Chasing Daisy

up.
    ‘Fuck that,’ she snaps.
    I put down the third hard-boiled egg that I’ve peeled and turn to face her, suddenly desperate to know the truth about her relationship with Simon.
    ‘What?’ she asks, glancing at me. She’s clearly still riled about Catalina.
    ‘Nothing.’ I lose my nerve and get back to work.
    The modern track facilities in Shanghai are stunning – we’ve left our portable ‘motorhomes’ back in Europe. The circuit here is designed in the shape of the Chinese character ‘shang’, which stands for ‘high’ or ‘above’, and the hospitality buildings are arranged like pavilions on a lake to resemble the ancient Yuyuan Garden in the Old City.
    The weather today is mild, with the humidity only moderate, and some of our guests are sitting outside at tables overlooking the water. I put together a tray of drinks and take it out to them. Luis is sharing a table with a couple of mechanics. They get up and go inside while he turns his attention to a newspaper.
    ‘Not catching up on all that ridiculous gossip about you and Will, are you?’ I ask him, placing the tray on his table to rest my arms for a moment.
    He puts the paper down and looks up at me. ‘Have you been reading about it?’
    ‘No, Holly told me.’
    ‘Oh, I see. So how are you? I didn’t see you after the race in Monaco.’
    ‘Nor I you,’ I say. ‘And I should be asking how you are.’
    ‘Fine.’ His response is blunt. He pulls out a chair. ‘Take a break for a minute?’
    I pause, then sit down. ‘So you weren’t hurt, then?’
    ‘What? In the crash?’
    I nod.
    ‘No.’ He shakes his head. ‘No thanks to you know who.’
    ‘Will?’
    ‘Yes, Daisy,’ he replies pedantically, before changing the subject. ‘Did Johnny see you?’
    I flinch a little at the sound of his name, then pull myself together. ‘I doubt it. He would have been far too caught up in himself to notice me.’
    ‘Does he know you’re working for a Formula 1 team?’ he asks.
    ‘No, I’m sure he doesn’t.’
    ‘He’s quite into racing, isn’t he? Doesn’t he have loads of sports cars?’
    ‘Yeah. How do you know all this?’
    ‘It’s just common knowledge. I’m not a massive fan or anything.’
    ‘Good.’ I flash him a wry smile. ‘Because I can’t get you an autograph anymore.’
    He rolls his eyes.
    ‘Anyway,’ I add, ‘from the sounds of it, you and Will are more famous than he is at the moment, with this alleged spat going on.’
    Luis’s face hardens as he looks past me towards the lake.
    ‘I don’t believe you gossiped about it, but do you blame him for the accident?’ I ask, tentatively.
    ‘Yeah. It was his fault.’ He glares at me and defiantly folds his arms.
    ‘Was it?’ I don’t honestly know.
    ‘Yes! He’s far too aggressive at overtaking, he didn’t leave enough room and clipped my wing. What does he expect at a track like Monaco? It’s not like he hasn’t driven there before – he should know better! Now I’ve lost ten points in the championship and I’m going to have to race twice as hard to get them back again!’
    ‘Alright, alright!’ I interrupt his rant, looking left and right. ‘I hope there aren’t any journalists listening in.’
    He picks up the newspaper again. Now I’m not so sure he didn’t gossip.
    ‘Did you say that about his girlfriend?’ I can’t help asking. ‘About him showing off in front of her?’
    ‘Of course I bloody didn’t.’ He slaps the newspaper back down on the table, crossly.
    ‘No, I didn’t think so,’ I hurriedly tell him. ‘Did you get your jacket back, by the way?’
    ‘Yep.’
    I left it for him at reception.
    ‘Right, well, I’d better get on.’
    He nods and starts to read.
    Moody bastard.
    Later that afternoon I’m in the kitchen washing dishes when Will pokes his head around the door, making me jump with surprise. He’s never done that before.
    ‘Can I borrow you a sec?’ he asks me, before glancing at Frederick. ‘Is that alright?’
    ‘Sure.’ Frederick waves me out of the kitchen.
    I join Will in the hospitality area. ‘Everything okay?’ I ask.
    ‘Yeah.’ He glances behind him and spies one of the front-of-house girls wiping down a nearby table. He looks back at me. ‘Can we go upstairs?’
    ‘Er, okay . . .’ I follow him, hesitantly, as he leads the way to the drivers’ suite situated directly above the hospitality area. He has to share a room here with Luis, so he checks it’s empty before ushering me