“I just wanted to say, um, you know, I appreciate it,” she said in a voice so quiet that Tommi had to lean closer to hear it. “You know. Trying to help me. At the show with the breeches, then afterward with Zara …”
Tommi nodded. At the last show, Kate had accidentally ruined her only show-ring-worthy pair of breeches. No biggie, it could happen to anyone—which was why Tommi didn’t understand why Kate hadn’t just come to her right away. Or to Jamie, for that matter, or any of half a dozen others who would have been happy to help. Instead Kate had slipped a new pair of breeches onto the tab of a wealthy adult client without telling her. She’d had second thoughts almost immediately, but before she could return the breeches she’d fallen off a horse and ruined them. Only then had she finally confided in Tommi, who’d helped smooth things over so that no one else would ever need to know what Kate had done.
“Anytime,” Tommi told Kate now. “And I’m sorry if I was out of line, coming at you with Zara like that. We just—”
“No, it’s okay,” Kate interrupted, her cheeks going pink. “I mean, I guess I can’t blame you guys for being worried, considering what happened—you know, me passing out in the middle of a course like that. That’s not exactly normal behavior.” She rolled her eyes and sighed. “I’ve been so busy lately that maybe I haven’t scheduled in enough time for stuff like eating and sleeping. And with all the extra stress at home—”
“What’s going on at home?” Tommi asked cautiously. Kate didn’t talk about her home life much. Tommi had never even been inside her house, though she’d dropped her off at the curb a few times.
Kate turned to scratch Flame’s cheek as he stuck his head out and nuzzled her. She was quiet for so long that Tommi was afraid she wasn’t going to answer at all.
But finally she spoke. “It’s my brother,” she said, running her hand down Flame’s long, white-splashed nose. “He’s turning into some kind of juvenile delinquent. Just got accused of trashing one of his teacher’s houses over the weekend.”
“Whoa.” Tommi shook her head. “That sounds like bad news. No wonder you’re extra stressed lately. But listen, you can’t let it get to you so much, okay? I don’t ever want to see you come off a horse like that again.” She shuddered as she flashed back to Kate passing out right after an extra-big jump and flopping to the ground like an old rag doll.
“I know.” Kate’s voice went quiet again. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. Just let me help you make it better, okay?”
“Yeah.” Kate shrugged. “I mean, I’m pretty sure I don’t really have a problem. Not the kind you and Zara were talking about, anyway. I just got kind of, you know, distracted, I guess. No big deal.”
Tommi hoped she was right. “Okay,” she said. “Let’s go with that for now. But I’m not going to take any chances, got it? I want to know you’re eating enough from now on. And if I even think you’re not, I’ll have to talk to Jamie or your parents or somebody.”
“You won’t have to do that,” Kate said quickly. She paused, still stroking Flame’s face. “But if you wanted to, like, help remind me to eat when I get busy, that would be good. I think it might help.”
“Deal. I’ll start now.” Tommi smiled. “What did you have for lunch today?”
“Um …”
“That’s what I thought.” Tommi fished in the pocket of her jeans, pulling out a granola bar. She’d grabbed it on the way out of the house, planning to eat it on the long drive up to Westchester County. But she’d ended up hitting the drive-through at a bagel shop instead, so there it was, slightly squashed but still edible. “Here—eat this, and then let’s go get Fable ready.”
Summer glanced up as Tommi rode into the ring a short while later. “Hey!” she called out. “Have you seen Zara today?”
Tommi glanced at her, still distracted by her talk with Kate earlier. Kate had eaten the entire granola bar, which made Tommi feel better. Maybe she was right—maybe all she needed was a friend looking out for her. She hoped so. Kate could be pretty intense. Sometimes that was good, like when she channeled it into her riding or grooming or whatever. But Tommi was starting to realize there was a dark side to it, too.
“Um, what?” she said, realizing Summer was staring at her.
“Zara.” Summer sounded impatient. “Have you seen her? She’s not here yet, and Joy said she didn’t call to cancel.”
