15- Living in a Haze
Cotey Mallory walked down the aisle in the barn on a February morning at feed time. She needed to work with a young thoroughbred over fences too, so it would be a busy morning.
“Hey C, Rachel’s sick and Dom isn’t looking too hot either!” Sam called. Cotey sighed and turned around.
“Are they still up at the house?” she called back.
“Yup. I’ll take care of the feeding if you go up and take care of the twins,” he offered.
“OK. I’ll be back down later. I need to work with that filly so we’re ready for the spring shows.” Sam nodded and walked into the feed room.
“I’ll be up in about an hour. Tell the kids I’ll see them soon.” She gave him a kiss and then walked out of the barn and into the foggy morning air.
Rachel was laying on the couch with a blanket over her, watching TV. Cotey sighed when she saw the plastic bowl on the floor beside her, a sure sign that an upset stomach was the culprit.
“Hey sweetie. Not feeling too well are you?” she asked quietly, sitting down on the edge of the couch.
“I threw up… so did Dom.”
“Awww, I’m sorry honey. Where’s Dominick?” Rachel pointed to the stairs and then rolled over, drifting off to sleep. Cotey walked upstairs and went to her son’s room. He was sitting up in bed, playing with some of his G.I. Joe’s. “Hey kiddo, how’re you doing?” she asked. He looked up and smiled.
“I’m better than Rachel is. Daddy said I’d feel better as soon as you got here, and he was right.” Cotey smiled.
“I’m glad buddy. I’m going to bring Rachel up to her room, and then I’ll be in the den doing some paperwork. Call me if you need me ok?” Dominick nodded and returned to his game. Cotey went back downstairs and picked Rachel up. The little girl stayed asleep all the way up to her room. Cotey tucked her in and then went to check one last time on her son; he was asleep too. She smiled, picking up his toys and quietly putting them away. She pulled the covers up under his chin and then went to the den to do her work.
Sam came to the house almost two hours later and Cotey smiled at him.
“I’ll be down at the barn working with some horses. I think I have a private lesson at eight and a group dressage lesson at nine. After that Mr. Michaels wanted to see me at the track.” Sam grimaced.
“I’d rather not talk about the track,” he muttered. He had grown almost another inch and a half, and could no longer make the weight requirements at the track.
“I’m sorry hon. You can still steeplechase and do all the other riding things… except dressage,” she kidded. Sam shook his head and started up the stairs.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence. Have fun with your lessons.”
“Yeah right. I bet I’ll have loads of fun with five four year olds.”
“I’ll see you later,” he said, jogging upstairs.
Jess cantered around the arena in a two-point. Cotey stood at the side of the ring and watched as she went through the center. Fantasy did a flying change over the ground pole there, and then continued in the opposite direction. Cotey smiled and nodded, watching as they repeated this several times, making perfect figure eights.
“Ok, pull up!” she called. Jess pulled up and let the mare walk to the rail.
“How was that?” Jess asked. Cotey grinned and patted the mare’s neck.
“It looked great. Let me set up a jump and you can work over that for awhile.” Jess nodded and clucked her tongue, moving off at a walk. Cotey set up a jump and then went back to the rail. Jess asked Fantasy for a canter, and they went over the jump with ease. They cleared several times before Jess pulled up. “You really don’t need lessons any more Jess. You’ve learned all I have to teach,” Cotey said. Jess shrugged.
“I still want you to watch me and give me advice sometimes.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?” Jess shrugged again and dismounted.
“I guess so.” They both laughed and started from the ring. Suddenly two of Cotey’s younger students ran into the arena. Rachel and Dominick’s dog Run was running ahead of them, his bright red leash flapping behind him. He was starting to get big, and was pretty hard to handle. Cotey grabbed the end of the leash, stopping the big lab in his tracks.
“OK, what have I told you kids about walking the dog without one of the adults with you?” she demanded. They bowed their heads in unison.
“That we have to wait for someone to help,” one muttered.
“That’s right. After I’m done down here I’ll see you in the office. Tell Marie I sent you.” Marie was the office secretary that handled all the scheduling of lessons and appointments. They looked up with wide eyes.
“Why? Can’t we just sit in our horse’s stalls like Sam makes us? I don’t want to go to the office!” one of the girls exclaimed. Cotey shook her head, pointing.
“Office. Now,” she told them sternly. They turned and walked out. Cotey sighed and glanced at Jess.
