Page 12 of Too Fast To Fall
“What?” Piper asked.
“Dollars. A week.”
She blinked about a dozen times. “Are you being serious right now?”
“You keep asking me that. I don’t joke around, Piper. This is a serious offer, but I need an answer.” Emilio could see thegears turning in her head, and being extremely competitive, he didn’t want to give up now that he sensed an advantage. Pipercould change the terrible trajectory of his life. If Gus was happy and Emilio didn’t have to worry about him, then Emiliowas sure he could turn his season around. One or two good races was all it would take to get the press, the fans and the powers-that-beoff his back. At that point, everything else would fall into place.
“How would it work?”
“You’d travel with us. Be on call at all times.”
“Where would I stay?”
“My row house in London. You can have the whole third floor.”
Piper bit her lower lip, her teeth pressing into the pink pillowy skin. He cleared his throat and averted his eyes for a moment.“With that kind of money, I could afford a new apartment. Maybe a down payment on a condo.”
“That sounds promising.”
She shrugged with a sheepish look on her face. Her forehead wrinkled with uncertainty. “I don’t know. I’m not sure. My family...”Her voice trailed off as she looked down at Gus.
He felt a twinge of sympathy for her. He was asking her to make a big choice. A big change. But frankly, he had some big problems,and if she was going to say no, he wanted her to get on with it. Then he’d figure out how to get Gus unglued from her leg.“I need an answer, Piper. Yes or no.”
Three
Piper’s mind was running too fast. All she wanted was to slam on the brakes and take a minute to process. Unfortunately, timewas the one thing she didn’t have. At least according to Emilio.
“I need an answer, Piper. If it’s no, it’s okay. I’ll find someone else.”
Gus pressed into her leg with his head and whimpered. Piper peered down into his sweet doggy eyes. It was uncanny. It waslike he understood what was happening.
Could she take this job? Gabby would kill her. As in actually commit murder. The flip side of that argument was that the lead-upto the wedding would continue to be torture for Piper. Getting dragged to the florist. Phone calls where Gabby “just neededto bitch” about Mom being overbearing. Pleas for Piper to plan fun outings for the out-of-town bridesmaids. The thought madeher queasy. And the simple truth was that she’d been feeling like a punching bag for months. No, it wasn’t Gabby’s fault thatPiper’s engagement had ended, and all this wedding stuff was painful and difficult for her. It was simply the circumstances.
Speaking of circumstances, some of her own could do a complete one-eighty if she took this job. It was a first-class ticketto getting her own place again. She could finally get her stuff out of her parents’ garage and get her life back on track.Reclaim some of the old Piper, where she at least had her independence and autonomy. And then there was one unbelievable bonusto taking this job—she’d get to spend time immersed in the sport she loved—Formula One.
You wanted your world toopen up. This is your invitation and you’re blowing it.That was absolutely true. There was one leap she wasn’t quite ready to make, though.
“Can we do this on a trial basis? I don’t think I can commit to being your full-time dog nanny. What if we hate being aroundeach other? What if Gus decides he doesn’t like me? Then what?”
“Are you asking if I can fire you? Don’t worry. I reserve the right.”
It felt like something was stuck in her throat. That wasn’t quite the reassurance she’d wanted. “Can we set a trial periodof five weeks? Up until the wedding?”
He shrugged. “Sure. It’ll at least buy me some time.”
“Would you book me a plane ticket? How would this work?” She didn’t want to mention that she’d never even been to Europe before.The only reason she had a passport was because her honeymoon that never happened would have taken place in Mexico.
“The team chartered a plane. There are plenty of extra seats. We’re going right back to England.”
Piper took one more cleansing breath. It was time to take a chance on something bigger than herself. It was time to open upher world. “I’ll do it. I need two hours to run and grab my stuff and get back here.”
Surprise crossed Emilio’s face. “Okay. Great. Don’t be late. Wheels up at midnight.”
“Got it. I’ll be there.” She bent over and looked Gus in the face. “Gus. You’re super cute, but you need to let me go. I’llbe back in a little bit.”
Gus side-eyed Emilio.
“Gus. Come,” Emilio pleaded.
