Chapter 5
five
LONDON, ENGLAND
Avery took her time as she strolled past the Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens, the sound of kids shrieking bringing a smile to her face.
The magnolia trees were in full bloom, their pink blossoms making the whole atmosphere feel almost like a fairytale.
She took a lap around the round pond, where she remembered seeing swans and ducks last time she was here.
She sniffed the air. Not as charming as she remembered: swan and duck poop covered the path around the pond.
Back on the main thoroughfare through the park, the much faster joggers who were also taking advantage of the gorgeous weather, continually whizzed past in both directions.
They all looked more-or-less the same to her in their spandex until she spotted a ridiculously fit couple round the curve who put the rest of the casual exercisers to shame with their quick pace.
They were being photographed with an iPhone by a somewhat paunchy fellow who was struggling to keep up.
Poor guy, his boss or sister or whomever torturing him on what would otherwise be a perfectly pleasant afternoon.
As the group got closer, Avery realized the fit woman with the blonde ponytail bobbing up-and-down was Stacey, not some influencer wannabe.
And the guy she had mistaken for the boyfriend in the couple was Teddy.
She almost hadn’t recognized him so out of context, her eyes wandering down below his running shorts to his well-defined, lean calves.
She realized she was staring and pulled her eyes away before she was caught ogling him. Before I embarrass myself.
She wanted to give them a big, enthusiastic American wave, but held back and instead waited until they got closer before giving a much more subtle raise of her hand.
After a thumbs-up to the camera, Teddy looked back up at the running path and saw Avery’s wave. He slowed his pace and waved back at her and smiled, coming to a stop when they reached her.
Avery felt butterflies in her stomach as she watched a bead of sweat drip down Teddy’s forehead, his chest rise and fall as he caught his breath.
Teddy noticed her staring and followed her eyes to his forehead.
He rubbed the bead of sweat and his chocolate brown hair off of his face.
Avery felt her cheeks burn. He caught me this time.
She really needed to get a hold of herself.
“Avery, so nice to see you again. I didn’t know you were here already.” He took a long gulp from the water bottle Stacey handed to him without breaking eye contact with her, and she squirmed under his focus.
“No, I, uh… actually came a few days early for meetings. And London is one of my favorite cities in the world, so I was happy to have an excuse to hang out here for a couple of days before the race, so yeah,” her voice sounded high-pitched to her own ears.
It was like she forgot how to form coherent, adult-sounding sentences in his presence.
“Avery, you’re here! Awesome!” Stacey squealed, finally joining the conversation after typing furiously on her phone. “Give me one second, I just gotta enter some notes about Teddy’s workout before I forget.”
“James, mate, you okay over there?” Teddy asked, nodding to the social media guy who had his hands on his knees and was still breathing heavily from the exertion.
“Not all of us have your physique, mate, but I’ll survive.
How about one quick shot of the two of you before I go?
” James asked, gesturing to Avery and Teddy.
“Team owner’s family hanging out with the new driver ahead of his home race.
The internet will love it - fits right in with our current social strategy trying to make the whole team look like one big, happy family. ”
“I’m rather sweaty, but if Avery doesn’t mind my post-workout stink, I’m all for it,” Teddy looked at Avery questioningly.
She usually tried to stay behind the scenes as her family would allow and let the spotlight shine on the causes she worked so hard to support, but her cheeks flushed at the thought of their bodies touching again, hopefully not as awkwardly as their thigh graze in the hotel lobby in Bahrain.
She gave a silent little prayer of gratitude that she’d made the effort to fix her hair and put on a real outfit after landing this morning. “Um, sure, fine by me.”
Teddy put his arm around Avery and she found that not only didn’t he stink, she quite liked the manly, woody smell emanating from his direction, the weight of his arm on hers.
“Ok, on three - team Silver!”
James snapped the pic quickly, and Teddy removed his arm from around her shoulder, leaving Avery with a warm feeling where his arm had been.
“Thanks, guys. I’m going to post this on Teddy’s story right now and then hit the showers,” James lowered his voice, “And Teddy, don’t forget what we talked about earlier, we need to offer up something better, and fast.”
Teddy grimaced as James gave him a pointed look.
The back of Avery’s neck tingled.
