Off Course

by Georgina Bloomberg

  Then again, Marcus hadn’t seemed like the usual type. In more ways than one …

  “Steady, big guy,” Tommi murmured as Legs spurted forward at the lightest touch of her leg. They’d just entered the show ring, and the lanky bay gelding was pricking his ears at the colorful jumps.

  Tommi took him around in a big, loopy circle, letting him take a peek at a few of the spookiest obstacles as they cantered past. Their warm-up had started off a little rough; Tommi was distracted, and Legs could tell. But when the horse had almost stopped at the first warm-up jump, she’d forced her mind back to business, channeling her emotions into focus and determination. Now, as she ran through the course in her mind, she felt ready.

  “Let’s go,” she whispered as she turned the horse toward the timers.

  Legs pricked his ears at the first jump. He surged forward eagerly when Tommi asked him to, meeting the obstacle out of stride. They sailed over, and Tommi smiled.

  Alex was the furthest thing from her mind as she and the horse hunted the next jump, clearing it just as effortlessly as the first. The course was a challenging one with lots of twists and turns, but that was just what Legs liked. Anytime he started to get strong or distracted, there was another rollback or tricky distance to grab his attention.

  By the end of the round, Tommi was grinning. “Good boy!” she exclaimed, giving him a big pat as they passed through the timers again. They’d gone clear and fast; it was probably one of their best rounds ever.

  She was still smiling as she rode out of the ring. Jamie hurried toward her.

  “Nice,” he said. “Way to show them how it’s done.”

  “Thanks.” Tommi heard cheering from nearby. Glancing over, she waved to the little group of railbirds from Pelham Lane over at the fence near the gate—Dani, Marissa, a couple of adult riders.

  Miguel appeared at the horse’s head. “Good round,” he said. “Want me to cool him out for you?”

  “It’s okay, I can do it,” Tommi told him with a smile.

  As she dismounted, she saw someone pushing toward her through the crowd. It was Kara Parodi, a big-name trainer who ran one of the most successful barns in New Jersey.

  “Tommi,” the woman said in her brisk, no-nonsense voice. “Is that horse of yours still for sale?”

  Tommi swallowed hard, remembering that Kara had been interested in looking at Legs for a client of hers at a show a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, it hadn’t worked out that day, and Tommi hadn’t heard from her again. Until now.

  “Yes,” she said. “As a matter of fact, he is.”

  “Good.” Kara nodded. “I want to ask you a few questions about him. You got a minute?”

  “Sure.” Tommi glanced at Miguel, who was still holding Legs by the reins. “Hey, Miguel—” she began.

  “I’ve got it.” The groom winked, then led the horse away.

  Tommi took a deep breath, wiped her suddenly sweaty palms on her breeches, and turned to face the trainer. “Okay, what did you want to ask me?”

  Kate’s legs closed softly against Flame’s sides as the ringmaster called for a trot. Flame responded instantly, settling into his typical steady rhythm, though his body was tenser than usual. Kate felt him twitch as a huge warmblood thundered past them on the inside. She bent Flame slightly to the outside. That brought his attention back to her long enough for him to forget about the other horse. Good. Those lateral exercises they’d practiced were paying off. So was their long warm-up session.

  She half-halted lightly, steadying the horse’s stride as his ears flicked back, listening to the horses behind him. He let out a sigh and relaxed. The eq class was more than half over, and it was going well. Really well. Almost kind of magical, all things considered.

  “Canter, please,” the ringmaster said. “All canter.”

  “Easy,” Kate breathed as she touched her outside heel to her horse’s side and he stepped into a canter. She felt an extra surge of energy run through him, but held with her seat until he settled.

  She wanted to hold her breath as they cantered softly around the corner. Instead she timed her breaths to the rhythm of his canter. One, two, three, one, two, three …

  As the ringmaster brought them back to a walk and asked the class to line up, Kate felt a grin split her face from ear to ear. She was so proud of the horse that she was ready to burst. Who cared if he was a few weeks off the tracks or a few months? That had been an impressive performance for any green horse. Especially one that had barely been in a ring with other horses before.

