LILY

We manage to get out of the hotel (separately) and to the private airport (in different cars) without being seen. Max, of course, is now swarmed with a new crop of press wherever he goes because of his record-breaking race times in Austin.

This means we've got to take extra precautions about being spotted together. I'm still able to move around without much notice, probably because I'm able to throw on a pair of shorts, a T-shirt and a ballcap and look like any other thirtysomething woman. I don't have the luxe look about me, never have.

Plain, the tabloids have claimed. I'd prefer to think of it as blending in, which is exactly what I want right now. I board the private jet a half hour after Max. Even on board, we keep our hands to ourselves and act professional, each tapping on our laptops from opposite sides of the aircraft — who knows if the gossip press is paying the flight attendants to keep tabs on Max.

When we land in Miami, I murmur a discreet goodbye to Max and climb in a chauffeured car to the hospital in downtown Miami, where Dad's still recovering from his surgery. Max has arranged to do a meet-and-greet with a Down Syndrome group, so he's in a separate SUV.

At the hospital, I find Dad and Mom doing what they do best: bickering.

"I will not leave this hospital and get you a milkshake. Absolutely not. Drink your green juice, Adrian." Mom pushes a bottle of something that looks like liquid grass toward him.

"Hey kids," I say, leaning down to kiss Dad on the forehead.

"Thank God you're here. Your mother's trying to kill me."

"He's impossible, Lily. Look at him." My mother, who is wearing some sort of pink gauzy duster over an all-white getup of leggings and a tank top, gestures with an arm adorned with bangles.

"Good to see you two getting along as usual."

"We're fine," Mom says, brushing me off as she always does.

Dad grabs my hand and I study his face. "You're looking so much better. The color's come back into your cheeks. When do you get to leave?"

"The doctors say soon. Your mother and I were thinking about staying at your place for a week or so."

The thought of the two of them in my place makes me uneasy, but it's not like I can say no. It's a perfectly good apartment, and empty. "Okay. Just don't let Mom kill the plants. The last time Mom stayed in my place, she massacred two Monstera plants."

A pang of homesickness goes through me, thinking about all my green friends at home. I'd been trying to cultivate a peaceful life out of the spotlight was fired from my job. Now I'm sneaking around the world with Max and letting my little plant babies fend for themselves.

"Lily? Lily!" Mom waves her arm, the bangles jingling.

She startles me out of my thoughts, and I shake my head. "Sorry. I'm a bit exhausted from..."

From getting railed by our team's star driver all night. "...from all the excitement of yesterday's win."

Dad's eyes twinkle. We talk about the race for a while, and when a new cardiologist comes in for a round of checks on Dad, he introduces me as his protégé.

"She's the reason the team won in Austin," he says.

"Well, no, not really," I add, but I'm inwardly glowing at all his praise. It feels like it's the first time someone has acknowledged that I've done a good job at anything in years; back when I was in tech, it seemed that nothing I did was ever good enough.

"I'm going to need to borrow your father for a few final tests," the doctor says.

"No worries," Mom chirps. "My daughter and I will grab lunch."

Dad looks at her, pleading.

"No milkshakes for you, mister." She taps him on the nose like he's a dog, and I shake my head. Sometimes they're adorable, sometimes they're annoying. Today's one of the adorable days, at least right now.

Mom and I wander out of the room and head to the cafeteria. After the intense crush of press in Austin, it somehow feels like a relief to be back in the real world. We grab salads — and fries — and head to a table. It's next to a window overlooking a courtyard bursting with tropical foliage, and this makes me miss my condo all the more.

How I wish Max and I could just hole up at my place for a few days...

"Did you change your skincare routine?" Mom stares at me.

"No. I don't have a skincare routine." I know what she's getting at, and I'm playing along by being coy. I swipe a fry and chew, pretending not to pay attention to her.

She makes a tsk sound with her tongue. "Then what is it? You look luminous. Oh, wait. Lily."

Her hand flies to her chest. "It's Max, isn't it?"

"Mom," I whine, suddenly morphing into a hormonal sixteen-year-old. She leans in and I lower my voice. Although I'm not sure why because no one is paying attention to us and the din of the cafeteria is a dull roar. "We spent the night together last night. Well, the past several nights, actually."

She tilts her head and a little smile tugs at the corners of her mouth. I expect her to say something, but she doesn't.

"What?"

"Nothing." She sips her water, holding the glass daintily with both hands.

"You want to say something. I can tell."

"You two would make such beautiful babies. I've always thought that."

I allow my head to fall back and press the heels of my hands against my temples. "That's your takeaway from all this? That we'd have cute babies together?"

"Not cute. Beautiful."

"Mom, I'm not even sure I want children. I don't know if he does." I roll my eyes and stuff two fries into my mouth.

"Well, I'm not going to pressure you."

"Uh, you already are. Don't you think it's pretty bad that I'm sleeping with the driver?"

