he listening to rap?
EDM?
Why do I care? His music taste had nothing to do with the team’s big end-of-season fundraising event, one of her main responsibilities in her new role.
“Should we go take our seats?” her dad asked, interrupting her thoughts.
He pointed up at the five red lights on the overhead gantry that had just turned on, indicating there were five minutes until the race.
Now it was really time for everyone, except for essential personnel to get out of the way.
She saw Brandon and the race engineers slip their headphones on and take their positions in front of their huge array of laptops and screens.
They would be monitoring everything from the weather radar to the tire pressure on the cars, calculating and recalculating strategy.
“Let’s do it!” she replied. Her insides were vibrating in anticipation of schmoozing with the sponsors and VIPs in the exclusive seating area above pit lane while she talked up the company's charitable work and community involvement; the team’s responsibility to use F1’s newfound popularity to help the next generation.
Most drivers who made it to F1, the pinnacle of motorsports, came from very privileged backgrounds, not unlike her own.
And one hundred percent of them were male.
She wanted to do what she could to level the playing field and give all kids, especially minorities and girls, an opportunity to pursue their dreams in sports.
The roar of the engines filled her ears as the drivers turned on their engines for the formation lap.
Around her, other spectators put in their earplugs to turn down the sound.
But not Avery, she relished the noise, even if she’d regret it later on when she needed hearing aids.
It drowned out every nagging thought in her head, allowing her to succumb to her fandom.
Would this be it? The year her beloved Silver team finally won the constructor’s championship, the award given to the team that earned the most points over the season?
With “Zippy” Zack Maimon and the newly intriguing Teddy Ross driving, anything felt possible.
Avery was on her feet, leaning as far over the glass railing as she could without falling over, as the cars weaved back and forth across the track, warming up their tires.
The starting lights turned red one by one. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Avery held her breath until lights out. The Formula One season was officially underway.