Chapter 16 #2
his dad rattled many times, but that was exactly what was going on. “I knew she’d move on eventually. I’m disappointed it’s
happened so soon, but I suppose this is what I deserved.”
“What does that mean?”
“The divorce is my fault.”
“Doesn’t it fall on both of you?”
His dad shook his head. “Your mother told me what she wanted. I didn’t give it to her.”
Emilio hesitated to ask, but it was rare for his dad to be open about personal matters. “Go on.”
“I was never forthcoming with my feelings. Kept everything to myself. Your grandfather was the same way. Feelings always bottled
up. She needed more from me. More of a connection.”
Oh, boy. The apple did not fall far from the tree. Emilio’s thoughts flew to Piper. He’d been looking for a chance to tell her how
he was feeling, but he hadn’t seen an opening. Now he knew he needed to take the chance, not wait for it. “You and I should have a chat about this. I’d like to hear more about how you’re coping.” Emilio
cleared his throat. “It’s been hard for me, seeing you two apart. I think you and I need a chance to talk through our feelings.
Not today, but soon.”
His father smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. “Of course. For now, you have racing to worry about.”
Monaco Grand Prix
Monte Carlo, Monaco
On their way to the paddock club, Piper and Gus ran into Harmony and Gumdrop. “There you are,” Harmony said. “Did you get
my text?”
Piper fished her phone out of her pocket. Somehow, she’d missed the message. “Sorry. Things have been busy this weekend.”
“I saw the tabloids. None of my business. Not why I wanted to talk. I was hoping you could make me a sample batch of dog treats
so my team can test them. I said they were great, but they want to see for themselves.”
“I’d have to do it when I get home to Florida.”
“That’s fine. I’ll text you the mailing address. Our US headquarters are in Minneapolis.”
Again, Piper had an uneasy feeling. This was so far outside her comfort zone. When things were unsettled in her life, she
always retreated there. Still, she had to stick up for herself. “Before I send anything, I need to speak to a lawyer. Make
sure my bases are covered.” Piper braced for unpleasantness, but instead, Harmony smiled.
“Smart. Just because my company is sponsoring your boyfriend’s Formula One team doesn’t mean I can be trusted. If anything,
it probably means I can’t be trusted.” She nodded and pulled a little tighter on Gumdrop’s leash. “Keep me posted and we’ll
hash it out.”
Emilio got settled in the car, his mind running fast after his conversation with his dad. He didn’t want to live with regrets,
personal or professional. He’d spent enough time licking his wounds. He needed to get on with life. And more urgently, do
well in this race. Piper was there. His parents were, too. He wanted more than anything to have something they could all be proud of.
“Radio check?” he said.
“Yeah. Emilio. All good from our end,” Tom said.
“Good from my end, too.”
“Perfect. Let’s have a great race.”
Piper waited outside the paddock club for Bianca and Rico, but they never showed. It was way too close to race time for her
to miss the start, so Piper headed upstairs and nabbed a primo spot for her and Gus.
“How are you doing, Gussy boy?” she asked as she gave him a treat. “Are we ready to root hard for Daddy?” Gus nudged her hand
with his nose and Piper leaned down to let Gus give her a kiss, then she cradled his face in her hands and peered into his
sweet eyes. God, she was going to miss this dog. There was no getting around that.
Emilio was ready for anything. And prepared for nothing. That was how Monaco often went. Thrill or agony. Victory or defeat.
He watched as each of the five lights came on.
One, two. The car rumbled beneath him. Three, four. His pulse raced. Five. The lights went out.
He jammed the throttle like never before, which was risky as hell. The run to turn one was short and the track painfully narrow.
He lucked out just like in Spain. An opening on the outside—the tiniest sliver of space for him to jump up two spots as other
drivers were battling. He slipped into tenth position. Adrenaline coursed through his veins. This was what he loved. This
was racing.
“Emilio!” Piper shot up out of her seat, then quickly clamped her hand over her mouth and looked around the paddock club.
Everyone else was either immersed in the race or focused on their food and drink. In other words, she’d been the sole person
to react to Emilio’s move. Oh, well. The cat was already out of the bag.
“Gus, Daddy is kicking butt.” He licked her hand, and she ruffled his ears. Time to settle in.
Emilio wasn’t sure where this part of him had been, the part he’d tapped into in Spain. The part he’d been missing so badly.
Of course, Piper’s words rang loudly in his head. Everything you need is already inside you. She’d been so right. All along.
He’d never experienced Monaco like this before. He was seeing opportunities in places he never had. He passed one car and
was up into ninth place.
Now it was like a game. How many spots could he make up? He couldn’t wait to find out.
