“It was a silly question.”
“No. I don’t function without it, so you tapped into a very important area of my life. And I revealed how I feel about tea, which is going to cause quite the controversy.”
I laugh at that. “I had no idea what I was stepping into today.”
Caleb pauses at the door. “No, you didn’t,” he says, his voice low.
A shiver whips down my spine from the way he’s looking at me. There’s no denying Caleb Collings is more gorgeous in person than he is on TV, and that’s a thought I couldn’t fathom until this morning. The Miami breeze ruffles his hair, and a lock falls across his forehead. He reaches up and pushes it back, then tears his gaze away from me and opens the door for me to walk through.
“Thank you,” I say.
Caleb leads me back to the second floor and pops open the door to the administration room, where I see Catherine working in front of a laptop. She glances up as soon as the door opens, and smiles when she sees us.
“I was about to text you,” she says to Caleb as she rises from her seat. “You are scheduled for your press conference at one-thirty, but we have our sponsor brunch ahead of that.”
“You always bring me so much good news, Catherine,” he says wryly.
“That’s my job, sharing good tidings and joy,” she says, her eyes dancing mischievously.
“Isla is here to get her bag,” Caleb says.
“How did everything go? Outside of the conference room, I mean?” Catherine asks.
I flash her a smile. “It was better than anything I ever could have hoped for. I think The Downforce Network is in for a bit of a shock when they see who escorted me on the tour.”
Catherine bends down and unlocks a drawer, reaching for my tote and handing it to me. “Oh, I’m glad that we could help.”
“The thanks are all mine,” I say, taking my tote and placing my phone and mini mic inside of it. “I really appreciate getting the opportunity to film today. This is huge for me, and it could lead to a career in F1. So I’m beyond grateful.”
“Is that your end goal? F1?” Catherine asks.
I nod. “Yes, I love the sport. I’ve been doing my own F1 content creation on social media. That’s how The Downforce Network found me. Because I live here in Miami, they decided to give me the chance to do this segment. I have to pinch myself to believe this is real, actually.”
“Interesting,” Caleb says slowly, assessing me.
The shiver down my spine returns again.
But this has to be a normal female reaction to him. He’s gorgeous. Smells divine. Caleb stood up for me and went out ona very uncomfortable limb to help me out today. I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t notice these things about him.
Right?
I decide to ignore the other possible answer to this question.
“Isla, may I get your phone number?” Catherine asks. “I’m sure HR would like to follow up with you about what happened today.”
“Oh, of course.”
She hands me her phone, and I type in my contact info.
A pause falls between the three of us, and I smile at both of them. “Well, I should get going. Thank you again for everything today, you’ll never know what it means to me.”
Caleb is studying me once again, but this time, there’s a questioning look in his beautiful eyes. “I’ll walk you out,” he offers.
“Oh no, I know you’re busy, I can find my way out.”
“I have time,” he insists.
I turn to Catherine and shake her hand. Then Caleb leads me through the motorhome, and when we hit the ground floor, he pauses next to the coffee bar. “Would you like a hazelnut mocha to go?” he asks.