“What, are you stalking her or something?” Tommi was surprised that Summer hadn’t given up on becoming BFFs with Zara yet. It wasn’t as if Zara had ever given her much encouragement. Then again, Summer was probably the shallowest person Tommi had ever met, as obsessed with wealth, fame, and status as her new-money parents. Befriending someone like Zara was probably like her Holy Grail. “Anyway, I haven’t seen her either,” Tommi added.
Summer rode off toward Marissa and Dani, who were walking their horses side by side at the other end of the ring. Tommi halted Legs and bent forward to double-check her girth.
“I hope Zara’s not late again.” Kate rode up next to her. “Jamie’s not going to be happy if she is.”
Tommi nodded, letting Legs walk on. “She seemed awfully distracted yesterday. Kept blabbing the whole drive out here about her cousin disappearing or whatever.”
“Her cousin? What do you mean?” Kate half-halted Fable as he skittered sideways, snorting at a blowing leaf.
Fable, whose full name was Fabelhaften, was one of Jamie’s sales horses. He’d already had careers as a pretty good dressage horse and a mediocre show hunter, but Jamie thought the beefy gray warmblood was best suited as an equitation horse. He’d asked Kate to start riding him in the hypercompetitive 3′6″ Big Eq classes, and while Kate seemed surprised and a little overwhelmed by the offer, Tommi figured it was about time her friend got to show her stuff in the eq ring. So far the pair had been doing pretty well together. Sure, Fable could be a little goofy and sometimes liked to throw his considerable weight around—that was why he wasn’t ready to go up for sale at Big Eq prices just yet. A quiet, tactful, patient rider like Kate was exactly what he needed to bring out his best and teach him his new job. Win-win.
Tommi waited until Kate had the big gray horse settled, then answered her question. “Zara’s dad’s on tour in Europe this summer, remember? And her mom’s shooting a movie somewhere on the West Coast. So they got some distant cousin to come stay with Zara for the rest of the summer and keep an eye on her. I guess the cousin’s a college student somewhere and wants to work in New York when she graduates.”
“Oh.” Kate still looked confused.
Tommi shook her head and smiled. Everything about Zara’s life was the subject of major gossip at the barn. Leave it to Kate to be completely clueless!
“Anyway, the cousin turned out to be a total party hound,” she explained. “So while Zara was away at the show last weekend, her cousin took off with some guy she met and left the place a total wreck—right when Zara found out her mom was about to pop home for a visit. Last I heard she was trying to hire a cleaning service to help her get it back in shape before her mom got there.”
“Wow.” Kate shook her head. “With all that going on, maybe she just forgot about today’s lesson.”
“Maybe. I’d better text her just in case.”
Tommi let Legs walk out long and low along the rail as she quickly texted Zara a reminder. Then she picked up the reins and sent him into a trot, putting Zara’s problems out of her mind as she started her warm-up.
Zara was still a no-show by the time Jamie strode into the ring, looking as dapper as ever in breeches, tall boots, and a hunter green polo with the barn’s logo embroidered on it. “Everybody here?” the trainer said, glancing around at the riders as they brought their horses to a stop in a crooked line in front of him. “Where’s Zara?”
“We don’t know,” Summer called out. “I mean, I’m sure she would have let me know if she wasn’t coming. She’s probably just running late.”
Jamie frowned. Tommi wi
nced, quickly checking her phone to see if Zara had texted her back. No new messages.
“Well, she’ll have to catch up on her own if she bothers to show up,” Jamie said, turning to adjust the jump behind him. “Pick up a trot, please. We’ll do a little flatwork today before we move on to jumping. The Washington Crossing show is coming up soon, and I’ve noticed a few bad habits sneaking in for some of you over the past few shows …”
The lesson continued from there. Legs was full of energy, wanting to canter during the trot portions of their flatwork and gallop during the canter parts. But he listened to Tommi’s aids, doing what she asked even when he felt ready to explode beneath her.
Once they turned to jumping, Legs overjumped the first few fences but then settled into the work, channeling his energy into the challenge of finding his way to the other side of the obstacles. He felt good, and Tommi found herself grinning at his sheer joy in doing his job. There had been many times she’d doubted her big idea to buy him as a resale project, many moments when she’d wondered if she was crazy to think she could make a go of it in the horse business. But times like this? Those worries were the furthest thing from her mind.
