driver? I felt panic start to rise up inside me. Jack wasn’t ready for anything like that yet.
Rita picked up her purse. “I’ll see you later,” she said.
“It’s been great to see you, Rita.”
I tried to keep the cheerful smile on my face. “Why don’t I show you out?”
Both Jack and Rita seemed surprised, but Rita shrugged and said, “Sure.”
Jack seemed happy enough to let us go. I walked Rita out of Jack’s wing and I didn’t say anything until we were safely in the corridor of the main house and out of earshot.
“Do you mind me asking why you came here tonight?” I asked.
Rita gave a puzzled frown and I thought for a moment she might tell me it was none of my business. But eventually she gave a tight smile and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
“I’m leaving Monaco in a couple of days. We’ve got the next race coming up in Europe and I’ve got a lot of preparation to do. I wanted to see Jack before I went.”
I nodded. That was the answer I’d expected to hear. But the answer I really wanted was to find out why that brochure had been given to Jack.
“Look,” I said, stopping abruptly in the corridor and turning to face Rita. “I’ve been with Jack for a while now, and I really care about what happens to him.”
Rita frowned but she didn’t say anything and waited for me to continue.
“The thing is, I know that Jack wants to race again.”
Rita smiled broadly at me. “I know. Isn’t that fantastic? In fact, that’s one of the reasons I came here tonight. I wanted to give him all the information on the new car for next season.”
I swallowed. “Are you considering using Jack as your driver for next season?”
“I can’t really discuss that with you,” Rita said, immediately clamming up. “It’s up to Jack if he wants to talk it through with you, but on my side, negotiations have to be kept confidential.”
I felt a shiver of unease pass through me as she turned and continued to walk along the corridor. I had to walk quickly to catch up.
I reached Rita as she stood at the front door with her hand on the handle. I reached out and grabbed her forearm to stop her leaving.
“Wait! There’s something you should know,” I said, not knowing if what I was about to say could ruin Jack’s career.
Rita turned to me with a perplexed frown on her face. “And what is that?” she asked.
“I know that Jack wants to race again. More than anything else, he wants to get back to it. But he’s not quite ready yet,” I said. I couldn’t shake the horrible feeling I was betraying Jack and that was the last thing I wanted to do. But I couldn’t just stand by and watch him get into something he wasn’t ready for.
“He has tried to get back into it,” I said the words slowly, hoping I wasn’t doing the wrong thing by telling Rita. “He tried the simulator with Dominic O’Brien. It didn’t work out well.”
I didn’t want to get into the gory details. Rita didn’t need to know about Jack’s panic attack, but I did want her to appreciate that Jack needed more time.
“Oh, that,” Rita said smiling. “He told me all about it. And to be honest, I was surprised that Dominic had thought of such a thing. Imagine putting someone who’s been traumatized after a crash into an enclosed simulator.” She shook her head. “There was no external light, no sound. I mean, it was hardly a surprising outcome.”
She must have seen the panic on my face because her expression took on a more sympathetic look. “I know you care about Jack. I can’t tell you where we are at the moment regarding the state of our negotiations, but what I can tell you is that we are not going to push Jack to do anything he’s not ready for. I promise you that.”
I managed to nod. I was still reeling from the fact Jack had confided in Rita about the simulator incident.
“We can just take it one step at a time, Kristina,” she said. “Jack is lucky to have someone like you looking after
Rita picked up her purse. “I’ll see you later,” she said.
“It’s been great to see you, Rita.”
I tried to keep the cheerful smile on my face. “Why don’t I show you out?”
Both Jack and Rita seemed surprised, but Rita shrugged and said, “Sure.”
Jack seemed happy enough to let us go. I walked Rita out of Jack’s wing and I didn’t say anything until we were safely in the corridor of the main house and out of earshot.
“Do you mind me asking why you came here tonight?” I asked.
Rita gave a puzzled frown and I thought for a moment she might tell me it was none of my business. But eventually she gave a tight smile and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
“I’m leaving Monaco in a couple of days. We’ve got the next race coming up in Europe and I’ve got a lot of preparation to do. I wanted to see Jack before I went.”
I nodded. That was the answer I’d expected to hear. But the answer I really wanted was to find out why that brochure had been given to Jack.
“Look,” I said, stopping abruptly in the corridor and turning to face Rita. “I’ve been with Jack for a while now, and I really care about what happens to him.”
Rita frowned but she didn’t say anything and waited for me to continue.
“The thing is, I know that Jack wants to race again.”
Rita smiled broadly at me. “I know. Isn’t that fantastic? In fact, that’s one of the reasons I came here tonight. I wanted to give him all the information on the new car for next season.”
I swallowed. “Are you considering using Jack as your driver for next season?”
“I can’t really discuss that with you,” Rita said, immediately clamming up. “It’s up to Jack if he wants to talk it through with you, but on my side, negotiations have to be kept confidential.”
I felt a shiver of unease pass through me as she turned and continued to walk along the corridor. I had to walk quickly to catch up.
I reached Rita as she stood at the front door with her hand on the handle. I reached out and grabbed her forearm to stop her leaving.
“Wait! There’s something you should know,” I said, not knowing if what I was about to say could ruin Jack’s career.
Rita turned to me with a perplexed frown on her face. “And what is that?” she asked.
“I know that Jack wants to race again. More than anything else, he wants to get back to it. But he’s not quite ready yet,” I said. I couldn’t shake the horrible feeling I was betraying Jack and that was the last thing I wanted to do. But I couldn’t just stand by and watch him get into something he wasn’t ready for.
“He has tried to get back into it,” I said the words slowly, hoping I wasn’t doing the wrong thing by telling Rita. “He tried the simulator with Dominic O’Brien. It didn’t work out well.”
I didn’t want to get into the gory details. Rita didn’t need to know about Jack’s panic attack, but I did want her to appreciate that Jack needed more time.
“Oh, that,” Rita said smiling. “He told me all about it. And to be honest, I was surprised that Dominic had thought of such a thing. Imagine putting someone who’s been traumatized after a crash into an enclosed simulator.” She shook her head. “There was no external light, no sound. I mean, it was hardly a surprising outcome.”
She must have seen the panic on my face because her expression took on a more sympathetic look. “I know you care about Jack. I can’t tell you where we are at the moment regarding the state of our negotiations, but what I can tell you is that we are not going to push Jack to do anything he’s not ready for. I promise you that.”
I managed to nod. I was still reeling from the fact Jack had confided in Rita about the simulator incident.
“We can just take it one step at a time, Kristina,” she said. “Jack is lucky to have someone like you looking after
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