Off Course

by Georgina Bloomberg

  “French,” Zara muttered. “She’ll love that.”

  She scanned the entry, which mostly involved terms like “delish rustic fare” and “charmingly quirky.” Good enough. She quickly texted her mother, suggesting the two of them meet up there. Okay, so they didn’t have a reservation, but Zara wasn’t worried about that. Gina’s famous face would get them in. It always did.

  “Gotta go,” she told the foreman. “You guys need to be done and cleared out of here in like two hours max, okay?”

  “We’ll do our best,” the woman replied.

  “Do better than that.” Zara grabbed her purse and headed for the door, then paused and turned back as a thought occurred to her. “Actually, though, don’t make it look too perfect, okay? Leave my shoes out in the main room, maybe a couple of glasses in the drying rack by the sink, some magazines lying around. Stuff like that. You know—so the place looks lived in.”

  Wendy-Wanda raised an eyebrow, then nodded and smiled as Zara pulled a fifty out of her purse and handed it over. “Whatever you say,” the foreman said. “You’re the boss.”

  Good. That was one big problem taken care of. Now Zara just had one more.

  What was she supposed to say when Gina noticed that Cousin Stacie wasn’t around?

  “Oh, Miss Tommi. Sorry, dear, I thought you’d already left for the barn.”

  Tommi glanced up from her makeup mirror. Mrs. Grigoryan had just bustled into her room with an armful of clean laundry.

  “I’m leaving soon,” Tommi told the housekeeper, capping her mascara. “Have you seen my boots?”

  “Downstairs front closet.”

  “Thanks.”

  Mrs. Grigoryan dropped the clothes on a chair and left. Tommi was pulling her straight brown hair into a ponytail when she heard her phone buzz. Less than ten seconds later, it buzzed again.

  She was tempted to ignore the texts and catch up later. The juniors’ weekly group lesson wasn’t until that afternoon, but Tommi had a lot to do before then. She’d been so busy with her current sales project, an imported jumper gelding named Legs, that she hadn’t been spending as much time as usual with her other horses. They were all impeccably trained, experienced show horses, but they weren’t robots. At this past show, Tommi had noticed that her hunter, Toccata, had been extra spooky and fresh off the leg, while her junior jumper was a little sluggish in the jump-off. She was planning to hack both of them and then spend a few minutes lungeing her eq horse before it was time to get Legs ready for the lesson.

  But she couldn’t resist checking on the new texts. She smiled when she saw who had sent the first one.

  “Alex,” she murmured to herself, flashing back to Sunday evening. He’d been waiting at her house when she arrived home from last week’s show. The two of them had grabbed some dinner, then ended up staying out at this little hole-in-the-wall place in the West Village listening to Alex’s friends’ reggae fusion band until Tommi was too tired to keep her eyes open.

  hey, the text read, just got some cool news. got called in to sub for the regular DJ at that new club on the lower east side I was telling u about. Gig is Wed. night. Wanna come cheer me on?

  Tommi was about to text him back to say she’d be there. Then she remembered that second buzz and clicked to the next text, wanting to make sure it wasn’t Alex texting back to correct the date or something.

  But the second message was from her friend Brooke.

  Yo Aaronson! Up for a road trip? Moving in early at Penn and could use some moral support from my girls. Leaving Fri a.m. & spending the weekend at my cousin’s place (aka party central). Wanna come?

  Tommi glanced at the calendar on her desk, though she didn’t need to—she had Pelham Lane’s show schedule memorized. She already knew that the barn was taking next weekend off to prepare for one of Tommi’s favorite shows of the entire year, the prestigious Washington Crossing charity show, which took place on the grounds of a picturesque historic estate down in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

  That meant there was no reason she couldn’t go on the road trip. It would be good to spend some quality time with Brooke before she left for college. The two of them had barely seen each other all summer, thanks to Tommi’s riding and Brooke’s internship at the Times. Besides that, Tommi could guess who the other “girls” involved were—Court and Abby for sure, probably Jordan, maybe Mariah. All of them a guaranteed blast. As a bonus, she knew her father would be thrilled if she told him she wanted to spend the weekend visiting a university campus, even if it wasn’t his beloved Georgetown. And now that they were business partners, sort of, she was all about keeping him happy.

