Chris said, “Take-out, too. I wasn’t sure what you’d feel like so I got a few different things.”
Chris went into the kitchen with the take-out and flowers. I followed after him.
“How’s she doing?” he asked.
“Okay.” I took the flowers from him, unwrapping the cellophane. “I think she might be getting the wrong idea.”
Chris turned from where he was taking out the containers of food. “About what?”
“About these.” I held up the flowers. “About all of this. I think she thinks you like her.”
“I do like her.”
“But not as more than a friend, that’s what she thinks.”
Chris made a face. “No way. Zoe and I have always been friends.”
“I’m just telling you what I’m seeing,” I said.
Chris moved toward me and kissed me on the forehead. “Relax.”
We all had dinner together and then Chris drove me back over to the horse show to take care of Logan and pick up my car. Jed was coming over to hang out with Zoe and said he’d probably sleep over just to make sure she was okay. He had gotten his last Medal points so at least something good had come out of the day.
At the show, Logan seemed happy to see me. Mike must have picked out his stall because it didn’t have one piece of manure in it. I would have been worried about Logan colicking again, but I knew Mike was like that, and Logan looked perfectly fine. I told Chris I was going to take Logan out for a walk and some grass and he stayed with me. It was a beautiful night and the show grounds were empty and quiet. The sun was setting over the mountains, washing the sky with amazing pinks and purples. It was just me, Chris, and Logan, and it was perfect.
Chapter 27
Harris came on Friday. He brought his second wife, Alexa. Looking at her, I was eternally grateful to my own father for not having gone the Twinkie route. Monica was a few years younger than my father, but not decades younger. I felt badly for Harris’s children from his first marriage.
Harris was in his sixties with nearly all white hair. He was on the short side, maybe five-foot-seven, and a little thick all over. Even his face was thick and he didn’t have much of a neck to speak of. His voice was funny, like he was holding his nose.
I heard him talking to Tommy Kinsler by the ring as Chris was about to get on and warm up. Alexa was with him, standing out glaringly in head-to-toe yoga clothes. She had on tight black Lululemon capri yoga pants and a tight purple tank. All she was missing was her rolled up yoga mat. On her feet she had Burberry sandals—I could tell the brand from the classic Burberry tartan pattern. I could nearly feel the sand and grit infiltrating her toes. Every so often she’d put her foot up on the fence of the ring and bend over to touch her toe, pressing her chest to her knee. She looked so out of place and nearly everyone who came by the ring stared at her, especially when she was demonstrating her incredible flexibility. Maybe she didn’t mind that—maybe getting people to stare at her was the point.
The moment Chris had his feet in the irons, Harris was excusing himself to go to the warm-up ring. Chris hadn’t been kidding about Harris being so involved. Owners usually stayed in the cool and clean spectator tent, drinking bottles of chilled coconut water.
Harris watched Chris loosen up Arkos. “He feel stiff to the right?” he called out.
“Not too bad,” Chris said.
I felt for Chris. He was probably dying to tell Harris to get a grip and leave him alone, but he had to indulge him and be polite while doing so.
“Looks like he’s working out of it,” Harris said.
I cringed for Harris. Didn’t Harris know everyone in the schooling ring was inwardly laughing at him? Didn’t he know he was clueless and that he would be the butt of jokes back at the tents? But would that mean Chris would be mocked too, or did they understand he had to put up with Harris?
Harris’s phone rang and he answered just so he could loudly inform the caller that he couldn’t talk because he was getting his horse ready to go into the ring. He made it sound like he was the one in the saddle.
Trevor drove by on the tractor just as Alexa was doing some sort of backbend where she clasped her hands behind her back and essentially bent into an impossible configuration all the while throwing out her ample chest. Trevor stared, letting the tractor nearly idle. I’m sure, like every guy who saw her, he was imagining what her flexibility would be like in bed.