“Way to handle them,” Jess said.
“Sam thinks I’m being too strict, but after telling them ten times about Runt and the rules, I’m not going to let them get away with breaking the rules. I’m certainly not going to reward them for it.”
“Why don’t you just explain it to Sam?”
“I’d like to see someone try. He’s been in a foul mood lately, with not being able to race any more.” Jess led Fantasy into a stall and untacked her.
“Let’s hope it’ll pass. I bet it will. You told me earlier that I had a lesson to teach today. Who’s it with?”
“He sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place the voice. He said that he’s ridden before but that he wants to get some practice over fences.” Jess nodded and carried her tack to the tack room. She got a new set of tack, for a horse named Dartmouth.
“I’ll put him on Dart to see how he is with walk, trot, canter,” she said. The six year old gelding was strictly for experienced riders due to his spirited nature.
“Whatever you think is best, it’s your lesson to teach.” Jess smiled and began to groom the big gelding.
“Since it’s a private lesson it’ll be thirty dollars right?”
“Twenty five. It’s only thirty when you teach some jumping.”
“OK. I’m going to go call Jason really quick. We were supposed to meet up at the track, but I want to tell him that I might be late.” Cotey smiled.
“Everything’s going alright with you two?” Cotey asked. Jess smiled and nodded.
“Everything is going really well, it’s almost too good to be true. Jason is a fantastic guy. I know why Carrie fell in love with him.”
“Are you in love with him?”
“I don’t think so. I’m dealing with too much in my own head right now to fall in love with anyone. Trying to get Patrick Giran out of my head takes up too much of my time.” Cotey nodded.
“That almost goes away eventually.”
“Yeah, but sometimes time seems to be my enemy. I’m not sure how much more Jason can take.”
“He’ll stick with you kiddo. You’d have to give him his walking papers he’s so infatuated.” There was a noise behind them suddenly.
“Are either one of you Jess Michaels? I’m supposed to be taking a lesson from her today,” a handsome man said. He was a jockey, Austin Smith. Not only was he a jockey, he was a good jockey. Jess glanced at Cotey quickly.
“I’m Jess. You’re Austin Smith right?” she asked. He nodded so she continued. “Nice to meet you. This is the horse you’ll be riding. His name is Dartmouth.”
“Great. When do we start.” Jess shrugged and tightened the girth.
“As soon as he’s saddled.”
“Awesome,” Austin said. Jess caught Cotey’s eye and asked silently ‘How could you do this to me?’
In the ring Jess called instruction to Austin, picking up on every flaw in his position.
“Sit deeper in the saddle! Heals down… head up! Hands down… no not like that! Pull up!” she exclaimed. He did and Jess sighed, relieved that he could at least do that.
“What am I doing wrong?” he asked when she came over. She put her hand on his heel and pulled it down.
“Well your heels have to stay like this all the time. When you canter you need to lean back a little more, like this,” she muttered, pushing against his firm stomach and making him lean back slightly. She continued, “And don’t slouch or look down or lift your hands too high. I know that it’s different than racing… I race too, but it’s not going to help you if you think like a jockey when you’re in the ring.” He nodded and flashed a gorgeous smile.
“I guess I won’t be jumping for awhile huh?” he joked.
“Probably not,” she said with a laugh. “Would you like me to hop on and show you some things? It might help.” He nodded and dismounted. Jess adjusted the stirrups and then mounted.
“How long have you been riding?” he asked as she and Dartmouth moved around the ring, her position flawless.
“Since I was four… so about 18 years or so. My dad owns a stud farm and does a lot of training. I’ve always been able to ride whenever I’ve wanted, but it’s hard to fit in fun stuff like this in between all my racing. My time over fences isn’t as frequent as it used to be.” She asked Dartmouth to trot, and he picked it up eagerly. Jess posted low in the saddle, making it look controlled and collected.
“That looks really good,” he muttered, watching her every move carefully. They moved into a canter, and Jess leaned back slightly. They went around several times before she stopped. Austin smiled. “So that’s how the greats do it,” he told her, watching as she dismounted. She led Dartmouth toward his stall.
“Thanks Mr. Smith, but I’m not really one of the greats. Are you going to want to come back for another lesson?” He nodded and took the saddle from her.
“Definitely, so long as you’re my teacher.” She blushed and nodded, taking the bridle off.
