The quiet one

2. Awkward

".. and where have you been?." Raine's father asked as she sat back at the table.

"It was Thierry on the phone." She said,

"Ah, that is my future son-in-law." Roberto beamed, as he told Toto and others from the team that were now sitting with them. "His father is a banker and Thierry is involved in hedge funding..." his smile was wide as he talked about Thierry happily and as if he was his own son.

Toto Wolff glanced at Raine, who was quiet and just didn't respond to what her father said. She knew he loved having his sons to be able to share his business knowledge with, that was her two older brothers from his first marriage. He was quite archaic in that respect, he truly loved his daughters but he also believed that they wouldn't be as smart or bright as a man could be.

After refreshments were over, the family were led back out to the paddock, to make their way to the Pit lane garages.
"This is so boring.....
Isobel stopped talking suddenly as her eyes followed a man dressed in an all red race suit.
"Oh my god! Who is that?." She said and her twin laughed.

"It's Charles Leclerc." Pete said, who was Lewis's performance coach, known as Bono to most. "He races for Ferrari.."

"That's a fast car, right?." Isobel said.

Raine ignored her sisters who were just being their hormonal teenage selves.
They got to the pit lane, which was also a hive of activity. Teams practised how quickly they could change tyres. Raine watched them. She had to admit that her mind was a million miles away though. She was wondering what Thierry was up to back in New York, she hadn't said anything to her father but she didn't trust him. He had cheated on her a couple of times, maybe because she wanted to wait until she was older to commit. She knew this weekend would be no different and if he was attending his rich friends party they would surely have girls over.

"You'll need to move..
Someone said to her, bringing her to her senses. She saw it was the Ferrari driver they had seen on the way through. "Or you'll get run over.." he added.

Raine saw a truck trying to come towards her. "Oh my... I'm sorry.. I didn't even see it..."

"It's not my gig, but I thought it would be a shame to see anything happen to you." He smiled. "I'm Charles by the way." He said to her, with his suave accent.

"My name is Raine.." she said and she held her hand out to shake his. He looked at her hand and accepted.

"A shake of the hand... very formal." He said.

Raine felt embarrassed. "Oh... yeah, I do it on auto now... my father's life and associates are very... upper class." She laughed.

"Well I'm not so upper class, so you don't need to shake my hand..." he paused. "It's nice to meet you.. if you're going to be around this weekend.. I can show you the sights..."

Raine smiled. "You know what, I would like that.." she said.

"I'll be around the paddock, just head to the Ferrari motorhome and ask for me... they'll come and get me." He told her.

She smiled shyly as he continued walking down the pit lane. Amelia walked over to her sister. "It must be cool being 19... you can have any guy you like..."

"She was doing that when she was 13 too." Isobel said. "With Thierry." She added with a sarcastic voice.

Raine rolled her eyes at her sister. "Go and be a child somewhere else." She said,
Raine looked past them to Lewis who was talking to his mechanics in the pit garage.
As if he felt her stare, he turned and looked at her. She looked away quickly as he did.

"What does this do?." Isobel asked, pointing to the screens running data.

"These are where we test the car and run its diagnostics." One of the mechanics told her.

"Can I sit in the car?." Amelia asked.

"We're set up right now ready for this weekend, maybe after the race... just before we pack up the cars.."

Roberto noticed how quiet his eldest daughter was. As everyone was being shown things and wandering around he walked over to her.
"I don't know what has gotten into you but you need to snap out of it and put a smile on your face... people are trying to be polite and get you involved here..."

"Maybe I don't want to be here...

Roberto backhanded her face. Some people in the pit garage saw and stopped what they were doing. Raine ran off and Lewis walked over him. "That was uncalled for.."

Roberto looked at Lewis. "She is my child.. I will do as I see fit." He then as if nothing happened carried on with the men in the garage.

Lewis slipped away and followed where Raine had gone. He found her around the corner sniffing back her tears. "Are you okay?... I saw that, he can't get away with doing that to you.."

"You don't know my father." She said, wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry.. you don't want to see me like this, you've got a race to deal with.." she added.

"Despite you thinking I'm a boring boy.." he smiled. "I actually think you're kinda cool." He said.

"You don't know me...

"True... but I would like to... you're very quiet, and I would love to understand you a little more..." he said.

Raine looked at him. "The thing is, I'm supposed to marry Thierry... it's a good business match between my father and his father... but I will just end up being treated by Thierry as my father treats my mother." She told him. "I don't think I'm ready for that at the age of 19.."

"19?" He said and raised his eyebrows. "Wow. I thought you were a lil older than that.."

"Is that too young for a man like you?.."

"Now you're calling me a man, it was a boy earlier.." he laughed. "How old do you think I am?.."

"25... 26.."

Lewis laughed. "Yeah.. you aren't ready for this.." he told her, pointing to himself.

"Okay so how old are you then, I told you my age.." she said with a smile.

"I'm 38...
Raine's face dropped. She was not expecting to hear that.
"Well with that look I can see that it went down well..."

"I am just shocked... I didn't think you were that old..."

"Old?.. oh okay... I'm going to go back to the garage... you're denting my pride here....
He smiled at her and walked back to the others around the corner.
Raine smiled, she was actually starting to mellow to being there.

She followed a few minutes later, to hear the mechanics giving a demo and talk to Roberto, Amelia and Isobel.
Her father saw her, he walked over. "We'll talk later." He said leaning in with a whisper.

She stood through the talk, now and again catching eyes with Lewis, but trying not to show it.