Racing For Love

Chapter Sixty Six

I spend the rest of the afternoon prepping for the party - I've collected meat from the butchers and I'm standing in the kitchen threading vegetables onto skewers when Jono appears.

"Hey. They look great!" he says, as he stands behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. He rests his head against my shoulder and gently kisses my neck. "Erm, about tonight...there's a few more coming than I had expected." He turns me around to look into my eyes, searching to see if I'm ok with this change of plan.

"That's fine! Who's coming?"

"When I was at the driver's meeting earlier, I sort of invited everyone." he says sheepishly.

"And did anyone actually confirm?" I ask - of course I'd ordered and made extra food, but the prospect of at least twenty additional people is more than a little daunting.

"I'm not sure - quite a few are busy, but I think Lars is coming with his wife, and maybe Louis Madec from Aerial?"

"Aerial and Infinite drivers, eh?" I ask Jono, raising my eyebrows. "Anyone from Racing Force?"

"Well, who knows who's racing for them next year yet, but Masato did say he'd think about coming."

"Is he not busy celebrating his seat with Infinite? Um, that's not the seat you were offered is it?"

"Yeah, but I had already turned it down after speaking with Lars. It wasn't the right fit for me - too much of a midfield team, and even if they built the car around me, I don't think it would work." Jono confirms, smiling across to me. I'm pleased that he's made the first decision and whittled his choice down to two teams.

"That's great news, Jono. So, just two teams to choose between now. I think Danny and some of the other guys I met in Hungary from the Aerial team are coming with Faye later, so maybe you can get some more insight from them!" I reply, pulling him in to a hug before carrying on my tasks. I put extra drinks in to chill and make some more salads whilst Jono heads outside to get the BBQ and firepits ready. As I finish prepping food and go upstairs to get changed, I can't help wondering if tonight might finalise Jono's decision.

*

As the sun began to set, the garden was transformed into a party space - Jono had strung fairy lights around the terrace area and combined with the scent of grilling meat and the gentle sounds of music coming from the speaker, everything seemed perfect. The British summer weather had also complied, warm but with a light breeze and I felt a sense of anticipation for the evening ahead.

I had dressed simply in a short floral summer dress and left my hair loose and flowing around my shoulders. When Jono reappeared, he was dressed in a light linen shirt and shorts and my breath caught as he smiled at me - sometimes I forgot just how handsome he was, especially when he smiled.

I handed him a beer and we stood in companionable silence as we took in our surroundings before the guests arrived. The realisation that we were hosting our first event together reminded me of how quickly we had fallen into this easy relationship. Since Italy, it was a given that we were together, and instead of being worried about everything moving too fast, it felt like everything was meant to be like this all along.

Lars and his wife were the first to arrive, presenting me with a large bottle of champagne and hugs of greeting. I had only met Lars' wife, Irina, once before but she was kind and bubbly, and we chatted easily. We discussed Lars not having a seat for next year, but they turned smiling at each other and said they were excited about the prospect of spending more time together. It was only when I fetched drinks for them - Irina opting for a soft drink - that I noticed a knowing look between the pair and I wondered if they might be announcing some other big news before the season was over.