“Alright. I’ll see you next week,” she muttered, watching as he walked away. He was wearing breeches, and he wore them well. Sam walked up and smiled at her.
“Have a good lesson Jessi?” he asked. Jess glanced at him and felt her cheeks grow warm.
“It was ok.” Sam smiled and nodded slowly, beginning to walk away. Jess watched him closely.
“I bet it was Jessi!” he called back sarcastically. Jess smiled and shook her head.
“I wonder what he’s thinking Dart?” she mumbled, opening the stall door. The horse watched as she walked away in a daze, still thinking about Austin Smith.
That night Jason picked Jess up at seven. They were going to dinner before stopping by the track. Her father was having a fortieth birthday party for his longtime girlfriend, Missy.
“Hey Jessi, how’re you?” Jason asked as she slid into the car. She shrugged and smiled.
“I’m alright. Guess who my mystery lesson was with today?” she asked. He pulled out into traffic.
“Beats me, who?”
“Austin Smith.” Jason glanced at her, his eyes dark.
“The jockey?”
“Yeah. He wants to learn how to jump, but he’s a long way from there. His position is awful.” Jason laughed.
“Really? That’s too bad. Is Cotey going to keep you as his instructor?”
“I didn’t ask her,” she muttered.
“That isn’t like you.” She nodded slowly.
“I was just busy today. I had a class of five year olds come in right after Austin.”
“Austin?” he muttered. Jess glanced at him, noticing the slight look of jealousy that had crossed his features.
“Yeah. It’s not like he’s someone above me or anything… we’re both jockeys and around the same age.”
“It’s just weird that you’re calling a major jockey that you just met by his first name,” he said.
“If you say so. Let’s skip dinner, I want to go help Daddy at the track.”
“Fine.” He made a sharp left hand turn and headed for the track. They drove in silence until they reached the track, and then walked to the barn her father had designated as the party spot. Mr. Michaels smiled when he saw Jason and his daughter walk into the barn.
“Hey guys, thanks for coming early!” he exclaimed. Jess smiled and took off her jacket.
“You’re welcome Daddy, I know this is really important to you.” He gave her a hug.
“Let’s start decorating this place for the party.” Jess smiled and glanced at Jason, but he wasn’t smiling. With a sigh she took a roll of crepe paper and began to tape it up.
After the party Jess and Jason stayed to help her father clean up.
“I think she really enjoyed this guys, thank you for being here,” Mr. Michaels said.
“I hope she’ll remember this for a long time,” Jess said.
“I’m sure she will,” he replied.
“It looks like we’re all set here. Jas, let’s get going. I want to say goodnight to Beth before she goes to bed.” Jason nodded and shook her father’s hand.
“See you later Mr. Michaels, thanks for inviting me,” he said. Jess gave her dad a hug.
“Bye Daddy. I’ll be home in awhile.” He nodded and watched as they turned to go. Austin Smith was leading a tall thoroughbred into the barn and smiled at Jess.
“Hey, Jess right?” he asked cheerfully.
“Yeah. How’re you Austin?” she said with a smile. He shrugged and patted the stallion’s neck.
“I’m alright. This is my newest charge, so I was walking him around. I scheduled another lesson tomorrow morning and Cotey said that she’d call you.”
“Great. What time?”
“Same time I think… early. I have a busy afternoon so it’s more convenient.”
“OK, well I’ll check my machine when I get home. See you tomorrow.” She waved and then walked with Jason toward his car.
“I’m just going to drop you home Jess,” he muttered as he started the car. She gave him a sharp look.
“I promised Beth I’d say goodnight,” she said.
“She’s probably in bed by now. Anyway… you need to get home to get to your machine.”
“If you’re jealous you have no reason to be,” she told him. He glanced at her, shaking his head as he did so.
“I’m not jealous. He’s not your type.” She let out an angry laugh.
“And what exactly is my type Jason? Just because I’m dating you, doesn’t mean that you’re the only type of guy I like. I can talk to whoever I want to.”
“Of course you can. So I’m not your type? What is your type then Jess?”
“I don’t know! I don’t think you have any right to judge what it is though… you don’t know me that well. What it generally comes down to is whether the person likes horses and can be involved in that part of my life.”
“So horses are the only thing that makes a difference?” he demanded.
“No! God Jason, for someone who’s sitting here trying to tell me what my type is, you really don’t know anything. I like people based upon what’s inside them.”
“I was just making an observation,” he muttered.
