ALICE Ch 29

“We are avid watchers of the Football Ultimate Television Association,” Irina says, laying one hand, sparkling with rings, on her chest. “It is very exciting that there is now a Formula One team.”

“Oh,” Alice says, grinning. She’s relieved. “That’s cool. Yeah, I love FUTA too. I actually knew two of the original players from the first season, way back. They coached my soccer team when I was ten. Riley Jameson and Adella Salazar. They’re like my idols. Mainly Coach Riley. I had a poster of her on my wall and everything.”

Irina and Sasha light up with recognition. Alice is so busy with F1 that she is not religiously keeping up with the current season of FUTA, but she catches all the highlights on Instagram and knows who the hot players are and how dominant Yellow Team is at the moment.

She easily chatters with Irina, who seems to know a lot about soccer. Alice learns that’s because she used to play professionally and only stopped because her daughter was born, twenty years ago.

Irina is actually awesome, and it’s not just her sexy voice.

“You are not used to this,” she says.

“That obvious?” Alice is on her second glass of wine. “Sorry. I’m new. Nobody cares about F2 drivers.”

“Who was your sponsor? For your racing to reach this place?”

Alice sighs. “FUTA. Because of Coach Riley. She talked to Annette, and they made stuff happen.” She hesitates. “For me and for Val.”

“Valeria Flores.”

“Are you friends with her?” Sasha pipes up. It’s the first question that she’s asked. Her English is about as good as her mother’s.

“Not really,” Alice says apologetically. “We were friendly back then, I guess. We weren’t enemies. But she was always so serious. Standoffish.”

“You don’t talk now?” Irina asks.

Alice shakes her head.

“A pity. Tell me about your teammate.”

Alice is taken aback. That was a quick change of gears. “Faye?” Alice shrugs. “She’s super sweet.”

The two women gaze across the table at her. Alice shifts uncomfortably.

“Do you have confidence in her?” Irina asks finally.

“Hard to answer that. I guess I’m supposed to say yes, but we’ve only just gotten started,” Alice replies with a laugh. “So I just don’t know. I can tell you that it would be dumb to judge her by Bahrain. That can happen to anyone, and it’s kind of amazing that she finished. I don’t know what to tell you. I’m going to see her race a bit before I can really answer that, you know?”

Irina appears to like that answer. She glances at her daughter.

“Alice,” she says warmly. “Thank you for meeting us.”

Alice looks at her watch. “Oh. We went overtime! Sorry.”

“I would talk with you all night,” Irina says. “But I promised my daughter that we would swim, and we only secured the pool for an hour.”

“Secured?” Alice’s brows rise. She looks around at the empty restaurant. Like they’d secured this place? She’s been cooped up in her room because being around the general public is… not the greatest for her nerves right now. These two have the whole pool to themselves?

“Of course,” Irina replies, as though that’s the most normal thing ever. “Would you like to join us?”

"Uh, yeah." Alice doesn't even stop to think about it. "That sounds great."