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“Love you, too. Even if you have terrible taste in F1 drivers.”

I step out of his room, shutting the door behind me. I pause in between their rooms for a moment, thinking of what just happened. It’s not going to be easy for me to navigate this. I know that.

But Mason and Caleb are good men. Even when things get tense, I know we’ll figure it out. If something flares up, we’ll calm down and move past it. Caleb took this better than I ever dreamt he would.

Yet I know the hardest hurdles are to come. The media is one. Public scrutiny is another.

And my parents and grandfather might be the worst of all.

I look at Mason’s name on his door. I don’t have to worry about those hurdles right now, so I mentally set them aside. We’re just beginning. Simply dating. Getting to know each other and seeing if this is something we both want.

Only then will I consider those next steps.

I think of everything that is happening now. Dating Mason. Launching new things on social media. But the biggest one? The ideas I have for new women’s merchandise. I’m really excited about the partnerships we could create, and the opportunities that lie ahead if I can get people to believe in my plans.

It’s a complete 360-degree turnaround from where I was a week ago in Holland.

At Monza, my life seems full of new opportunities.

And I’m going to take all of them.

Chapter Fifteen

“Are you using a new foundation?” Mum asks.

I turn and look over my shoulder. I’m doing some final touches on my make-up in the less-than-optimal lighting of my hotel bathroom before the gala, which is being held downstairs in the ballroom. Mum has arrived from London, and she’s spent the last hour with me getting ready for tonight. Dad is off with the Collings Motors GT3 team in Austria, so that’s why it’s just Mum catching up with us.

UGH, why did it have to be a weekend when I wanted to spend time with Mason in Milan?

But it is what it is, and Mason promised me we’d find some private time to be together. I’m holding on to that.

Mum is leaning against the door frame, studying me. I steal a glance at her. She’s ageing beautifully, and she looks a good ten years younger than she actually is. Tonight, she’s dressed in an elegant black column dress with a cowl neckline and a slit up to her thigh. It definitely shows how often she goes to the Pilates studio, as her body is long and lean, and this dress fits it perfectly. Her shiny dark brown hair is swept back into a chignon, and her skin is flawless, even in bad hotel lighting. In a word, she’s stunning.

Hmm. Bodes well for my own ageing process, so I’ll label that a win.

I try to focus on Mum’s question. “No, my foundation isn’t new. Why?” I ask.

“I don’t know. You look different,” she says. Mum tilts her head to the side, continuing to try to identify what’s changed. “I don’t want to say ‘sparkly’ because that would imply you’re washed with glitter, but you have a sparkle. Radiance. That’s a better word.”

“No, no new products,” I say, smiling as I turn back to the mirror. But when I stare at myself, I see the excited shimmer in my eyes.

Because I know the secret cause of this sparkling new me. And that would be the flirty text messages I’ve been exchanging with Mason as I’ve been getting ready for tonight.

I glance down at my phone. He’s hanging out in his room, and he’s been texting me the entire time I’ve been getting ready. Mum asked who I was talking to, and I told her it was a very active girls’ group message thread.

If she only knew the conversation I was having with Mason, which involved things like asking about the skin-to-fabric ratio of my dress. Luckily for him, it’s a platinum sequin spaghetti-strap dress that has a nice plunge in the back and hugs my body in all the right places.

I put my eyeshadow brush back into the crystal water glass I’ve turned into a make-up-brush holder.

“Hmm. Well, you definitely look different,” Mum says. “You look truly beautiful, so whatever you’ve been doing, keep doing it.”

I bite back a laugh. I can’t imagine how radiant I’d look if I were actually doing Mason.

Buzz!

Mum smiles. “I’m glad you have found such a good group of friends.”

Guilt flickers through me as I reach for my phone. I don’t like lying to her. And the guilt grows deeper as I think of how angry I was as a teenager when all of her lies came out.