Chris offered to move up in the order of go and since Eve Benzinger wasn’t ready, the in-gate guy let him. I think Chris took less time warming up because he wanted to get out of the schooling area. At least in the ring Harris wouldn’t be able to talk to him. I hoped it wouldn’t come back to haunt Chris that he’d cut his warm up short.
Arkos looked fine to the first few jumps. Harris leaned against the rail. Alexa had come to join him. I took a closer look at her sandals. They had these cute little buckles on the side. She’d probably have to throw them out after the show they’d be so trashed. She squeezed his arm as Arkos jumped, hopping up on her toes and flexing her calves, which were lean and muscled. I hated to admit it but she had an amazing body. Chris had said she was a former interior designer and Harris had met her when she was working on one of his houses. He had houses in Florida, Nantucket, and on St. Barths.
Arkos had three rails down. Again, it didn’t look like Chris had made any mistakes and I couldn’t tell why Arkos had rails. The only answer was that he just didn’t care about clearing the jumps, but Chris had said what had drawn him to the horse in the first place was his carefulness.
Chris came out of the ring, letting the reins slip through his fingers. He slid off and patted Arkos, which I thought was nice since I knew how disappointed Chris must be. I couldn’t hear what he and Harris talked about but Harris was shaking his head. Harris and Chris got in Chris’s golf cart and Alexa climbed in the back. Her posture was so good she made sitting in the back of a golf cart look like a yoga pose.
I tried not to feel left behind as they motored off to the barn. I would let them have a little time and then go see Chris.
I checked on Logan, picked two manure piles out of his stall, and gave him a flake of hay. It had been forty minutes. It had to be safe to go over now.
Chris’s stalls were quiet when I got there. I didn’t see anyone around, not even Dale. Jasper was in the tack room and he wagged his tail at me, which seemed like it meant he might be coming to terms with my continued presence in Chris’s life, but he didn’t get up. He looked hot and tired, happy to have found a piece of shade next to a tack trunk. I crouched down to pat him and that’s when I heard them. Chris and Alexa.
“He listens to me. You might not think he would, but he does,” Alexa was saying. “I can tell him you just need more time with Arkos.”
“That’s nice of you to offer,” Chris said.
His voice sounded off. I stopped patting Jasper, my hand flat on his head. Chris sounded tentative, worried even, not like the Chris I knew who always sounded like he knew just what he was saying.
“I really want to help,” Alexa said. “I know how difficult Harris can be.”
I stood up and peered over the top of the canvas. I could see through the stall to the aisle and I could make out Alexa’s purple tank. I saw her glossy black hair and then Chris’s hand on her shoulder, pushing her away.
“Alexa,” he said. “I’m flattered but—”
“Let me help you,” she said. “Let me make you feel good.”
Before I could think more about it, I tore around the aisle. Jasper came with me. “Chris, Jamie needs to see you. She sent me over. It’s . . . it’s something about the NARG. The emergency meeting?”
During my online fact-finding about Chris, I had read he was a member of the North American Riders Group. Of course, there was no emergency meeting and Jamie wasn’t involved. But it sounded good. Alexa wouldn’t know any better. And I had to get Chris out of there.
“Okay, thanks,” Chris said. To Alexa, he sai
d, “I gotta go. I’ll see you later.”
When we were far enough away in Chris’s golf cart, Jasper riding on the back, he said, “Thank you. You saved me.”
“Was she doing what I think she was doing?”
“Throwing herself at me? Yes, and it’s not the first time.”
“You’re not, um, interested, are you?” I thought of Alexa’s body, of her legs and her perfectly sculpted butt in her yoga pants. It wasn’t just Trevor who had been staring—there were plenty of guys at the show who would have loved to have Alexa coming on to them.
“No, are you kidding me? But I can’t offend her or tell Harris. This is such a disaster. I’m going to have to tell Dale he can’t leave me alone for a second all weekend.”
“Harris really thinks he’s a trainer, too, huh?”
Chris shook his head. “Maybe I could get him off my back if the horse would leave the rails up.”
I put my hand on his shoulder. “You’ll figure him out. I know you will.”
