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I stare down at the screen in surprise. He wants to see me.

But more than that? I want to see him, too.

I respond:

Don’t you have some mountain to bike, or cliffs to run up, or neck training to do this morning rather than giving thoughts to me?

There. Flirty Catherine is back. Whatever comes of this thing between us is a path of destruction I will navigate later.

As if that will ever be something I have to worry about.

Another text comes in from Mason:

I’ve done all that this morning with Jacques. I think it would be more professional to deliver my feedback in person.

I smile. Jacques is his trainer and one of his closest friends. I type a message back:

So you would like for me to receive this feedback on Allée François Blanc?

Mason Clark is typing …

No. Let’s do business like normal people. Over coffee?

I giggle at that. Mason continues to type, and another message drops in, this time telling me he’ll pick me up. I thank him and tell him to meet me outside Vibrance, sending him the address.

I decide to go into the store to kill some time. This boutique has a completely different interior vibe than Sohan Perrin. There’s lots of natural light thanks to the large windows, and the flooring is a light-coloured hardwood. Leafy plants are strategically placed throughout the space, and the colours in the shop are from a neutral palette. It feels very earthy and airy, and I’m immediately comfortable here.

I’m greeted by Eric, a shop assistant, and I tell him I’m simply looking for now and he leaves me to it. I search for that jacket I spotted in the window, my eyes moving past various displays. As soon as I see it on a rack, I make a beeline for it. I flick through the hangars until I find my size, then take it off the rail so I can do a closer inspection.

The fabric is light and breathable, always a bonus. The construction is high quality, and it definitely has that “studio to street” vibe. I slip it on over my shirt—not ideal, because I’d obviously wear a vest or T-shirt under this, but the jacket has light compression, so it’s comfortable but provides shape. I love the seams on it, which follow the lines of the body. I walk towards a mirror and pose in front of it, thinking. I could easily see all of the sponsor logos on this jacket, just like we wear on the team polo shirts, but it would look so much better.

My brain is working rapid fire, as it often does when it’s inspired.

Data shows that women make up 41-42 percent of the fanbase, and the women demographic skews younger. Yet we offer the same merchandise to them as I get to wear for the team.

But what if we did a jacket like this, with just the Collings Motors logo on it? Or maybe the logo and then a driver number on the sleeve?

They would eat this up.

“Are you still doing all right?” Eric asks me.

I turn around. “Do you have a cropped T-shirt or vest that would go with this? And maybe some yoga pants?”

“Of course,” he says. “Let me show you. What size would you like to try?”

I give him my size. Eric pulls a cropped white vest and yoga pants for me, then whisks me back to a dressing room, which has another natural-wood door and flattering lighting. I slip out of my professional outfit and put on the athleisure wear, leaving the jacket unzipped. It’s cropped, which would be perfect for retail. I’d have it longer for those who are wearing it to work, hitting right at the hips instead. The vest has spaghetti straps—super cute—and the yoga pants hug my body but are extremely comfortable.

If I were branding these, I’d put a small Collings Motors logo at the top centre of the vest, and at the top of the upper left thigh on the pants. I could see women dressing these up and down, wearing them together and separate. I grab my phone, open a section for notes, and begin typing my ideas.

Hmm. After I put my phone down, I decide I need to see this in a three-way mirror. I open the dressing room door and walk towards the large three-way mirror at the end of the unisex fitting area. I stop in front of it, studying my image. Then I take off the jacket to get a better look at how the vest and pants look without it. I can definitely see our female fans wanting this for their wardrobes. It’s current, well-made, and the way the fabric hugs my curves and shows off a bit of my midriff?

It’s very nice.

Suddenly I feel the presence of someone else in the room. I lift my eyes back up to the top of the mirror, expecting to find Eric.

But I don’t find Eric. I find Mason instead.

I don’t move, but my eyes meet his dark brown ones in the glass. I slowly turn around, my pulse points pounding, and his eyes roam over my body, taking in my bare arms, exposed stomach, and hips.