“Just saying, we can always find you another manager.”
He took a seat on the edge of the bed, sipping his protein shake.“All right, I saw the Instagram post.I’m going to need you to fill me in here.How did we go from Austria to racing Beetles in the English countryside with Henri?”He crossed his legs, but I could tell from his face that he was enjoying this as he eagerly waited for the gossip.
“I don’t know…”
Andy raised an eyebrow, that knowing look he got when he could see through my bullshit.“You don’t know how you ended up in that orange Beetle with him.”He leaned forward, a playful grin on his face.“Kidnapping?”
I scoffed out a laugh.“After Austria, back at the hotel bar, Henri and I talked.He—” I stopped, not sure where to go, but Andy leaned forward.
“He…?”
“He told me hemissedme.In Austria.At the hotel bar, after the race.”
“And you said…?”
“Nothing.”I busied myself with my makeup, avoiding his stare in the mirror.“I just sat there like an idiot and said absolutely nothing.”
“Lily.”
“I know.”I slammed down the mascara a tad too hard, causing my other items to shake.“But what was I supposed to say, Andy?‘Thanks, that’s lovely, but my contract explicitly forbids me from dating you—you know, the whole reason you didn’t want to date me in the first place?’”
Andy stood, crossing to lean against the bathroom doorframe.“I mean… you could’ve just said you missed him too.”
“That would’ve made it worse.”I turned to face him properly.“Henri isn’t wrong—I’m not supposed to want him.I can’t want him.”
His expression softened.Andy always had a way of getting the truth out of me.“But you went to the Beetle racing anyway.”
“Well, we’re friends… or something like that.”Even saying it felt like swallowing glass.
“Friends who have sex in the back seat of vintage race cars?”
“How did you—”
“Please.”He rolled his eyes.“You came back looking thoroughly debauched and couldn’t stop smiling during our training session.”He paused, studying my face.“Does your mum know?”
“God, no.”I grabbed my team jacket from the chair.“And she’s not going to.Neither is Felix or anyone else at Rennen.”
Andy’s jaw tightened.“And what about Ollie?You know, the journalist who’s been actively pursuing youandwho’s interviewing you tonight?”
Ollie.He’d definitely seen the photo—there was no way around that.His texts had been colder the past few days, and I was going to have to talk to him.It was the right thing to do.
“He’s probably not loving that post,” Andy said, straightening from the doorframe.
“I know.”I zipped my jacket, avoiding his eye.
“You need to be careful tonight.A pissed-off, scorned journalist isn’t good for anyone, especially one who’s already proven he’s willing to stoop low for a story.”
“He’s not scorned,” I said, though the words rang hollow even to my own ears.“We’ve only been to dinner a few times, that’s all.”
“Well, I’m not sure he’ll see it that way.Don’t get me wrong, Lil.You don’t owe him, or any man for that matter, your time.Especially not a liar.But still, it behooves us to be cautious.”He rubbed the back of his neck, the way he always did when something worried him.
“I know, I know,” I groaned.“I’ve got to say something, but after Silverstone.”
“Well,” Andy said with a sigh, “I just hope he sticks to his usual script during the podcast tonight.”
I laughed bitterly.“I don’t think even Ollie is that stupid.Plus, it’s all fan questions tonight.He doesn’t really get to ask anything.”
Andy caught my arm, stopping me.“Let’s hope tonight doesn’t turn into payback.”
