Page 7 of Retrograde
‘At least they’re not at loggerheads any more,’ Esme added.
Lucie laughed, remembering the screaming matches the couple had once regularly engaged in at races. She was surprised they hadn’t shattered windows in the trailer or broken the door from slamming it so forcefully mid-argument.
‘Hello!’ Brett shouted, bringing the attention back to them. ‘Let us in, we’ve just pulled up. Can’t believe you have parking spaces outside your office.’
‘Welcome to London,’ Lucie laughed, abandoning her almost-finished makeup to go and buzz them up to the top floor. Another perk of the guys’ financial backing; a top-floor office with incredible views of the city.
‘I’m starving,’ Brett announced as they stepped out of the lift, all three of them in full suits. They all lookedincredibly handsome, but it was Brett who stood out in Lucie’s eyes.
His dark-brown hair was perfectly styled in a fresh cut: short back and sides. He’d definitely done it himself while still hungover at Julien’s, because there was no way he’d have had the time since she last saw him. A naïve part of her wondered if he’d done it for her. Brett usually wore his hair slightly longer, more grown out, but she had never shied away from telling him she liked his hair like this. It was a silly thought and she pushed it away just as fast as it had blossomed in her mind.
‘Go get something from the caterers. Ask for Leanne and say we said you’re allowed something from the secret stash. She’ll know I sent you.’
‘All right. You look stunning, babe.’ He leaned down to kiss her on the cheek before heading off in the direction of who knew where, but he’d find his way. ‘Babe’ was new. It was also incredibly odd hearing it from his lips.
‘Babe?’ Marco whispered, but Lucie simply shrugged. The key thing she had learned in ten years was that sometimes it was best not to question the mystery that was Brett Anderson. He was a natural flirt, and there were few lines he wouldn’t cross. He’d earned himself a wallop round the head when he’d accidentally said something mildly suggestive to Faith last season, but despite that, his filter was non-existent.
Lucie gave Julien and Marco a sweeping tour and allowed them early access to the bar, giving herself and the girls time to finish up. They’d spent all day insweatpants and oversized hoodies, and now it was time to hit the reset button.
When they finally emerged from the bathroom and graced their guests with their presence, they felt brand new.
‘I feel like I’m in that scene inMiss Congenialityexcept I have two days’ worth of dry shampoo in my hair,’ Esme groaned.
‘You look fit, Ez,’ Faith reassured her. ‘Oh, look! Danika Beacham is here. I can’t believe she actually found the time in her schedule and showed up. She’s probably one of the busiest women on the planet.’
They circled the room for twenty minutes before Brett appeared with a full plate of food in one hand and a cocktail in the other. ‘That buffet is next level,’ he said, taking a bite of a samosa and chasing it down with a sip of Lucie Sunrise. Interesting combination, but his palate wasn’t exactly known for being refined. He was still, despite his years of fine-dining experience and love of expensive whisky, a burger and fries kinda guy. He did love to play a self-titled foodie in new places, though. He was always hunting for the best restaurants.
‘I think Faith is talking Danika’s ear off over there,’ Julien grimaced as they watched Faith flailing her arms around and talking animatedly with a renowned Dakar Rally driver. To give the driver credit, she was leaning in and listening intently.
All four women had been trying to keep calm, but the reality was, they couldn’t contain their excitement. Everyone in this room was here for them, for everythingthey were building and everything Girls Off Track stood for.
‘I think it’s time for the welcome speech!’ Faith clasped her hands together, looking ready to get up on their makeshift stage. But it was Lucie who received a shove in that direction. ‘Go on, Luce. You’ve been in the industry longest out of all of us.’
‘Me?! I don’t know what to say!’ She had assumed all four of them would go up there and it would be Faith leading them, since she’d spearheaded the whole idea. She always planned the podcast scripts and interviews.
‘Just… thanks for supporting our campaign? You’re all badass women, superheroes, all that stuff. Empower them! And then tell them if they don’t help us out with hosting workshops, they’re anti-feminist.’ Faith shrugged.
‘Jensen!’ Lucie scolded. ‘They’re incredibly busy women.’
‘Yes, but if they’re here tonight, it means they should care. This event isn’t for show, is it? We want them all to actively be involved going forward.’
‘Okay, well, I’m not going to make them feel bad if they can’t do things,’ Lucie sighed, resigning herself to the fact she was going to have to go up there with zero preparation. ‘Hold my mini charcuterie board.’
‘Go on, Lucie!’ Brett yelled loud enough for the crowd to hear, garnering her some attention as she walked up to the mic, legs shaking in her heels. She could handle public speaking, but this business was her baby. There was a lot of pressure.
‘Hi everyone, can I have your attention, please?’ She looked out at hundreds of faces staring back at her, and suddenly she felt confident. Their guests weren’t the only ones in the room who had achieved incredible things in their sport. Lucie herself had worked her way up to the top and made a name for herself, and now she was helping put others on that same path.
Brett led the shushing of murmurs, the music was turned down, and suddenly there was silence. The floor was hers.
‘The Girls Off Track team and I would like to thank each of you for making the time to be here. When we set out on this journey, we wanted to create a space where young women and girls could get an insight into what the motorsport industry is like. When I first started out, and when a lot of the women here tonight embarked on their own careers, our sport looked very different. You would walk through the paddock of any championship and see maybe one or two women passing you, and the rest of us were working behind closed doors. The front-facing roles weren’t there for us. But things are changing.’ She glanced at her friends, all stood at the front of the crowd, bursting with pride.
‘We plan to transform motorsport one workshop, podcast or brand deal at a time. We want to show these girls that they belong here, too. The growth of the company has been monumental, and we’re so proud to finally have a home base and be able to provide jobs for people who are passionate about the sport. To those who have helped us on our endeavours so far, and to those whoare lined up to help. The future women in motorsport owe it all to you.’
The room erupted in cheers, the loudest ones by the Revolution Racing drivers, and Lucie took a step back, admiring the scene. She felt proud of her friends, and lucky to be in a position to make a difference.
‘My turn!’ Brett rushed up, shooing her back off the stage. ‘Hey, guys. Just wanted to toast Lucie, Faith, Bea and Esme, the wonderful ladies behind tonight’s set-up, and Girls Off Track. I knew Luce was a firecracker when I met her, and watching her grow into a confident, powerful businesswoman has been an honour. All four women have done a fucki—, oops! Language, sorry.’
‘Is he drunk?’ Julien murmured to the group.
