A Dark Horse

by Cooper, Blayne

  “That was years ago, and I was nine months pregnant!” Amelia protested indignantly, pointing at her daughter as though Adele somehow needed proof of the pregnancy.

  “Excuses,” Adele scoffed, allowing her sister no quarter.

  Natalie clamped her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.

  “Please note, Ella, that I’ve won nearly every year since then.”

  Adele sneered. “All good things must come to an end. And since Natalie is a guest I assume it’s acceptable that she gets the choice of weapons?”

  Natalie’s mouth dropped open. Weapons?

  The girls conferred with each other in a hushed circle. Finally, the youngest poked her head up and proclaimed, “Acceptable.”

  Adele leaned close to Natalie’s ear and whispered, “Reach into the bag and pick out a saw.”

  Natalie recoiled. “You want me to stick my hand inside a dark sack for a saw, not knowing exactly where the blade is?”

  “Those are the rules,” Adele hissed from the side of her mouth.

  Natalie rolled her eyes. “Fine, but if I end up in the emergency room, I’m blaming you.” Carefully, and so slowly that Amelia snorted, Natalie pulled out a decent-sized saw. Unsure what to do next, she held it up for all to see.

  Adele nodded, apparently extremely satisfied. “Excellent choice.”

  Natalie examined the saw with a critical eye while Amelia extricated hers from the sack. “Is ours better?”

  “No, they’re exactly the same.”

  “What the—?” Natalie stared at Adele again.

  “Now comes the tree choice,” Adele proclaimed as though she was announcing the arrival of royalty at a formal ball. She took the smaller bag from her niece and held it for Natalie. “Go on. Reach inside.”

  “Um…what’s in there?” Natalie inquired warily, keeping her hand as far from the bag as possible.

  “Just colored beads. You know, from Mardi Gras.” Adele gave the bag a little shake. “Pull out one and it will tell us what type of tree we have to chop.”

  “Fine, fine,” Natalie murmured. Trying not to look like the wimp she was, she reached and prayed Adele had been telling the truth. Feeling around, she let out a relieved breath and pulled out a bead.

  Five sets of eyes regarded her anxiously.

  “A green one,” Natalie announced, confused.

  The girls sucked in a breath in unison.

  “Yes!” Adele practically danced a jig. “Green! Suck on that, Amelia!”

  Amelia groaned and hung her head low.

  The judges glanced at Amelia with pity in their eyes.

  “I take it that’s the color you wanted?” Natalie asked hesitantly. They are all crazy. Wonderful, but crazy.

  “Green stands for Leyland Cypress,” Adele said as though that explained everything. She danced around with the middle-sized child, her cane only minimally slowing her down.

  Natalie hadn’t even heard of that kind of tree. “And that’s good?”

  Adele froze. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “Yes, I’m totally kidding.”

  Adele nodded approvingly. “Good one.”

  Next, Amelia dug into the small bag and when she looked at her bead, a slow cocky smile spread across her face, transforming it into a Cheshire cat’s. The bead was blue. “Carolina Sapphire.”

  The girls tittered and released a series of “oooh’s” and “ahhh’s.”

  Adele gasped.

  “What does that mean?” Natalie whispered in Adele’s ear, acknowledging that sapphires were, at least, blue. “Is that even a tree?”

  “Of course it is. But for some reason, no one ever picks it. It’s a wild card. Who knows how the judges will react?”

  “On your marks. Get set. Go!” Amelia cried then disappeared into a row of trees with the girls trailing behind her.

  When her sister was out of sight, Adele gestured to their right. “C’mon, our trees are this way.”

  With arms linked, Natalie and Adele strolled at a leisurely pace. Apparently an hour was plenty of time, because Adele didn’t seem to be in any particular hurry.

  Natalie sucked in a breath of sweet, fresh air. The tree farm was about forty miles outside of New Orleans, but felt a world away from the languid, but still spirited city. With the sun shining brightly, the day seemed filled with possibilities.

  “So, Ella, you’ve really been coming here and picking trees your entire life?” Her family didn’t have any longstanding traditions that seemed so…joyful. It was nice, and Natalie vowed that if she ever had a family of her own, things would be different.

