by Cox, Carrie;
Now that I’d grown so much closer to him, I could see what Brian had meant. Physically, Jack’s recovery had been amazing, but his insomnia indicated he was still suffering from the after-effects of the crash.
He hid it well. He’d never once mentioned to me he couldn’t sleep, and I would be willing to bet he would have kept it from me still if I hadn’t asked him why I couldn’t spend the whole night in his bed.
Time was a great healer, and I hoped, as Jack dealt with the possibility he would never be able to race again, his insomnia would gradually improve.
After I showered and dressed, I made my way down to Jack’s apartment. As I walked down the stairs, Maria was at the entrance, opening the front door for Olga.
I grinned at them, and they both smiled back at me.
“You’re looking cheerful today,” Maria said.
“It’s a gorgeous day,” I said, linking arms with Olga.
“Would you like me to bring you breakfast?” Maria asked.
“No, thanks. I’ll make it this morning and Jack’s too.”
I wanted to fix breakfast for Jack. I knew that making breakfast was only a small thing, but it made me feel good to be able to do something.
When we reached Jack’s apartment, Brian was already there and putting Jack through his workout.
I didn’t want to disturb them, so I went straight to the kitchen area and cut up some oranges to prepare some fresh orange juice.
I worked happily. Squeezing the orange halves through the juicer. I poured two glasses and gave one to Olga.
I took a sip of the deliciously sharp citrus juice. It tasted amazing. I chatted away happily to Olga until Jack’s workout was finished.
When he walked out of the bedroom and towards the kitchen counter, my heart did a little somersault in my chest.
He really was the sexiest man I had ever seen.
I pushed a glass of juice towards him. “Eggs for breakfast?”
He smiled. “Thanks.”
I pulled out a glass bowl and the frying pan from the cupboard by the cooker and then made my way over to the opposite counter to select some eggs.
“I’ll go,” Jack said.
“Go?” I asked.
“To the race. You still want to go, right?”
I almost dropped the eggs. I spun around and stared at him. “To the Grand Prix?”
Jack nodded.
Brian and Olga were silent, but I could see them exchanging shocked glances behind Jack’s back.
“That’s great,” I said. “Absolutely fantastic. Do you need me to arrange anything?”
He shook his head. “No, I’ll sort it out. I’ll call Dominic later.”
I should have been happy. After all, this was a step in the right direction. It was a sign that Jack was moving on. But for some reason, I felt uneasy. I don’t know why that was. It could have been the glint of sadness in Jack’s eyes or his guarded expression, but something warned me that this may not give me the happy ending I was hoping for.
Later on that day, when Jack was having his daily massage session with Olga, I decided to go back up to my room and call my sister, Kate. I tried to video call her over the internet a couple of times a week. It was a fantastic way to keep in touch, and it was so nice to see her face when I was talking to her.
Kate didn’t answer the call, and I didn’t think anything of it at first. I just assumed she was busy. I sent her a quick text message, telling her I tried to call her and asking her to text me back when she was free.
I was about to shut down the computer when a beeping sound indicated an incoming video call.
I clicked on the green answer button, and Kate’s face flickered into view on the screen.
“Hey, you,” I said.
At first I thought there was something wrong with the screen. I thought someone had messed about with the color setting. Then I realized it wasn’t the screen. Kate was looking extremely pale. Dark circles stood out under her eyes.
I had never seen her look so tired before.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She nodded. “I’ve just woken up. I feel like all I do these days is take naps.”
I frowned. “Is that normal?”
Kate shrugged. “I think it’s normal for some women, especially in the last few months of their pregnancy.”
“You’ve still got a couple of months to go.”
Kate pulled a face. “Don’t remind me. I can’t wait until I’m holding this baby in my arms and feeling back to normal.”
I grinned. “Yeah. About that … I don’t think things ever go back to normal after you’ve had a baby.”
Kate gave me a weak smile. “I think you’re probably right,” she said. “Anyway, enough about me. How have you been getting on?”
I was really glad I’d never told Kate how close I’d come to leaving Monaco. I knew that would have worried her, and she fretted over me enough as it was. I’d always been the wayward little sister, the one she had to take care of, and the last thing she needed at the moment was extra stress.
I always did my best to look happy and cheerful when I spoke to Kate, but today, I didn’t need to fake it. My smile was genuine.
“Things are going great,” I said. “We’re actually going to go to the Grand Prix!”
Kate looked impressed. “Wow, and is Jack all right with that? I would have thought that could be quite an ordeal for him.”
“I don’t think it will be easy, but hopefully it will help him deal with the anger and resentment he has over the crash. At least, that’s what I’m hoping.”
Kate smiled and said, “I’m sure you’re right. I guess you know him pretty well by now.”
I wasn’t sure if there was any hidden meaning behind her words, but I blushed furiously, and Kate quickly picked up on it.
“Is there anything going on between you two? Other than a strictly employer-employee relationship?” she teased.
I grinned. “He’s a really nice guy. That’s all I’m saying.”
