Racing For Love

Chapter Seventy Nine

"Sylvie? Pete?" I said again, surprise in my voice at the unexpected sight of the pair we met in Italy.

"There she is! You guys get here ok?" Pete rushed over pulling me into a hug, as I stood bewildered.

"She looks pretty surprised, Jono. You didn't let slip then?" Sylvie asked Jono, setting the tray down on the table next to us.

"Hang on, you knew they would be here? I'm so confused!" I told the people surrounding me as they all laughed at my expense before Sylvie pulled me into a hug and directed me to sit.

"Have a glass of lemonade. This'll help. And us explaining of course!" Sylvie told me, pouring the cloudy liquid into the glass in front of me.

The others joined at the table before Jono revealed that he had stayed in touch with the pair - offering them the promised paddock passes for the race at COTA. He initially turned down their offer to host him during his stay in Texas, but after my decision to leave Bianchi, he called them back and asked if we could both come for a couple of days, to which they were happy to oblige.

Sylvie and Pete were so excited to show us around the ranch, but after the long flight and journey, Jono and I both opted for a shower before dinner, making plans to look around in the daylight tomorrow instead.

Sylvie showed us through the house - the walls leading up the staircase were adorned with pictures of animals, family gatherings and several of Sylvie in business suits meeting influential people. We had spoken a bit when we were in Italy, but they had told us they were retired, not elaborating much further. The pictures looked strangely familiar and I had a feeling that she would have lots of interesting stories to tell.

The room was light and bright. Large wooden traditional furniture was placed around the room and a big four-poster bed sat in the middle with a quilted sheet over the top - I ran my hand over the fabric, noticing some of the familiar patterns of Liberty prints that I had at home. The room felt cosy. It felt like home.

"This is so perfect, Sylvie. I can't thank you enough!"

"Bathroom's through the door. I'll leave you to it, and I'll be downstairs prepping dinner. Far away so I won't be able to hear any noises," she said with a wink, which made me automatically flush in embarrassment.

"Thank you Sylvie, we'll be down soon," Jono said, giving her a brief kiss on the cheek in gratitude.

There was something about this place that felt immediately comforting. I felt such warmth from Sylvie and Pete - the kind that felt paternal, something I'd not experienced in a good while. I was pulled out of my thoughts by Jono, unzipping his case - red Bianchi tops exploding across the floor as he dug to find a toiletry bag.

"Oh, no you don't - I'm in first!" I said, running into the bathroom and trying to shut the door before he could beat me to it. His arms were longer than mine, and he made it to the door just as I did. We were giggling and fighting over who got to go in first, gently pushing and teasing each other.

"Let's make a deal, and share?" Jono said with a wicked glint in his eye.

"Hmm, I could manage that," I told him, before I grabbed my own toiletries and we both went into the bathroom. I reached for the taps, hearing them squeak as I got the shower working and began to strip off my clothes, watching Jono do the same.

He was facing away from me, and I saw the sinewed muscles across his back and broad shoulders. I stopped as I noticed two red welts on the bones that jutted out from his scapula.

"What are these?" I asked as I ran my fingers over the marks, seeing his body tense.

"They're from the seat. Because I'm tall, they sometimes rub against the frame in races when there's a lot of G-force. They're not normally this bad, but the last couple of races have been tough. Don't worry, they'll soon heal." Jono told me as I gently kissed the two spots.