Travis and the entire circuit have one more race in North America before their return to Europe, starting, of course, with Monaco. Over the past two months I’ve tried to push it to the back of my mind.
I’m ashamed to admit that although I always congratulate Travis on his races, I’ve yet to actually watch a full one. I just look up the last few minutes or search the race results.
“You must be excited to see your first race in person,” Gabriel chimes.
“The Monaco race is a spectacular race,” Rachel adds before I can answer. “What if Travis wins? I’ll bet he’ll do it just because he knows you’re in the audience.”
I look down at the sandwich I’ve only taken two bites of so far. I was so damn excited about this meal and now the thought of eating the rest of it nearly makes me nauseous.
“He had bad luck in Monaco last year,” Jeanette adds. “Got clipped early on and never quite regained his momentum.”
“Max won that race, didn’t he?”
“Yes, such a surprise given the car he was driving. Krämer’s a little better this year,” Jeanette answers.
“But Max is good. I’m surprised he’s not in contention for the championship,” Isable says.
Jeanette waves a dismissive hand. “He’s living off of his father’s name. We all know that.”
I don’t have the heart to ask who or what it is they’re talking about.
“At any rate,” Jeanette continues. “Alyssia, you knew attending the Monaco race was a requirement also, correct? I mean, the children from our program will be there and we all have to meet them. They wrote letters and are so excited about attending the race and learning about the cars.”
“Yes, yes.” I nod.
I leave out the part where I’d been hoping to avoid attending the actual race. But, I mean, in a country that’s just over two kilometers wide, I suppose it can’t totally be avoided.
“Excellent,” Jeanette continues. “Because we’ve all helped to make this vision possible. And with Gabriel spreading awareness through our social media channels, I believe this will set us up for even larger donations in the future.”
Jeanette’s right. The charity we have teamed up with for the Monaco event will do a lot to improve our visibility and bring in more interested donors.
“That is enough about work,” Gabriel suddenly says. “Alyssia, you must be excited that Travis is coming home today, no?”
My eyebrows raise in surprise.
“He’s already home. He met me at the train station this morning,” I say without giving it much thought.
All eyes fall on me.
“He must’ve gotten in late,” Isabel says. “Skyland hasn’t arrived yet.”
“Skyland?” I ask. The name sounds familiar, but I can’t place it.
Again, the entire table looks at me as if I should know better.
Isabel nods. “Skyland Grant. Travis’ teammate at Amato. We are seeing each other.”
“Oh.”
Isabel frowns down at her plate. “He is not having as great a season as Travis, though. But he will turn it around.” Her face brightens. “I am certain.”
Now the name does ring a bell. Travis has mentioned his teammate once or twice before in conversation. Guilt washes over me as I realize how little I know about Travis’ world.
The least I could do is ask about the people on his team.
“You will meet them all at the Monaco race,” Jeanette says. “And your uncles, no?” she asks.
I’d almost forgotten about my uncles’ visit. “Yes, they’ll arrive a week before the race.”
