Page 11 of Lights Out (Love in the Paddock #1)

“May I speak on Caleb’s behalf? As his little sister slash assistant?”

“Of course.”

“Caleb doesn’t say things he doesn’t mean.

He’s granting you this interview because he wants to.

Nothing attached to it. I mean, it’s a chance for you to get to know him better, but that’s it.

He respects you, Isla. Caleb doesn’t respect most of the media, except for a handful of F1 reporters who are fair and intelligent in their reporting.

But he hasn’t offered even the few he respects this kind of opportunity.

Caleb—much to my own frustration—keeps himself buttoned up.

But something in you makes him want to open up, which I’ve never seen before.

Also, he sees something unique in you, and he knows he can help you. ”

My stupid heart is giddy at the idea that I’ve sparked this kind of response in Caleb, even though we’ve barely spent any time together. My annoying brain reminds me it could be attraction driving his reactions and decisions, however.

I stop walking. “But is he offering this to me because he hopes to hook up with me down the line? Or go out on a date? Because if that’s the true motivation, I can’t accept the interview. I know he said it wasn’t, but what if it is? Even subconsciously?”

“Caleb doesn’t operate like that,” Catherine says.

“He’s giving you a massive opportunity because he likes you as a professional and sees potential in you.

And he has enough people in his life who like him for reasons other than who he is.

The last thing he would want is for you to be one of them.

I think he sees this as an opportunity to help someone he feels deserves a shot in a very tough industry.

He’s a good man, Isla. He really is. If anything happens after the interview, he would want it to happen organically. ”

“Nothing can happen after the interview. I told him that. If I want to be taken seriously by The Downforce Network, I can’t date drivers. It’s a solid no for me.”

A smile plays at Catherine’s lips. “You know what’s one thing I’ve learned working in Formula 1?”

“What?”

“Never say never.”

I don’t say anything, and Catherine clears her throat.

“One last thing and I won’t speak any further on the subject.

Don’t let his lack of social media interaction brand him as difficult in your eyes.

He has reasons for that. They aren’t my stories to tell—they’re Caleb’s—but you’ll understand his reasons if you hear them. ”

Now that’s a story I definitely want to know. What happened between Caleb and the media to make him so angry and so fiercely protective of sharing anything?

But I also respect Catherine for not divulging. She obviously loves her brother very much. I can tell they’re close. She also knows how to keep the secrets she knows are important to him.

It speaks a lot about who she is as a person, too.

We resume walking, and I manage to focus on what is going on around me.

There’s the sound of tools. Music and conversation flowing from the garage bays.

There’s a wonderful energy down here. I can only imagine how it ramps up when the drivers get into their cars, the engines are turned on, and they roar out of their bays, ready to hit the track.

“Here we are,” Catherine says cheerfully. “Collings Motors.”

I stop and stare up at the garage in front of me. There are two bays for Collings Motors, one for Caleb’s car and the other for Mason’s.

The first bay is Caleb’s. I glance over at the second bay, with Mason’s signage over his part of the garage, including his smiling face and the number five next to it.

Then I look directly in front of me, and despite all my rules, my breath catches excitedly in my throat.

Caleb is dark and serious looking in his photo, which suits him. His signage reads “91—Caleb Collings.”

Caleb’s bay is a hub of activity where mechanics and engineers are hard at work before the first practice session begins. The chrome-and-black race car is right in front of me, and it gives me goose bumps.

It’s a thing of pure beauty. And I get to sit in it.

Catherine leads me farther into Caleb’s garage as I review my talking points in my head.

I stand still, taking in the scene around me, visualizing how I can have her film the content with my iPhone.

This is going to be so good for my channels!

Getting inside the world of F1 is a dream come true, and even if it doesn’t lead to a reporting job, it’s going to be fantastic for content creation.

“Let me see if Mason is ready,” she says. “We can shoot him first. After you finish with him, I’ll get Chris. He’s our garage tour expert, and speaking with him would be good content for you, too. He can show us around, I can film whilst you ask questions, and then we can get you into Caleb’s car.”

“That would be fantastic, Catherine. Thank you.”

She puts her sunglasses on the top of her head, her blue eyes shining brightly at me. “I’ll be right back.”

After she leaves, I mentally record everything about the garage in my head.