“Anyway, Aves! Hi! I’d hug you, but I’m almost as sweaty as this one after our workout,” Stacey chirped, breaking up some of the tension.
“Yes, she smells far too good for the likes of us,” Teddy added.
A rushing sound filled her ears. “Thanks, I showered when I got off the plane, so I guess that worked out for me,” she tried to laugh off the compliment.
“I better go do that too,” Stacey said, smiling. “But do you want to meet for high tea in the lobby later before we head to the track? I missed you the last few weeks and I want to hear about your work.”
“Yes. I really need to fill you in.” And ask what the heck James had been talking about. “Work is a lot.”
Stacey’s phone buzzed again and she looked down at it. “Teddy, your helmet with the new design for the weekend is about to be delivered to the hotel. I’m going to go meet the courier. Don’t forget to stretch. Avery, I’ll see you later this afternoon.”
“Thanks, Stace,” Teddy replied.
Stacey started jogging in the direction of the hotel, leaving Teddy and Avery alone in the garden, Avery’s stomach fluttery.
“She’s like the energizer bunny, isn’t she?” Teddy asked after a beat of silence.
“That she is,” Avery agreed. “She’s been a force as long as I’ve known her.” Stacey had always had the spirit of a high school cheerleader and was the best person in the world to talk to when you needed a pep talk, which Avery often did.
“So, when did you arrive?” Teddy asked, tilting his head to the side while awaiting her response. “I assumed you’d arrive later in the week with your dad.”
Avery looked down, trying to hide her smile. He’d thought about her too.
“This morning. I have some important meetings tomorrow for the foundation. Now I’m trying to fight fatigue from the overnight flight by getting some sunlight and enjoying one of my favorite parks in the world.”
“I’ll walk with you,” Teddy offered. “I need to cool down a bit after jogging at Stacey’s pace for an hour while trying to look smart for the camera.”
Before Avery could strike up a conversation, she heard giggles from behind her, as she and Teddy both turned around and found two teenage girls following them. Following Teddy.
Teddy, playing his part beautifully, beckoned them over.
“Would you ladies like a selfie?” he asked gregariously.
Avery shook her head as subtly as she could. It was hard for her to tell if Teddy’s actions were a well-honed act or if he was genuinely that nice.
“OMG! Are you serious?” one of the girls squealed, bouncing up and down on her toes in her high-topped Air Jordans.
“Yes, of course. Come on over, don’t be shy,” Teddy offered back.
“Is she your girlfriend?!” asked the other, giggling as she nervously gathered her long wavy hair over one shoulder. “I thought you were single! I was going to ask you to my end-of-term dance!”
Her chest tightened. “No. No. I’m just his coworker? Friend?” Avery looked up at Teddy, silently pleading with him to rescue her from her own awkwardness. Though the perky teenagers obviously couldn’t possibly know about her little crush on Teddy, her muscles tensed. He caught her drift and winked.
“I’d be honored to accompany you to your end-of-term dance.
But unfortunately, the races that time of year are all in Asia, which would make it nearly impossible for me,” Teddy interjected.
“How about this instead… send me a DM when it gets closer reminding me who you are, and I’ll record a video wishing you and your classmates a wonderful night. ”
The girls jumped up and down with delight, thanking him profusely, completely forgetting that he’d dodged their girlfriend question before they scampered off.
Wow, he really has an answer for everything.
“Do all the groupies get annoying after a while? Or do you enjoy it?” Avery asked, trying to gauge his authenticity.
Teddy rubbed his hands over the three-day stubble on his chin, “I know I wouldn’t have this job and the opportunities it presents without the fans - so I do appreciate them.
My mum reads all of my fan mail and keeps all of it in these giant three-ring binders.
I know it makes her proud,” he smiled sheepishly.
“Aww, that’s so sweet,” Avery smiled back. “I look forward to meeting her.”
Teddy blanched momentarily before continuing. “Honestly, women propositioning me is rather annoying. I need to be 100 percent focused on my racing. I don't have time for romance.”
A bit severe. However, Avery respected his ambition.
“So many people are counting on me to get results on the track. But it’s not about the expectations, it’s about me. I want to be great. I want to win races. And I can’t have anything, or anyone, get in the way.”