After a little more teasing, Kate grew serious. “Be careful, Kristina. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I will. I don’t have any unrealistic expectations. I’m just happy with how things are going at the moment. I know it can’t be a long-term thing. I’m not worrying about the future. I just want to relax and enjoy what’s going on right now. Does that make sense?”
Kate nodded. “Absolutely. It sounds like it’s just what you need.”
“How’s Benjamin doing?” I asked, wanting to steer our conversation away from me and Jack.
“He’s driving me to distraction,” Kate said. “If he’s not badgering me about setting a date for the wedding, he’s telling me off if I dare to pick up anything heavier than a cup of tea! Every other sentence that comes out of his mouth is a command telling me to put my feet up and get some rest!”
I burst out laughing. Who could have guessed Benjamin Easton would be so attentive?
“I guess he’s just concerned. It’s nice that he cares so much.”
“I know,” Kate said with a sigh. “That’s why I’m putting up with it.”
After we chatted for another couple of minutes, Kate smothered a yawn.
“I better let you go and get some rest,” I said. “Otherwise Benjamin will not be happy!”
Kate yawned again and nodded. “Yes, I think I might continue my nap. I’ll probably spend the next two months asleep at this rate.”
After we signed off, I sat back in my chair and chewed on a fingernail. I guessed it was normal to feel tired when you were pregnant, but I was really surprised at how shattered Kate had looked.
I’d never seen her that way before, and truthfully, I was a little worried.
8
When the day of the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix finally arrived, the whole country was gripped with excitement. There was a festival atmosphere out on the streets.
I had to admit I was excited too. This would be my first Grand Prix, and I was r
eally looking forward to watching a Formula One race. I was eager to see the event that had been such a huge part of Jack’s life, and I wanted to understand why it was so important to him.
We set off in plenty of time, with Antonio, Alexander’s chauffeur, driving us to the circuit. I had hoped Brian would be coming with us, but he hadn’t been able to make it because he had another client to see in the afternoon.
It was a gorgeous sunny day. I wore a cream cotton dress that was light and cool, and I left my hair down. Jack was wearing reflective sunglasses and a baseball cap. I guessed he was worried about being recognized.
We brought his crutches with us. Jack could get around pretty well without them now, but we knew there would be crowds today, and we didn’t know how long he’d have to be on his feet for. I figured it couldn’t hurt to take them with us just in case.
As we got closer to the race circuit, the traffic grew heavier, slowing down until we were only crawling along the main road into the city.
Antonio turned in the driver’s seat and spoke rapidly to Jack in French.
Jack translated for me. “He says he can’t get any closer. It’s grid locked from here on in.”
“Really?” I frowned. “That’s crazy. How did you used to get here when you were racing?”
Jack shrugged. “Helicopter.”
I rolled my eyes. Of course he did. Anything fast and dangerous and Jack would be all over it.
“Could we walk?” I suggested. “How far is the circuit from here?”
I couldn’t see Jack’s eyes behind the sunglasses, so I couldn’t read his mood.
“Yeah, I guess we could walk,” he said. “It will probably take us half an hour from here.”
I smiled at him. “Then we still have plenty of time.” I was glad we’d set off early.
Jack slid out of the car first and held the door open for me. I thanked Antonio and stepped out onto the tarmac.
We weaved our way through the line of cars to the sidewalk and began to walk in the direction of the road circuit. I held Jack’s hand as we walked along.
At first it was great and the walk was lovely, despite the groups of other people who were obviously doing the same as us, trying to get to the circuit and avoid the traffic. Everyone was in a party mood, smiling and say hello to each other, but when we got closer to the circuit, things changed drastically.
It didn’t take long for a group of fans to recognize Jack, despite the fact he wore reflective sunglasses and his baseball cap was pulled down low.
I supposed it was inevitable. They were on the lookout for any famous faces, and they were probably hard-core fans.
Originally, I thought Jack had been overreacting with the whole sunglasses and baseball cap thing. I guess I’d been wrong.
The fans weren’t so bad, though. They were happy for Jack to scrawl across their T-shirts and baseball caps with a marker pen, and they were thrilled to get a couple of photographs on their phones, but the problem was that the commotion attracted the attention of others and soon we were surrounded by a group of people.
I was growing more and more nervous by the second. Jack carried on walking, but after every few steps, he had to stop to sign something. For the first time, I realized how annoying it must be to be famous and not be able to slip out and walk along the street anonymously.
I grabbed Jack’s hand, trying to pull him away from the group of fans who were now pawing him and clutching at his T-shirt.
“Sorry, guys,” Jack said. “We’ve got to get to the circuit. Hope you all enjoy the race.”
I was already sweating and my stomach was churning, but things were about to get even worse.
Just a few moments later, an obnoxious short man squeezed through the crowd to get to us. He had greasy, slicked-back hair. He was sweating profusely, and his light blue shirt was stained with sweat marks.
He shoved his camera into Jack’s face, and I could hear the shutter going off repeatedly as it took multiple photographs.
“Hey, not so close, buddy,” Jack said, which I thought was remarkably restrained.
