Page 23 of Handle Me

“That shouldn’t be too hard. Between the crash and your family, it won’t be hard to convince people that you’re being groomed into royalty.”

“No,” I groaned. “You aren’t actually suggesting that I go along with this stupid plan of theirs, are you?”

“Finding out you’re a prince is a pretty good excuse to take a holiday from work,” he reminded me.

“So, I’m just supposed to let her play dress up and have tea parties or whatever the hell they do all day?”

“I think you’re confusing the royal family with nursery school.”

“Am I?” I asked doubtfully.

Wilkes shook his head, a crooked grin hanging on his face. He might be right. It might be a good plan, but that didn’t mean I had to like it—and he knew it. “You want to grab a few pints and get the rest of this out?”

“I can’t. I have a date,” I said through gritted teeth.

“A date?”

“Don’t sound so surprised!” I chucked an empty water bottle at him. “I’m charming.”

“Prince charming?”

I found myself wishing I had another water bottle to throw at him.

“Sorry,” he said quickly, but the glint in his eyes said he was anything but. “I’ll take care of dealing with the team and talking to the federation. You’ve got better things to do anyway.” He shifted a few things around on his desk until he found a stack of business cards. He passed one to me. “Here.”

“What’s this?” I stared at the bouquet of roses printed on the card.

“You have a date. You should try to impress her.”

“I don’t think it’s that kind of date,” I admitted to him. “I get the impression Lola is planning to deliver a lesson, not romance.”

“That’s no excuse,” he said. “You’d be a total wanker not to go for her.”

“If that’s how you feel”—I tossed the card onto his desk—“maybe you should take her out.”

“That’s not the winning attitude I expect from you. Where’s your sense of competition?”

“Taking a vacation like you all wanted,” I said bitterly.

“Are you telling me that you aren’t even slightly interested in Lola Bishop?”

I pressed my lips into a thin line, trying to keep my face entirely blank.

“Exactly.” He snorted. “Do yourself a favor and try.”

“And how do I do that?”

“Make sure you smell good and buy her some flowers, idiot.” He tossed the card back to me. “Make it the best date ever.”

I swallowed, feeling a slight lump in my throat as I stood to leave. Wilkes couldn’t make me quit, but he’d lost his faith in me. I felt worse than I had when I woke up from my crash. The only thing I could do was prove him wrong. I paused at the door, turning the florist’s card over in my hands. “What am I supposed to do if I’m not driving?”

“Drive that pretty distraction crazy for a while?”

I had to hand it to him. That was a pretty solid place to start. And if Lola was going to keep distracting me, I might as well let her distract me from my unplanned hiatus from the circuit. She seemed to be the only thing easy to think about these days. Might as well lean into the distraction. I tipped my head in silent thanks as I opened the door. Checking my watch, I discovered I had just enough time to take his advice.

I had to make this the best first date ever.

CHAPTER TEN