“Good boy!” Tommi exclaimed, giving him a pat as he landed after the final fence of the practice course Jamie had set up. Legs flagged his tail and sped up, tossing his head, and Tommi laughed.
“Nicely done,” Jamie said as she brought the horse back to a trot and circled around to rejoin the group. “He’s really improving.”
“Thanks.” Tommi patted her horse again. “I’m hoping he does well at Washington Crossing.”
Jamie nodded, but his gaze had already moved on. “Dani, you’re up next,” he called out. “Really focus on keeping your body still when he takes off—I can tell that it bothers him when you jump ahead, and that’s costing you rails in the show ring.”
“Got it.” Dani nodded, looking focused and determined as she gathered up her reins and sent her horse, a spunky Thoroughbred jumper known around the barn as Red, into a brisk canter.
Tommi’s thoughts drifted as Dani started the course. Washington Crossing wasn’t just another show for her and Legs. Getting him out and seen there could be a big step toward meeting her deadline, as long as—
She lost her train of thought when she heard a couple of the other students gasp. “Yikes,” Kate said, her gaze trained on Dani.
Tommi tuned back in, realizing that Dani had flubbed the distance to the big oxer near the end of the course. Red had landed disorganized and strung out, his canter rushed and unbalanced as he headed for the last fence.
“Easy,” Tommi murmured under her breath as she watched.
She could hear Dani talking to her horse, trying to regain his attention as he plunged toward the large vertical. At the same time Dani was tugging on the reins, obviously trying to get Red to put in another step. But he ignored her, launching himself from an impossibly long spot.
Tommi held her breath, willing the athletic horse to find a way over despite the bad takeoff. One front hoof cleared the top rail but the other smacked into it, followed by both hind legs. The jump collapsed with a clatter, and Red landed awkwardly in the middle of it with his head down—launching Dani out of the saddle and into the wooden fence around the ring.
“Oh, no!” someone yelled.
Tommi was already jumping out of her saddle. She was the closest to Dani, who’d landed hard and was lying still.
“Stay here,” she ordered Legs, not really caring whether he obeyed.
She sprinted to the fallen rider’s side. Dani was groaning, her eyes blinking rapidly as she stared at the clear summer sky.
“Keep still,” Tommi ordered, channeling Jamie. “Don’t try to move yet.”
A second later Jamie himself skidded to his knees on Dani’s other side. “Can you hear me?” he asked, touching her shoulder. “Did you hit your head?”
“Um, I don’t think so.” Dani winced, trying to prop herself up on her elbows. “Ow.”
Tommi glanced back just long enough to see that Kate had already jumped off and caught Red, who was prancing and rolling his eyes but seemed to be okay. Fitz had hopped off, too, holding Legs along with his own horse.
“Is she okay?” Summer called out.
Jamie didn’t answer. Hearing a groan, Tommi turned back to see the trainer running his hands down one of Dani’s legs. There was a big scrape on her left boot, and both knees of her breeches were trashed.
“Ow!” Dani yelped when Jamie gently squeezed her left calf.
Jamie’s expression was grim. “Keep her still, Tommi,” he ordered, pulling out his phone. “I’m calling an ambulance. I think that leg is broken.”
Chapter Three
“Mmm, that was delicious.” Zara’s mother dabbed at her lips with a snowy white linen napkin. “I’m glad you suggested this, love. Even if the restaurant wasn’t your first choice.” She winked playfully at Zara.
Zara forced a smile. Okay, so at least Gina seemed to believe the whole La Vache Folle had been a joke. Ha freaking ha. The joke had been on Zara when she’d arrived a few minutes early, only to find that what she’d assumed was some chic little French bistro was actually a retro-lame dive bar, complete with peanut shells on the floor. Okay, so according to Zagat’s the food was “delish.” Still, not exactly her mother’s scene.
