Chapter Forty-One
Georgia
The racer had been linked to several teams, but has now landed a
contract with Rennen, the third-place team in the Constructor’s
Championship.
After the retirement announcement of their team leader, Rennen has
been looking for an experienced driver to fill the position.
Emotions soared through me too quickly for me to pick just one. Each reread of the press release left me feeling more and more confused. Luca had signed with a new Formula 1 team?
The morning of our last day on the yacht, I could see a staunch change in Luca’s demeanor.
The happy-go-lucky, relaxed Luca that I had come to enjoy had turned sour.
It had been two weeks since Mallorca, and all I’d received were some casual text messages.
At first, I blamed our grueling midseason training camps.
We were all exhausted, running on discipline and adrenaline.
But deep down, I knew it wasn’t just that.
Luca was never one for complete silence, and his lack of words spoke volumes.
Something had shifted between us. Something I couldn’t name. Maybe Henri had been right all along. Maybe Luca had gotten what he wanted—press coverage, sympathy, a glossy image—and now he no longer needed this. No longer needed me.
And even though I’d agreed with myself that I was going to tell Luca that I needed more space, now that all I had was space, I knew it wasn’t what I wanted.
My head buzzed like white noise. A thousand conflicting thoughts spinning around at once, but underneath it all, one emotion floated to the surface: sadness.
Pure and heavy. He’d achieved what I so desperately wanted for him, an opportunity to step out of his father’s shadow.
And I was sad that I wasn’t there to celebrate the signing with him.
He’d done it. He had finally broken free of his father’s legacy. Stepped into a spotlight of his own making. The thing I wanted most for him had come true.
And I wasn’t there to celebrate with him.
“Earth to Georgia.” Lily’s voice rang beside me, breaking through the fog of my thoughts. I blinked, realizing I’d been standing outside my hotel room, key card poised uselessly in front of the door. Lily cocked an amused eyebrow. “You planning to camp out in the hallway?”
She and Nora had driven us to the hotel, with me staring silently out the window the entire ride, the press release echoing in my brain like a bad chorus. I hadn’t mentioned Luca’s impending press release, but I knew by tomorrow morning the entire paddock would be talking about it.
“I’ve heard the suites in this hotel are so nice!” Lily stood behind me, practically breathing down my neck.
“Well, don’t forget I have a roommate,” I said dryly, giving Lily a furrowed brow to remind her why I had a suite in the first place.
As the door swung open, my breath caught, hard. I gasped so loudly my phone slipped from my fingers, clattering to the hallway floor. Nora and Lily rushed in after me like a herd of stampeding wildebeests.
And then we all froze.
The entire suite was bursting with flowers.
Everywhere I looked were roses, lilies, tulips, daisies.
Soft whites, delicate pinks, blush-toned orchids.
Like a botanical garden had exploded in the middle of the hotel room.
Bouquets covered every surface: the desk, the dresser, the vanity, the nightstand.
Not a single inch of counter space was left untouched.
“Oh. My. God,” Lily breathed, spinning around in a full circle like she was trying to take it all in at once.
Turning to the coffee table, I noticed a gift bag with a blue bow at the top. A note was attached to it.
“Open it! Open it!” Lily and Nora chanted together, both of them jumping up and down like children on Christmas Day.
My Dearest Georgia,
I hope this helps focus you on the race this weekend. I don’t know what will be in this article, but I do know that it doesn’t matter. Your determination and passion have always been your greatest assets, and I have no doubt they will carry you to a second-place finish this weekend. ;-)
P.S. Please wear the items in the gold tissue paper on Sunday to celebrate my race win. Under your racing suit is preferable.
Your Luca
“Why am I going to cry? That is so sweet!” Lily wailed.
My hand trembled with uncertainty as I untied the satin ribbon and reached into the bag, pulling out a small jewelry box.
Inside, a glimmer of silver caught my eye, and I carefully lifted out a charm bracelet featuring three charms: a lioness, a Formula 1 car with a blue diamond, and a crown with three spires on top.
No one said a word as we all stared in awe at the beautiful piece of jewelry.
“Oh my god, he’s definitely in love with you!” Lily gasped.
“Lily!” I scolded, putting the bracelet back into the box. “That is not true.”
Nora leaned forward, peering into the box as I set it down carefully on the table. “I sort of have to agree with Lil on this one, Georgie. You don’t make a personalized charm bracelet for someone you aren’t in love with.”
