Chasing Daisy

disappointed.
    ‘Yeah, Simon’s not very happy about it.’
    ‘Really?’ My stomach tightens.
    ‘Apparently Will didn’t sleep well last night.’
    ‘Oh.’ I feel quite sick. I’d probably lose my job if Simon knew I’d kept him up.
    I leave the kitchen to watch Q3 on the big screen and, even though it’s still not great, I’m relieved when Will manages to climb his way up to fifth. Luis will start second tomorrow.
    The drivers arrive back soon afterwards, but while Luis sits down at a table with his family, Will goes straight up to his room. I stare after him for a moment, before remembering his spare pair of overalls still needs to have two new sponsorship patches stitched onto them. That’s as good an excuse as any . . .
    ‘Come in,’ he calls when I knock on the door.
    I push it open. ‘Hi.’
    ‘Hello.’
    ‘Have you got your overalls handy? The other ones,’ I say, when I see him glance down at the pair he’s wearing. ‘I need to stitch those patches on.’
    ‘Oh, yeah, sure,’ he remembers, going to the cupboard and hunting them out. They’re still wrapped in dry cleaning plastic from after the last race.
    ‘Are you okay?’ I ask tentatively, as I take the package from him.
    ‘Fine,’ he brushes me off, indicating a chair. I perch on the edge of it.
    ‘I heard you were tired. I’m sorry.’
    He shakes his head dismissively as he pulls off one of his boots. ‘That wasn’t the problem. There wasn’t enough downforce on the car.’
    ‘Oh. Okay. Is there anything I can do?’
    ‘No, no. I’ll be down in a minute.’ He pulls off the other boot.
    ‘Okay.’ I stand up.
    The sound of Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella’ starts to pulse out of his mobile phone on the table. Will snatches it up. I’ve heard his phone ring before, but it just makes a plinkety-plonkety sound, it’s not a realtone. And then it dawns on me: this must be the tone he uses for his girlfriend.
    ‘Hey,’ he says into the receiver, ‘can you hang on a sec?’ He covers the mouthpiece as I move to the door and open it. An ache throbs deep inside me. What’s that song about? Being there for your beloved, whatever the weather? I haven’t got a hope in hell.
    ‘Daisy,’ he calls.
    I turn back. ‘Yes?’
    He whispers, ‘Better stay away from my room tonight, hey? I could do with a bit more sleep if I’m going to beat that dickhead.’
    I blush and glance involuntarily at his phone, then force a smile and leave the room, closing the door gently behind me.
    I walk back into the kitchen in a daze. I’m so stupid. So very, very stupid. I hate myself. Why can’t I stop thinking about him? I have to stop thinking about him. I have to!
    ‘What’s up with you?’ Holly asks, seeing my face.
    ‘Come to the bathroom with me?’ I throw a glance at Klaus, Gertrude and the other catering staff working away at nearby counters.
    ‘Oh, God, Holly,’ I say as soon as the bathroom door closes behind her. ‘You’re going to have to kick me or something. Anything to stop me from falling for him.’
    ‘I take it we’re talking about Will?’
    I give her a wry look.
    ‘I think you’re a bit beyond that, don’t you? You’ve fallen, hook, line and sinker.’
    I sigh and lean up against a toilet door. ‘Do you know what ringtone he uses for his girlfriend?’
    She looks nonplussed.
    ‘“Umbrella”, by Rihanna.’
    ‘Oh.’ I’m sure she’s trying not to smirk.
    ‘It’s not funny!’
    ‘Sorry, sorry.’ She’s contrite.
    ‘Seriously, I’ve got to stop this. I’m sworn off men for a reason. I don’t want any more heartache. And I know you warned me about getting hurt,’ I add, when I see the look on her face. ‘But what could I do? What can I do? I can’t stop myself from feeling this way.’
    ‘Why don’t you shag Luis instead? That’ll take your mind off Will.’
    ‘Holly!’ I erupt. ‘What sort of a solution is that? No!’
    ‘Why not? I would.’
    ‘Well, why don’t you, then?’
    She laughs and humorously shakes her head.
    ‘Of all the things to say.’ I stare at her in disbelief.
    ‘Don’t worry,’ she says, patting me on the arm. ‘I’m sure things will work out. They always do.’
    Great. She’s no help at all.
    Holly and I are doing the first shift on race day, so when she suggests that we have an early one on Saturday night, I don’t disagree. I’m fast asleep when something wakes me up. The door. I look across and see that Holly isn’t in her bed. I get up and have a quick