"Not the most scandalous thing I've heard in Formula World. Remember that one driver that used to be on our team, what was his name? The man from New Zealand? It was back when you were about twelve."

I mention a name, curious. I'd recalled that he was an excellent driver, but never good enough to win a championship. "What about him?"

"We had an affair."

"What?" My voice comes out in a screech, and people at nearby tables pause from eating to look at us.

Mom seems unfazed. "Well, it wasn't actually an affair. It was during the first separation with your father. Dad had owned the team about seven years at that point, and was spending all of his time on the road. We separated and then I ran into the driver one day at a private airport lounge. One thing led to another, and..." she lifts a shoulder into a shrug.

I calculate the years in my mind. I recall being sent off to summer camp that year, and my parents being extremely frosty to one another. Then they'd separated, but had gotten back together by the time the next summer rolled around. "Does Dad know?"

"Of course he knows."

I look at her in horror. "You two have the most messed up relationship, you know that, right?"

Mom opens her eyes wide and blinks. "We love each other very much. We just don't see eye to eye on some things."

"Mom, you drive each other crazy. You slept with someone else."

"So did he, two years later," she retorts. This, I knew about, because my parents had argued over it for years. "But we worked it out in therapy."

"Oh, God, you two. This is part of the reason why I'm so reluctant to get into a relationship with Max. Or anyone. I don't want to end up in a ..." I gesture wildly with a fry in my hand, "a strange situation like yours. I don't want to be cheated on. I don't want to cheat."

"My dear, your father and I have an unconventional relationship. But we adore each other."

"But you keep secrets from each other."

She frowns. "Not anymore."

I can't control the snort that comes out of my mouth. "You've never told him about me and Max. That's a secret."

"You're my daughter. He knows that my bond with you comes first. That's what makes your father so special. He's not jealous. So don't knock it. And don't be afraid of commitment."

"How can I not when the two of you are out in the word, being weirdos?" I pause. "And, anyway, I'm technically Max's boss right now. If it got out that we're together, it would be a huge scandal. Dad would be pissed."

"It would be a scandal, but I'm not sure Dad would be upset. Not at you, at least. Or maybe he would, for distracting his star driver. Anyway, Dad's planning on returning in a race or two."

"Is his doctor aware of this?"

"He is. He says your father's recovering nicely after his surgery and should be cleared to work in a couple of weeks."

"And the doctor's aware of Dad's line of work? His isn't a desk job."

Mom stares at me. "Do you think your father can go five minutes without mentioning his team? Hell, Lily, he gave the doctor VIP tickets for the Mexico City race."

I blow out a sigh.

"Honey, I don't want you to worry. Where's Max now?"

"He's at a charity autograph event here in Miami. We flew here together and we're planning on spending a couple of days in Quebec together before we go to Montreal. He's arranged a cabin in the woods."

"Ooh, fun. Let me know where, because I probably know of a good yoga teacher. I've been several times."

"Mom, we won't be doing yoga."

Mom giggles and I stab at a tomato sitting atop my salad. "I really, really like Max. More than like. But all these issues are keeping us apart."

"Doesn't sound like you're apart if you're going to vacation together."

"Keeping us from being anything but friends with benefits, I mean. And we're not vacationing. We're spending a couple of nights in a cabin."

She purses her lips, obviously trying not to laugh. Mom can see right through my crap. "Other than the team issue, which will be resolved soon, what's keeping you apart?"

I snort, as if the answer's obvious. "His career. His fame. The never-ending spotlight of Formula World. I don't want that life. This past week has been a lot. I'm doing it for Dad, but I don't want to live the life of a race car driver's wife. Max is nowhere near retirement. He's at the top of his game."

"Being a driver's wife isn't so bad, honey. Try being a team owner's wife."

"Is there any difference? Also, you're an extreme extrovert, and you parlayed it into something you love. I also want to do something I love, but more low-key. Ideally a job similar to what I had, but with less sexual harassment."

"Max won't be a driver forever."

"True," I grumble.

"So why don't you ask him what he has planned for the future? And if it includes you?"

That's one conversation I haven't thought of, partially because I fear that he just wants me temporarily, like all the other women he's slept with since me. "Well, that's the other thing. We've been together one night. I don't know if he wants anything permanent. Given his track record, I'm guessing not."

"It's not like you've been celibate since him."

"True," I grumble.

"Didn't you say you and Max slept together several nights?" She looks at me suspiciously, as if my story isn't holding water.

"Several nights together, but just sleeping. No sex."

Her eyebrow quirks up, and I add, "It's a long story. But we've only been together-together one night."

"You two are adults, doing adult things in bed, so have an adult conversation. Simple as that." She tucks into her salad and glances around the room, indicating that she's finished with the conversation.

I eat in silence and wonder. Could it really be that easy? To just have a conversation with Max about our future?