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I nearly huffed at that. Potentially? Rafe was like a shitty boyfriend, telling Pedro to stick around, that maybe they could get serious again after his one-year affair with Blake. “But we also encourage you to seek out another seat,” I put in. “You deserve to find a spot on another team.”
Pedro rose and stared at each one of us as if he were about to say something, but he stopped. He walked out of Rafe’s suite without another word.
Devin arrived the next afternoon. He found me in bed. I hadn’t slept the night before, thinking about Pedro, and also Tanya. I’d sent her a few texts that went unanswered. After meetings with sponsors and team personnel, I was exhausted. Devin wasn’t quiet when he came in, slamming the door and dropping his small luggage. I bolted upright, startled out of my doze.
“Hey,” I said uncertainly.
“I had some business.”
I blinked at his tone. “I’m glad you’re here,” I said. “I’ve had two really shitty days.”
He hadn’t come any farther into the room, but his expression softened a little. “What happened?”
“Do you know the feeling of being thrust into a situation you don’t like and not being able to do a damn thing about it?”
“Yeah. Yeah I do.” His tone was strange, but he came over to the bed and sat next to me. I leaned into his warmth.
“Are you going to tell me what happened?” he asked, brushing my cheek with his lips.
I took a deep breath. The next few words would be difficult, and I didn’t want to anticipate Devin’s response, especially given this weird mood. “We signed Carlton.”
He didn’t say anything, didn’t move.
“I wanted to tell you sooner,” I added, trying to sound confident rather than like I was making excuses. “But it was all confidential. But yeah, we signed him.”
“And that makes you sad?”
The question caught me off guard. I didn’t know exactly what he meant by it. Was he being sarcastic? “We had to tell Pedro yesterday.”
“Ah. How did he take it?”
“Not well.”
“No kidding! It’s August. You wait until now to tell him to pack his bags that he’s no longer needed.”
He wasn’t wrong, and I felt even worse. “It wasn’t an easy decision to make,” I said defensively. “But Rafe wanted it. The sponsorships alone are going to make such a big difference to the team’s finances.”
“It must be easy not to take responsibility,” he said evenly. He was trying very hard not to be adversarial and failing miserably.
I winced. “I know what you’re saying, and that’s why the situation bothers me so much. Pedro was good to us; he didn’t deserve this treatment.”
He considered that. “True, but that’s the way this business works. No one’s seat is guaranteed, especially after a shitty season. I think you should get used to it.”
“Will Pedro find another seat?”
Devin chuckled. “He can have mine.”
“I’m serious.”
“I don’t know. There are a few vacancies, but it would be a step down. He’s probably going to try his fortunes in the American circuits.”
“I’m going to do what I can for him.”
We were quiet for a few minutes. Just as I started to relax, Devin said, a slight edge in his voice, “And Carlton?”
I’d hoped he’d forgotten all about that part of the conversation. “What about him?”
“I get 'confidentiality,' but you really didn’t think to tell me about this?”
