“Text me if you have any problems. And I’ll show you a good spot for watching the race. I assume you want to.”
Piper’s heart fluttered at the thought of seeing the cars on track. “Yes. Please.”
“Gus can’t be in the garage, but you can take him to the paddock club.” Isabel stepped over to a side table and grabbed aleash.
“All right, Mr. Gus.” Piper clicked it onto his collar. “Let’s try to stay together today, okay, buddy?”
Gus eagerly led the way and she and Isabel wound through the Mega Racing building and back out into the paddock, which waseven more abuzz with activity.
A woman with dark, wavy hair and a big smile approached. “You must be the new dog sitter,” she said to Piper.
“I am.” Apparently, Gus really was going through a lot of dog sitters.
“Piper Murphy, meet Mia Neal. Mia’s an F1 podcaster and soon to be an on-camera commentator for Cloud Sports. Her partneris Xander Bishop, Emilio’s teammate.”
Piper’s mind was blown by the realization of who this was. “I was just listening to theNot So Fastpodcast. I love it.”
“Oh, wow. Thank you,” Mia said.
Isabel reached for Mia’s arm. “Is there any way you could show Piper around? Maybe take her up to the paddock club? I havea zillion things to do before the race.”
“Sure. Xander’s busy and I’ve already recorded the intro for my next episode.” She held her arms wide. “I’m all yours.”
Piper felt an immense wave of gratitude. Emilio might not like her, but everyone else was treating her like she fit rightin. “Awesome. Thank you.”
“Piper, you can bring Gus back to Emilio’s room after the race.”
“Sounds good.” Piper turned to Mia as Isabel walked away. “So, exactly how much inside info can I learn from you today?” Miawas well-known for having the scoop on lots of drivers.
Mia’s eyebrows jumped. “Depends on what you want to know.”
“Everything. But first, Gus probably needs a pee break.”
“I know just the place.” Mia walked them through the paddock and off to a small grassy area where Gus could do his business.Then they made their way into the paddock club, above the team garages with a view of the pit lane and the starting grid forthe race. The club had fairly luxe surroundings, with food, several bars and lots of seating. “Technically, dogs aren’t allowedup here, but Gus is a VID. Very important dog. Basically, the drivers’ dogs get to go anywhere.”
“I’m a little embarrassed because I didn’t realize Gus was Emilio’s dog. I thought he belonged to Victoria. Gus was all overher social feeds for a while there.” They took a seat off to the side in one of the lounges near a balcony that overlookedthe track. Piper took off her sling bag and set it on the table. Gus nudged it with his nose. “Let me guess. You smell thetreats in my bag.”
Gus immediately sat and looked at Piper expectantly.
“This guy is smart.” Piper unzipped her bag and pulled out one of her homemade dog treats. She’d developed the recipe overthe past few years and made them exclusively for her clients. “Let’s see what you know how to do. Gus, shake.” She held outher hand, but Gus only stared at the treat, which was in her other hand. “Huh. Okay. I guess you don’t know that one.” Sheswitched the treat to her other hand, but held it tightly and offered it again. “Gus. Shake.” Intuitively, Gus touched herballed-up hand with his paw. She unfurled her fingers to give him the treat, which he inhaled. “Good boy. Very good boy.”
“You probably didn’t know Gus belonged to Emilio because he was never in the photos with him,” Mia said.
“I guess so. Even though I knew he and Victoria were a couple.”
Mia nodded slowly. “Emilio is very private. If you follow him on social, he’s not posting vacation pics like the other drivers.”
“Now that you mention it, I did notice that.” Maybe his preference for privacy was an explanation for why he’d so quicklyleft Piper’s presence. “I know there are lots of theories, but do you have any thoughts about why Emilio is struggling thisyear?”
Mia shrugged. “Because Mega developed that car to run on a knife’s edge? Xander struggled with it big time. Emilio will getit. He’s too good a driver not to.”
Piper nodded. “Can I ask what it’s like to date a driver?” Not that Piper had aspirations—she was simply curious. The entireecosphere of F1 was fascinating, but she couldn’t imagine what it would be like to live in it.
“It’s a little bonkers, to be honest. For a long time, I thought I couldn’t hack it. I felt like I didn’t belong.”
Piper could imagine she’d feel that way, too. “But you have your podcast. You were already in the sport when you met Xander,right?”
Mia shrugged. “It’s still a big leap. I didn’t come from money. I’m not famous or the child of a celebrity. It’s just differentbeing a normal person in this world.”
