Page 60 of Head Over Wheels

‘You want to stay here in the middle of nowhere with goats – and me?’

‘I wouldn’t have put them in that order.’

I didn’t dare react to the joke. ‘There’s no one here to see us together.’

Her gaze clouded. ‘Look, I shouldn’t have said we only kissed for the cameras. I panicked in front of Dad and maybe… it was an excuse.’

For what?Before I could voice the question, my phone vibrated insistently in my pocket and I tugged it out with a frown, since I muted most functions entirely. My agent’s name flashed up on the screen and my frown deepened. I didn’t usually warrant much of Ravi’s attention these days, so I connected the call warily.

‘Hey! Seb, my man!’

I nearly tugged the device away from my ear to peer at it in incredulity, it had been so long since I’d heard such enthusiasm from him. ‘Hi, Ravi.’

‘I’ve had quite a few calls this morning.’

Did that require an apology? ‘Yesterday was a big day.’ But I’d thought the team PR would handle any extra media inquiries?

‘Everyone wants to know what your plans are.’

‘My plans?’ I glanced uneasily at Lori. ‘You know what my plans are.’ A peaceful retirement.

He laughed, then the sound petered out to an awkward huff. He dropped his voice. ‘I mean with your girlfriend. I don’t usually like to pry, but you could have told me you haveLori Gallagherin your back pocket! If you’re planning to be active on social media, I’ve already got two inquiries about sponsorship.’

Misgiving skittered over my skin.

‘Think about the options it would give you for next year.’ Ravi knew my financial situation. ‘If it goes well, you could get more sponsorship opportunities even after you retire.’

I couldn’t, if they were contingent on a relationship with Lori that would only exist until my – her – luck ran out. My head swam, remembering her agonised tone as she spoke about letting the team down and wanting to do her bit. Were people really so interested in her love life?

‘Ehm, thanks Ravi. Can we talk about this later?’How about never ever again?‘I’m kind of… busy.’

‘Of course, of course. Text me when you’re ready. And say hi to Top Gun for me. I’m a big fan andyou’rea dark horse, tiger!’

I blinked at the phone for several vacant seconds after I disconnected.

‘Your agent?’

I darted a glance at her. ‘He says hi. He’s a big fan.’

‘Ah, I landed you in the fire?’

‘No,’ I insisted, but my voice lacked conviction. I drew myself up with a sigh. ‘Do you really think pretending we’re… in love would help you and the team?’ I hoped she couldn’t tell that the words stuck in my throat.

A grimace briefly crossed her features. ‘Now that we’ve kissed, it would probably be better than leaving people wondering. And at least they might stop talking to me about Gaetano.’

That flicked a switch inside me. ‘Maybe it’s a good idea after all. If we do it, am I allowed to text you more than “congratulations”?’

She scrunched her nose at me. ‘Yeah, I suppose so.’

‘Okay, then. This is it. The most unlikely love story in the peloton. Maybe it’ll help with our luck problem too.’

She studied me as though she might question my sudden change of heart, so I rushed on.

‘Just use a filter on me, hmm?’ I posed with my knuckle and thumb on my chin.

Batting my arm away, she gave me a dry look. ‘Use your own filters. I’m pretty real on social media.’

‘I know,’ I said, pausing when I belatedly thought that through.

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