CHAPTER 3 #2
“Because of Isaac and his brother.” Catarina paused, perhaps waiting for Anna to clue in, but she just shrugged.
What should she know? “Vince Vasquez is one of the most accomplished motorcycle racers of all time and the current world champion. His old rival, Victor Rossini, retired a few years ago with nine championships. Rossini was famous worldwide, but Vince has an unprecedented twelve. He hopes to get one more this year, then decide if he’ll retire. ”
Vince and Isaac Vasquez. Famous. Anna’s fantasy about getting to know Isaac flickered and died out.
If he was someone important, he wasn’t likely to be interested in someone like her for anything long term.
Like his brother, it was probably just a one-night kind of thing.
Plus, it sounded like he too, was leaving.
“I just met them in the town square when I got off the bus. I couldn’t see anyone else besides tourists.
When I wandered over, they spoke English.
Isaac was nice and offered to show me where the Inn was,” said Anna.
“Vince told Isaac to ask me to have a drink with him. I think. They were speaking Spanish, so I might have been mistaken.” Tears of embarrassment welled up in her eyes.
“I had no idea either of them was famous.”
“Don’t get upset. How were you to know? You aren’t from here.” Catarina patted Anna’s hand, then laughed, an infectious sound that reminded Anna of sunshine and picnics. “The province’s most eligible bachelors invited you to hang out, and you didn’t even know who they were. I love it.”
“I’ve barely heard of motorcycle racing,” said Anna, also recognizing the humor.
The tension in her shoulders relaxed. “Just Indy cars and F1. That’s about it.
And even then, I’ve never paid attention.
” She vaguely recalled hearing about some sort of monster trucks, too, but that hardly seemed like racing.
“I can’t wait to tell them you’ve never heard of the great Vince Vasquez.” Catarina chuckled as she added another dollop of milk to her steaming coffee.
“If Vince is the champion, what does Isaac do?” Anna couldn’t help herself from asking. She wanted to find out anything she could about the younger, taller brother with dreamy eyes. Something about him had appealed to her at first glance.
“He races too, but he underestimates his abilities. He thinks he’s only there because of who his brother is, but that isn’t true.
” Catarina stopped laughing as her tone became more serious.
“He earned his own ride at the top level and has been moderately successful. He doesn’t think it is a big deal, but he won both Moto3 and Moto2 on his way up through the ranks and is consistently a threat for the top ten.
For another ten or twelve finishes, he was on the podium.
” She sounded proud, like an older sister, not like a love interest. “He’s most competitive when it rains. ”
The mention of rain brought Anna back to Catarina’s job suggestion. “What would I have to do if I became an umbrella girl?” What did being a grid girl entail? Other than holding an umbrella, which sounded easy.
“Races are every week or two, though there is a month off in the middle of the summer and we’ll all come home.
They start in Qatar, then most races will be in Europe for a few months.
There will be a race in Argentina, one in Texas, and another in Mexico City.
In October and November, there’s a race in Australia and a few more in Asia, before we finish up in Spain again.
The best thing is, all that travel is paid for if you’re with a racing team.
You should come. There’s almost always at least one day to sightsee. ”
Catarina’s voice picked up speed and her eyes widened.
“I bet Vince can get you a job with his brother. Isaac would never ask for his own umbrella girl to travel with them, but Vince can make it happen. You would get paid to look pretty, smile, and wave.” She grimaced.
“Your feet will ache from wearing heels on the tarmac for so long and your arm will get sore from holding the umbrella, but other than that, it’s easy.
Just don’t talk to Isaac on the grid, or any of the other riders, and you’ll be a hit.
Before long, we’ll have converted you to a super-fan. ”
“Why would Vince help me?” Anna’s brow furrowed.
Would there be strings attached to a favor from Vince?
She didn’t want to lead him on. But Catarina would be asking for the favor, so maybe this would work.
It would be nothing like her previous job and she needed the money.
The adjustment could be difficult, but she could do it.
Plus, Catarina’s excitement was infectious.
Starting over was about new experiences.
