Honey Curls (Daniel Ricciardo)

THE BARCELONA SITUATION

Driving in Barcelona was an experience Teresa didn't want to repeat.

She was an extremely nervous driver and she was trying very hard to follow the directions on Google Maps, so she could make the over 40km distance between the airport and the Circuit without getting lost.

Lucas, however, was not making her life any easier and kept pointing loudly any time he spotted a car identical to their rented Seat Leon.

"Lucas, baby, please be quiet." – she pleaded, hoping she was not missing any exit – "Mamã is trying to get us to the circuit."

The little boy huffed, half annoyed – "We should have called Daddy."

"Wow, thank you very much for the trust on my skills, young man." – she peeked at him through the rear mirror, spotting that insufferable grin – "If we called your father, it would hardly be a surprise."

Lucas mulled over her words – "You're right, Mamã."

"Of course I am. Now, be quiet please."

This trip to Barcelona was a whole mess and not the way Teresa liked to do things. One of the reasons why she thrived at the Logistics world was her careful and meticulous planning.

However, the call had been so short notice that she had no time for making any plans. On Tuesday, the day Daniel had left and Alice had called, she had driven to Faro to get a PCR test for both her and Lucas.

The negative results had popped on her inbox on Wednesday by midday and by then all she could do was schedule an early flight the following morning, get a rental car and hastily pack.

Her flight had landed in Barcelona around 7AM on Thursday. She was in a rush, trying to get to the venue before 8 AM.

She still had to figure out where she and Lucas would stay over the weekend. Alice had mentioned she'd get someone from the team to book a room within a short distance, otherwise she'd have to make do with a bunk bed on one of the DHL motorhomes.

She arrived at the circuit, hastily pulling the backpack with her work paraphernalia and Lucas' bag from the trunk. She unbuckled the little boy from his seat and he obediently took her hand as they approached the gates.

Alice was waiting by the entrance of the DHL building. She was looking quite pale and tired and Teresa noticed a small oxygen tank near her. She smiled weakly at them.

Alice Wentworth was a known force of nature within DHL. She had taken the company by stride, forcing her way up until she was on top of the most prestigious event DHL sponsored – F1. She was the definition of efficiency, relying on her ruthless and rude disposition to get her way. Her ability to smell trouble for miles, and to smile with all her teeth on the face of it, had gained her the nickname The Shark.

Today, however, she was very far from her Shark persona. Teresa frowned at how frail she looked. Knowing her, she was standing there out of pure stubbornness.

"You should have been nicknamed The Mule." – Teresa mumbled after embracing her.

Alice grinned before wincing slightly – "Can't let my waters unwatched, Terri. Otherwise the smaller fish will have a full blown party."

Teresa arched an eyebrow – "Is that why you needed me here?"

"In part." – she smiled wickedly – "You did a great job back at Portimão. I'd call you baby shark, if it wasn't so ridiculous these days." – as if on cue, Lucas started to hum the song – "My point, exactly."

Teresa laughed, as they went inside. Even the short distance to Alice's office made her out of breath.

She took a moment, before addressing Teresa – "As you can see, I'm not exactly in the ideal conditions to run around the paddock." – Teresa nodded – "Thursday is hell day, and we have a neat stack to address before lunch."