  Still, she hesitated, thumbs poised over her phone’s keypad. Thinking about Brooke starting college reminded her that summer was on its way out. Her own senior year would be gearing up again in a matter of weeks, and part of the deal with her father was that she had to get Legs sold by the last of the big fall shows. That was how she was supposed to start proving to him that she could actually make a career out of horses. Did she really have time to goof off for a whole weekend right now?

  Deciding to think about it later, she quickly typed sounds fun, but not sure yet, let me check my sched & get back to u.

  She stuck the phone in her pocket and hurried downstairs to find her boots.

  Chapter Two

  Kate maneuvered the mower into its spot in the equipment shed and cut the engine. She sat there for a moment, breathing in the smells of gasoline and grass clippings, trying to remember what she was supposed to do next.

  “Clean out the grain bin,” she murmured finally, wiping her sweaty forehead on the hem of her T-shirt. “Or wait—did I do that already?”

  She climbed down from the mower with a weary sigh. She’d been in a fog all morning. Her dad’s two cop buddies hadn’t left her house until almost 1:00 a.m. last night, after plenty of yelling and drama. The good news was that they hadn’t actually arrested Andy. Probably only because he was police family, though Kate wasn’t sure how much longer that would help him—their dad was furious, and it didn’t help that Andy was acting sullen and ungrateful about being let off the hook. The whole situation was such a mess that it had almost distracted Kate from worrying about Nat and Flame.

  Almost.

  She hurried into the main barn, pausing when she saw Flame hanging his head out over his stall guard, his forelock and mane blowing around in the breeze of the fan tied to the grill of his stall. In spite of everything, Kate couldn’t help smiling as she noted the way his delicate ears almost touched at the tips when he pointed them toward her, his big soft eyes watching as she came closer.

  “Hey, boy,” she whispered, stepping over to give him a pat. “How you doing?”

  The horse snuffled at her as Kate ran a hand down his long, arched neck, admiring the clean way it tied in to his withers. Yes, she’d been right about this guy—he was a looker, and built to perform, too. So wasn’t it better that he was in a place where he could live up to his potential? Jamie seemed to think so, and so did Fitz. Kate suspected Nat might not agree.

  Once again, she wondered if she should call Nat and at least try to head off the coming disaster somehow. Checking her watch, she saw that she had almost an hour before she needed to start tacking up for the group lesson. But what would she say? Nat wasn’t the most reasonable, coolheaded, or logical person in the world. Maybe it would be better to talk to her face-to-face. Then again, maybe not.

  “Never mind,” she whispered to Flame, who was nuzzling curiously at her shirt as she rubbed his neck. “I’ve got too much to do to worry about it right now.”

  She gave the horse one last pat and turned away, ready to get back to work. To her surprise, she saw Fitz coming down the aisle.

  “Not only beautiful, but a mind reader, too.” He greeted her with a grin, planting a kiss on top of her head.

  “Huh?” She was a little distracted, as always, by having him so close. He smelled good—spicy and earthy, like aftershave and fresh hay. Kat
e couldn’t help feeling self-conscious about her own smell, which couldn’t be nearly as pleasant after a morning spent slogging through chores in the muggy August weather.

  “I thought maybe we could take Flame for a quick spin,” Fitz said, reaching past her to pat the chestnut gelding. “Traffic sucked getting out here, but we’ve still got some time before lessons.”

  “Oh.” Kate glanced over her shoulder at Flame. “Um, are you sure that’s a good idea? He just got here, and Nat said he’s only been off the track a couple of weeks. It might be better to give him more time to settle in and get used to things.”

  “I’m not saying we should make him jump a Grand Prix course or anything. Just get him out and see what our new boy can really do.”

  Fitz shot her his crooked, slightly wicked grin, the one that made her melt a little inside every time it was aimed her way. The one that could get her to do almost anything he asked. But this time Kate knew she shouldn’t give in.

  “I’ve got a better idea,” she said. “Flame could definitely use a little TLC to make him look like he fits in at Pelham Lane. How about we do a spa day instead?”

