Dyson took a big gulp of his wine. “It’s in California… East of Los Angeles.”

“Does your whole family still live there?”

“Yep,” he began. After placing his glass back down on the table, Dyson continued, “They’ve been there for three generations now. It’s a great place to grow up, especially if you are a racer. I’m looking forward to getting back there.”

“Oh, are you going for a visit while you’re here?”

He nodded. “One of the races on the U.S. tour is in Los Angeles, so I’ll get to see them.”

“What about you?” he said. “How did you wind up becoming a nurse?”

As much as I didn’t want to do it, I really felt as if I had no choice but to lie to him.

“I had to take care of my nephew, provide for him.”

Dyson listened intently. “The nephew with no parents, right?”

I looked at him in silence, swirling the wine in my glass.

“He’s a good kid,” Dyson said, pointing at me. “I guess he has you to thank for that.”

I swallowed and nodded. “Yes, I’ve raised him since…”

Stopping short of telling him the rest, I closed both hands around the top of my wine glass and glanced away.

“Didn’t mean to pry, Ava. Again, it’s not my business.”

I wasn’t even sure why I didn’t just come out and tell him the truth. He turned his attention away from me for second, waving at a group of fans seated in a booth nearby.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, standing from the table and making his way over towards them.

In spite of my uncertainty about him, it was pretty clear his admirers adored him. I studied him as he interacted with the group, shaking hands and signing autographs. A few minutes later he returned to the table and eased into his chair.

“Did you miss me?” he said, turning his mouth upward in what was fast becoming a signature smile.

And then, without thinking, I blurted it out.

“My sister died in a car crash,” I began. “Simon’s dad… No one has seen him since before Simon’s birth.”

The words tumbled from my lips, and before I realized it, I’d told him almost everything.

“I’m sorry,” I muttered, raising the glass to my lips and taking a haphazard gulp.

For the first time since I’d met him, Dyson seemed to be at a loss for words. He looked at me for a moment before shrugging.

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. You did what you had to do in that situation. Simon’s a lucky kid. Never apologize for doing the right thing, Ava.”

With my hands still wrapped around the glass, I shook my head. “That’s not what I was apologizing for. I just didn’t mean to dump all that on you.”

“Well, I asked you about it. It’s not a problem.”

I placed the glass back down on the table and sat upright in my chair once again. “Um, well, thank you for understanding. Thank you for listening.”

“Sure thing. Thanks for… trusting me.”

I nodded and reached down to my lap, smoothing my napkin across the tops of my thighs.

“So, why did you stop at being a nurse? Someone like you, Ava, you could easily be a doctor.”

I glanced up at him, smiled and chuckled. “Why do I have the feeling that you’re going to get all of my secrets out of me tonight?”

Deep dimples formed on either side of Dyson’s mouth as he smiled at me. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

Picking up my nearly empty wine glass, I tossed back the final remnants. After I did, Dyson lifted the bottle and poured some more. While he filled it, I watched the dark liquid swirl around the bottom of the glass.

“Well, the truth is,” I began. “I was in medical school when my sister died. I had to leave. There was no one else who could take care of him. I mean, there was my mother but… Never mind. That’s a nightmare itself.”

While I spoke, Dyson poured some more wine into his own glass. “So, you want to go back someday? To finish up?”

I shrugged. “I used to, but raising Simon has given me so much joy. I’m not saying I wouldn’t, but if it meant doing it at the expense of having him in my life, then no, I wouldn’t do it.”

Dyson swirled his wine around in the glass and looked at me. “Sorry to hear that. See, to me, that’s exactly why you deserve to do it.”

AVA

Jillian was predictably annoying with an endless stream of questions about my dinner with Dyson. As much as she wanted to make it seem otherwise, there really wasn’t much to say.

Yes, Dyson was more pleasant than he’d been before, bordering on charming. I had a good time, even enjoyed myself. But as I explained to her over and over again, none of that mattered, because he was still the same player. And to make matters worse, he was a playboy leaving town as soon as the race finished.

Speaking of the race itself, Dr. Wilcox insisted I accompany him to it the next day. He even asked me to bring Simon if I wanted. But the events of the day before proved to be too much for him, and he’d gotten sick. As much as I didn’t want to go without him, I really had no choice. We’d all been invited to sit in the team owner’s suite, high above the track.

Soon after the race got underway, Dieter Marsh, the team owner, made his appearance. Middle-aged, and speaking with a thick German accent, he introduced himself to us not long after he entered.

The whole experience was surreal.

It wasn’t anything I was used to, and in fact, as much as I tried to make myself at ease, I never really felt comfortable in the extravagant setting. Dr. Wilcox noticed and approached me not long afterward.

“Is everything all right, Ava?”

I nodded. “Mmm hmm. Yes, I’m having a wonderful time.”

“I see,” he began, gesturing towards the far wall. Along the entire length of it was a massive spread of food. “Are you hungry? Don’t you want anything to eat?”

“Oh, I will. I’m just taking it all in.”

Dr. Wilcox smiled and gestured for me to follow him towards the bar. “Come on, I think a drink will settle you down.”

I swallowed and tugged a strand of hair behind my ear. “I think I like the sound of that.”

Not long after, I’d taken a few sips of my dirty martini. As the mix of vodka and olives settled in, I began to relax a bit. Around that time, Dieter approached Dr. Wilcox and me.

“Are you enjoying the race?” he asked, glancing between us.

Dr. Wilcox and I took turns nodding.

“Is this your first Formula One race, Ava?”

“Yes.”

Dieter lifted his glass to his mouth and drank. “How do you find it?”

If I were being truthful, I’d say it was interesting, but since I wasn’t completely at ease in the situation, I couldn’t enjoy it as much as others looked to be. Of course, I didn’t want to tell him that, so instead I smiled and took the polite route instead.

“It’s really exciting, Dieter. It’s too bad there aren’t more races in the United States.”

Dieter nodded. “Well, we are all hopeful this tour will help us expand the fan base. I suppose time will tell.”

I took another sip of my drink. Dieter turned his attention towards Dr. Wilcox.

“I want to thank you for helping us out on such short notice. I’m not sure what we would have done otherwise.”

Dr. Wilcox waved his hand with a casual motion. “It was our pleasure. Happy to help. Which reminds me, what’s the latest with Dr. Luca’s passport?”

While Dr. Wilcox spoke, Dieter drank more of his cocktail. “It’s funny you should ask.”

I glanced at Dr. Wilcox. A confused look came to his face.

“What do you mean?” he asked. “He did get his passport issues resolved, didn’t he?”

Without speaking, Dieter shook his head. He spent the next few minutes explaining that the earliest Dr. Luca could return to the team would be after the completion of the U.S. tour. In the meantime, the team would be left without a doctor they could trust.

“And so, Dr. Wilcox,” Dieter began, clearing his throat for emphasis. “I’m wondering if it would be possible for you to step in on his behalf until the end of the tour.”