“Why don’t you send her a text? Here’s her number.” Smiling, she shared Anna as a contact. “She won’t mind my sharing her number with you.” She glanced across the busy restaurant to a raucous table where Austin Spencer held court with his cronies. Empty beer glasses littered the table. “Don’t worry. I didn’t share it with him, even though he asked. Twice.” Her lips flattened in disapproval.
As soon as Isaac excused himself from the table, he sent Anna a quick message.
“It’s Isaac. Did you get food? Missed you at dinner.”
Immediately dots appeared as she typed.
“Room Service. Angel suggested it when I said I felt overwhelmed by traveling.”
Flying was hard on everyone at first, but it became routine—at least it had for Isaac. It had been part of his life since he was thirteen, and they’d traveled almost every weekend for his brother’s racing schedule. Vince had been a phenom even then and had raced at a high level from age sixteen onward, making history as the youngest rider in history to win a MotoGP title when he was just twenty.
Leaning against the elevator wall as it shot upward, Isaac asked,“How’s the book?”
“Enjoying it,”she said.“More romance than I expected for a gangster.”
“Me too.”He pondered his next words as he stepped off onto the eleventh floor, where his room was located.“If you need anything, let me know. See you tomorrow.”She would have orientation first. At that time, Angel would assign her the other odd jobs she’d do for the team. Had she received her schedule yet?
“FP1, tomorrow. We’ll be at the track. If you want, I’ll show you my bikes.”He hit send before he reconsidered. That was something a friend would suggest, right?
Her response was quick.“Sounds good. Thanks.”
Isaac tossed and turned, unable to sleep with his internal clock messed up. After an hour, he pulled out their book and read. Through the wall, the violent sounds of an explosive action movie played in Vince’s room. He must not be able to sleep either. Isaac would be welcome next door, and on any other night, he’d have gone, but for once, he wanted something of his own and this gangster book had been his choice. He read until he yawned, and his eyes blurred, then shut off the light. In the darkness, his phone flashed beside his bed with a message.
“Page 300.”
He smiled as he put his phone down. They were going to need more books.
CHAPTER 5
Anna
When Anna woke on Friday, it was the first day of her new job. Her eyes flew open, and she jumped out of bed. It had been years since her last “first day” and for once, she was looking forward to working. It had been a long time since she’d had that feeling. Because of the night races, the pre-race press conference had been at dawn—right after arrival yesterday—and thankfully she’d been excused.
Her chest tightened at the idea of all the people she’d meet and the responsibilities she’d learn today. The feeling was a mix of nerves and excitement. Everything was changing so quickly. She didn’t regret the choices she’d made in her life; that was pointless. Her life had been stagnant, and she’d been wasting her time. Now she was ready to live.
Angel had been helpful, giving her a printed copy of both her schedule and Isaac’s for the weekend, including a time and place to catch her ride to the track. Plus, a stack of team clothing. Her skin tingled when she donned the new white t-shirt and navy cargo shorts, each with the team logo. A thrill shot through her about being part of a team, an unfamiliar experience. She’d always preferred to work alone—even when technically part of a marketing team, she’d been on her own—but this time, the idea of working with others was invigorating.
She’d avoided looking at her umbrella girl outfit, leaving it thrown on the bed in a crumpled heap as long as she could. At last, she held it up and cringed. She’d shown little skin in public other than at the beach, and even then, she’d been uncomfortable. Adam hadn’t encouraged her to look sexy, and she’d often felt invisible around him. His recent comments about her desk job adding to her weight didn’t help. Perhaps later she’d feel more confident about wearing clothes like this. But right now, his cutting words were too recent.
Worrying about the Sunday clothes made her late for breakfast downstairs in the busy hotel dining room. She was one of the last to arrive in the Honda section that held over two dozen mechanics, engineers, and technicians of various kinds—other teams had their own area today.
Most of the job titles meant little to her as Angel introduced her to the crew while they stood beside the long buffet table. Her hands shook as she grabbed hot tea and sweetened it, distracting herself from the buzz of noise and press of people by stirring. Taking a breath, she focused on meeting people’s eyes and learning some of their names. She didn’t understand most of what they did, other than they were part of Isaac’s crew, and therefore her team. But she’d learn.
She glanced at Isaac. He and Vince wore similar team polo shirts, Isaac’s in white with blue and green, and Vince’s white with orange and black. Both rode Hondas, but they seemed to have several unique sponsors.
She’d looked up their teams last night to learn about the differences. Vince’s team was the factory team which entitled him to more upgrades and the latest bikes. Isaac’s was a satellite team with last year’s bike and was considered an independent team. She’d also discovered that the brothers had a massive online following and their own fan clubs. Many young women professed their undying love, particularly to Vince. It seemedthat Isaac hadn’t exaggerated his brother’s popularity, even if he’d downplayed his own.
Collecting yogurt and a spoon from the breakfast buffet, Anna’s throat constricted as she turned towards the tables, uncertain where to sit. It was like high school all over again. She should have come down sooner. She breathed a deep sigh when Catarina waved for her to join her, two people away from the Vasquez brothers at the long table.
Isaac caught her gaze and smiled, causing her stomach to flutter. He made her nervous—in an exhilarating way. She liked that he wasn’t loud or intense. He seemed easy-going and pleasant. She watched his long supple fingers as he took apart an orange, unable to help her fascination. That was how her brain worked, uninterested or mildly obsessed.
“You settling in?” said Catarina as Anna sat.
Like Anna, she wore team colors in a polo shirt and navy shorts. Somehow, her Spanish friend seemed stylish, even in generic clothing.
Anna nodded, checking the time. She didn’t have time to eat more than her yogurt and fruit. She’d spent too much time stressing over the umbrella girl uniform on her bed, eventually trying it on. She didn’t have to wear it until tomorrow, but the idea was a blight hanging over her morning that she couldn’t shake.
“Questions so far?” Catarina spread jam over her roll before taking a bite.
