“You stressing?” she asks, tapping her fingers on the duvet cover.
“What makes you think that?” My lips pull into a smile and she shakes her head.
“What do you know about F1?”
Her question catches me off guard, but I recover well. “Erm...” I think for a moment. “Cars go vroom vroom around a track for a while.”
“And you thought writing a Formula One romance book would be the way to go…” She sniggers and her shoulders lift and fall as she laughs.
“It wasyouridea.” I scrunch my nose. “And yeah, fast cars and hot men… What more could we want?”
“True.” She winks then lets out a heavy sigh. “As if you’re leaving me.”
“I know, but we’re going to try and wing it that you fly out for some of the races. I’m waiting Maria to get back to me with what dates work with Royce’s management.”
“How do you think it’s going to go with you and Royce?”
“Shockingly bad,” I admit, picking a piece of skin from around my nail bed.
“Athena.” Her eyes land on mine and I hate to look at her. “You can’t think like that. You’retheOpal Bloom, bestselling author…”
I hold my finger up at her, eyes widening slightly as I silence her. “Was, a bestselling author… not anymore.” I chew on my bottom lip and let my eyes fall into my lap.
“None of that, it’s just a lull,” she reassures me.
I know she is trying to help but the anxiety swarms in my stomach. Sighing, my shoulders drop and I twist and glance across my bedroom.
“This is going to be amazing, Athena. You’re going to have a blast over the next nine months, and you get to see places you would maybe never have gone to if your agent didn’t get you this gig.”
“I suppose,” I reply, my tone dreary.
“If you do not cheer up, I will take your place.”
“Please do.” I half laugh, half whine.
“As much as I would love that, no can do. I have a job. This is all you, baby girl.” She winks at me and I smile.
“It’s going to be awesome, right?”
“Right.” She nods heavily.
“And Royce isn’t going to be that much of a dickhead, is he?”
“Who knows?” She comes back at me with a truth. “He is focused on his career, that’s all he cares about. Stay out of his way, watch him and the sport, and take your notes. You’ll be fine.”
“I thought he was with that Rue girl.”
She raises a brow at me like she is surprised I know that.
“I read it in the news somewhere from one of the Formula One sites I follow,” I mutter, “and I may have tumbled onto his socials, then somehow found Rue and her bookshop.”
“Oh, you Insta-stalked.” Her lips twitch into a smirk.
“Yup.” My eyes drop to my lap.Guilty.
“Well, I don’t think they’re together now. I thought it was a more a mutual attraction, but it fizzled out.” She waves her hand in disregard.
Now it’s my turn to raise a brow.