“You were being jealous because I talked to Austin Smith. I’ve got news for you Jason, I can talk to anyone anytime I want.”
“Anything else?” he demanded, pulling to a stop in front of her house. She nodded, biting back tears.
“Yes. Just because I have been with you since the rape, and I trusted you, doesn’t mean I can’t ever date anyone else.”
“So now you want to date him?” he asked incredulously.
“No, but just in case I ever do. You aren’t the only guy on the face of the planet Jason.” She got out of the car, slamming the door behind her. Jason watched as she hurried up the steps and into the house, taking a deep breath.
“Strike one. Two more and you’re out,” he muttered, putting the car into gear and driving away.
The next couple weeks went by in a blur. Austin brought a horse to Cotey’s to keep there. He also took a lesson every morning. One Tuesday Jess walked into the barn. Jason and Sam were walking down the aisle, and both looked at her. She and Jason hadn’t spoken since the night of the party.
“Hey Sam, is Austin here yet?” she asked. Sam shook his head and cast a sideways look at Jason.
“Umm, I don’t think so Jessi. He called Cotey from the track and said he’d be here soon.”
“Oh, well I’ll warm up his mare then.” She turned and walked away. Jason started after her, but Sam caught his shoulder.
“Come on Jas, let’s go. She’s just upset… she’ll get over it,” Sam said. Jason nodded and followed Sam into the office.
“If she doesn’t, then I’m going to be the one who has to get over something: her.”
“It’ll work out Jason. She cares about you a lot.” Jason sighed and shook his head.
“I know she does, but she also doesn’t put up with any crap. I dished out a lot of it that night, and I don’t think it’ll be so easy to convince her that I didn’t really mean it.”
“Have you apologized?” Sam asked, writing down a new lesson in the plan book.
“A lot of times. I’ve left at least fifteen messages with her machine or her father. Or I go to her house. She’s either never home or ‘busy’.”
“I hope everything goes ok. Where are Beth and the twins?”
“I don’t know. Let’s go look for them.” Sam nodded and followed his friend from the room.
The twins sat on a fence outdoors, watching Beth warm Skylark up. Jess had her on the longe line and was smiling.
“Great job Bethy! I don’t know if Austin could do a better himself!” she called. Beth smiled and posted to the even trot. Jason watched for a minute, but was distracted when Austin walked into the ring.
“Hey Jessica, how’re you doing?” he asked, putting his arm around her shoulders.
“I’m alright. You don’t mind Beth warming up Sky do you?” He shook his head and watched the little girl go around, now at a canter.
“Not at all… she looks capable. How old is she?” Jess smiled and then laughed.
“She’s four… Jason Fute’s daughter too.”
“Well that explains it. Do you think Sky’s ready yet?” Jess nodded.
“OK Bethy, pull up and come to the center!” she called. Beth did so reluctantly and dismounted in the center.
“Thanks Jessi that was fun,” she said. Jess smiled and unclipped the helmet for her.
“Anytime kiddo. How’s Magic?”
“He’s good. Why haven’t you been over to help with my jumping?” Jess sighed and glanced at Austin.
“I’ve been really busy lately Bethy. I’ll try to stop over Saturday and work on it. I’ll call your Dad Friday to let you know for sure.” Beth smiled.
“Thanks Jessi! I gotta’ go, Daddy’s waiting outside the ring. Dom and Rach wanted to do something in the house too.” Jess nodded.
“See you later kiddo, have fun!” she called, watching as the girl ran away, blonde curls bouncing on her shoulders. She turned to Austin, who had mounted, and said, “I think we could try going over a cross rail today.”
“Really? That’s good isn’t it?” She nodded and smiled up at him, patting his knee.
“Yeah, it’s better than a couple weeks ago. I’ll set it up, and you can just walk for a minute.” Austin nodded and asked Sky to walk on. Jess turned and walked toward a disassembled jump. Jason was still standing at the fence, a pleading look on his face. She sighed and focused on setting the cross-rail up.
After his lesson, Austin lead Skylark into her stall and began to groom her.
“How much do I owe you today?” he asked Jess.
“Thirty. It’s more this week because of the jumping.” He smiled.
“Are you and Jason still together?” She shook her head and sighed softly.
“Not really. We had a fight a couple weeks ago, and we haven’t talked since.”
“That’s too bad for Jason,” he said. She smiled, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder.
“Why’s that?”
