Page 61 of Rush
‘Okay, note to self, wake someone up to hold my hand if I want ice cream.’
‘Someone, or me?’ she asked, her cheeks flushing. ‘Well, you’re hardly gonna take Wes down in the lift, are you? That’s a lot of effort just for some mint choc chip. His lift takes forever.’
‘I’d take your dad,’ Marco shot back and hurried ahead to hold the door.
She followed him with a grin and walked in to a chorus of ‘hellos’ and ‘long time no sees’ all courtesy of the usual patrons who took up residence in the old red leather booth seats surrounding the edges of the restaurant. She loved it in here. It was cosy, you knew what you were going to getand there were no airs and graces from the staff. It didn’t try to be anything fancy; it just served good food, cooked from scratch by the chefs who always made themselves visible to customers.
‘This the boyfriend?’ Delores greeted them at the door, ready to take them to a table. ‘Also, why didn’t you tell me you were coming home? I’d have made you an apple pie as a welcome present. You know that’s my thing.’ The elderly woman who had worked here for years frowned at her.
‘This is Marco, yes. Mars, this is Delores. And I didn’t tell you I was coming because I tell you every time I’m the only one who eats apple pie at home, and I can’t eat the whole thing on my own. It’s too much, and I’m on an athlete’s diet.’
‘Excuses, girl. You’ve got this one to share it with now, I’ll see about bringing one by Mustang Ridge in the week before you leave.’ Savi rolled her eyes. Della had always tried to take care of the Hart kids, providing them with somewhere to do their homework for years and a place for them and their friends to come and grab milkshakes on weekends.
‘Nice to meet you, Delores.’ Marco reached out to shake her hand and she turned her nose up, staring at his open palm like he was diseased.
‘Call me Della, and don’t shake my hand. I do hugs.’ She held her arms out for Marco to step into, winking at Savi when he looked to her for confirmation. ‘Come on, boyfriend. I ain’t got all day, got all these old biddies to cater to.’
Marco quickly jumped into action, giving Delores a hugthat turned into an almighty squeeze, which would be cute had she not whispered loudly in his ear about not daring to hurt Savi otherwise she would cut off a certain body part. He nodded in agreement and followed her to the table, one in the back corner. ‘Gotta give the VIPs some privacy from prying eyes. Don’t get too handsy, though. Bobby over there might have a heart attack, don’t think he can handle the excitement.’ She pointed to a man who was around the same age as her, hunched over a newspaper at the counter but peering over it, in their direction.
‘Thanks, Della,’ Marco smiled, taking the menu but not looking at it until she left.
As she went, Savi heard her mutter, ‘Polite, I like him.’
‘Savannah, they do vegan pancakes!’ Marco gasped.
‘How are you the size that you are?’ She scanned the menu, choosing to try something vegan herself but instead settling on an all-day full English breakfast. She’d tried one in London the previous year and grown obsessed, choosing to have it for breakfast in every hotel that had it on the menu. It was because of her that the diner had started serving it.
‘I swear I do eat vegetables, but these sound so good. I can’t resist.’ He looked as though his mouth was about to water. ‘So, spoken to Kodie the last couple of days?’
‘Yep. She touched base, said she’s sorry for overreacting and she’s going to miss me for the next two weeks. Asked if we could go for a drink in Le Mans. Just one, obviously. Got to be in top shape for a race like that.’
‘I’m so excited for you girls to experience it. No driver ever quite understands the magic of Le Mans until theyget to race it themselves. There’s nothing else like it: all the history, the unpredictability. The whole pit lane is just electric for the entire week, and in those twenty-four hours it’s like you’re in another world,’ he said, the excitement shining in his eyes.
Savi loved hearing other people talking about the industry. It was the way Gabriel spoke about the IEC with so much passion that had made her want to excel at karting, so he saw her value and helped her get there. She had worked hard so that she could feel that love for the industry for herself, and it still didn’t feel real that she was here. She’d made it.
‘Mars, we need to talk about this fake-dating thing. Enough time has passed that we needn’t worry about the photos, but… the only other reason for doing it was to keep Jesse and I’s relationship free of any suspicion. Isn’t it about time we stopped?’
‘Are you ready?’ he frowned. ‘To face the publicity that will come with our fake break-up whilst you’re still healing from a real one in private?’
She sighed and shrugged, because that was just it. She didn’t know if she was. ‘Probably not, but it’s not fair to keep you tied to me. You have your own life to live, Monaco.’
‘Savannah, are you serious?’ He rolled his eyes. ‘This is my life right now, and I am very okay with what it looks like. I’m not tied to you. I’m choosing you. So if you need to keep up the pretending for a little while longer, I’m game.’
‘Really?’ she asked, her heart melting a little at how sure he looked. ‘You don’t have to do this, Marco. I can handleit, if you change your mind or if there’s a girl you’ve got your eye on or something…’
‘My mind has been somewhat occupied.’ He smiled. ‘How does keeping me on as your fake boyfriend until the end of the season sound?’
Savi reached out for a handshake. ‘You’ve got yourself a deal.’
She let Marco take control of the conversation all the way through lunch, listening to him tell her all about his, Brett’s and Julien’s antics before she and the others came along. It sounded like even Faith and Lucie’s influence hadn’t completely tamed them. There were stories of mechanical bulls, bouncy castles, stolen golf karts and trips to Paris where they’d rented bikes and caused havoc across the city.
Marco spoke like she would soon be part of it, and while she would be somewhat involved because she was part of the Revolution Racing team, it sounded like they did a lot of things as couples and Marco tagged along as an extra. She wasn’t sure she would always be welcomed like she was truly one of them.
By the time they got back to the ranch, the truck was loaded up with not just equipment for Mocha, Java and Cappuccino, but for all the other rescue horses they had at the ranch and up to three more. Saddles, reins, bridles, coats. Everything they could possibly need. She had spent a fortune, but she’d been able to buy all the things she had dreamed of having as a little girl.
‘What in the world?’ Bonnie’s eyes went wide at the number of items in the back of the truck. ‘I thought you were just fixing the gate!’
‘We really went for it,’ Marco grinned. ‘The final reveal will be on Friday, please do not enter the stables until then.’