“Thanks,” Chris said.
Chapter 28
When I jumped the last fence, I let out a gasp. It was like I had been holding my breath for the whole course and could finally breathe. I loosened my reins and let Logan walk out of the ring on a long stride. He lowered his head, shook it gently once, and walked on.
“Not bad,” Jamie said. “Not bad.”
Not bad? Up until the last few weeks it had seemed utterly impossible that Logan would ever go well in the ring, or that I would ever come off course feeling exhilarated, not upset. I had put in a bunch of respectable four-fault rounds and this was my first ever entirely clear round, which meant I’d made it into the jump-off for the first time ever. I’d been so surprised and nervous, I’d worried I wouldn’t remember the shortened course. But somehow I’d managed to get the jumps in the right order and not knock any down. My time was slow but I had been clear.
“I must say, Hannah, I’m pleasantly surprised. These weeks of practice have obviously done you well.”
Zoe was standing next to Jamie. Lately that’s where Zoe always was.
“Great,” Zoe said, looking at Jamie and then at me. “Big improvement.”
At first it had been strange to see Zoe at the horse show and not in boots and breeches. But now I was used to seeing her in civilian clothes, which today meant a pair of khaki shorts and a pink tank top. Her arm that wasn’t in the sling was still red and scabby from the accident on the alpine slides.
“We’ve still got some work to do,” Jamie said. “But we’ve come this far. It’s a good start.”
I smiled at Jamie, but I really felt like laughing. I wanted to tell her all about Chris, about the secret lessons, so Jamie would know the truth; that it was Chris who was teaching me how to ride.
When Jamie got into her golf cart, Zoe said, “God, Hannah, that was really good. I mean, seriously.”
“Thanks.” I wanted to look around to see if Chris had been watching. But I didn’t want to make it obvious that I was looking for him.
“I’m actually kind of amazed. I mean, I hope that doesn’t sound bad. It’s just such a major improvement.”
“Thanks,” I said again. “For once I felt—”
The in-gate guy’s voice cut me off. “We have only four more left here to go in the children’s jumper class. Four more to go before we reset the course for the Junior/Amateur-Owner lows and walk it.”
“I better head back to hunter land,” Zoe said. “We’ve got one going in the ponies. Jamie probably needs my help.”
“I guess I’ll stick around . . . see if I get a ribbon, which would be a total miracle.”
Zoe did a little excited dance, pumping her fists.
“Hey,” I called as she walked away. “Have you seen Chris?”
The moment the words were out of my mouth I was kicking myself. Why couldn’t I have just kept quiet? Zoe stopped and put her hand on her hip. “No, why?”
I shrugged. “Just wondering. That’s all.”
I looked back at the course I’d just ridden and felt a zap of excitement that I’d ridden it so well. I played back my mental video, reliving each jump. It was something I didn’t usually do. Usually I tried desperately to rid my mind of the images.
When I had come out of the ring, the announcer had said that I was standing in fifth place. Since then a few other horses had gone clean and made it into the jump-off. I had lost track of their times while I talked to Jamie but now with only a few left to go, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would get a ribbon.
When the last horse finished the course, the announcer said, “That was our last to go here in class number 18, the children’s jumper class. Results coming right up.”
When the results were announced, I listened to each name, my fingers clenched on the reins. As the fourth place was awarded, my stomach fluttered.
“In fifth place we have . . . number 390, Katherine Gibson . . .”
My stomach dropped. Come on, just one little ribbon.
“And in sixth place is number 572, Hannah Waer aboard Personal Best. Personal Best is owned by Stephen Waer from Palo Alto, California.”
As I walked Logan up to the in-gate to get my ribbon from Tucker, the jumper in-gate guy, my whole body felt like it was glowing. I had done it; I had finally gotten a ribbon. But the main person I had to thank and the one person I wanted to see was nowhere in sight.
Chris was sitting on my tack trunk when I came back to the barn. “I was wondering when you were going to decide to come back.”