“Because I’m going to ask you out.” She laughed and took the bridle from him.
“Who says that I’m going to say yes?” she shot back.
“I don’t know… I’m just taking a chance.” She smiled and walked out of the stall, with Austin trailing after her.
“Well I’m glad you are.”
“Why?” She turned to face him, walking backwards.
“Because I’m going to say yes.” She whirled around and walked smack into Jason. He looked down at her, but didn’t say a word. His hands were on her upper arms, holding on to her gently. Austin came up beside her.
“Come on Jessica, let’s go,” he muttered. Jess glanced at him and shook her head.
“I’ll be right there,” she said. She saw his hesitation and added, “I’ll be fine Austin.” He turned and walked into the tack room. Jess brought her gaze back to Jason, trying not to let him see the fear that was building inside her.
“Don’t even try,” he muttered.
“Try what?” she asked.
“To pretend you’re not scared, because I know you are.”
“then why are you still holding on to me?” she muttered.
“Because I don’t want to let you go.”
“Please Jason,” she said quietly.
“I didn’t mean to upset you that night… I sure as hell didn’t mean to mess up this badly. The truth is I was insanely jealous.”
“That’s great. I’m still going out with Austin,” she said.
“So I made it that bad?” he asked quietly. She shrugged when he let her go.
“You tell me,” she said, walking away. Jason stared after her as she disappeared into the tack room. He let his hand collide with the wall.
“Daddy, are you ok?” Beth asked, having just walked up. He turned and smiled at her.
“I’ll be fine honey.”
“Are you mad at Jessi?” Jason shook his head slowly.
“No, I’m mad at myself kiddo. Come on, let’s get going. We have a lot of jumping to do today.” Beth smiled and raced out of the barn toward the car.
Jess was ready when Austin picked her up two nights later. He smiled when she got into the car.
“You look great,” he told her sincerely. Jess smiled and shrugged. She was wearing a pair of pink slacks and a form fitting black shirt. Her hair was piled on top of her head. On her wrist was a bracelet her father had given her, and her right ring fingers was the amethyst Jason had given her for Christmas.
“Thank you. Where are we going?” she asked. Austin smiled.
“Canterbury’s. You’ve been there right?”
“Oh sure. My Dad use to take me there all the time. Anywhere after dinner?”
“Probably the track. I wanted to check on some of the horses.”
“That sounds great!” she said. He smiled and stopped for a red light.
“Thanks, but next time you get to pick where we go.”
At the restaurant Jess saw Jason, Beth, and his parents at their usual table. She sighed and sat down across from Austin, just as Jason turned to call for a waiter. He saw her and his face fell, but Jess pasted on a smile.
“So what are you going to have?” she asked Austin. He shrugged and glanced down at his menu.
“Either the steak of the prime rib.”
“I think I’m going to have the spaghetti. They make it the best here. I advise against the prime rib, last time I got it, it wasn’t cooked properly.”
“A little too red?” he asked. Jess shook her head, wrinkling her nose.
“It was practically frozen.” They started to laugh, and Austin shook his head.
“Are you sure you don’t mind eating here?”
“I’m positive, as long as I don’t have to eat the prime rib. Let’s order, I think we both know what we don’t want.” He laughed and called the waiter over. It was Patrick Giran. Jess looked straight at him.
“I’ll have the spaghetti and meatballs, a glass of white wine, and another waiter,” she said, turning her attention back to Austin.
“Umm… I’ll have the steak well done with a baked potato and a glass of white wine.” Patrick nodded and walked away.
“Sorry about that Austin. Patrick and I have a bad history.”
“I know. Do you want me to talk to the manager about getting a new waiter?” She sighed and shook her head.
“No, I’ll be fine,” she assured him.
“Alright, let’s just have a good time.” They sat back, chatting easily.
When Austin dropped Jess off it was a little past midnight. She smield at him when they got to the front door.
“Thanks for a great time. I’ll see you tomorrow morning for your lesson.”
“Anytime Jessica… I’m glad you had fun. Seven tomorrow right?” She nodded and unlocked the door.
“Yup. See you then.” She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and went inside, closing the door and locking it behind herself. She sighed and plopped down on the couch. She left all the lights out. After a moment she stood and walked slowly to her room, tears sliding down her cheeks as she went. ”Why do things have to be so difficult?” she muttered.
