Page 73 of Start Your Engines

Senna

“Are you enjoying the fondue?”he asks as I pull my fork with bread on the end out of the cheesy mixture. Scents of rosemary and cheeses I can’t distinguish mix with Connor’s spicy aftershave.

I nod as I blow on the bread that drips over my plate.

“You’re beautiful,” he adds, his blue eyes twinkling from the glow of the fake candles that light our table and the fairy lights dotted around the coffee shop that transforms into a village bistro at night.

I look around at the other tables. This place seems popular with locals, holidaymakers, and walkers returning to the village after their hikes.

“I’m wearing shorts and a hoodie. I hardly look like a model,” I reply with a roll of my eyes.

“You look like everything I’ve ever wanted and needed.”

I rub my furrowed brow. Everything has changed in one day. I can’t?—

“Tell me something about you I don’t know from the last ten years,” he cuts into my overthinking.

“I could tell you how I met Jacs.” He nods as he fills my water glass. I take a quick sip. “I thought I’d discovered a real-life unicorn when I found her. A female best friend who is as passionate about racing as me. Best day ever.” He raises his eyebrows at me. “Okay, today is pretty close.”

He chuckles and winks. I nearly fan myself with my serviette.

“At the end-of-season dinner, I overheard a mechanic from Vessa tell her she’d never amount to anything because there wasn’t space for women like her in Formula One.”

“Dick.”

“Exactly. But then he added that he’d enjoy watching her never climb the ladder over the next few years and walked off. So I “accidentally” pushed my bag out in front of him.”

“That’s my girl,” Connor says and my belly flutters.

I sip my water to stop from squealing.

“His faceplant was perfect. I was apologetic, but I got away with it because of who Dad was. I hate the whole nepo baby thing because I’ve worked for everything I’ve had. But when I needed to bring that arsehole down without consequences, it worked in my favour.”

“You’re no nepo baby. You’re the hardest working person in racing.” I hum my appreciation. “But then what happened? How did you catch your unicorn?”

“For the rest of that evening, I made my way around the room, learning all I needed about Jacs and by the end of the night, I’d petitioned the head of the mechanic's team to sign her to Coulter Racing, hoping she was as good as her reputation. She was better, and within two years, she was one of the head mechanics, and the dickhead from Vessa now asks her for a job. She refuses.”

Connor claps his hands and beams at me. “That’s why you’re the best.”

I scrunch my nose, but he repeats, “You’re the best, baby.”

The wait staff takes our plates, but we only see each other.

“Your turn. I have a specific question for you, but it might be too much,” I say as my lips tip down.

“I won’t hide anything from you anymore. You can ask me anything whenever you want.”

His words calm my pulse. “Your dad. I’m sorry I wasn’t there when he left.”

“Senna, you’ve been thinking about this a lot?” I nod. He holds out his hand, and I take it. “Don’t ever feel guilty for what happened. My dad is the only person who should feel guilt,” he says softly.

“How did you get through it?”

He leans his head back and looks at the ceiling. He lets out a long breath, and I squeeze his hand to remind him that I’m here for him.

“Don’t worry, it doesn’t matter, Con.”

Connor fixes me with his stare. “It matters to you, and so it matters. I want you to know everything about me; this is part of who I am.” He drags in a breath and lets it out slowly. “For a while, I didn’t get through it. I lost you and your parents and then my dad and mum and Layla in one hit.”

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