The room went quiet.
“For the rest of the season,” Reese said carefully. “In Formula 1.”
Shanelle nodded. “Yes.”
Reese leaned back in her chair and exhaled slowly. Processing. “You’re serious?”
“I wouldn’t insult you by floating it otherwise,” Shanelle said. “You proved yesterday that you belong on that grid. You raced smart. You adapted. And you finished in the points without putting the car, or anyone else, at risk.”
Reese’s gaze slid sideways to Sloane.
She attempted to contain her emotion for Reese’s benefit. But excitement flashed within her, bright and undeniable, followed by something quieter. Fear.
“That’s a massive leap,” Reese said. “Midseason. New engineers. New expectations.”
“And more eyes,” Sloane added softly.
Reese nodded. “Yeah. That too.”
“I won’t pretend otherwise,” Shanelle said. “You’ll be scrutinized in ways Ezra never was and Marco never had to be. But I also won’t pretend you aren’t ready. And you wouldn’t be doing this alone.”
Her gaze moved to Sloane.
“We’d want Sloane involved,” Shanelle continued. “Publicly. Strategically. As support and mentorship. The paddock knows her. They trust her. That matters.”
Sloane’s heart gave a hard thump. She’d known this was coming, had prepared herself for it, but hearing it said out loud was something else entirely.
“When would this start?” Reese asked.
“Next race,” Shanelle said. “You’d test immediately. We’d announce within forty-eight hours.”
This was everything Reese had worked for. It was also the thing Sloane had been dreading since the first time she’d watched her drive.
Sloane nodded along, professional and seemingly present, but didn’t trust herself to speak.
Forty-eight hours. Flights. Briefings. Headlines. The way Reese’s life would compress and accelerate all at once.
“I’d need a few days to get ready,” Reese said finally. “To see my friends as we’d planned. To get my head on straight. To call my family.”
Shanelle smiled respectfully. “Of course. You’ve earned that.”
Reese blew out a breath. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
“I’ll talk to your agent and get the paperwork together. I have a feeling this is going to be a fruitful partnership, Reese,” Shanelle said.
“I really think so, too. I won’t let you down.”
Sloane reached over and squeezed Reese’s knee. Just once. A silent show of support.
Sloane kept her hand where it was, light and supportive. She let Reese have the moment without adding her own weight to it.
There would be time later to reckon with what this meant.
Forty-eight hours.
Sloane held on to Reese and tried not to think about how fast everything was about to move, and how Reese was already slipping through her fingers into a world that Sloane simply could not follow.
CHAPTER 28