Heat rose in my cheeks. I crossed my arms, trying to deflect the growing knot in my throat.
“If Luca was so in love with me, why has he barely spoken to me since Mallorca? He just likes to give extravagant gifts. I’m sure it’s just for promotion.
Like this.” I reached up instinctively, touching the dainty lightning bolt charm that still hung around my neck.
“Luca gave me this lightning bolt necklace back in Italy.”
“So, what you’re saying is, he’s been in love with you for a while,” Lily chuckled.
“For fuck’s sake, he’s not in love with me.”
Desperate for a distraction, I dumped the gold tissue-paper-wrapped gift out of the bag. Mindlessly, I tore the paper open, revealing a purple lingerie set. My cheeks burned with embarrassment. Nora just shook her head in amusement, still sporting a huge smile.
What was Luca playing at?
“I suppose this is the moment I should remind you that you need to wear your fireproof underwear on Sunday,” Nora snickered.
“So, let me get this straight.” Lily held up the lingerie like a piece of evidence in court. “Luca buys you jewelry and lingerie, takes you on a sexy yacht vacation and you’re having sex. How is this not actually dating?”
“Because dating requires feelings,” I grumbled.
“Well, then I guess it’s a good thing that he’s in love with you!”
“Don’t you two have somewhere to be?” I was practically shoving them toward the door when the front entrance to the suite opened with a soft click.
Luca and Edward strolled in, mid-laugh. Luca looked freshly showered and relaxed, wearing a crisp white shirt with his signature chain peeking out beneath the collar.
The two of them didn’t notice us at first, chatting away about a cross-promotional photo shoot they had just done, which, by the look on Edward’s face, had gone very well.
The second Luca looked up and spotted the contents of the room—flowers, gift wrap, the open jewelry box—his entire body stilled. His smile faltered, slipping away like a wave retreating from shore. For a second, confusion clouded his expression, followed by realization.
And then nothing. A wall. His trademark grin vanished, replaced by a flat, unreadable frown.
Never thought I would miss that Cheshire cat grin.
“Luca… umm, hi,” I half-whispered as he stared at me. Silence settled over the room, thick and awkward.
Edward pointed towards the gifts on the table. “Ooo, what’s this?”
“It’s nothing,” Luca cut in. “Just some promotional stuff I got Georgia a few weeks ago.”
I flashed Lily an “I told you so” look, before dumping the items back into the basket.
Even though I was right, it didn’t stop my heart from cracking, and I tried to blink away the tears that were forming.
Edward shot Luca a frustrated glance, which Luca pointedly ignored.
I stuttered out a thank you, and Luca just curtly nodded as he walked over to his room, throwing his bag onto his bed.
“I’ve got a few things to do, but I’ll meet you all at the dinner tonight,” Luca announced. Not waiting for an answer, Luca slammed his door closed.
At first, I thought it strange that Edward was organizing this dinner for Henri, Lily, Luca and me, but after reading Luca’s press release, I knew why.
As soon as his contract with Rennen was announced, my phone blew up with messages.
Lily had sent no fewer than five texts filled with question marks and exclamation points, while Henri wanted to know how long I’d known.
I didn’t respond to either of them. I figured they could ask Luca themselves at dinner.
It wasn’t like I had the answers anyway.
As promised, Luca met the four of us at the restaurant, which fortunately wasn’t too mobbed with tourists.
I’d secretly hoped that I’d have a moment in the hotel room to ask him about his move to Rennen, but every time I went to knock on the door, I chickened out.
After his coldness earlier today, space felt safer than rejection.
“Hey! Look what the cat dragged in!” Edward called out to Luca. Taking a seat at the table, Luca thanked Edward for the glass of wine before quickly ordering with the waiter.
“Sorry I’m late. Had to finish a call,” Luca apologized.
Lily leaned in. “So, Luca, I see you signed with Rennen. Why such a big change?”
“It just felt right, I guess,” he said with a shrug, swirling his wine. “It’ll be nice to get a fresh start.”
“Well, sounds like a good move then.” I tried to give him a smile, soft and genuine. But Luca just gave a small nod, barely meeting my eyes, before taking a sip of wine. Seconds later, he excused himself to the bathroom, leaving a lingering silence behind him.
Leaning over, Edward grabbed my wrist, admiring the charm bracelet. “Wow, Luca did an amazing job with the design.”
“I’m sure the Aphrodite Jewelry’s sponsorship team gave him a few pointers.”
Edward shot me a confused look.