Page 68 of Rush
Savi seemed to be the only one worrying what it might do to Weston if his presence at Le Mans caused a stir, which it may or may not. A lot of the world didn’t know who he was, but all it took was for someone on the rodeo circuit to see him on their TV screen and he would no longer be living a private life behind the rickety wooden fences of Mustang Ridge.
Wes had deleted his social media apps weeks after he woke up from his coma and not touched them again since, even for personal use. He gamed and read books, and occasionally wrote in his journal. A habit picked up in therapy sessions he’d been forced to go to by their parents. That was all he did day in, day out when Savi wasn’t home for him to wind up. Oh, and he watched livestreams of her races which, notably, was more than Jesse had ever done.
He seemed to be taking a lot of monumental steps in a very short period of time, and although she loved seeing snippets of the old Wes, she was too used to the version of her brother who just wanted to shut everything and everyone out. If the media attention got too much, he could shut down again and then there would be no hope of getting him back.
With Weston sitting at one of the tables with his spare gaming laptop in his bag, waiting for take-off so he couldsafely get it out, Marco settled in opposite him and opened a newspaper.
‘I’m very impressed, Marco,’ Bonnie nodded at the paper. ‘Most people of your generation use their phones to access the news.’
‘I’m not going to lie, I found it in the seat pocket, and I forgot to bring a book, so I figured it’ll do until we’re in the air and I can get my portable gaming console out. It’s probably Julien’s.’
‘Is this also Julien’s?’ Savi pulled a fruit wind-up out of her own seat pocket.
‘That either belongs to one of his kids or it’s Brett’s.’ Marco squinted. ‘Strawberry? Belongs to Brett. He’s obsessed with those.’
‘So, what should we expect when we get to Le Mans?’ Bonnie sat down next to Calvin and opposite Savi, who had decided to let the guys do their own thing across the aisle. She wasn’t part of the gaming squad, nor did she want to be.
‘We’ll get a private transfer to the hotel and check in, unpack and freshen up, then Savannah and I are going to take you all for lunch at my favourite restaurant in the city. Show you the architecture, do a bit of shopping. It’s not really a tourist town, but it’s pretty.’
‘Do you think I’ll find a magnet or a bottle opener?’ Calvin’s ears perked up.
‘Probably,’ Marco laughed. ‘We’ll likely have an early night as we’ll be the first ones there, but first thing in the morning we’re going to head straight to the track for a practice session. You guys can get breakfast in the team HQbuilding; we’ve got caterers so you can take your pick. We’ll also introduce you to the team, reunite you with Gabriel, show you where to get merchandise if you want any.’
‘Oh, I wantallthe merchandise,’ Weston interjected. ‘We need lots of t-shirts to replace the Jesse Montalvo tour tees. We’re coming back on the jet, right?’
‘You are. Savannah and I will be joining the rest of the team in the UK for Silverstone, and then I think Savannah has a workshop withGirls Off Trackin London, right?’ He looked to her for confirmation, and she nodded. ‘I’ll probably tag along with her.’
That was news to Savi. Not that she was complaining, she just hadn’t given it much thought. In fact, she wasn’t sure what the rest of the season had in store for her when it came to travelling; they had yet to race in Shanghai, Fuji, Qatar and Sebring. All she knew for certain was that she would be back home in Wyoming when Sebring was over since it was in the United States.
She had weeks to fill in between, where usually she would be catching up with Jesse, and now she had to choose between going back to her family or carving out new adventures for herself with her team. She wouldn’t say no to a trip to Hawaii, for example. Or returning to Monaco and meeting Marco’s parents, maybe even flying out to Switzerland to ski and hang out with Marco’s brother. Except their relationship dynamic was even trickier than it had been on her last visit, and if she was going to meet his family, she wanted things between them to be clear.
The flight dragged on forever, in part thanks to Weston’s constant complaining that planes were boring. The rodeohad taken him around the US in a specific order which meant he’d never had to travel too far, and most trips were done on the road. The jet had televisions and board games, but they spent a long time sat on the ground during their layover while the jet was refuelled. Thankfully everyone was asleep for the last few hours except for Savi and Marco, who were sharing headphones and watching more of that reality show they’d started, Savi having shuffled over to his side of the plane.
‘Welcome to Paris.’ Their flight attendant poked her head round and smiled at their sleepy faces. ‘You’re welcome to exit the plane now. Your car is waiting for you.’
They waited for Marco and Calvin to get Weston back in his wheelchair, not an easy task when he was itching to get off and enjoy some fresh air. That was another thing he’d complained about; not being able to open a window. He was too used to being in the open air back on the ranch, being able to wheel out onto the front porch whenever he felt like it. Thirteen hours on a plane was hard work.
‘I wish we could see Paris,’ Bonnie sighed wistfully, looking around like she’d see the Eiffel Tower from here. They’d flown into Charles de Gaulle Airport and were driving the rest of the way. Another two and a half hours, much to Weston’s annoyance.
‘You’ll have to come next year,’ Marco suggested, holding the car door open for Savi’s mum.
‘I might not be racing next year, you don’t know,’ Savi said.
Marco looked at her, his expression flat. ‘Cowgirl, I beg you, shut up.’
‘Yeah, what he said,’ Calvin added.
‘What?!’ she laughed. ‘Shit happens!’
‘There’s a stronger chance of Julien retiring to raise another set of twins than there is of you being kicked off the team, and you know it.’ Marco huffed and sat in the back of the SUV, next to Weston. ‘No more negative comments, please! We’re only allowed to have fun from now on.’
Savi hoped this was the first trip of many, and that Weston wouldn’t be put off attending future races. He’d supported her in her karting days and having him there felt right.
She’d attended several of his rodeo competitions, too, even sitting in the crowd on the day he’d had his accident. She could remember it like it was yesterday; the way he’d cried out in pain as the arena fell into silence, a cloud of uncertainty hanging in the air as they waited to see if he would get up from the ground. He never did. He was carried off on a stretcher, and Savi had left her spot in the audience to get to him, following him in the ambulance and calling their parents on the way.
She’d missed three races while he was in his coma and when he woke up, the first thing he’d made her promise was that she wouldn’t give up on her dreams just to stay home and help him recover. She had wanted to. She’d felt guilty putting her own life at risk after they’d nearly lost him, but a promise was a promise, and her brother wanted to watch her shine. Why should she suffer just because he was?
The drive into the city of Le Mans was pure magic; the history-filled streets rolled by and as they drove under the bridge, multicoloured flags hanging from wire the whole way through, Savi was reminded of just how special this was. So many drivers from other championships dreamed of being able to compete in this twenty-four-hour race, some celebrities even seeking out opportunities to get behind the wheel of a race car with this weekend as their end goal.
