She beams at me. ‘Good luck, boss. You’ve got this.’
I know I do, but tell that to my slick palms. I should practice what I preach and self-affirm:I am a strong, confident woman. I can do anything I set my mind to. I do not need another salmon puff.
I’m not even really courting him. All I need is to properly introduce myself, plant the seed that I’ve chosen him, and, if previous experience is anything to go by, he’ll come running to me.
I wonder what Nyla thinks. Of me. Of this. She’s far too good-natured to ever say anything, and she’s always been 100% supportive on the surface. But I wonder. It’s a tough thing to understand when you don’t know the whole story. It must seem superficial at best, heartless at worst. All this jet lag’s making me introspective.
I take a step towards Tom when I hear, ‘Jules Butler!’
I turn to see a tall brunette in her mid-thirties with truly excellent eyebrows.
‘Hello,’ I say.
‘I’m ahugefan. I’ve followed you since your early H&M haul days. I love your podcast, your vlogs, your Substack, your Instagram,everything. Evie & Co’s crewneck sweatshirts are the softest things I own. I have them in all four pastel colours.’
‘Wow, that’s?—’
‘Why Evie? I’ve always wondered.’
That catches me way off guard. Luckily, the lie’s automatic. ‘I like the name.’
‘You’re the reason I restructured my whole makeup routine,’ she goes on, ‘because of your episode on?—’
‘Organic facial balancing,’ I finish, a delighted grin taking over my face. I give a little clap. ‘I’m so pleased! You look amazing.’
Thisis what I love. Fuck fashion. Inspiring women to be their best selves gets me out of bed in the morning, whether it’s physical, mental, professional, sexual, or anything else.
‘Yes exactly! I’m Brooke, Junior Account Executive in Scuderia Martinelli’s comms team.’ She sticks her hand out and I take it. It’s even slimier than mine. ‘When I saw your name on the guest list, I nearly peed myself.’
Martinelli comms team. Well I never. Brooke’s fast becoming my new best friend.
‘How do you like F1?’ she asks.
‘I’m loving it. I think I’d like to stick around for a while and learn a bit more.’
Her grin widens. ‘Have you met our drivers, Tom and Étienne? They’re, um…’ she leans in close, ‘both single.’ As she pulls back, she has a knowing look on her face like she’s the sole owner of Jules’ Jewels’ Instagram.
This is more like it. His team should want my input. I’d open him up to new demographics; turn him from racer to public figure; push him beyond performance-based partnerships and into aspirational lifestyle branding. He’d be a style and culture icon. Why wouldn’t Martinelli want that?
‘I’ve met Étienne,’ I say, twirling a curl framing my face, ‘but I’ve yet to meet Tom.’
Her eyes light up. ‘I think you’ll really love him.’
‘Could you possibly introduce me?’
This is working better than I planned whichneverhappens. I always have backups for my backups – and this is no exception – but none of them involved an Account Executive who watched my awful haul videos.
Her smile sputters. ‘Actually… Sorry, they’re being super strict with access tonight. I don’t know why. There can be no external introductions unless they’re pre-cleared.’
What?
I’ve never heard?—
My gaze shoots to his minder and she’s looking back at me. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it’s not just my fans keeping tabs on my plan. The comms team probably took one look at the guest list and decided speculation would distract from their launch.
‘I really, really,reallywant to help you,’ Brooke presses, ‘but my hands are tied.’
‘That’s alright,’ I mutter, ‘it’s not your fault.’
