I won’t. I’d rather be with you, and seeing you made me realise what I’m missing tonight.
This is why everything—the secrecy, the pressure, what people will say, risking future assignments with The Downforce Network—will be worth it.
It’s worth it because I have a man who values me. Who not only thinks of me, but shares thoughts like this with me, so I know what is on his mind.
And in his heart.
I decide I’ll be going back to my hotel soon. I want to get to bed early, because I’d like to accomplish a lot tomorrow.
And hopefully that will include seeing Caleb win the pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix.
Chapter Twenty-One
I try to act casual as I sit in the VIP area for Vitesse Racing, up over the garage for Romeo Vittorio, a young racer for the team. Talk about an unexpected turn of events! After I finished covering the sprint race yesterday for F2, I was in the paddock when I got the surprise DM from one of the Vitesse communications coordinators, asking if I’d like to be a guest and watch the Grand Prix from their VIP section in return for some social media coverage.
I couldn’t say YES fast enough. It is a complete win-win for both of us.
Vitesse, a French team, had been at the bottom of the grid for a long time, but since they hired away Hoffman Racing’s chief technical officer a few years ago, their cars have been quickly improving. And Romeo, a twenty-year-old driver from Italy, got his car into sixth on the grid for today’s race.
For Caleb and Collings Motors, starting sixth would be a terrible weekend.
For Romeo and Vitesse, however, it’s a huge turning point and a massive win.
So I put on another fresh outfit from E. Hay—a stunning pink off-the-shoulder blouse with a white print, paired with a long navy skirt. The top is cropped, just revealing a sliver of my midriff, but not too much. It’s perfect for a warm day in Monaco,and what my followers would expect to see me in. I was met by Arjun, Vitesse’s social media coordinator, and whisked up to the VIP area—which I made into a story itself.
That’s because the VIP area is not in the back of the garage, like it is in Miami. In Monaco, the garage space is so small that the VIP area and the pit wall are in a viewing areaabovethe garage. The famous Monaco swimming pool is visible from here, and if you look directly below, you see the area where Romeo will do his pit stops—the pit box.
I filmed a little segment about it, edited it in their suite, and have already posted it to my social media channels. I’m going to film all afternoon, too, and I’ll do a wrap-up video tonight.
I listen to the radio channel for Romeo and his race engineer, Enzo, through my headphones as the drivers get ready on the grid, hearing him tell Romeo who is on what kind of tires for the start of the race.
I wish I could listen to Caleb and his engineer instead.
I absently chew on my lower lip. Caleb qualified in third position on the grid. Mason took pole, and Xavier grabbed second. Monaco is an incredibly difficult track to gain positions—the tight design makes overtakes hard to come by, and you can often finish in the way you qualified at the top unless there’s an accident or bad strategy for pit stops or tires put in place.
Caleb talked about this last night when I met him over at his penthouse again for dinner. He wanted me to stay long after it was time for me to go, but I refused. I left early because I knew he needed to get a good night’s rest before the race today, even though I won’t know when I will see him next. So it was really more like tearing myself—and my lips—away from his and forcing myself to go back to my hotel.
I think about how our schedules are going to be for the next few weeks. I’ll be headed back to Miami to get ready for my move to London. Caleb has the Spanish Grand Prix nextweekend, which I will miss due to moving. Then there’s another break in the calendar, and I suspect I won’t be traveling for The Downforce Network until the next round, in Montreal.
But I’m not going to think about that now.
There’s only one thing on my mind at the moment: watching Caleb race in today’s Monaco Grand Prix.
“Fifteen seconds,” Enzo says over the radio, giving Romeo the time until the formation lap can begin and snapping me from my thoughts.
I regain my focus and pay attention to the monitor showing the race on the wall. The green lights are illuminated on the gantry, and Mason moves forward, followed by Xavier, then Caleb.
Anticipation builds in me as they drive around the track, weaving back and forth, warming up the tires and brakes. Then the cars begin to line up on the grid. My stomach gets that familiar tingle as I see Caleb’s chrome-and-black car pull up to the third spot. Once all the cars are in position, I practically hold my breath as the medical car drives up behind them.
We’re ready to go.
A red light illuminates. My pulse quickens as one by one, they turn on, until all five lights are lit up on the gantry. And almost immediately, they all go black, and the cars take off.
Mason gets off to a great start, and the cars fly around the track, with Xavier and Caleb holding their positions as they all crowd together and fight to move up on the narrow streets of Monaco. Mason is pulling ahead, with Xavier in pursuit. Caleb is all over the back of Xavier’s car, but he just can’t get into a spot where he can overtake him.
Coming out of the tunnel on lap five, Caleb makes his move, coming down low to try and pass Xavier. I dig my fingernails into my palm, as neither driver seems willing to move. GAH theyare so close! I worry they might hit each other, but in the blink of an eye, Caleb backs out, avoiding the collision.
I breathe a sigh of relief.