Chapter 18
Eighteen
Emilio was close to the finish line. After two solid days of talking about Vermillion with every sports, motorsports and British
publication and news outlet imaginable, he only had one interview left. And he couldn’t wait to knock it out.
“All that’s left is Claudia Simon tomorrow,” Isabel said as they wrapped up the day in the PR office at Mega Headquarters.
“You’re more than prepared. I’ve listened to everything you’ve said in your other interviews and I wouldn’t change a thing.”
“Thank you. For everything.” Emilio was exhausted, mentally and physically. He was still recovering from Monaco and of course,
he might never fully get over that goodbye with Piper. The way she’d cried had torn his heart right in two. And when she was
gone, he’d given in to it, too. He’d curled into a ball that night and let the tears out. The worst of it was Gus’s reaction.
He had never seen a dog be so sad. He was really starting to worry.
“Xander’s here, by the way,” Isabel said. “He’s been on the sim. He wants to say hello.”
A conversation with a friend, hopefully talking about any subject other than Tristan Highbridge and Vermillion racing sounded
like a breath of fresh air. “Where is he?”
“Right outside. Talking to his engineer.”
Emilio and Isabel walked out into the hall. “There he is,” Xander said. “The man of the hour. The miracle man. Whatever we’re
supposed to call you, you deserve all of it.”
Isabel clapped them both on the shoulder. “I’m going home if it’s all good with you two. I’ve barely seen my cat since I got
back from Monaco.”
“Sure thing.” Emilio looked at Xander as Isabel made her exit. “How are you? How’s Mia?”
“All good. Just keeping busy. Of course, Mia has taken great satisfaction in having been right about Vermillion.”
“Piper said that exact thing when she heard about it.”
Xander nodded. “How are you doing? Piper left, right?”
“I’m hanging in there. And yes, she’s in Florida.” Answering those questions was like a dagger in his heart. He’d been so
busy it’d been relatively easy to ignore how unhappy he was. He feared what was coming—the weekend, with no race and nothing
to do except cuddle with his emotionally distressed dog and think about Piper at the wedding. “That reminds me. One of the
marketing people is watching Gus. I need to go get him. Walk with me?”
“Absolutely.”
They started down the corridor, striding past a long procession of trophy cases. There was so much history here at Mega, and
the team had treated him so well through what had been a very up-and-down season. After everything with Vermillion, he was
nothing but thankful for having landed there. Finally, he felt like he was standing firmly on both feet. “I’ll be honest.
I haven’t had a ton of time to dwell on Piper’s departure. The interviews have been nonstop.”
“Well, yeah. You’re the only person who can say anything.”
“Finally, people want me to speak up.”
“I’m proud of you, mate. You stuck to your guns. That’s not easy.”
“I asked the question that needed to be asked. You would’ve done the same thing. All I really care about is putting this behind
me. Moving forward.”
“After Monaco, I think I’d better be watching you closer.”
Emilio laughed as they came to a stop outside the marketing department office. “Don’t jinx me. I’ll end up in the wall in
Canada if we aren’t careful.”
“Canada isn’t that far from Florida. Are you planning to visit Piper?”
“We haven’t made plans. I invited her to the Grand Prix, but she hasn’t accepted yet. I think she needs a break from the races.
I’d like to see her, but I’m not sure if she wants that.”
“Emilio. Seriously. I’ve seen the way she looked at you. Mia and I talked about it. After the night we came over.”
“Nothing had even happened between us at that point.”
“Uh, let’s just say the sexual tension was palpable. The second we got in the car to go home, Mia said she guessed it would
be less than a day before you two, well . . . you know. I think Mia used the word boned.”
Emilio laughed. Mia had quite the way with words. “Isn’t it strange when you’re feeling something, but aren’t sure if someone
else feels it, too?”
“Whatever happened in the past, I’m sure she wants you to visit her.”
It was so odd, but after everything he and Piper had been through, Emilio still wasn’t sure of her feelings for him. She’d
played things so close to the vest and who could blame her? She’d had her heart stomped on.
The one thing he’d never thought to ask her was whether she ever wanted to fall in love again. He knew he wanted to be in love, now that he’d had a real taste of it. But it would hurt so much if
she didn’t feel the same way. As much as he was trying harder to feel his feelings, it was a process.
“We’ll see,” Emilio said. “I’d better grab Gus. It’s not technically the marketing department’s job to watch my dog.”