“My word, Emilio Baquero is having the race of his lifetime,” the announcer said. “And that is saying a lot since he won nearly
every race last year. He’s up four positions in the Monaco Grand Prix. That’s unheard of.”
“Completely unheard of.” Piper thought of the times she and her dad had watched this race. It had never been this exciting.
She wasn’t entirely certain of her F1 history, so she texted Mia.
What is the greatest number of places gained in the history of this race?
Michael Schumacher. 2006. He started in the pit lane and finished in fifth. The field was 22 cars then.
Piper could only hope Emilio would have that good a showing, but she also didn’t want to jinx it.
Thoughts on Emilio?
Amazing. Absolutely stunning.
I completely agree.
It just kept happening. Emilio kept seeing opportunities, he kept taking them and it actually worked. Every time. It was uncanny.
He was now up to sixth place. He couldn’t help but feel like his fortunes were changing, which was a very odd sensation when
Piper was set to leave tomorrow. It gave him hope and courage, though. Maybe he could convince her to stay. Maybe he could
convince her they could be something.
Piper could not sit. No way. She could only pace, just as she had in Spain. She could only shake out her hands, trying to
settle her nerves. It didn’t work. This queasy feeling was familiar now, but it was the final lap, and Emilio was in fifth
place. Just let him finish this lap. Just let him have this one thing.
Emilio zipped across the finish line. Emotion immediately took over. Maybe it was the stress of everything that had been happening.
Maybe it was sorrow over Piper’s imminent departure, but tears streamed down his face.
“Absolutely unbelievable performance, Emilio. Up seven places in Monaco. I think it’s fair to say you’ve found your form with
the car.”
He was on the verge of sobbing. He swallowed hard, but not to stop the tears. He merely needed to express his gratitude. “Thank
you to everyone. The whole team.”
And thanks to Piper, for making my world a better place.
Piper screamed at the top of her lungs, then grabbed Gus’s leash and ran as fast as she could down to the Mega garage. She
stood outside the back entrance, but she could hear arguing coming from the corridor that led inside. She peeked, only to
see Andreas and Bianca, red-faced and gesturing wildly as they talked. Rico was pulling up the rear.
“They’re fighting,” he said to Piper.
“So I hear. Did you watch the race from the garage?”
“We did. That was a mistake.”
Rico and Piper watched as words continued to fly. “Emilio’s going to be out soon. I don’t want him to see them like this,”
Piper said.
“I can’t say anything,” Rico said. “Bianca will have my head.”
Piper sucked in a deep breath. She’d have to take another step outside her comfort zone. It was confrontation time.
Emilio was walking on air as he strode through the garage, getting hugs and high fives from the crew and mechanics. Today
was amazing, and he couldn’t wait to see Piper. He had so much he wanted to tell her. So much he wanted to share. So much
he wanted to discuss. About them. About the future.
But when he stepped into the paddock, he came upon an unexpected scene—Piper, lecturing his parents, with Rico looking on.
“I realize I don’t know either of you very well, but you cannot act like this,” Piper said. “I don’t think you have any concept of how difficult you have made things for your son. I want
you both to promise that you will not attend races that are not designated as your own, and when you do attend a race, your
visit is about nothing more than supporting your son and showing him love and respect.”
Emilio slowly walked up behind Piper. Both his parents saw him, but then Piper snapped her fingers, and their attention quickly
returned to her. She was like an angry schoolteacher. He hung back. He wanted to see how this would play out.
“It doesn’t mean you can’t talk to him about important things. But those topics are for times away from the track. Not here.
Also, if you can’t come on your race weekend, please show some respect and let the other person know so they might have a
chance to attend in your place. Having support at the races is very important to Emilio.”
Emilio placed his arm around Piper and kissed her cheek, but it wasn’t a peck. He pressed his lips quite solidly to her skin.
“I agree with everything Piper said. Well, at least everything I heard.”
“So, she is your girlfriend?” his father asked.
“Yes. She is my girlfriend,” Emilio said with confidence.
“How can I be so far out of the loop? Your own mother doesn’t know about this?”
“Bianca . . .” Piper started. “Boundaries.” She then turned to Emilio. “Girlfriend?”
“And I’m your boyfriend. Or we’re partners. Whatever you want to say. We can’t be wishy-washy about it. I know you’re leaving,
but I’m only putting the label on it that I think it deserves.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head.
It felt so good to finally come out with it. Leave every card on the table. No regrets. He was so very tired of them.
“You were amazing today. Absolutely unbelievable.” She peered up at him with the blue eyes that had made their mark on him.
“Thank you. I hate that I have to go to the media pen.”
She smiled and pressed her hand against his chest, sending a wave of warmth through him. “I’ll be here when you’re done.”
“I’ll make it quick. I want to have as much time as possible with you before you go.”