  For a second Fitz looked unconvinced. Then he shrugged and grinned again. “Sounds kind of girly, but I’m in. I’ll go grab the clippers and stuff and meet you in the grooming stall.”

  Soon the two of them were fussing over the horse. The grooms had bathed him upon arrival, but there was still a lot to do before he was turned out to Pelham Lane’s exacting standards. Fitz had also brought out his iPod, plugging it into a pair of portable speakers. He started singing along with the songs as he worked, acting out the lyrics or just dancing around with his long limbs flying.

  Kate’s mind was still churning with worries about Nat, her family, and everything else. But Fitz’s mood was infectious, and before long she caught herself having a good time. She could tell that Flame was enjoying the pampering session, too. He didn’t object when she trimmed his whiskers or pulled his mane, though he kept trying to nibble on the pulling comb.

  “He’s really a nice boy, isn’t he?” Kate murmured, mostly to herself, fighting back a wave of guilt as she tried not to imagine what Nat would say if she could see them right now.

  Fitz heard her and glanced over. “You definitely know how to pick them,” he said with a wink. Then his eyes lit up as a new song came on the iPod. “Ooh, love this tune! Dance with me?”

  He grabbed Kate by the wrist and twirled her toward him, making her drop the clippers. She laughed, almost tripping over the power cord as he pressed her against him.

  “Stop,” she protested, suddenly feeling a little breathless. “I work here, remember? I can’t get away with goofing off in public like you can.”

  “Relax. Nobody’ll blame you. Everyone already knows I’m a bad influence.” He shot her that wicked grin again, then chucked her chin up with one finger and kissed her.

  Kate went with it, trying to let all the stresses of the past few weeks disappear as she kissed him back. But when Flame let out a sudden snort and shifted his weight, she pulled away.

  “Enough,” she said as sternly as she could manage. “We’re going to embarrass Flame with all the PDA.”

  “He’ll get over it.” Fitz reached out, trying to pull her back in. But Kate twisted away, then grabbed a bottle of coat conditioner off the wire rack on the wall behind her and squirted it at him. She giggled and ducked as he let out a howl of surprise and lunged at her.

  “No fair!” he exclaimed. “You’ll pay for that!”

  Kate laughed again, then ducked under Flame’s neck and scooted around him, trying to keep the horse’s body between herself and Fitz. Flame pricked his ears but remained relaxed, one hind foot cocked as he watched them chase each other around.

  Finally Kate stopped and held up both hands. “I surrender!” she said breathlessly, wiping a few beads of sweat off her forehead. Even with the fans going, it was hot in the barn. “If I give you one more kiss, will you behave yourself and let us get back to work?”

  Fitz stroked his chin with one hand, pretending to mull it over. “Is that your best offer?” he joked. Then he reached for her. “Come here, you.”

  Kate lost track of time a little bit as they kissed again. When Fitz finally came up for air, she felt dizzy. “Okay,” she said, doing her best to shake it off. “Back to work. I’ll finish doing his ears if you work on his tail.”

  “Deal.”

  A few minutes later, Kate was unplugging the clippers when Flame lifted his head, pricking his ears at someone coming down the aisle. Kate glanced over her shoulder and saw Summer Campbell coming toward them. Summer was scheduled to ride in the juniors’ group lesson in a little while, though she was only half dressed for it right now in breeches and a pair of expensive-looking beaded flip-flops.

  “Fitz! There you are!” she exclaimed.

  Fitz lifted one hand in a lazy wave. “Yo, Summer. What’s up?”

  “Careful,” Kate added as Summer ducked under Flame’s head to get to Fitz. “You don’t want Flame to step on your foot while you’re wearing those shoes.”

  “What? Oh, hi, I didn’t see you.” Summer barely glanced at Kate before turning her attention back to Fitz. “So listen,” she said. “You’ll never believe my big news.”

  “Really? What is it?” Fitz spritzed Flame’s tail with conditioner.

  Summer smiled, tossing her long, straight blond hair back over one shoulder—a move that should have looked casual and natural but somehow, coming from Summer, seemed as artificial and trying-too-hard as the blingy Swarovski crystals that studded the belt she was wearing. “Ah, ah, ah!” She waggled a finger in Fitz’s face. “It’s a secret. But if you’re all nice to me, I just might make a big announcement during today’s group lesson.”