Emilio said goodbye and walked into the marketing office and soon heard the jingle of the tags on Gus’s collar. His dog walked
over to him, tail wagging, but this still wasn’t the usual hyper-enthusiastic Gus. “Hey, buddy.”
Jason, the social media guy who’d offered to watch Gus, appeared from his cubicle. “Gus was great. Very low-key. No problem.”
“Thanks for your help. I really need to find a dog nanny.”
Jason nodded. “I’m sure it’s hard to find the right person.”
Emilio clipped on Gus’s leash. “Harder than you know.” He walked out to the parking area and found his McLaren. With just
the two of them, there was plenty of room. He was about to start the engine, when he felt like he needed to say something.
It was silly, but Gus always seemed so tuned in to what was going on with Emilio, and he was very obviously sad. And maybe
this could be one more way for Emilio to tap into his feelings.
“Hey, buddy.” Emilio turned to Gus, who amazingly enough, made eye contact. “I know this has been hard for you. It’s been
hard for me. But I’m going to try to find a way to bring Piper back into our lives. I’m not quite sure how to do that, but
I’ll figure it out. I just need to get through this last interview.” He swallowed hard as he saw Gus’s expression change.
The way his eyes lit up at the things he loved. He reached over and gave him a few ear scratches. “No matter what happens,
it’s you and me, buddy. We have to stick together. And I think you know this, but I love you.” He leaned in closer and kissed
his soft forehead. “So, so much.”
Piper lay in the slightly uncomfortable bed in her parents’ guest room and stared at the ceiling. “I am a good person.” Inhale. Exhale. “I deserve love.” Inhale. Exhale. “I probably fucked up when I didn’t tell Emilio my real feelings.” She rolled to her stomach and punched the pillow, then
looked at the text he’d sent her early that morning.
Gus misses you. He keeps sleeping in the doorway of your room. I can’t cheer him up. Maybe you need to send a batch of treats.
In any other dimension, she would have loved getting a text from Emilio. But she couldn’t decipher what in the hell it meant.
Did only Gus miss her? Was he trying to make her feel guilty? Make her sob uncontrollably? Out of the many, many things eating
at her right now, trying to decode that text might be the worst. But she didn’t have time to ruminate about it. She had to
put on her makeup and a dress and go to the rehearsal dinner, where she would endure questions about why her “boyfriend,”
the Formula One driver, wasn’t with her. Because that had been the only thing anyone had asked her about since the moment
she returned to Florida.
She forced herself off the bed and padded into the bathroom when she heard the bedroom door open. “Piper? You decent?”
“Yeah, Mom. What’s up?”
Willa stepped into the bathroom doorway. “You aren’t dressed yet?”
“Take a deep breath. We don’t need to leave for an hour.”
Her mom consulted her phone. “Fifty-five minutes.”
“Like I said. An hour.” Piper turned around to see that her mom was all gussied up, in an eggplant-purple wrap dress. “Whoa.
Mom. You look hot. Has Dad seen you in that?”
Willa blushed. “Is it too much?” She leaned in closer. “Does it show too much of my boobs?”
“It’s perfect, Mom. You’re perfect.” Piper turned back to the mirror and pulled her hair into a ponytail, then began sponging
on foundation.
Her mom perched on the edge of the bathtub. “Be honest. Have I seemed stressed out since you got home? Because I feel like
I’m managing things fine.”
Piper glanced over to see her mom tapping away at her phone. “Are you working?”
“I have some closings next week. And a couple with a tight timeline looking for a house.”
“Let’s take this time to catch up, okay?”
“Are you asking me to put my phone away?”
“Yes. I am.”
Her mom exhaled loudly and made a show of putting her phone facedown on the toilet seat. “Okay. Why don’t you tell me more
about London? You already told me not to ask you about Emilio.”
“It’s not that you can’t ask me about him. It’s more the whole boyfriend thing. He’s not really my boyfriend. We were romantically
involved, but our lives are too different. I don’t see how it would ever work. Long-term, at least.”
“When you say lives, what you really mean is circumstances. Those can change. In the blink of an eye.”
Piper didn’t want to sound like she was unsentimental or endlessly practical, but she didn’t really buy what her mom was saying.
“His life is so crazy. Traveling all over the world. His fans everywhere, screaming his name.”
“Sounds exciting to me. He’s young. That’s the perfect time to live an exciting life.”
