I swallow just as one of the reporters in front tears his flirtatious eyes from Matt long enough to spot me.“Chloe!A few questions, please?”
Matt turns his head and our eyes lock.For a split second—just the briefest of moments—I see the deep hurt, but then he forces a spectacular, full-face smile.
“There she is,” he says, holding his hand out and motioning for me to join him.
I hesitate, but Matt waves his hand to hurry me.
“What a beautiful morning here in São Paulo,” I say, my mouth dry.More smiling.Keeping my voice even.
“Have you got any comment on the scoop in today’s paper?Are you and Matt at war?”I can smell the warm plastic of the microphone that has been shoved in front of my mouth, but the faces of the press are shadowed, the sun behind them shining right into my eyes.Good.I can’t see them properly.
I look to Matt, and we each pull a fake amused face at the other.
“Does it look like war?”I say, pointing a finger between us both.Matt chuckles, and I smile back at him.
“Did you really compare him to a used dishcloth?”
“Dish?I think Matt Warner has been called a dish many times.”
The journalists laugh, and the cramping muscles around my lungs slacken a little.
“Are you denying the disagreements between you and Barry Arden?That you didn’t want to hire Matt?”
I take a breath.“Look, it’s true Matt’s contract was unexpected, but to have someone of his caliber on the team is an honor.His improvement tells me everything I need to know.”
“So, Matt, is it true you never went to see your old teammate Stavros?”
“Of course not,” he shoots back, cheeks flaming.
I want to jump in, but he also needs a chance to defend himself.He can do this.He’s really fucking good at this.
“Stavros suffered some burn injuries; did you really make light of those?”
“No,” Matt shoots back angrily.“The story is bullshit.”
“Do you deny, then, that you haven’t seen him since the crash?”
Matt hesitates, and I quickly jump in with, “Stavros is still recovering,” and before he can come back, I point to another reporter.“Jenny, any questions?”
“Did Matt pressure you to drop Noah Blacklock?”Oh, brother.
I falter, searching the depths of my brain to find another retort, and worse still, I spot Noah loitering just behind one of the reporters.But now it’s Matt who jumps in.
“Noah Blacklock is a fantastic young driver,” he says sharply.“He’s hardworking and he’s sharp.I think he’ll be world champion one day.”
“Are you denying the article?Chloe, you’re quoted directly in it.”
“Come on,” Matt says, holding his hands up.“Are we really taking that filthy rag as the bastion of truth now?”
“And what about Arden’s financial problems?Are you on the edge of collapse?”
“I sure hope not,” I joke.And then I think about Noah, and the rest of the team, and I know I need to give more.“Arden Racing hasn’t got the deep pockets of a Rossini or a Mercedes.We don’t have the training programs, the legacy, or the luxury goods sponsors.But we have one thing.We have talent.All the way from the bottom to the top.”I trynot to think about that one awful strategist.It’s true of everyone else.
I’m sure I can see Matt smile out of the corner of my eye.
“And Barry Arden is all heart.He loves this sport...almostas much as he loves his dogs.”
Laughter waves through the scrum.