  “Sure you don’t want to give us a preview?” Fitz said with a grin. “We can keep a secret. Right, Kate?”

  “Um …,” Kate began.

  Summer didn’t bother to wait for her to respond. “Sorry, guys,” she singsonged playfully. “You’re just going to have to wait like everyone else. See you in the lesson!”

  She rushed off down the aisle. Fitz watched her go, one eyebrow raised.

  “Wonder what that’s all about?” he commented.

  Kate shrugged. She had more important things to worry about than the latest drama in Summer’s happy little world. “Come on,” she said, picking up a grooming mitt. “We’d better finish up here before it’s time to tack up.”

  “Good boy.” Tommi gave her eq horse, a massive dark bay Hanoverian named Orion, a pat on his damp neck. “Bet that felt good, didn’t it?”

  She’d just finished hosing the horse down after his workout. Checking her watch, she saw that she only had a few minutes until she needed to start warming up for the group lesson. It was a good thing she’d asked one of the grooms to get Legs ready for her, because she still had one more thing to do.

  As she left Orion in his stall, she heard a sudden shout of laughter. Fitz. Okay, that made things easier. Wherever he was these days, Kate was likely to be there, too.

  Tommi still wasn’t sure what to think about that. Fitz had been working his way through the girls of the A circuit pretty much since hitting puberty. Tommi knew she hadn’t been the only one taken by surprise when he’d fallen hard for Kate earlier that summer. She just hoped Fitz was as serious about her friend as he seemed. Kate didn’t have much experience with guys, and Tommi didn’t want to see her get hurt.

  Rounding the corner, she saw the two of them in the grooming stall fussing over that rangy Thoroughbred Fitz had just bought. The horse still looked thin, but now his ears and muzzle were freshly trimmed, his mane was pulled and conditioned, and his white socks and blaze gleamed against his coppery coat.

  “Hey,” Tommi said as she approached. “He’s looking good.”

  “Thanks.” Kate reached up to give the horse a scratch on the withers, which made him stretch his neck out and flop his lower lip with pleasure. “He�
�s a nice boy—I think he likes being pampered.”

  “Who wouldn’t like having you pampering him, gorgeous?” Fitz told her with that cocky little smile that all the girls seemed to find so irresistible. Well, all the girls except Tommi, anyway. Somehow she’d always been immune to his particular set of charms, though she liked him well enough as a friend.

  There was a clatter of hooves at the end of the aisle. Tommi glanced up just in time to see one of the other juniors, Dani, walking past with a horse trailing behind her.

  Fitz saw her, too. “Oops—looks like people are starting to get ready.”

  “You’d better go tack up,” Tommi told him. “You’re not exactly on Jamie’s top ten list of favorite people right now, in case you forgot.”

  “You have a point.” Fitz glanced across the chestnut gelding’s back at Kate. “Can you put this guy away? I don’t even know where my boots are right now, and last time I saw Chip he had a huge manure stain on his butt.”

  Kate nodded. “I’ve got it. Go ahead.”

  “Thanks, beautiful.” Fitz blew her a kiss. “See you guys in the ring.” He grabbed his iPod and loped off.

  “I should get ready, too.” Kate unclipped Flame from the crossties. “Fitz’s horse isn’t the only one that’s dirty. Fable looks like he spent the entire night of turnout rolling in the mud.”

  “That’s a gray horse for you. I’ll help you get him cleaned up.” Tommi fell into step as Kate led Flame down the aisle. “Max is tacking up Legs for me. And I wanted to talk to you.”

  “Oh?” Kate shot her a cautious look. “Um, that’s good, because I actually kind of wanted to talk to you, too.”

  Tommi was a little surprised, though she tried not to show it. Kate wasn’t exactly famous for opening up to people. “Okay, well, here I am,” she said. “Let’s talk.”

  They’d reached Flame’s stall by then. Kate fell silent as she led the gelding in and removed his halter. She stepped out and fastened the stall guard, then turned to face Tommi, twisting the halter’s leather crownpiece in both hands.