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“Oh, Georgie, Matteo just texted me. He thinks after this article, we should get some press on you and Luca, keep the momentum going. They want you guys to do a dinner tonight. I have an address for you.”
“Lizzie, tonight is my only night to myself,” I pleaded, but the look on her face told me it was a dead cause. I knew she was right. We had all of this interest, and if continuing on this charade meant I could get these deals confirmed with the other sponsors, then I would put up with it. I’d done an excellent job avoiding Luca over the last week, but I knew it had to end eventually.
“Fine, I’ll be there, but I’m not dressing up, so it better not be fancy.”
“I’ll be sure to let them know,” she hummed in response, already texting Matteo.
I went through the article again and then went through some of the comments online. Lizzie was right; the comments were overwhelmingly positive – it was almost shocking. While I was dreading this dinner with Luca, part of me was starting to feel more relaxed. This was working, and I should celebrate that fact.
Luca, for some reason, had to return back to the hotel earlier, so Lily and I drove back to the hotel together, which was nice. I felt like we hadn’t caught up in a while. Lily was buzzing about her Free Practice sessions. We were both hopeful for a good qualifying session tomorrow. When I arrived back at the hotel, Luca was nowhere to be found. I had a text from Matteo letting me know that a car would be picking me up at 7 p.m. I took a quick shower and changed into something comfortable – some jeans and a nice sweater – before making my way downstairs.
As I arrived at the elevator, I pressed the button and said my usual silent prayer to the universe – begging for it to be empty, but as per usual, the elevator gave me the middle finger. As I walked into the elevator, I saw several Sponsors and VIPs that had been at the Valkyrie F1 hospitality all day, all clearly making their way out to the team principal dinner that the FIA had set up. Isabelle was frustrated that she and Francesco had to attend, but even Isabelle couldn’t scare the FIA enough to have them change it.
“Oh, look who it is!” One of them called out to the group. As I turned to the left, I saw none other than Lilah, our Maison de Klotho coordinator, along with Sara, the executive we had met back in Monaco. I gave them a warm smile and nod.
“Heading out somewhere?” Lilah asked.
“Yes, dinner plans with Luca tonight,” I hummed in response.
“How did you like the article, Georgia?” Sara asked, a grin on her face so large I was worried it might split her in half.
“Just lovely, thank you. My mother is already begging me to get some of the prints so she can hang them around the house.”
“Of course! We’ll be sure to get some your way, along with the clothes from the shoot, so we can have you and Luca start wearing them to races.” I nodded my appreciation and huffed out a light thanks.
“You have a good one, that Luca. We were worried that his playboy image would put a damper on the brand, but we’ve had several of our designers request him after that article. He’s lucky to have you. You really straightened that one out.” I felt a pang of guilt when she said it. Truth was, I hadn’t done much. Luca had been instructed to play a role, and he was clearly playing it well. Still, I gave them the huge smile they wanted because I also had a role to play.
“Well, let’s just hope that doesn’t carry over into his racing. Still have a championship to bring home,” I said with a sly smile, much to the amusement of the elevator. As soon as the door opened on the ground floor, I waved to the group and took off, wishing them a lovely weekend at the hospitality suite.
As promised by Matteo, the car was waiting outside for me promptly at seven. I hopped in, and the driver took off. As I sat in the car, I saw a text on my phone from Lauren.
Lauren: Hope you have a good time tonight.
Georgia: Does Luca tell Edward everything?
Lauren: Just the important stuff ;)
I rolled my eyes and continued to watch as we headed closer and closer to the water. “Where are we going?” I asked the driver casually, but he only laughed and said he was instructed not to tell me, which piqued my interest even more.
As I arrived at the docks, I hopped out of the car at the driver’s instruction and looked around, trying to see if I spotted Luca anywhere. Out on the dock, I saw someone waving at me, and I headed down to the dock only to see Luca standing in front of me with a picnic basket, a bottle of champagne, and a huge grin on his face.
“Nice of you not to be late this time.”
“Well, you know me, never one to be late to surprises.”
Luca reached out for my hand and helped me onto the small boat. He led us to the back, where a table had been set up for us with a lovely white tablecloth and two champagne glasses.
“Mr. Rossi, Ms. Dubois, I will be your server this evening,” a man said from behind me. His name tag said Yusif, and I thanked him, taking a seat at one of the places set at the table. Luca took the spot next to me, so we both faced out towards the ocean. The boat captain also came down and said hello before I heard the all-too-familiar sound of the boat setting off. Yusif poured us a glass of wine each and then disappeared with the picnic basket.
“So, you are taking me out to sea before you kill me.” Luca smiled at the joke and picked up his glass, signaling for me to do the same.
“I know this last week –no, these last several years– have been weird between us, and I’m sorry for that. I was an idiot all those years ago when I stood you up on that date. I can’t take it back, but I am hoping you’ll let me give you the date you deserve.”
I looked at Luca – absolutely stunned. I wasn’t sure if Luca ever thought back to that date that never happened. I had imagined him not caring enough to remember, even if it still haunted the back of my mind. Luca smiled a smile so warm and inviting that it was hard to stay mad at him. I clinked my glass with his, continuing to eye him a little suspiciously.Who was this Luca?
He took a sip of the champagne and went back to looking at the sunset. I felt his hand move towards mine, and he interlocked our fingers together, all while I continued to stare at him. Luca was incredibly handsome in the setting sun, his beautiful Mediterranean tan on display. The light made his warm features look calm and relaxed.
It was as if he knew I wouldn’t have anything to say yet, and he was okay with that, so we just sat there for some time – Luca watching the sunset and me watching Luca. Finally, the words I wanted to say came to the front of my mind, and I found my voice again.