  “Good boy,” she whispered under her breath as she waited for the results. “Good, good boy!”

  It wasn’t until she heard cheers and hollers—including Dani’s familiar whoop—that she noticed the announcer repeating her name.

  “Nice job,” the ringmaster said with a smile as she pinned a blue ribbon onto Flame’s bridle. Flame tilted his head and stuck out his tongue, trying to catch the shiny fabric flapping from his face, and Kate laughed.

  “Thanks,” she said to the ringmaster as she rubbed Flame’s withers. Sure, an equitation class was judged solely on the rider. But Kate couldn’t have done her part without a willing partner. And Flame had just showed that he was more than willing to put that bad experience with Hannah behind him and step up. She was so proud of him she could hardly stand it.

  When she rode toward the gate, she saw that it wasn’t just people from her own barn cheering them on. Almost everyone at the rail was joining in, including a couple of trainers she recognized from other barns. She felt her cheeks go pink, and bent forward to pat the horse as the ring steward swung the gate open.

  “Kate, that was incredible!” Jamie exclaimed, giving Flame a sound pat on the neck. “Well done!”

  “I know! Wasn’t he great?” Kate said breathlessly. She slid down from the saddle and threw her arms around Jamie. He wasn’t normally a huggy type of trainer, but this time he just laughed and squeezed her back.

  Behind him, Marissa was jumping up and down and squealing. “I knew you were going to win that class!”

  “I know, right?” Dani exclaimed. “Flame looked like a whole different horse than that hot mess he was yesterday!”

  Kate grinned at them, then spun around to see if Tommi was there. Instead she saw Fitz coming toward her. “You two were amazing!” he blurted out, his eyes sparkling and a big grin on his face. “That horse was born to show!”

  He flung his arms around her. Kate hugged him back, still too excited to realize what was happening.

  Then she stiffened, remembering. She pulled back.

  Fitz seemed to catch on at the same moment. He let her go, rubbing his head and swallowing hard as his smile faded. Their eyes met.

  “Kate …,” he began uncertainly.

  “Fitz!” someone squealed. Hannah pushed her way past Kate and flung herself at him. “Oh my God, you were right! That horse is going to be a superstar! Congratulations!”

  Kate turned away, her heart plummeting into her feet. It felt as if all the excitement of the past few minutes had been sucked out of her, replaced by a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

  “I’d better get him back to the barn,” she said softly, reaching to take Flame’s reins from Jamie. She led the horse away without looking back.

  Chapter Twenty

  Kate tugged at her skirt. The dress she was wearing was at least two years old, and she’d grown an inch or more since then. But it was the only halfway decent dress she owned, and she couldn’t afford to buy a new one just for Summer’s party. Up until a couple of hours ago, she hadn’t even been planning to attend. Why had she let Tommi talk her into coming?

  Oh, right. Because Tommi was her friend, and she’d convinced Kate that she needed her. That they could have fun being newly single together.

  “Wow!” someone said in Kate’s ear. “This place is looking pretty swanky, huh?”

  It was Dani. Marissa was with her. Both girls looked cute and stylish, which just made Kate feel more ou
t of place than ever. Dani had decorated her crutches and cast with glossy satin ribbons that matched her cherry red dress. A digital camera dangled from her wrist, which Kate only noticed when Dani whipped it up and took a photo of her.

  “Hey!” Kate blinked, spots dancing in front of her eyes from the flash. “Stop. I look terrible.”

  “You look adorable.” Marissa giggled, sounding breathless and excited as she glanced around. “Crazy party, huh?”

  The Sweet Sixteen party was taking place in something called the Grand Ballroom. And it was pretty grand. It was a cavernous room with columns holding up the high ceiling. The band was playing at one end of the room, and a few people were already dancing. A long row of French doors opened onto a flagstone patio, where more guests were chatting or admiring the view of the mansion’s lawn and flower gardens, sweeping away into the lowering dusk.

  “Can you believe that ice sculpture?” Marissa stared toward the buffet, looking amused. “Only Summer would insist on a life-size horse and rider!”

