Drivers equal bad.
And my little whatever it was—my-body-wants-his-body crush—is gone. Done with. Finito. It has to be because the racing season runs from March to November, and Carrick and I will be seeing a lot of each other. Nothing good could come of this my-body-wanting-to-jump-his-body thing for the next eight-plus months.
Carrick is due to arrive in Australia today. We’re a few days out before practice sessions start, but Carrick needs to be here early to acclimatize to the weather.
Nico’s also arriving. I have yet to meet him, not that I’ll have a lot of interaction with him as he has his own mechanics, but I’m still looking forward to it.
From what I can tell of Nico from the press, he’s the complete opposite of Carrick. Very focused and dedicated, he’s never seen out partying, and he is very much a family man, married with children.
I wonder how he and Carrick get along—if they get along at all. It’s not unusual for teammates not to like one another. Drivers might be paired under the same banner, but it’s a solitary sport and incredibly competitive.
It’s coming up to dinnertime, and I’m in my hotel room, the room I’m gonna be sharing with one of the hospitality girls, Petra. She’ll be getting in soon. I haven’t seen her since I met her on Carrick’s birthday.
To be honest, I’m surprised to be sharing a room with her. I thought she would have been sharing a room with the other front-of-house girl, Amy, the one who was photographed leaving that club with Carrick. I expected to be rooming alone. But it’s not a problem. I’m sure it’ll be fine. I guess it’ll be strange at first, sharing a room with someone I barely know, but I’m sure we’ll get on no problem, I don’t have a problem getting along with women. I just tend to get along better with men. I guess my interests, cars, aren’t that of a usual woman.
I’m sprawled out on my bed, deciding what to do for dinner, while watching TV when I hear the door open. Petra comes in, dragging a suitcase behind her, sounding out of breath.
“Hi.” I sit up, turning the volume down on the TV.
She closes the door and props her suitcase up against the dresser. “Hey. Andi, right? We met at Carrick’s birthday?”
“Hi. Yes, we did.”
“Sorry. I was a bit drunk that night. My memory sucks when I’ve had a drink. So, we’re gonna be roomies for the next eight-plus months.” She drops down on the other bed, her bed.
“I guess we are.” I slide my hands under my thighs, sitting on them.
“Well, I don’t snore apparently. And it doesn’t matter if you do. I’m a heavy sleeper.” She shrugs.
“Okay. Erm…well, I don’t think I snore. I mean, I’ve never had anyone tell me that I do.”
“Awesome. So, what’s the plan tonight?”
“Plan?”
“Are the guys going out?”
“Um, I think so.” I shrug. “Ben said something about going out for a beer later.”
“Cool. We’ll text them and see what the plan is. Have you eaten? ’Cause I’m starving.”
“No. I was just thinking about dinner.”
“Fabulous. We’ll get something to eat, either here or out. Then, we can meet up with the guys for a drink.”
“Sounds great.” I cross my legs on the bed, so I’m sitting Indian-style. “Are you not tired?” I ask her.
I was zonked when I first got here. I’m still trying to adjust to the time zone now. I’d only just got used to being in England.
“Nah. I had a good sleep on the plane, and I’m used to all the traveling around. Been doing this for years. I’m easily adaptable.” She kicks her flip-flops off. “And anyway, who needs sleep?”
“People.” I grin.
“Yeah, but I’m not most people. And in the wise words of Bon Jovi, ‘I’ll sleep when I’m dead.’”
I laugh lightly. I’m starting to like this girl already.
“Yeah, I guess you’ve got a point. I’m not usually one for lying in. But I was knackered when I first got here.”
She chuckles. “You’ll adjust to it all soon enough.”
“Yeah, I’m sure I will. Has the other girl, Amy, arrived, too?”
Petra’s face frowns at the mention of Amy’s name. “No, she got let go.”
“Let go?”
“Sacked.”
“Oh. Why?”
“Because she shagged Carrick. I bloody told her not to, that no good would come of it, especially not so soon after what happened with Charlotte, but she didn’t listen.”
“Oh, right. Yeah, Uncle John told me about the Charlotte thing, not that we were gossiping or anything.” I’m quick to clear it up. “Uncle John was just telling me how my position came up.”
“Yeah, it was all a bit of a mess, to be honest.”
“So, does every girl who sleeps with Carrick get fired?” At her expression, I clarify, “Not that I’m asking because I want to sleep with him. Purely asking out of nosiness.”
She shrugs. “He’s never really bothered with staff before. I mean, he never tried anything with me, not that I’d let him. He’s not my type. But before Charlotte, it was Lea, and she was married. Then, she left to have a baby, and Rich got Charlotte the job, and we know how that ended—a big fucking tabloid mess. So, when Amy got the job, she had her eye on Carrick straight away, and I told her it wouldn’t be a good idea as Pierce is still prickly about the whole mess. Then, she goes and gets herself photographed with him and another girl. I mean, seriously!” She laughs, throwing her hands up in the air. “So, Pierce had my boss, David let her go, which David did easily as she was brought in only as a temp because Pierce didn’t want to risk any future problems arising, like what they had with Charlotte—you know, her suing them and all.”
“Hmm. Not that it’s nice, but yeah, I guess I can understand Pierce’s point of view.”
“Yeah, but now, I’m stuck working on my own. Pierce won’t let David hire anyone else because he’s worried that Carrick will shag the next one. And it’s not like David can hire a guy because you know it’s all about appearances in this business. So, he’s brought in Franco to add more hands in the kitchen to relieve me of that, but I’m up front, serving on my own.” She pulls a face.
“Sucks,” I sympathize.
“Yeah, but never mind. It is what it is.” She climbs up off the bed. “I’m gonna go shower the flight off me and get ready to go out. Text Ben, will you, and find out what they’re up to?”
“Sure.”
I grab my phone off the nightstand and begin typing out a text to Ben as Petra disappears into the bathroom.
As it turns out, the guys are already out, so Petra and I catch a quick bite at the hotel.
Now, we’re walking down to meet them on Fitzroy Street in St. Kilda. It’s a hive of activity. The street is lined with bars and restaurants. Petra told me that this is the best place to come drinking while we’re in Melbourne, not that I know how much drinking I’ll be doing while I’m here.