I shake my head. “No. I know you’re doing this for me, and there’s no reason for them to stand around and watch you like you’re a zoo exhibit. If that was required of me, I didn’t want to be a part of it. I know how much you hate this, Caleb. You haven’t done anything outside of what you have to for more thana year now. I wasn’t about to make you any more uncomfortable than you already must be.”
He stares down at me, his face uncomprehending. “Isla. You could have lost this assignment,” he says in a shocked voice.
I shrug. “I know. But it mattered to me.”
Caleb blinks. I wonder if this reaction is because he’s used to people trying to use him rather than look out for what’s best for him. “You know this will give you a reputation you might not like,” he says quietly.
“I know. But if that means being a reporter who stands up for what she thinks is right for an interview, I’ll be difficult. I was reminded of my place on the totem pole. But I also reminded them what I’m bringing to the table. A fun conversation with Caleb Collings, so fans can get to know you a little more. I made sure they understood I wasn’t going to ask about your past or any hard-hitting questions, too. This is the interview we agreed to have, and I’m not going back on that.”
Caleb now looks completely stunned. I wonder if he thinks I’m crazy for committing career suicide like I did. I mean, it’s not proven yet, but it could be if they hate the interview.
“Isla?” Derna calls out. “We’re ready in the garden.”
“Yes, we’ll be right there,” I say.
I’m about to lead Caleb out of the hallway when he pauses and puts a hand on my arm, bringing me to a stop. I suck in a breath as I try to ignore how another shiver has run through me from his touch.
“Isla,” he says, his voice very low, “you can ask me anything.”
My eyes widen in shock. “What?”
His eyes never leave mine, and his fingers are still on my arm. “I mean it. Nothing is off the table.”
I begin to tremble.
“Take advantage of it,” Caleb urges. “This will make you.”
I shake my head. “No, I won’t do it, Caleb. You are making this decision without thinking it through.”
“I act on instinct,” he says firmly. “I make decisions at more than two hundred miles an hour on a racetrack. I’m good at it. And I’ve just made this one. Nothing is off-limits in this interview. I want you to ask me the tough questions. Ask them, Isla. Because I will give you the answers. And I’ll only give them to you.”
Chapter Ten
I’m shaking as I follow Caleb out into the garden, where he’s immediately fitted with a mic.
He’s willing to answer any question.
I could dive into his family history. The affair. How the media coverage impacted him and shaped him. Caleb could tell me things reporters have been salivating to get from him since he was a teenager in F3.
If I ask those questions, I’m guaranteed a huge following on my socials. And more than likely, regular assignments from The Downforce Network.
It’s the biggest break I will ever get. A dream interview situation that no other reporter has ever been granted.
But I won’t do it.
I test my mic, and soon I’m sitting down at a patio table overlooking a gorgeous garden in bloom. Behind the perfectly manicured box hedges, rows upon rows of grapevines can be seen in the distance.
“Mr. Collings, would you like something to drink? Water? Tea? Coffee?” Allyson asks as Michele comes over to him to do some light makeup.
“First, call me Caleb, and I would love to get a glass of water, please.”
“I’ll get that,” Allyson says, heading back into the villa.
Melody and Derna prepare for the shoot, setting up the camera, and Bethany comes over and sits next to me at the table. “I know we’ve been over this, but I’d like to go over the ground rules one more time before filming begins,” she says crisply.
I’m about to tell her that’s fine when Caleb interjects. “There are no rules today,” he says firmly.
“What?” Catherine and Bethany ask at the same time.