  Dani peered at the ice sculpture, which was standing on a marble pedestal between two buffet tables. “Is that supposed to be Summer riding?” she asked with a smirk. “Because if it is, she really needs to work on her leg position.”

  Kate glanced at the door, wishing Tommi would get there already. She’d texted when Kate was walking up from the parking lot with Jamie and Elliot, saying that something had come up and she’d be a few minutes late.

  There was a sudden clatter of hooves from the direction of the patio. “Come on, Summer told us about this part, remember?” Marissa sounded excited. “Let’s go see her grand entrance!”

  Kate trailed along after the two girls as they rushed out through the French doors. They all emerged just in time to see a ridiculously ornate carriage roll onto the flagstones. It was being pulled by a snow-white Percheron with a plume of pink feathers spouting from its browband.

  “Woo-hoo, Cinderella!” Dani whooped, snapping several photos as Summer waved to the crowd and then climbed out of the carriage, assisted by an older man in a tuxedo. Whiskey was there too, snapping irritably at the pink satin dog vest someone had stuffed him into.

  “Is that her date?” Kate blurted out in surprise.

  “What? The dog?” Marissa joked.

  Dani laughed, then glanced at the older man. “That’s her dad playing Prince Charming,” she said. “Summer didn’t bring a date—she says there’ll be too many hot guys here to limit herself to just one.”

  “Here’s hoping she’s right.” Marissa licked her lips and glanced around. “That’s why we’re here stag, right, girls?”

  Dani nodded. “Looks like Summer’s getting mobbed by relatives and stuff. Come on, let’s go back inside and check out the food. We can say our happy birthdays later.”

  As she entered the ballroom, Kate glanced over at the door again and finally saw Tommi coming in. She was grinning from ear to ear.

  Tommi spotted Kate and the others and rushed toward them. “Guess what?” she called as soon as she was close enough to be heard over the music. “I think I just sold Legs!”

  Tommi was floating on air as she accepted congratulations from Kate, Marissa, and Dani. She could hardly believe this was happening.

  “So spill it!” Dani demanded. “Who bought him?”

  “Well, it’s not final just yet. He still has to pass the vetting.” Tommi lifted her hand, showing that her fingers were crossed. “But Kara Parodi brought one of her clients to see him.”

  “Anyone we know?” Marissa asked, shooting a quick look toward Kate.

  Tommi grimaced, remembering that Fitz’s little friend Hannah was one of Kara’s students. “Not a junior,” she said quickly, hoping Kate hadn’t noticed Marissa’s look. “This was an adult jumper rider. She’s in her late twenties and has been doing the level fives and looking to move up. She’s pretty brave and athletic.”

  “That sounds perfect for Legs,” Kate put in.

  Tommi nodded. “They got along great. I think they’ll be a fantastic team.” She hugged herself, hardly daring to believe the way this had worked out. After all the false starts, the inappropriate buyers, the annoying calls and texts … But that stuff was water under the bridge now. It had all been worth it to get Legs into the perfect home.

  She couldn’t help a twinge of sadness that the horse would be leaving. But mostly she was relieved that she’d actually done it. She’d sold him, for close to her asking price and well before the deadline. Now her father would have to see that she really could make this work.

  “I can’t wait to tell my dad,” she said. “But first I need to tell Jamie. Have you guys seen him?”

  “I walked up with him, but I haven’t seen him since.” Kate glanced around. “This place is getting more crowded by the—eep!”

  Her eyes had just gone wide and nervous as she stared over toward the dance floor. Tommi followed her gaze and realized what she’d just seen. Alex. With Zara. The band had just started an up-tempo song, and the two of them were dancing. Very close together.

  “Oh,” Tommi said. “Yeah. I thought that might happen.”

  Marissa and Dani were looking that way by now, too. “Okay, what’s up with that?” Marissa asked. “I thought Zara had her own date; why’s she stealing yours?”

  “He’s not mine.” Tommi kept her voice neutral. “Alex is a free agent; we broke up.”