  “Oh, yeah. My aunts and uncles and parents competed when I was little and me, Amelia, Jackson, and our cousins were their judges. Now it’s my generation’s turn to entertain the kids. They love it. Logan especially likes…” Adele paused, then seemed to let the thought skitter away without voicing it. She guided Natalie through the changing varieties and shades of green of the trees. “Here we go. These are the ones.”

  The trees didn’t quite look like the pines or even blue spruce so common in Wisconsin, but they were beautiful all the same. One would undoubtedly look glorious all decked out at the Touro Street Inn. “Nice.”

  “If you see a tree you like, let me know, okay? I’m counting on your homespun Wisconsin background for a competitive edge.”

  “You do know that I’m from a city of almost 250,000 and not a farm, right?”

  “A thousand people plus 249,000 mosquitoes?” Adele teased gently as she squeezed their linked arms. She glanced around, then apparently satisfied they were alone, snuck a quick kiss to Natalie’s cheek.

  Natalie’s heart pounded quicker at the feeling of soft lips and warm breath against her skin.

  “Let’s find this tree, and get out of here so we can go on our date.”

  Without looking, Natalie walked up to the very next tree in the row. “This one looks perfect.”

  Adele’s hungry eyes roamed over Natalie instead of the tall tree next to her. She shrugged lightly. “I agree.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Natalie, hair in a loose, low bun, with a few stylish tendrils flowing free, met Adele in the kitchen for their date wearing a lace jacquard pencil dress. It was black, short, but not scandalously so, and exquisitely fitted to every one of Natalie’s curves, of which there were many.

  Adele’s mouth opened and closed a few times, helplessly, with no sound coming out, when she saw Natalie. Her gaze darkened a shade at the sight before her, and when she was finally able, Adele reverently whispered, “Wow. Just…wow. Amazing.” She fanned herself.

  Natalie basked in the thrilled look on Adele’s face. “Thanks, Ella.” Worth. Every. Penny.

  With a thousand-watt smile, Natalie allowed her eyes to rake up and down Adele. Slowly. “You look beautiful.” Her smile eased into a playful frown. “So beautiful, in fact, I’m not sure I’m in the mood to beat off the men and women who will be drooling over you. Maybe we should order pizza and stay in instead.” She was only half kidding. The thought of spending the evening alone with Adele on the sofa made her heart race every bit as much as going out.

  Adele’s outfit wasn’t quite as dressy as Natalie’s, but she still looked stunning in snug, black leather pants, a red satin, cowl-neck blouse and a short black jacket. She normally favored light, barely-there makeup that complemented her naturally youthful look. But tonight she’d gone for something smokier with bold mascara and eyeliner that gave her a sexy air and caused her whiskey-brown eyes to stand out in a way that threatened to melt Natalie’s knees.

  Adele laughed. “Thanks, but I don’t think so. You, in that dress, are too gorgeous to waste on a night at home. And unlike you, I have absolutely no problem beating off the competition.”

  Obviously noticing a change in their normal positioning, Adele looked down at her feet. “No heels for me, I’m afraid.” Her hand clenched on the handle of her cane.

  “Good.” Natalie remained resolutely cheerful. “
Then for once I’ll be taller.” Usually, Adele was an inch or so taller, but in three-and-a-half-inch heels Natalie had new perspective. Since Adele was showing a tantalizing bit of cleavage, it was one Natalie immediately enjoyed.

  Adele grinned. “Don’t get used to it. Are you ready to go?”

  For years… “Ready.”

  The evening was still surprisingly temperate and Natalie opted to leave her coat at home. Slowly, and with heads leaned close together as they talked, they strolled up the block to a busier street and caught a cab. Within five minutes they were at Stella! and waiting to be seated.

  When the hostess disappeared with Adele’s jacket, Natalie finally peeled her eyes away from Adele long enough to make conversation. “The restaurant is lovely.” Romantic.