I note the workstations filled with monitors—where Caleb’s race engineer will work practices, qualifying, and the Grand Prix itself, alongside such key personnel as the team manager and specialists in performance, tires, aerodynamics, and engines.

At the back of the garage are seats and headsets—a viewing area for guests and VIPs.

Then across from the garage is the pit wall, where all the people such as the team principal, team manager, and race strategists sit.

Some race engineers sit there as well, but others, like Caleb’s engineer, sit in the garage.

After I do this, I quickly take out my hand mirror and check my makeup one more time before recording. Luckily, I’ve perfected melt-proof makeup from being a Miami native, so everything is still in place.

Soon Catherine reappears. “Okay, Mason is over with his race engineer. He can talk to you now.”

Once again, that buzzing feeling takes over. I’m going to talk to Mason Clark, one of the best drivers on the grid. This is such an incredible opportunity, and I’m so grateful to Caleb for helping to make it happen.

I follow Catherine around to Mason’s garage, where I spot him with his racing suit unzipped and hanging off his hips, a backward baseball cap covering his espresso-colored hair. He’s standing next to his race engineer, Zach Brennan, and they are studying a screen full of data in front of them.

When we approach, both men shift their gaze to us.

“Mason, I believe you remember Isla,” Catherine says, a smile lighting up her face.

“I do,” he says, extending his hand. “Good to see you again. This is my race engineer, Zach.”

“Pleasure,” Zach says, also reaching out to shake my hand.

“Nice to meet you both,” I say. “And thank you for letting me interrupt your preparation time. I won’t take much of it, I promise.”

“No problem,” Mason says affably.

“I’m just going to ask you some general questions,” I say. “Maybe something silly, too.”

He makes a face. “We can do better than that. Want me to give you a tour of the garage?”

“Oh, I was going to have Chris do that,” Catherine says.

“Come on. It’s better if I give the tour. Nothing against Chris, but he doesn’t have the same charisma that I do. You know the camera loves me.”

Then he grins wickedly at Catherine, and to my surprise, a pretty flush colors her ivory skin.

“Oh whatever,” she says, playfully rolling her eyes at him.

“But you know it’s true.”

“Would you mind?” I ask hopefully. Mason giving me a tour is another content gold mine for me.

“Not at all,” he says cheerfully.

“Thank you, this is fantastic,” I say happily. I explain how Catherine is going to film with my iPhone, and we’ll have to share the mini mic. Mason nods in understanding, and then I retrieve the equipment from my bag.

“We can store your bag up here, next to the monitors,” Catherine says. “Here, I can do that for you.”

“Oh, thank you,” I say, handing her my tote.

She places it up on the bench, tucking it behind a monitor, and then I hand her my phone.

“I’ll do a little intro, and then you can show me around,” I say to Mason.

“Sounds good.” He turns to Catherine and flashes her a grin. “How do I look, Catherine? Camera ready? Be honest.”

The mischievous smile dancing across his rugged face tells me he knows he’s more than camera-ready—not in an arrogant way, but rather in a playful, fun way.

Catherine stares at him, and it looks like she’s blushing again. There’s a noticeable flush up her neck, and pink blooms in her cheeks. But it’s hot here in Miami, maybe it’s just heat.

“Yes, you’re good,” she reassures him.

“All right. I’m trusting you,” he teases.

I move next to Mason. “Okay. I know what I’m going to say.”

“Let me know when you want me to start.” Catherine holds up my iPhone. She takes a second, adjusts something on the video, and then nods. “I’m ready to record when you are.”

I smile in front of the phone. “I’m ready.”

“Okay, recording.”

“Hello, this is Isla Foley, and I’ve got a special treat for you today.

I’m inside the garage for Collings Motors here at the Miami Grand Prix.

In a few hours, this place will be buzzing with activity as the cars take to the track for the first practice session of the day, but for now, I’m going to take you inside the garage for a tour with Mason Clark, and we’ll finish with an up-close and personal look inside the race car of Caleb Collings.

” I turn to Mason. “Mason, thank you for meeting with me today.”

“Pleasure. It’s your first time in the Collings Motors garage, right?”

“Yes. And it looks like things are getting busy.”

“Yes. This is a busy weekend. We have practice and qualifying for the sprint race tomorrow, so there’s a lot happening. Let me show you around.”

Mason seamlessly shifts gears from plotting strategy to giving me a tour of his side of the garage.