“Yeah, well.”I shrugged, suddenly exhausted by the whole conversation.“Didn’t happen.”
“Next time,” he said easily.“There’s always next time.”He meant it as encouragement, and I flashed him a thankful smile.
“Lily!”Georgia’s voice cut through the crowd, and I turned to see her jogging over, still in her Valkyrie team gear, sunglasses pushed up into her messy ponytail.“You were amazing,” she said, pulling me into a hug.
“Tell that to my engineer,” I said, unscrewing the cap of my water bottle and taking a long drink.
“I will,” she said, laughing, knowing full well that Mark would never say otherwise.“Actually.”Her expression shifted to something more hopeful.“I’m throwing a little thing tonight.Nothing fancy, just a few of us.You know, the usual post-race decompression situation.Drinks, food, very low-key.You should come!”
I blinked, caught off-guard.“For Henri?”
Georgia looked around, taking in the surroundings before leaning closer.“He’s been wound so tight lately.I thought it might help to have people around after a win, you know?Remind him that this”—she gestured vaguely at the podium, the champagne-soaked celebration, the cheering crowd—“is supposed to feel good.That he’s allowed to enjoy it instead of just… existing through it.”
I hesitated.“I’m not sure he’d want me there, Georgia.”Not after yesterday.
“Nah,” she said with a dismissive wave, although she did seem to be contemplating what I’d said.“He’ll be all right.You should be there.Besides, it’s not just him.Éliott’s coming too.You’ll like the place.Quiet corner, good fries.”
Ollie stepped forward before I could answer, slipping his sunglasses back on.“That sounds perfect,” he said smoothly.“Count us in.”
Us.
I gave him a look.“I don’t remember RSVPing.”
“You were about to,” he said, tone teasing, but his hand brushed lightly against my arm.
Georgia looked between us, watching Ollie’s arm around me, but she didn’t say no.“Um, okay.Sounds great,” she said.“Eight o’clock.I’ll text you the address, Lil.It’s nothing formal.”
“Got it.”
Ollie and I started walking back to the Rennen garage.“You don’t have to come.”Truthfully, it didn’t feel like a great idea after what he’d told me.
“What?I want to.”Ollie pinched my arm playfully.“It’ll be nice to do something outside the paddock.Somethingtogether.”
I nodded.“Well, thanks for the support today,” I said, reaching up to touch his arm.“I’ll see you later, yeah?”
“Count on it,” Ollie said, that easy grin still in place.
I slipped away before he could say anything else, weaving through the lingering crowd and ducking into the paddock’s quieter corridors.The noise faded behind me, replaced by the hum of generators and distant conversations.My legs felt heavy, the adrenaline finally draining away and leaving nothing but exhaustion in its wake.
The Rennen hospitality building loomed ahead.I nodded at a couple of mechanics on my way through, their congratulations bouncing off me without sticking.My driver’s room waited at the end of the hall, door half-open like someone had just left.
I pushed inside and froze.
The bouquet sat on the narrow table beside my helmet, arranged in a glass vase.Roses this time, deep red and beautifully wrapped.
The irony wasn’t lost on me.Someone who’d apparently lost money betting on me, spending a small fortune on flowers to remind me of exactly how much I disappointed them.
I crossed the room slowly, and my hands reached for the small white card tucked between the stems almost against my will, fingers trembling slightly as I pulled it free.
SECOND PLACE SUITS YOU.DON’T GET COCKY.STAY THERE.
I take that back, I thought sarcastically,maybe they made money on Henri.
My fingers curled around it, crumpling the expensive cardstock into a tight ball.Squeezing it felt good, even if it accomplished nothing.
“Lily?”
I spun around so fast I nearly lost my balance, my heart jumping into my throat.My mother stood in the doorway, her gaze landing first on the flowers, then me.