  An enormous vase of fresh, brightly colored flowers sat near the center of the room. The tables were covered in crisp white linens, and the heavy chairs were tufted and upholstered with cream-colored, buttery leather. Candlelight and two large, golden chandeliers delicately lit the space. The exposed, dark wood beams that crisscrossed the ceiling matched the plush brown and gold carpet.

  Adele murmured her agreement. “We had Creole food at Galatoire’s, so I thought American would be good for tonight.”

  Adele’s hand found the small of Natalie’s back as she gently guided her behind the hostess who seated them. The fingertips felt like they were searing Natalie’s flesh and she bit back a delighted moan at the sensation.

  Happily, they were seated close enough to the enormous vase that the aroma of fresh flowers hung lightly in the air. It was almost enough for Natalie to forget that it was the middle of winter.

  After ordering and each receiving a cocktail, they settled in to talk and get to know one another better.

  “So,” Adele began, swirling her drink in her glass, the chunks of ice knocking together lightly, “I have to warn you that I’m a bit out of practice. I haven’t been on a date with someone who wasn’t Landry since I was in my early twenties. Oh, shoot!” She looked ready to slap herself in the forehead. “I wasn’t supposed to mention him.”

  Natalie paused with her glass midway to her lips. “You weren’t?”

  “Well, I mean, nobody wants to hear about someone’s ex on a first date.” Adele wrinkled her nose. “At least that’s what Amelia told me.”

  Natalie laughed. “Well, normally, I’d agree with your sister. But you were married to him for a long time and he’s always going to be a part of your life because of Logan. There’s no reason talking about him should be off limits, unless it makes you unhappy, that is.”

  “You’re perfect,” Adele said dreamily, her eyes glazed over. Her eyes popped open wide when she realized she’d actually said the words out loud. “Oh, my God. I’m so sorry.” She tilted her head back and found something very interesting about the ceiling. “What is wrong with me?”

  “You mean I’m not perfect?” Natalie asked coyly. Even Adele’s edginess was adorable. It meant that the evening was important to them both.

  Adele’s gaze snapped down. “You are. I just…” She grimaced. “It wasn’t supposed to come out like that.”

  “How about this?” Natalie set her glass on the table. “How about we stop worrying about this being an official date, and just be ourselves?”

  Adele let out a shuddering breath. “Yeah. Okay. That would be…just right. But I mean, it’s still a date. It still counts, right?”

  “Absolutely. And Ella?”

  “Yes?”

  “I’m nervous too.”

  Natalie could see Adele calm even further at her words, and it went a long way to calming the nervous fluttering in her own belly.

  They each selected a seven-course tasting menu, one traditional and one vegetarian and accepted the waiter’s recommendation of the accompanying wine pairings. By midway through the evening Natalie was feeling a pleasant, light buzz and one look at Adele’s slightly glassy eyes told her she was in the same state.

  They happily shared bites from each other’s plates and the savory food and fine wine were nothing short of delectable. But it was the company Natalie reveled in.

  It wasn’t like any first date she’d ever experienced. True, there was a hint of awkwardness and the thrill of new discovery because there was still so much to explore about one another. But at the same time, so much was already familiar and comfortable. There was an energy between them, pulsing and alive, an invisible rope that tethered them together and drew them back to each other again and again. Maybe it had always been there, lurking in the background, biding its time until it was safe and appropriate to rise to the surface.

  And that time was now.

  Natalie tossed her napkin onto the table. “This is ridiculous! Your photo actually looks good. How is that even possible? Nobody’s looks good. No way do you get to see mine.”

  Adele was immediately indignant. “That’s not fair! What do you mean, no way? I showed you mine. Now you have to show me yours.”

  Their eyes met and they both burst into laughter. “Okay, okay, you win,” Natalie murmured good-naturedly. Fair was fair. She handed Adele back the Louisiana driver’s license and began rooting in her purse for hers.

  Their waiter interrupted again to bring their fifth course: a tiny smoked lamb chop for Natalie and Parmesan gnocchi for Adele. Hot on his heels was a second waiter with two glasses of Merlot.

