AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She rolls her eyes. “That you two had a torrid affair during his first year of racing. That’s all. Some called you a cougar.”
“I’m two years older. Hardly acougar.” I shake my head. There’s no winning if you’re a woman in the public eye.
“Oh, and that you broke his heart.”
That makes me I bark out a laugh. “Ibrokehisheart?”
“Well, that you broke it off and he was never the same.”
Oh, that’s rich, given how much he slept around after we split. “News to me. It’s more like he let out his true nature after we stopped seeing each other.”
“Admittedly, that was his manwhore phase. Most drivers go through that in years two through four, when they realize they can get all the ass the want, anytime they want.” She says this like it’s a known fact. Maybe it is. Tanya’s observed plenty of drivers at various stages of their careers.
“You’ve got it down to a science.” I grimace, thinking of Max screwing his way around the world. I’ve tried to block that out for years, but now it’s front and center in my mind, precisely when it shouldn’t be.
Tanya continues, clearly relishing the topic. “Although for some drivers that phase lasts a lot longer. That driver from Argentina, the one on Team Praxis? He’s thirty-three and still a horndog. Max has grown out of that mindset. He’s really matured. Anyway, what do you want to say when the press asks?”
“The truth.”
She arches an eyebrow. “Which is what, exactly?”
That I’m still wildly attracted to Max and that I have a lot of unresolved feelings that are almost wholly and utterly not reciprocated? No, that’s a terrible idea.
“We were close friends when we were younger, that we remain dear friends, and we are excited to work together.”
She scrunches up her nose and shakes her head. “That sounds either old ladyish or like you’re still fucking. I mean, are you still fucking?”
“No, god. Never.” I protest. “Say that we’ve been longtime friends and that I’m excited to work with such a talented champion and am proud to have him as the senior driver on Team Onassis. I’m certain that Max Becker will bring another season trophy to our team.”
“Okay, I guess that works. I’ll massage it a bit.” She scribbles a note on her legal pad, then looks up at me.
I hold my head high, but something about Tanya’s steely appraisal tells me that she believes my bullshit even less than I do.
Chapter Fourteen
MAX
“Okay, let’s start from the top. What did you eat this morning?” Lucas taps on his iPad.
He hasn’t said anything about me flying to Texas with Lily. Yet.
“This morning I had oatmeal with peanut butter, fruit, a protein shake, and some cookies as a snack.” He’s got me on a high-protein, whole-food diet, including a special powder formulated for vegetarian athletes.
He looks up, blinking. “What kind of cookies?”
I have a wicked sweet tooth. “Chocolate chip. I couldn’t resist. They were homemade.”
Now he’s scowling, probably because he has me on a diet that’s a far cry from my German favorites like schnitzel, bratwurst, and stollen. “Where did you eat those?”
I look out the window as we whiz down the highway. “They were at Lily’s house.”
He groans aloud. “Here we go.”
It’s not that Lucas dislikes Lily. Quite the opposite; they’ve always gotten along. But he also saw firsthand what the breakup did to me and to my driving performance.
“It’s not what you think.”
“You’re having a great season. Don’t let her derail you.” Most men wouldn’t want their friend delving into their personal business, but my relationship with Lucas is more than friendship. He’s the main reason I’m a champion, a one-man support team who keeps me mentally and physically healthy.