Luckily there was a fancy Italian place right across the street, and the maître d’ had taken one look at Gina and led them to the best table in the house. Unfortunately for Zara, the celebrity service continued, with an attentive waiter appearing almost instantly to take their order and their food appearing at record speed. Sneaking a peek at her watch, Zara saw that it had barely been an hour and a half since she’d left the loft. Not long enough.
“Um, I’m still hungry,” she blurted out. Glancing around for their waiter, she waved at him. “I knew I should’ve ordered another side—the lobster ravioli was way too small. Can I get something else?” She glanced around at nearby tables for inspiration. “Uh, the calamari looks good.”
Gina looked surprised, but she shrugged and settled back in her chair. “Whatever you like, my darling girl. I’m just so happy to see your gorgeous face again! I’ve missed you.”
“Yeah, me too.” Zara smiled distractedly as her mother reached across the table and squeezed her hand, mentally calculating how much longer until it was safe to go home.
A little over an hour later, Zara held her breath as the cab turned the corner and the loft came into sight. Leaning forward, she scanned both sides of the street. No sign of the bright yellow truck with the cleaning company logo on it. Thank God. She’d stalled as long as she could, eating the calamari one bite at a time, then talking Gina into splitting a couple of desserts. By the time the check finally came, she was so full she never wanted to see tiramisu again.
But it had been worth it. Mission accomplished.
“I can’t wait to see the place again!” Gina peered out over Zara’s shoulder. “That’s the building, right?”
“Yeah, that’s it.” Zara had almost forgotten that her mother had only seen the loft once. She’d been on location since before Zara and Zac had officially moved in. Good. That meant she wouldn’t miss the broken vase or the rug that had had to be sent out for deep cleaning or the antique table clock that had mysteriously disappeared during one of Stacie’s weekend-long parties.
Soon they were stepping into the loft. It smelled a whole lot better than when Zara had left. Good. Somehow, Eau de Puke didn’t seem like the best way to welcome her mother to New York.
Gina slung her leather weekend bag onto the floor under the foyer’s built-in counter, then stepped out into the main room, her Balenciaga heels clicking on the polished hardwood. “The light is wonderful in here!” she exclaimed. “And I love what you and your father have done with the place!”
“Yeah, Zac made sure to hire some hotshot decorator to do it up right.” Zara glanced around. The cleaners had done a good job. The place was
spotless, but a copy of New York magazine was lying open on the coffee table and Zara’s scuffed flannel slippers were peeking out from under the sofa. She flopped onto the nearest chair, relieved. She’d done it. She’d had to eat half of New York City along the way, but she’d done it.
Gina stepped over and gave her a light squeeze on the shoulder. “Aren’t you going to give me the grand tour, love?”
“Oh.” Zara stood up. “Um, okay, sure. This is obviously the living room or whatever.” She waved a hand to encompass the huge main room with its floor-to-ceiling windows. “Lots of space for all Zac’s minions to hang out and watch TV and pick their toenails and stuff.”
Gina chuckled. “Yes, that sounds about right. Is that the kitchen over there?”
“Uh-huh.” Zara trailed along as her mother hurried into the galley kitchen.
“I remember this.” Gina touched the countertop. “I thought it looked a bit industrial, all this concrete and stainless steel. But your father adored it. Said it was easy to clean.”
Zara rolled her eyes. She was pretty sure the last time either of her parents had cleaned anything was sometime in the previous millennium. If then.
“Want to see upstairs?” she asked, already heading back out of the kitchen, which smelled strongly of bleach and lemonscented cleaning crap. She didn’t want Gina to notice and start asking questions about that, since Zara wasn’t exactly known as a fan of random cleaning herself.
She led the way up the airy wood-and-steel staircase. At the top was a long, narrow gangway of a hall, one side overlooking the main room and the other lined with doorways.
“Here’s my room.” Zara flung open one of the doors.
“Very nice.” Gina stepped in and looked around. “And very neat! Who are you, and what have you done with my daughter? Because my darling Zara has never made her bed a day in her life!” She let out her famous musical laugh, the one that had charmed every leading man in Hollywood. Or so her publicist said, anyway.
Off Course Page 3