“There’s no rush,” Abbé reassured. “If you want a couple of weeks to think it through—”
“Yes, thank you. I really—like I said, I really appreciate it.” I’d never been so formal with Abbé.Would being my boss as the new team director ruin our relationship?He was my non-biological uncle. He gifted Christmas presents and always sent a birthday card. He’d come to my graduation. “Dad, can I, uh— Can I speakto you?”
He nodded, face suddenly concerned and serious, much like Zolt’s had been when my mind went wandering.
We shuffled to the back of the room, away from the roar of qualifying bikes. “I, um… I haven’t been entirely honest with you.”
“You have a job then?”
“No,” I said. How had that not been my focus? We were in October, and there were only three months left of the championship. Three weeks left of my placement before I’d be an actual employee for the rest of the season. We were about to hit open season for contracts, and I should have had my multi-lingual ear to the ground, but I’d arrogantly expected Livie — despite how heavily pregnant she was — to just let me know when translating jobs came about.
I shouldn’t assume it worked like that.
I needed to earn my place.
“It’s… I haven’t been home a lot.”
His eyes narrowed in confusion, but I could see the discomfort in his shoulders. “You don’t have to worry about that. You can do what—”
“I haven’t been seeing Imre. I… um, I have a boyfriend.”
Dad frowned. “For the last two months? How come you haven’t said?” His face fell, and he sighed. “He’s a racer, isn’t he?”
I laughed, my body loosening because this was my dad all over. “Yes, he is.”
He lifted a hand to his forehead. “Oh, for crying out loud. How have both of my daughters ended up with racers?”
“I love him, Dad.”
He smiled, and then he was blinking rapidly. “Fuck, why am I emotional over that?”
I laughed and hugged him. “I don’t know, but it’s sweet.”
When we pulled back, he was still blinking. “Does he deserve your love?”
“Yes, very much so,” I said, and then I was blinking like him, rubbing at my eyes.
He sighed again, but it was broken by his watery eyes.
“It’s really complicated,” I admitted, my throat starting to close up, because I couldn’t have the easy part of this conversation without the hard bit. “But I’m the happiest I’ve ever been and… and I want to invite him to Nana’s Sunday dinner. But—”
“But?” he asked, cocking a brow.
“But I don’t want you to judge him. Or us.”
He levelled me with a look of suspicion. “Why would I do that? Does your sister know? Your mother?”
“Everly and Luca do,” I admitted. “But they won’t tell you anything. Please, just promise me, you’ll be nice?”
He scoffed. “I’m always nice.”
Mostly.But not when he realised who I was asking him to be nice to.
“Well, I look forward to meeting him. We’ll have to fly your mum out too.”
I should have expected that.
“Fia,” Abbé called and gestured at his headset. “I think you’re going to be needed.”