  Adele scowled a little as she watched the waiters go. “If I’d known we’d have a waiter at our table every five minutes all night long, I wouldn’t have suggested the tasting menu. Sorry about that.”

  “Don’t be. You’re great company, and I’m having a wonderful time. Even though I feel a little like we should offer our waiter a seat at our table just so he can rest.”

  Adele chuckled silently. “I know, right?”

  “Now don’t laugh.” Natalie reluctantly handed over her driver’s license. “The picture is a little…rough.”

  Adele glanced down, back at Natalie, then back at the license, her eyes a narrow slit. Then she repeated the sequence. “Rough?” Adele did her best to hold in her laughter, which turned out to be a less than valiant attempt. “Were you hung-over or still drunk when this was taken?”

  “Neither!” Natalie sniffed haughtily. “My hair was merely windblown and tousled.”

  “And your makeup?”

  “A bit smudged.”

  Adele lifted a single fair eyebrow.

  “Fine.” Natalie lightheartedly threw her hands into the air. “That was taken the day after that year’s big departmental gala at the university, which also happened to be the night I finally broke things off with my ex for good. I spent half the evening having a good time and indulging in some surprisingly decent wine. That is, until I caught my ex in the ladies’ room going at it with the skinny skank who teaches East Asian History.”

  Adele winced. “No!”

  “Oh, yes. And now you’ve gone and made me talk about my ex. Amelia wouldn’t approve,” Natalie said drolly. She took a sip of wine before continuing, enjoying the way it warmed the pit of her stomach. “So I spent the other half of the night ending a relationship that was dead in the water anyway. My license was set to expire the next day and I couldn’t drive with an expired license, so even looking like this,” she pointed to the offending license, “I hauled myself to the DMV to immortalize my humiliation via photograph.”

  “Wow.” Adele gazed at the horrid photo with open affection. “If more citizens were as law-abiding as you, I would have been bored as a detective.”

  Natalie noticed that this time Adele didn’t seem so bitter when she said the word detective. Progress. “Luckily for you there seemed to be no shortage of horrible, horrible people. And hopefully now there will be no shortage of tourists who will flock to the newly renovated, historic, and not purple, Touro Street Inn.”

  “I’ll drink to that!”

  The women clinked their glasses together, and Adele handed back Natalie’s license. “So di
d your ex make a scene in front of your coworkers at the departmental party? Or did you?”

  Natalie’s vision went a little hazy as she remembered. It was honestly something that hadn’t crossed her mind in ages. “Neither. I just wanted to go home that night. Luckily, Hannah would never do anything intentionally to outright embarrass herself in front of her peers or underlings.”

  “Underlings?”

  Natalie shifted a little uncomfortably in her seat. “She was, and is, my department chair.”

  Adele’s mouth dropped open. “Your ex-girlfriend is your current boss?”

  “You could say that.” Natalie rolled her eyes at herself. “But I wish you wouldn’t.”

  Adele made a face. “Eww.”

  “Hey, don’t judge!”

  “Okay, I—” Adele paused. “No, sorry. Still eww.”

  Their quiet laughter wove together and created a sound all its own that filled Natalie’s heart as much as her ears. “Okay,” she allowed grudgingly. “It was a stupid error in judgment that won’t ever be repeated.”

  “Is she old? The title department chair makes me think of someone pruny and ancient.” Adele clearly was warming to her hypothesis, her eyes taking on a lively glint as she teased. “She probably doesn’t have to memorize dates from World War I and the Great Depression and stuff. She remembers them personally.”

  Confused and slightly distressed that Adele would assume she was that desperate, Natalie tilted her head to the side. “Why would I date someone ancient?”

  “How should I know?” Adele’s face beamed with an inner glow that Natalie had come to learn meant she was happy and having fun. “Everyone has quirks. Some people just hide them better than others. For example, maybe right around the time you figured out that you liked women, you developed a thing for your eighth-grade history teacher, who I’m sure was very nice looking for someone all shriveled up and old—”

  “I’ll bet there’s not as much of an age difference between Hannah and me as there is between you and Landry. She’s seven years older than I am.”