Trackside Temptation

Chapter Fourteen

FRANCESCA

It was Saturday, and that meant there was another round of qualifying—for everyone except one. Nico had asked to meet for an update on Matthias' condition, so I was on my way to the motorhome with a coffee for myself and a coffee for each of the two men.

I arrived before Matthias and took a seat directly opposite Nico.

"Morning," he said chirpily.

I grinned. "Good morning. Feeling ready for the day?"

"Always am." He flicked through the pages of his notebook, the paper sounding unusually crisp for this early in the morning. "Thanks for sending through a copy of your plan for Matt. It looks like everything is going great."

I nodded. "It is. He's definitely gotten better at listening to me over the past few months. We're not fully there, but we're making progress."

Nico chuckled. "Yeah, I don't know what magic you're casting, but this morning, I'd never seen him in such a good mood. He's less aggressive in the sim now, and I think his first race back will not only demonstrate his skills, but yours too."

Nico's words made me feel warm inside. I craved validation like an eldest child craved high grades. Of course, my toxic mind wondered if he was in a good mood because he'd gone home with Isabella. Cut it out, I told myself.

"I just want to make sure you're comfortable with everything. I know Matt can be a bit of a flirt—well, actually I haven't seen him flirt in a few years but—"

Nico's sentence was cut off by the door opening, and I turned to see Matt walking in. He was wearing his race suit, likely to impress Isabella and catch every other fan's attention.

I was slightly annoyed with the timing of it all. While I appreciated that we were all here to start the meeting, I wanted to know what Nico was going to say. I didn't know what Nico was seeing because nothing was happening in this reality. Matt certainly wasn't flirting with me, of all people.

"Sorry, I'm late," Matt sighed.

Nico laughed. "Never thought I'd hear the Matthias van der Burg apologise for being late." He looked at me. "Francesca's been working extremely hard."

Matt looked over at me and smiled. I smiled back, trying to erase the awkward tension that had been brewing since his entrance.

"Anyway, let's talk logistics," Nico continued. "Matt, the doctor has said you're healing at a stellar rate. He'd like to see you on July fourth for another assessment."

I checked my watch; today was the first of July. If he was cleared by the fourth, he'd be able to race at the Silverstone Grand Prix. What a comeback that would be—re-joining the competition at his home race.

"Well, I hope the doctor brings me good news then," Matt said. "It'll be a shitty birthday otherwise."

Subtle hint, I thought.

"Don't worry," Nico chuckled. "You'll get a cake with your face on it either way."

"Hope it's chocolate," Matt teased, sinking into his chair with a relaxation I hadn't seen him wear before. Nico wasn't lying when he said this man had a new personality today.

"How's the reserve driver finding it all?" I asked. Matt was replaced by a younger driver who had won Formula Two last year. He obviously had to adjust to the car and conditions, but for a rookie, he was keeping De Rossi in the points each race.

Romain was continuing to lead the competition, and despite being out of two races, Matthias was still holding on to second place. He should've been thanking the FIA for awarding such a harsh penalty on Santoro Renault, otherwise, he'd likely be down into third.