Nico rolled her eyes. “Video games.”
“Okay, so you don’t regret it. Too bad you’re going to be teammates.”
“Yeah, too bad,” Nico said glumly, plucking one kernel of popcorn from the bowl and tossing it behind her for Templeton, who caught it between his claws. She then scooped out a handful for herself. “You should have heard some of the foul things he said.”
“Like what?”
“Like suggesting I only earned a spot on the team because I was sleeping with someone.”
“What a dick!”
Nico grinned. “I told him that’s what his name meant in Italian.”
Charles roared with laughter.
“Maybe he won’t sayyes,” Nico mused. “I hope he doesn’t. So, what, if there’s no one else without a contract in Formula 1; they’re plenty of good drivers in Formula 2 who are just as good as him.”
Charles remained silent.
Nico glanced at him. “Did you hear me?”
“Even you have to admit he’s good, Nico. He might be one of the best ever.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, he hasn’t won the trophy in years. He hasn’t even come in second or third.”
“Well, in that case, maybe the best ever without the record to show for it. I wonder why that is.”
“Isn’t it obvious? It’s time for him to retire.”
“He’s not that old. Is he even thirty?”
“I don’t care. I wish he would retire. Or at least not join Maverick Racing. You know how Formula 1 teams work.Teamis an oxymoron. We’ll be racing against each other; driving a car that’s been built by the same engineers and mechanics. It’s like driving the exact same car. So, how would it look if I did well and he didn’t? Whether or not he has a shot at winning or making it to the podium, he’ll make damn wellcertain I don’t. He’ll set me up to fail. I know it. And I can’t fail. There’s a lot riding on this—not just for me. There are no women drivers racing in Formula 1 right now.”
“I’m well aware.”
“There’ve only been a total of five women who’ve raced F1 since it began. And only one with enough starts to earn any points. And that was Lella Lombardi way back in 1975.”
“I’m well aware of that too,” Charles said, rolling both his head and eyes toward Nico’s bedroom. The walls were papered with images of them all.
“When I saidyes, I didn’t even think to ask who the other driver would be.”
“Would it have mattered?”
Nico shook her head. “No. There’s no way I would pass up this opportunity, even if it means having to race alongside that asshole.”
“You mean that annoying, arrogant, asshole, prick.”
“Yes, even if it means having to race alongside him.”
“Well, there you are. Your brain knew what it was doing when it decided not to ask who the other driver was. It was preventing even the slightest possibility of doubt on your part.”
“Huh?”
“Not giving you a chance to hesitate or second-guess yourself. The brain can do that. It’s actually ahead of you, making decisions, figuring out what you’re going to do before you have the thought to do it.”
When Nico looked at Charles with a wrinkled brow, he added, “It’s true. I read that somewhere. Can’t remember where.”
Of course not.