  “Oh?” Dani sounded curious, but Tommi didn’t feel like explaining just then. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Alex grabbed Zara and twirled her around.

  Tommi felt a tiny pang of something—jealousy? Regret? Annoyance? She wasn’t quite sure.

  Whatever it was, she tried to tamp it down before it could ruin her good mood. After all, she was the one who’d broken things off. After watching Alex DJ that time, she just hadn’t been able to look at him quite the same way. Then there was the way he seemed to be glomming onto Zara already, even though he knew she and Tommi were friends. Not exactly the coolest.

  Still, the two of them had had some fun times together. And nobody was perfect, including her. One of her biggest imperfections? Being too impatient, too quick to cut her losses. Especially when it came to her boyfriends. Had she given up on Alex too fast?

  To distract herself from such thoughts, she pulled her phone out of her purse. “Guess I’ll text Jamie and see where he is,” she told the other girls. “Otherwise I’ll never find him in this crowd.”

  She’d turned off the phone while Kara and her student were trying Legs, not wanting any interruptions. After that she’d been in such a hurry to rush back to the hotel and get changed that she’d forgotten to turn it back on again. She did so now and saw that she had a few new texts.

  Most were ignorable, but one caught her eye. It was from Gabe, the nerdy but sweet guy she’d met at Penn, telling her about an upcoming lecture at the museum “in case you happen to be in town.”

  She smiled, flashing back to last weekend. It had been fun to play college student for a while. Maybe that kind of life wasn’t for her, but then again, it was a lot easier now to imagine doing it for real. Only if she changed her mind about the horse thing, of course—and after today, she had no intention of doing that. Still, it was kind of nice to know that she had options.

  Just then the band started another song. “Ooh, I like this one!” Dani started dancing in place, swaying back and forth on her crutches. “Come on, guys, let’s dance!”

  “Coming.” Tommi typed out a quick text to Jamie, then followed the other girls onto the dance floor.

  “You’re a really good dancer,” Alex said as the current song ended.

  “Thanks.” Zara shot him a look. She still couldn’t believe Tommi had dumped him right before this party. And that he’d showed up anyway. Or actually, maybe she could. He was already on her nerves after just one dance. “Think they’re carding at this place?”

  Alex grinned. “One way to find out. I’ll be right back.”

  He disap
peared into the crowd near the bar. Zara drifted over to a column and leaned against it, watching people dance. She noticed Summer hurrying past, peering down at the cell phone she was holding in both hands.

  “Yo, birthday girl!” Zara called out. “How’s it feel to be a year older?”

  “Zara!” Summer looked up, then hurried over. Her face was flushed, making her look almost pretty. “Are you having a good time? Where’s your mysterious date?”

  Zara shrugged, not wanting to get into it. Thinking about Marcus made her feel cranky. “He couldn’t make it after all.”

  “Oh.” That seemed to throw Summer off for a second. She glanced around, then leaned closer. “Listen, thanks for not telling anyone about—you know. Before my party, at least.”

  Zara was about to roll her eyes. Then Summer shot another nervous look around the room and smoothed down her hair, which fell in soft blond waves over her ears.

  Suddenly Zara’s snarky feelings faded away. Yeah, Summer was super annoying and shallow. But she obviously wasn’t quite as secure and self-confident as she wanted everyone to believe. Then again, who was?

  “Chill out,” Zara told her. “I’m not going to tell anyone about that. Ever, okay?”

  Summer met her eye, her expression uncertain. “Really?”

  “Cross my heart.” Zara drew a big X over her own chest. “No matter what you read on the blogs, you can trust me.”

  Summer smiled, though Zara thought she still saw a hint of doubt behind it. “Thanks, Zara. You’re a good friend.” Suddenly Summer’s eyes lit up as she glanced at the phone in her hand. “OMG, I almost forgot,” she exclaimed, sounding more like her usual giddy self. “Speaking of the blog, check this out!”

  She shoved the phone at Zara. The HorseShowSecrets blog was on the screen.

  “Seriously?” This time Zara did roll her eyes. “If you have time to check the Internet, you obviously need someone to teach you how to party.”