I held up the green ribbon and smiled. “Look!”
“I know. I heard it announced. Your first ribbon.”
“Well, not ever. I’m not that big a dork.”
“I know that.”
I led Logan into the grooming stall and started to un-tack him. Chris stood up to help me.
“So, how’d it feel out there?”
“Good. Much more solid.”
Chris nodded. “It looked it.”
“But . . . ? C’mon, I know there’s always a but.”
“But we still need to work on regulating his stride. Did you feel how sometimes you had everything in control like through the five line and all the way to the single oxer?”
“Uhuh.”
“That’s how he needs to feel all the time. You lost him a little to the double, right? He got a little fast on you. A little anxious and he started to pull.”
“I tried to sit up and half-halt.”
“I know, I saw. But that’s where we need to put in more hours on the flat because he doesn’t always respond right away. He still needs to learn what you’re asking him to do.”
“Right,” I said.
“And it was your first jump-off—”
I cut him off. “So I’m just glad I remembered where I was going!”
“I know. I was kind of worried about that.”
“But I was too slow, right?”
“You were fine for your first jump-off. Plus, it’s not all about speed; it’s about the track between the jumps. But all in all, it was a super ride.”
I leaned against Logan’s shoulder and sighed. “Wait till my dad hears this.”
Chris put his hand to Logan’s chest.
“Is he still hot?” I asked.
“He’s pretty cool. Let’s put him in his stall for a few minutes so we can gloat?”
“Good idea.” I led Logan into his stall and then sat down on the trunk with Chris.
“You were awesome,” he said.
“Really?”
Chris put his hand on my waist. “Really.”
“It’s all thanks to you . . . Without your help every morning, without your lessons—”
I closed my eyes, already feeling woozy, ready to kiss Chris. What could be better? Riding a good round, getting a ribbon that my dad would be proud of, and getting to come back to the barn and kiss my gorgeous grand prix rider boyfriend? Instead I felt Chris’s hand tighten on my waist. I opened my eyes to see Zoe standing
in the entrance to the tent.
“Congratulations, you guys,” she said. “I guess it was a group effort.”
I smiled and Chris did his cute thing where he threw back his head and laughed. He said, “Well, I guess now you know.”
Her voice was fake chipper. “Yeah, now I know. So you’ve been helping her. That’s why she’s gotten so much better.”
“You won’t—” I said.
“Tell?” Zoe said. “No, you guys are safe. I won’t tell.”
“Hey,” Chris said. “How about celebrating tonight? You, me, Jed, and Hannah?”
“Yeah,” I said.
Zoe shook her head. “I can’t. I’m supposed to stay late, help Jamie.”
“We could go late,” I said.
“Nah, that’s okay. Some other time.”
Zoe gave us one last look that said it wasn’t fine, not fine at all. “See you.”
“I think I better just make sure this is okay,” I told Chris as I stood up to go after Zoe.
“I’m sure it’s all good. Don’t worry.”
“I’m just going to make sure.” For someone who was really smart and good with horses, Chris didn’t seem to have much intuition when it came to people and the dynamics between them. This was so not fine. I caught up to Zoe outside the tent. “Is everything okay?”
“Sure. Why wouldn’t it be?”
“I don’t know. You seem kind of, kind of—”
Zoe shook her head, her ponytail bouncing. “I have to go help Jamie. You know since I can’t ride, since I fucked that up, I figure I have to do whatever else I can.”
Zoe started walking again and I kept up with her.
“So, Chris has been helping you, huh?” she said.
“Yeah.”
“What, like every morning or something?”
“Pretty much.”
“Since when?”
“Since the day after you introduced me to him at the bar.” I realized as I said it that I’d been lying by omission to Zoe for a long time now.
“Cool,” Zoe said. “That’s . . . wow. Cool. And when did it become something more?”
I felt myself blushing. “I don’t know. Maybe two weeks now. It just sort of happened. I never would have thought . . .”
Summer Circuit (The Show Circuit -- Book 1) Page 15