Catherine still has a mega crush on Mason. Once I caught on to it, I can SEE it whenever she’s in the room with him. It’s the look of longing on her face—even if it’s fleeting—that sometimes appears, or how she lights up when he talks to her. Mason, on the other hand, is friendly, but I don’t see anything indicating an interest outside of that. When I brought it up with Caleb, he laughed and said there’sno wayCatherine would date Mason—especially after their mum had an affair with a driver. She would never do anything as messy as dating someone who has the Collings name on their paycheck.
I think he’s wrong. But time will tell.
And then there’s me. I’ve survived a media shitstorm of epic proportions. It was hard at times. I’ve been called horrible names. My credibility was attacked. I was told I was ruining things for other women in the sport. But I blocked out the noise. I kept my chin up and did my job. My follower counts soared.Outside the Cockpitgets fantastic numbers whenever it airs, and a lot of my social media segments are picked up for the pre-race show. That tells me my work is good. Nobody would tune in long-term just to hate watch me. I’m as certain of that as I am of my name being Isla Foley.
I’ve befriended some fellow content creators and journalists covering motorsports, and that’s been good for me. Noteveryone likes me, but that’s life. It makes me even more grateful for the ones who saw past the fact that I was dating a driver and recognize that I can truly do my job. Jayne Scott is one of them. I was shocked when she asked me to go to lunch with her during a race weekend. She told me to keep my head up, I’m doing a fantastic job, and people will find reasons to hate you and complain, even when you’re not dating anyone in the sport. She gave me some tips for my F2 grid walks, and she said I’m the person she would recommend taking over from her when she moves on to commentary, which is her goal.
Because of the way I’ve handled all of it, Caleb has dealt with it better than I thought he would. He has finally been able to let go of the past and trust that I can handle this situation, and that when I struggle, I’ll be open and come to him about it. And I have. We’ve talked about everything and taken it on together.
During the summer break, Caleb’s family took out their yacht—yes, the familyyacht—and we sailed off the coast of Sardinia. It was beautiful, even with the paps getting shots with long lenses. I met Caleb’s parents, and I like both of them a lot. You’d never know there was all that drama in their pasts, and they were very welcoming to me.
Then we went to Miami, where Caleb got to meet my parents. He loved Mitch and Autumn, and he practically took Hadleigh on as another sister. Which means he told her—jokingly—he would punch Xavier if he even caught him looking at her. That made her blush, but I found it rather amusing.
I throw the wrapper to my wafel away, and we head up the steps to the motorhome.
“Are you hungry after eating that?” Caleb asks as we step inside. The dining area is full, as everyone is fueling up for the start of the day.
“Of course I am. Have you gone mad?”
He grins. “Dumb question. Come on, Owl, let’s go see what french toast they’ve made you today.”
We reach the buffet, and I grab a plate while Caleb gets his oatmeal. I look at the offerings in the chafing dishes and spot pecan french toast. Perfect. I add some strawberries and turkey bacon to my plate and take a seat next to Caleb.
As soon as I’m seated, a server appears with my usual coffee order and sets it down.
“Thank you,” I say.
“That smells really good,” Caleb says, staring longingly at my french toast.
“Sorry,” I say. “One bite?”
“No. The temptation for one more after that is too much,” he says ruefully.
Catherine is walking across the room, cup of tea in her hand. She greets us as she pulls out her chair, taking the seat across from Caleb. “When you’re finished, we can go over your schedule,” she says.
Caleb grunts. I snicker. “Ignore him, he’s just grumpy he’s scheduled for the press conference today.”
Catherine grins. “Well, I know it’s not because you’re going to make waffles. That’s a highlight of the day.”
“Yes. Because the world needs to see that I have no bloody clue how to make a waffle,” Caleb says.
“You don’t know how to make a waffle?” Mason asks, joining us and pulling out the seat next to Catherine. “Good, I’ll kick your ass at that, too.”
Caleb shoots him a look, and Mason quirks a brow back. Then he turns to Catherine. “Morning.”
“Good morning,” she says, smiling at him. “So do you know how to make waffles?”
He flashes her a grin. “Yes. Take out of bag. Eat. If you’re feeling fancy, microwave it.”
“So I see we have an equal fight on our hands today.” Then she smiles mischievously at Mason. “I can’t wait to see what your mum says about it.”
He groans. “Oh God, she’ll have loads to say. Which I know the social media team loves.”
I grin. Mason’s mum is getting quite the reputation for her social media commentary on his life.
Suddenly, an idea hits me. “Mason! Would your mum doOutside the Cockpit?” I blurt out.
A horrified expression passes over his face. “Oh no. No, no, no, no, no.”