This weekend, I will be helping the editors work from our bus. This means I won’t be in the paddock as much as I usually am.
It also means I won’t risk running into Luke, which eases my mind. It’s hard enough that my thoughts are clouded by him. If I had to see him up close, too, I know it would make me feel even worse.
At least this way, I don’t have to worry about running into him.
Whenever I have a free period, I stay in my room. Someone might call it hiding; others would call it making the most of my space.
I’ve spent the whole day on the bus, together with Molly and the rest of the editor’s crew, learning the ropes of production.
When evening comes, I check the time difference and call Sarah, hoping to catch her before her day begins.
“Hey girl!” she says through the phone.
“Hey, how is my favourite NHL reporter this morning?” I greet her instantly, feeling lighter.
We haven’t been able to catch up over the past few days because she’s been busy getting everything ready for her own internship.
“I’m feeling really good, excited for the adventure to start soon. But, before we get into that, tell me all about your date with Luke!” I sigh into the phone, switching it to my other ear.
“Well, it was perfect. He set up a romantic picnic overlooking the city. We spent the whole time talking, getting to know each other, and we finished with a very hot kiss.” I feel a tingling in my stomach at the thought of the memory. It shouldn’t be possible to be that good a kisser.
“I sense there’s a but here somewhere,” Sarah says, and I tell her about the Victoria situation andhow it all came to a stop between us.
“I really tried not to let the insecurity get in the way, but when he just dismissed me, saying that I couldn’t handle the first hurdle thrown my way, it left me feeling so defeated,” I tell her honestly.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Jess, and I think he owed you an explanation, seeing those pictures. If he couldn’t even give you that, then he’s not the man we hoped he would be,” she tells me, and I couldn’t agree more.
I may have jumped to my conclusions too quickly, but he is not innocent in this either. Sarah, being the best friend that she is, tells me that she’s proud of me, nevertheless, for pushing myself out of my comfort zone and taking a risk.
She’s always in my corner, cheering me on and telling me that I can do anything I set my mind to. In times like this, I’m extra grateful to have a friend like her in my life.
After we hang up, I check the schedule for the rest of the weekend, then make my way to the lounge area on our bus, where I join some team members watching TV.
After a while, I get up to make some popcorn and find Andrew in the kitchen.
“Hey Jessica, how has the day been with some other tasks?” Andrew usually stays in his own hotel roomduring race weekend because he has accumulated a fortune from his success as a driver and media personality after retirement.
Sometimes, like today, he stays on the bus with the rest of the crew.
“It’s been so good, I’ve learned so much already. It will be fun to see the qualifying and the race from the editor’s room. They have so many frames and shots of the drivers and the track.”
I’ve never really known how the editor’s work is carried out, so it’s been a steep learning curve.
We discuss further the excitement of sports media and the various components that come together to create effective reportage.
“Oh, I almost forgot. Luke Hastings came looking for you earlier today, while you and Molly were out with Audi,” he says as he looks at me with a questioning gaze, causing me to freeze up.
What should I tell him?
It’s not like I can pretend I don’t know who Luke is. But I also don’t want to reveal how much I do know him.
“Did he say what he wanted?” I try to sound as casual as possible, probably failing badly.
Andrew is a journalist, which means he can likely see through my act. If he does, he doesn’t call me out on my bullshit, for which I’m grateful.
“Nope, only that hewas looking for you.” Andrew shrugs his shoulders, and although I want to ask more, I don’t want to raise any more suspicion.
Just as I’m about to leave, Andrew calls after me. I turn around, and he looks at me with concern.
