I mull her question over for a moment and a sadness radiates through me. “I used to,” I say, lifting a shoulder as I keep my eyes down.
“What changed?”
She pokes me for answers, and I shuffle in my seat. She probably thinks she has made me uncomfortable, but the truth is, I don’t quite know how to answer her.
“A few things.” I nod, finally letting my amber eyes settle on hers. “But I am hoping this experience reminds me why I started writing in the first place, reminds me how once upon a time I loved what I did…” I pause. “Who knows?” I say nonchalant.
“I think this is going to be really good for you,” she mutters, finishing her coffee.
I mirror her, drinking the remainder of my drink.
“Are you ready to meet Royce?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.” My voice trembles and it doesn’t matter how much I try, I can’t help it.
I reach for my purse and dig for my card. Nora holds her hand out and shakes her head.
“It’s on us.” She smirks. “Let’s go.” She packs her laptop away and pushes from the chair before throwing some dollars down and leads me to the waiting car.
She keeps the chatter light whilst she taps away on her phone. I take that as my cue to stop talking as I turn my face to look out the window at the scenery, and for the first time in a long while, my heart skips a beat.
Maybe this is what I needed after all. A break from reality.
Chapter Four
Athena
Following Nora through the paddock,my eyes roam around every inch, but I can’t seem to take any of it in. It’s busy and chaotic, and I can feel the buzz surrounding us. I’m into Formula One, but Edel is obsessed with it. I watch when I’m with her, but I didn’t understand it, not really.
Climbing the steps to the housing unit, we walk towards the sliding doors, and I spot the nameSaint Onyx. Nerves dance up and down my spine as I tighten my grip on my backpack. Nora catches my gaze over her shoulder and gives me a reassuring smile. She hovers outside a door before tapping softly against it.
“Come in.” I hear the deep British voice just as she steps into the office, waiting for me to follow. “Nora,” the older gentleman behind the desk greets her.
She sits down in front of him, turning her body and patting the empty seat next to her. Sheepishly, I lower myself down; his eyes lock with mine. I let my gaze trail over him. If I was to guess, I would say he was mid-forties, maybe late, with dirty blonde hair, piercing green eyes, and stubble.
“Creed, this is Athena. She is the romance author I mentioned who will be shadowing Royce for the upcoming season.” She squirms in her seat, her smile widening as theseconds pass. “Athena, this is Creed. CEO of Saint Onyx Racing, and Royce’s dad.”
“Ah, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Athena.” He leans forward and holds his hand out for me to take, which I do. As our palms mould, he gives it a firm shake.
“Likewise,” I mutter, slipping my hand from his.
“What’s your game plan?” he asks me.
I blink a couple of times, my brain taking a second or two to catch up. “Game plan?” My voice slips up a pitch or two as I look between Nora and Creed.
“Yeah, what are your plans in regard to your time with Saint Onyx? What are you hoping to get out this experience? Will you write whilst being here, or will you purely be taking notes? I am happy with you taking photos and sharing but of course Nora, and our social media manager Anaïs, will brief you prior.”
His words float through me, and I try and replay it back, scrunching my nose as I will my brain to kick the hell in.
“I won’t be writing whilst shadowing, no.” I lick my upper lip. “Unless inspiration strikes, of course, but I will be taking notes, watching how the mechanics of this, I am sure, very well-oiled machine runs.” I inhale sharply, my eyes not leaving his for a second. “I haven’t written in a while and if I am being honest, I never thought I would write again. Once my agent got in touch with someone within your team, she kind of pushed me to put words to paper again.”
Admitting that has my heart stuttering in my chest. “I am looking forward to it, though.” I watch as his brows crease at my words. “And I can’t wait for this opportunity to start.” I smile, tapping my fingers against my bare thigh.
“We’re looking forward to it too, and of course, this is all purely fictional.”
“Yes.” I nod. “It’s more so I have the relevant research to write about something which, at the moment, I know nothingabout. For the next nine months, I would like to think I would pick up and retain the information. This is not about me writing about Royce or anything like that, it’s just about me knowing how the dynamics of the Formula One world works, so I know I can confidently dot my i’s and cross my t’s.” Okay, so that was a slight lie. I wanted to write my main lead based off him, certain quirks, and all that.
“Then, I can’t wait to read it once it is published.”