Piper had to gnaw on that. “I guess.”
“Do you love him?” her mother asked, completely matter-of-fact.
Mascara wand in hand, Piper stared at herself in the mirror. She knew the answer. She’d known it for a while. But she’d never
admitted it to anyone else. “Doesn’t love seem like a big word to throw around after knowing each other for a month?”
“Your father told me he loved me on our second date.”
Piper turned and rested her hip against the sink. “He did? How did that make you feel? Did you freak out?”
“I’ll be honest. It shocked me. But only because I felt like he was a little out of my league.”
“Out of your league? Are you serious right now? How is that possible?”
“Your dad was quite the catch when we met. He still is. He’s not only handsome, he’s also not afraid to talk about his feelings.
He’s very affectionate. That hadn’t been my experience with men before I met him.”
“Well, Emilio didn’t tell me he loved me. So there’s that.” Piper returned her attention to the matter of her mascara.
“Maybe he didn’t know how to say it to you.”
Piper shook her head. “Maybe? He does sometimes have a hard time saying things.” There had been so many times when Emilio
hadn’t wanted to express what he was feeling. Which only left her wondering once again what the text meant.
“Does he know about your history? The broken engagement?”
Piper nodded. “The basics.”
“Maybe he didn’t want to be the second guy to break your heart.”
Whoa. Now that made sense.
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out, honey.”
Piper wasn’t convinced, especially since she wasn’t as clearheaded as she’d been when she left London. “Speaking of figuring
things out, I wanted to talk to you about buying a condo. Or a house. I have some money in the bank now.” Actually, a lot
more than she’d expected to have. That “bonus” Emilio had given her? It was four times what he’d offered when he hired her.
She needed to thank him for it, but she wished she would’ve done it before he’d sent her the text about Gus. Now it was just
going to make it seem like an afterthought, and it was anything but. She had a bad case of text paralysis.
“I’d love to help you find something. And of course, I will forgo my commission. We just can’t do it until a week or so after
your sister’s wedding. Once she’s on her honeymoon and these closings are done, I’m going to take a few days off.”
“Sounds like a wise idea.” Piper took her hair out of the ponytail and fluffed it up until it looked halfway presentable.
She wasn’t trying to impress anyone at this rehearsal dinner. She was trying to survive it.
“What sort of place are you thinking about? How many bedrooms? Bathrooms? What kind of kitchen do you want?”
As much as this idea had been in Piper’s head for a while, she hadn’t taken the time to think it through. Probably because
it required way too much analysis of what she wanted her life to be. Where she wanted to go. That had always been so hard
for her. But she wanted to be done with uncertainty. “Nothing too big. Two bedrooms would be great, just so I could have a
little home office. I’m not picky about bathrooms, but one and a half would be plenty. Otherwise, close to the beach? And
with a yard, preferably fenced.”
“Thinking about getting a dog?”
“That’s a must.”
“You know, I just sold a house to the woman who runs the animal shelter. We’re friends on Facebook. She’s always posting photos
of cute dogs that need a home. Maybe you should go see what they have.”
“I don’t want to adopt until I have my own place. But I’ll let you know.”
Her mom stood. “We’re so happy to have you home, honey. It’s not the same around here without you.”
Piper wrapped her up in a hug. “It’s good to be home. Now I just need to get through tonight and tomorrow.”
“I know it’s been hard, but I’m proud of you for being there for your sister.”
Sometimes, it was good to simply have someone acknowledge that you were tackling a difficult thing. “Thanks, Mom. I appreciate
that.”
“I’m going to go find your father and make sure he’s presentable.”
“I’ll get dressed.” Piper closed the door, then went to the closet and grabbed the dress she’d picked out. Black might not
have been the best choice for this happy event, but it reflected her thoughts on the whole thing. After working her way into
a pair of heels, she put on some silver hoop earrings and grabbed her bag. When she went to put her phone inside, she knew
she couldn’t keep second-guessing Emilio’s text. She needed to respond, get it over with and see what would happen next.
Hey you. I just wanted to thank you for the bonus. You really didn’t have to be so generous, but I do appreciate it. I think
I can make it work for a down payment on a small house or condo, so that’s great for me. I’m sorry Gus is sad. I miss him,
too. Please give him lots of kisses from me.
She hit Send and waited for a moment, hoping she might get a response. It was almost midnight in London. Emilio was probably
in bed. Living his life. The one she wondered about fitting into.