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What I would’ve given to have had a foundation like Moss’s when I was a kid, rather than my father working himself into an early grave to pay for all the things I needed. “Let me know if you need any help. I’m happy to get out there with the kids and give them pointers.”
Rocco raised a perfect, dark eyebrow. Goddamn, he was handsome. “And why would he want the girlfriend of a mechanic to help teach children to kart?”
What a pompous ass. I gave him a tight smile. “Sorry, maybe I didn’t introduce myself properly. Tally Palmer, NASCAR driver.” I leaned forward. “That’s the one where you actually have to be a better driver than the person next to you, not just have the best car.”
The corners of his lips quirked. He reached out and gripped my hand, lifting it to his lips. “I didn’t introduce myself properly either. Rocco Passero, the best Formula One driver in history.” He brushed barely a whisper of a kiss across my knuckles. “But I assume you knew that already.”
I shrugged. “You know what they say about assuming.”
Charlotte was belly-laughing now, looking up at Moss. “Poet, can we keep her?” She hooked an arm in mine. “Come on, let’s leave the testosterone behind and go get some of those fancy little pastry puff things.”
THIRTEEN
TALLY
I’d probably fucked up my chances at interviewing for VANT Racing already, by opening my big mouth on their star driver, but I wasn’t ever going to be the person who let someone with a huge ego talk down to my friends.
As much as I wanted to work for VANT, I was also happy flipping houses with Jesse right now. I told myself that over and over as I ate some kind of mini hamburger with Charlotte, who grilled me for information like she was in the CIA, while telling me very few details about The Daymakers or their lives. Honestly, it was a masterclass in being good at PR.
Antony walked over, and I stiffened. Charlotte leaned closer to me, dropping her voice low. “I love my guys, but holy hell, what a hottie.”
She was right, of course. Antony Barbieri was universally sexy. Perfectly straight men would look at him and question themselves. His hair was a dark gunmetal silver, his skin a warm gold that seemed to defy age. He was clean-shaven, and his jaw had clearly maintained its sharpness. I wondered if that was due to cosmetic surgery or just good genes. His eyes had crow’s feet, the only hint that he was older than you might think.
But the most attractive thing about him was the way he looked at Vanessa. His face softened as he gazed at her, like the sun rose just for her. It was sweet, and it made my heart clench in my chest. One day, someone would love me like that. I wouldn’t accept anything less.
He held out a glass of wine to Charlotte, and another to me. “Sparkling apple juice,” he murmured. I smiled gratefully at him, more touched by the small gesture than I normally would be, because… hormones.
Charlotte coughed. “Mine definitely isn’t apple juice.” She sipped again. “Delicious, though.” She smacked her lips, and Antony laughed.
“Thank you. We have a vineyard just north of here, and we like to pretend to be vintners.”
Charlotte tipped her glass to him. “I’m no expert, but it tastes better than the stuff you can get at Costco.” She smirked, then looked over her shoulder. “I think Poet wants to leave. Thank you for inviting us, Mr. Barbieri. We’ll be in touch?”
He nodded. “Absolutely. We look forward to working with you.”
Charlotte hugged me. “Stay in touch. I like you!” Then she bounced away. I watched her go, Moss following her with his eyes, as if he wanted to devour her right here on the lawn.
Antony shook his head, amused. “I remember being that young. Everything burns red hot all the time.” He turned back toward me. “I assume Hayes has informed you that we’re looking for test drivers over at VANT?”
I swallowed hard. “He has. Mr. Barbieri?—”
“Please, call me Antony.”
“Antony, I promise you, I can get the most out of any car you put me in, either on the track or in sims. However, I have to tell you that I kind of come with an extra for a little while.” I made a vague motion toward my stomach. “And it doesn’t really sit right with me to leave the baby at daycare from the day it’s born. So I wouldn’t be much good to you for a while. To be fair to the team, maybe you should find someone else. Someone who can make VANT Racing their number one focus.”
Antony made a noise of disagreement. “Just bring the baby with you. I remember the newborn stage—they sleep and eat a lot, and you’d have one hundred percent permission to do what you need to keep the baby happy. Hayes will also be there. In fact, as we get a little further into establishment, I might look at putting in a creche. The days of families being able to live on single incomes are long gone. To be honest, it’s getting difficult for families to even be able to live on dual incomes.
“We want to get the best people, and to get the best people, you have to pave roads to help them succeed. Best to start as we intend to go on, hmm?” I could see him considering the idea as I just gaped at him. “Something for the board later. If you wish to test drive for us, the opportunity is yours. We’ll figure out the rest when it becomes an issue.”
I was nodding slowly, as I tried to form words. “Yes. One hundred percent yes. I… You won’t regret it, Antony. I promise.”
He gave me a broad smile, and in that moment, I could see the young man Vanessa must have fallen in love with. “I know I won’t. You have a hunger I recognize. I saw it in a young woman breaking into an industry that had no space for her thirty years ago.” I had a feeling he was talking about Vanessa, and when he looked over at her in the crowd, I knew I was right. “As a testament to that young woman who wouldn’t give up, we try to provide opportunities to other women in male-dominated industries.”
It might not sit quite right that I was getting this position because I was a woman, but I didn’t care. I’d come up against so many drivers who had their seats because of who their daddy was, or their mentor, or simply because they were rich enough to pay for their seat. It wasn’t an industry that gave opportunities for fairness, so I’d take whatever hand-ups I could get.
My eyes snagged on Rocco Passero. “Uh, in the interest of starting off with honest communication, Antony, I might’ve already offended your star driver by pretending not to recognize him. And perhaps telling him that if he tried hard, he could also be a rockstar like Moss Aguilar one day.” I winced at my own words, but I was determined to start on a clean slate.
Antony threw back his head and laughed. “I am fairly sure Rocco’s ego can take it, Tally. Actually, I’m fairly sure his ego could take being run over by a monster truck several hundred times with no ill effects.” He shook his head, still chuckling. “That being said, we’ll soon be a team, so please, do not antagonize him on purpose.”
