Page 5

I need to say no. I made a promise to recalibrate myself here in Zandvoort, and am I willing to throw that away on the second day back in the paddock?

But how can I say no? What good reason do I have to do so?

Mason’s dark brows draw together, as if he can’t understand why it’s taking me so long to answer a very simple question.

If he only knew the discussions I have with myself about him.

That thought snaps me back to reality, and I answer him before I chicken out. “Yes,” I say, nodding. “Thank you for agreeing to do this.”

“Excellent. Swing by my room between practice sessions and we’ll kick around some ideas.”

I’m elated and terrified by this opportunity, which is a weird dynamic to manage.

“Okay.” I nod again.

Mason shifts his attention across the table to Caleb. “I hope the new front wing increases the downforce.”

The front wing is one of the upgrades Collings Motors is bringing out for the weekend, and it will only be on Mason’s car. He and Caleb shift into talk about the new part and what they think it will do at practice today. Xavier is driving a rocket this season, and Mason needs every technical advantage available if he wants to get more first-place finishes on the podium.

What Caleb and Mason don’t say, however, is how crucial this upgrade is to battling each other for second place in the Drivers’ Championship—and to being the number-one driver for Collings Motors next season.

Nobody expected Caleb to progress so quickly since he got the seat. His rookie season was brilliant, and now he’s actively fighting Mason for the top spot. The number-one driver gets upgrades first—typically designed to suit that driver’s style. Mason also gets priority in team strategy, like best timing for pit stops.

And my brother is doing everything he can to prove he deserves that instead.

My stomach tightens a bit. This is what is so complicated about racing. You’re teammates, working to win a championship for the team, but you’re rivals at the same time. You’re fighting each other not only on the track, but on the team for preferential treatment.

If Mason and Caleb were ever to be locked in a battle for the Drivers’ Championship? Well, history shows over and over it can destroy even the best of friendships.

Caleb and Mason are friendly, but they’re not friends. They don’t hang out with each other outside of the garage. Maybe that’s a good thing. It seems like it protects them from the inevitable tension that would not only crack a solid friendship but break it.

Once again, it reminds me why my crush on Mason is stupid. A relationship with Mason would be all kinds of complicated and messy. This is why I need to move on. Not only because he has no interest in me, but what could really happen if he did?

Chaos, that’s what.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

I blink. Mason is staring at me.

“Oh, I had a stroopwafel,” I say, picking up my coffee and taking a sip.

He furrows his brow. “Catherine. That’s a snack, not breakfast.”

“That’s all I need.”

“You need to eat,” he insists. “Let me bring you some matcha chia pudding.”

I pause for a moment. “How did you know I eat that?”

He pushes back from the table and stands up. “You always eat that if it’s on the menu. So let me get you one.”

I stare at him, stunned. Mason knows what I eat. He’s been paying attention.

“Thank you,” I say. He nods and goes off to the buffet area.

I watch him walk away, then turn around and find Isla studying me with a questioning look in her eyes. I feel heat pool in my cheeks and quickly look at my coffee to avoid her perceptive gaze. Soon Mason returns and puts a glass of the matcha chia pudding in front of me, along with a napkin and a spoon.

“Okay, you’re right,” I say, shifting my attention to him. “It would be sad to have missed this.”