We tried to walk away, but it seemed that in every direction we were blocked by Jack’s fans holding up something for him to sign.
The sweaty man with the huge camera kept getting in Jack’s face.
Jack’s whole body was tense, and I knew it wouldn’t take much for his temper to get the better of him.
Unfortunately where there was one paparazzo, there were normally more nearby.
“They hunt in packs,” Jack snarled. “They’re goddamn animals!”
It wasn’t long before we were surrounded by clicking cameras.
Things started to get out of hand very quickly.
I was pushed off to the side, away from Jack as he was suddenly surrounded by a whirlpool of people. I could see he was getting agitated, and I didn’t think we were ever going to make it to the circuit.
I considered calling Antonio and asking him to come and try and pick us up if he had managed to get through the traffic.
My hand closed around the cell phone in my pocket when one of the paparazzi shoved Jack.
I don’t think he meant to do it, but he’d tripped over one of the little kids holding up a baseball cap and pushed into the back of him, knocking Jack’s crutches from his hands.
I cursed under my breath. What the hell was wrong with these people? Didn’t they know Jack had been injured?
I pushed my way forward, not caring who I shoved out of the way. When I had almost reached Jack, I leaned forward to try and pick up one of the crutches. Unfortunately, that was the exact moment one of the paparazzi, the one with greasy slicked-back hair, had decided to step backwards, and as he lifted up his camera, his elbow connected with my face.
Ouch. Holy crap that hurt!
I stumbled, falling to my knees and gripping the side of my face.
“Watch what you’re doing!” I yelled, and then I caught sight of Jack’s face.
He was furious.
Before I could even stagger to my feet, he had gripped the neck of the greasy paparazzo and was shaking him like a doll. Then a split second later, he pulled back his arm, and I knew what was going to happen.
“No! Jack, don’t do it.”
But it was too late. Jack delivered an uppercut to the man’s jaw and sent him sprawling to the floor.
I scrambled to my feet and reached Jack’s side. Everyone else had backed off a little bit now.
I handed Jack one of his crutches, and he picked up the other one. Holding them both in one hand, he wrapped an arm around my shoulder.
“Get out of our way,” he growled at the rest of the crowd, while directing me around the rest of the paparazzi.
As we walked towards the circuit, I glanced back at the paparazzo on the floor. He was mumbling incoherently.
“Are you alright?” Jack asked, tilting my head towards his and studying my face.
“I’m fine. He just caught my jaw with his elbow,” I said. “He didn’t really mean to hurt me.”
“He still did it. It doesn’t matter what he meant to do.”
I took another glance at the paparazzo, who had now sat up and was cradling his head. I had a feeling that was going to come back and haunt us.
Thankfully, it wasn’t long before security approached us. At first, I suspected they would grill us over what had just happened, but it seemed they were there on Dominic O’Brien’s orders and didn’t care about the altercation.
They were quite an intimidating sight. A group of eight men, dressed in black uniforms, carrying batons.
“If you’d like to follow us please, sir, we will escort you to Dominic O’Brien.”
Jack shrugged. “Fine.”
9
We followed the men in black as they held up batons and snarled at anyone who dared to approach Jack.
I was beginning to think this whole Grand Prix thing had been a terrible idea.
We got inside the perimeter without needing a ticket, b
ypassing the huge queues. “Where are we going?” I whispered to Jack.
“The pit wall,” he said. “That’s where all the major players in the team will be before the race.”
I nodded as if I knew what the pit wall was. I hoped it wasn’t actually a pit.
We reached the area where there were a line of garages. Each team had its own garage and mechanics for the cars. I got my first close up look at the Formula One Grand Prix cars. They looked beautiful — sleek lines and gleaming colors — but what really amazed me was the noise they made. When they started up, it honestly sounded like a jet engine was taking off.
Someone shoved a pair of orange sponge earplugs wrapped in plastic at me, and I took them gratefully.
Jack grinned.
“The noise does take some getting used to,” he said.
We had just passed three of the garages when Jack stopped in his tracks.
“Rita?” he called out, and a tall woman, dressed in a blue and white jumpsuit looked up and saw Jack.
She broke out into a wide smile and barely noticed me as she strode towards him.
“Jack,” she said, practically running out of the garage and flinging her arms around him.
I took a step to the side. I didn’t fancy being hit by anybody else trying to get close to Jack today.
“It’s so good to see you!” she said, pulling him in for another hug. “Why didn’t you return my calls? I tried so many times to get in touch.”
“I know,” Jack said. “I’ve not been great at returning calls. I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?”
The smile Jack gave her was dazzling. There wasn’t a chance in hell any woman with a pulse would be able to stay mad at Jack when he smiled like that.
It reminded me that this was the real Jack Harding. The racing champion who could wrap women around his little finger. I stared down at the ground, feeling uncomfortable.
“Of course, I forgive you,” she said. “But only because it’s you, Jack. I can’t stay mad at you.”
An older man walked past us, slapping Jack on the back in a friendly way.
Everyone seemed to know Jack. As Jack continued to talk to Rita in the pit lane, people from the other garages waved hello and shouted out greetings.