“Trust me. I can convince him to do it for his brother. They’re close. Besides, he owes me. I’m returning this year as a favor to Vince. He was tired of all the hot sports models throwing themselves at him.” She laughed and crossed her hands over her chest. “The poor popular racing star.”
“Is his ego that huge, or are the girls that crazy about him?” Anna tilted her head. She’d found Vince mildly attractive in a generic sort of way, but Isaac was unforgettable.
“It’s real,” said Catarina, with a gleam in her eye as she took another sip of hot coffee. Maybe Catarina was interested in Vince.
“Isaac is more my type,” said Anna, stirring a teaspoon of sugar into her second cup of tea.
Cursing her forthright nature, she met the other woman’s eyes.
Anna hadn’t meant to confess that. “Not that I’m looking for a relationship,” she added, the words tumbling out as her face flamed.
“I just broke up with someone, but if I had a type…” She was babbling and she clamped her lips shut to make herself stop.
Adam had told her that kind of chatter was off-putting.
“Isaac is a cutie. You could do a lot worse,” said Catarina with a smile. “If Vince can get you the job, are you interested? I don’t want to get him involved and then you decide not to go.”
The idea of wearing tight clothes and smiling for the camera was daunting, but with her scant bank account, Anna needed to do something.
She wanted to make her writing plans work, but she needed money to live.
“One race every week or two? Travel with the team? Downtime to write? Count me in.” She was proud she hadn’t stammered.
Catarina picked up her phone from the table.
“I’ll ask Vince right now.” She read her message aloud as she texted.
‘Wondering if you can pull strings to get my new pal Anna an umbrella girl gig with Isaac’s team.
It would be fun to travel with someone besides you serious racers, crotchety old mechanics, and snooty sports models. ’
She set her phone down and ripped her croissant into lady-like pieces, which she ate, one at a time.
Anna copied Catarina’s method, savoring the melted dark chocolate in the middle of the buttery pastry.
She would need to start running again if all the food was this rich.
Especially if she’d be on camera. Her stomach fluttered. What was she thinking?
Catarina’s phone chimed less than two minutes later, and she read the incoming text aloud. ‘Why don’t you and Anna come to my place after six? I’ll talk to Isaac’s team boss between now and then.’
“That’s as good as a yes,” said Catarina with a smile as she signaled for more coffee.
. . .
Catarina and Anna drove up the hill that evening, pulling up to a gated villa ten minutes from the village.
Anna had crossed and uncrossed her ankles several times during the short drive.
Her heart raced at the idea of the job. What was she doing?
It was unlike her to be so impulsive, but it was too late to turn back. Maybe the answer would be no.
They arrived at the specified time, Catarina punched in a code, and the gate swung open.
Like most of the buildings since Anna had left Barcelona, the Vasquez house was a clean white, rambling structure with long, half-cylinder terracotta roof tiles arranged in a series of long domed tubes like buildings in a Mediterranean movie.
Her mind flashed to the opening chase scene from Skyfall, a Bond movie.
The color of the roof matched the local stone that lined several flower beds, the stone path in front of the house, and the lower section of the walls.
The hillsides were pale green with new grass and dotted with darker green leafy trees of a variety unknown to Anna.
Everything was beautiful in its simplicity.
Beyond the house, instead of a lower lawn, the slope led to a dusty track that followed the curve of the hill and wound out of sight.
A plume of orange dust hovered in the air and the buzzing sound of dirt bikes reached Anna’s ears as she stepped out of the car onto a paved driveway.
The high-pitched noise resonated in her ears and chest, but not in an unpleasant way.
She hadn’t considered the noise of racing bikes.
She would need to wear earplugs—if that was allowed.
“Let’s go watch,” said Catarina, grabbing Anna’s arm and tugging her down the path toward the homemade dirt bike track.
Were these bikes similar to what the Vasquez brothers rode when racing?
Bikes this size didn’t look that dangerous or powerful.
She would Google it later to satisfy her curiosity.
She hadn’t looked up the Vasquez brothers yet. What would she find?