Page 13 of Racing for Redemption (Backmarker Love trilogy #1)

To my surprise, William proves to be a natural in front of the cameras, his charm and enthusiasm shining through.

He was not bluffing. He’s open about his past mistakes, humble about the opportunity we’ve given him, and fiercely determined to prove the doubters wrong.

But, there’s also a hint of cockiness that he masks with his smiles and goofy personality as he mentions how his goal is to charm everyone at Colton Racing.

I observe from the sidelines as he wins over journalist after journalist. Even the most cynical reporters seem charmed by his earnest passion and can’t find fault in him.

At least, it looks like it, but we are prepared for those who’ll go rogue and dunk us whenever they have an opportunity.

By the end of the day, we can’t please everyone, can we?

“You know,” Blake murmurs during one particularly successful interview, “this might actually work out better than if we’d announced it ourselves.”

I nod, unable to take my eyes off William as he gestures animatedly, describing his first impressions of our car. I speak almost in a whisper to not disrupt the interviews. “The underdog story. Everyone loves a comeback.” He reminds me a bit of Anna, with those energetic, expressive gestures.

“And a handsome underdog driver helps garner attention… no matter how volatile he may be,” Blake adds.

Indeed. William Foster is just what you’d expect of a Formula 1 driver, but with a twist—effortlessly charming, handsome, but with a goofy, happy-go-lucky personality, which is rare on the grid. He’s not the politically correct type of driver, but he gets things done.

“How tall are you, Blake?” The question rewards me with a confused look.

“Uh… 180 cm. Why do you ask?”

I study Blake from top to bottom, then look to William.

Yes. William is shorter than him. He’s maybe between 170 cm and 175 cm; not tall as hell as other drivers are, almost breaking my neck to look them in the eye.

But even if that height—that makes most women go feral—isn’t there, he still makes heads turn in the paddock.

He’s really well-built. I’ll give him that.

And the neck and arm tattoos only add to his whole reckless, crazy vibe that only comes out when he’s driving.

“I was just checking something. Don’t worry, I’m not judging you for being tall, or anything like that.”

He chuckles softly. “I sense you’re judging me, Violet. Your dad was like that with me all the time, calling me a business giraffe. ” His tone is nostalgic, and there’s a tenderness in his gaze that puts a smile on my face. Dad may no longer be around, but he left people with fond memories of him.

“Well, for what it’s worth, you’re an awesome right-hand man. I trust you with my life, Blake. Just like my dad did. Also, giraffes are cute.”

His eyes get glossy for a split second, and he turns his head around. “Thanks, Violet. I’m indebted to your family. Never forget, I’ll give it all to help you.”

I pat his back and smile at him. “We’re going to turn this around, together. Mark my words. My dad would have gone crazy if he knew we’d team up to make Colton Racing the team it was back in his time.”

“You know what? My wife still can’t believe I’m working with a Colton again.” He chuckles.

“I hope her disbelief is because she likes us instead of ‘ oh no, you’re back with that bad employer again? ’ type of disbelief.”

We both crack up, and he adds, “Nah, she was your father’s assistant.

It was how I met her. I was your father’s right-hand man, and my lovely wife was his personal assistant.

” The way Blake talks about his wife is endearing.

His eyes soften, and his smile is completely different from anything I’d have seen before from him.

“I hope I can love someone as deeply as you love your wife. That’s a beautiful story, and I hope you stay together forever.” I give him a side hug. “Let me know if you need tickets to bring her in for a race. I’ll put her on the VIP list in a heartbeat. ”

He smiles a bit bashfully. “And our daughter is in her last year of high school. She’s beautiful, and smart as a whip. She wants to become an engineer. I can show you a photo…”

As the interviews take place, Blake and I momentarily forget the stress of Formula 1 and talk about my family and his, sharing stories and crazy shenanigans.

These ties make Colton Racing unique. Everyone was close.

Like a family. Funnily enough, some even started their families because of us.

My father’s passion for the sport brought everyone together, and honestly, I want to do that again.

Well, minus the matchmaking. I don’t have luck in love on my end; sharing that with our team members would be a disaster, another one to add to our long list of bad kinks to iron out in this team.

As William wraps up the interview, he catches my eye and waves. He shines very brightly. Almost a reflex, I awkwardly wave back.

With the recordings complete, he chats easily with the crew, and his energy is irresistible.

He draws people in. Sounds and looks like a natural leader.

He won over our engineers—and everyone at the factory—in no time.

And, he’s slowly winning over the press, even if the fans online still hate and mock him and Colton Racing.

He… has sort of won me over, too. Still, I won’t give him the victory, or before I know it, he’ll become the CEO for this team. He's too charismatic for his own good.

We’re making small moves in the right direction.

Still, we’ve been handling things so ineptly; with the leak of Kevin’s situation, followed by the leak of William’ s announcement.

We need to take a step back and revise our communication strategy.

And find out who’s been feeding all this information to the press.

William has arrived to give an energy boost to this team.

The real test, of course, will come when the season starts.

But for now, I allow myself a moment of cautious optimism.

Colton Racing may be down, but we’re far from out.

Our passion is still burning deep within us and ready to be unleashed.

And when it gets out, it’ll be beautiful.