On Saturday jess went to Cotey’s at five thirty in the morning. She was going to watch the twins while Cotey and Sam went out shopping, and then began to pack for their trip to her cousin’s wedding.
“Morning Jessi, how’re you?” Sam asked through a yawn. Jess smiled and shrugged, shoveling soiled bedding into a bucket.
“I’m alright… better than you it seems.” Sam tossed some hay at her and shook his head.
“The twins are still asleep, and Cotey told me to give you the lesson schedule. Austin has one at seven, at eight there are four sixteen year olds for dressage, at ten there’s a daisy troop coming, at…” Jess held up her hand.
“Wait a minute, a Daisy troop? As in little kids being led around the ring?” Sam smiled a devious smile.
“Yup, twelve five year olds. Anyway, after that you don’t have anything until noon. There are a couple private jumping lessons, pony club is coming at three, a group jumping lesson, another group dressage, and then Dom and Rach are down for six thirty.”
“Well this is going to be a fun day. Could you guys find anything else for me to do. I’ve also got all these stalls to muck, take care of the twins, feed… when am I suppose to find the time for all these lessons?”
“Call Jason and ask him to help,” he suggested.
“I can’t do that. I’ll ask Austin to stay and help… unless he has something to do at the track.”
“Something to do is putting it mildly,” Sam muttered. Jess looked at him seriously.
“What did you say?” He sighed.
“Nothing. Just get to those stalls. Maybe you won’t need Austin to stay after all.”
“I want to know what you just said,” she pressed. Sam took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“I saw Austin on a couple of occasions kissing Daniella Reed, you know that jockey from England?” Jess nodded and took a steadying breath.
“Well I guess that’s the end of that. I’ll see you later Sam.” He caught her arm.
“Jessi I shouldn’t have said anything, it wasn’t my place. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it, I’m glad somebody did. I’m going to go start those stalls ok?”
“Sure. Talk to you later.” He watched as she walked away.
Austin arrived fifteen minutes late for his lesson, but Jess hadn’t gotten his horse warmed up for him.
“Why isn’t Sky ready?” he asked with a frown. Jess shrugged and walked into the tack room. She grabbed two dressage saddles on one arm and two on the other.
“You weren’t here to get her ready,” she said. Austin gave her a confused look.
“Whenever I’m late she’s already warmed up and ready to go.”
“It isn’t my job. If you were paying me to saddle, groom, and warm her up and feed her I wouldn’t be your instructor I’d be your groom. And if you were paying me to exerciser her then I’d not only be rich, but I’d be a trainer. I’m not getting paid to be either of those things. Next time be her on time or expect a really short lesson.” She walked down the aisle, setting saddles next to stalls.
“What’s wrong with you?” he demanded, going into Skylark’s stall and saddling her quickly.
“Do you know Daniella Reed?” she asked. Austin dropped the bridle and looked at her with big eyes.
“Uhhh… I think so. Why?” She shook her head and walked toward the arena. Austin followed moments later, leading Sky.
“You aren’t going to have much time, only about ten minutes, to explain to me what the hell you were doing with Daniella Reed,” she said, watching as he mounted and walked around her. He pulled up and looked down at her.
“What are you talking about?” he asked, feigning innocence.
“Exactly what you wish I weren’t. If you liked her that much you should’ve just cut it off with me. I’ll be asking Cotey to take over your lessons, but I’ll warn her first that you’re a pretty terrible rider. I’m also going to warn Daniella that you’re a jerk.” She turned and began to walk from the ring, but suddenly thought of something. “By the way, I’d seriously consider giving up jumping and racing.”
“Why?”
“Because I have a whole hell of a lot more talent than you ever will, plus four stables that want me riding under their colors. I will beat you in every race. As for jumping, I could do it better blindfolded.” She whirled and stalked away, leaving a stunned Austin Smith behind.
Jason picked up the phone on the fourth ring, turning off the answering machine as he did.
“Hello?” he asked breathlessly. He had been riding More in the arena when it began to ring.
“Jas? This is Jessi. Could you come over to Cotey’s? I need some help with all the stuff they left me to do today. They left me alone with the twins, twelve five year olds for a lesson, and a whole barn full of stalls to clean.”
“Yeah, I’ll bring Beth over. Are you ok? You sound upset.” She didn’t answer right away.
“I’m fine. I’ll see you soon,’ she said, hanging up the phone. Jason put the receiver down and walked out into the aisle. Beth was there, holding on to More’s reins.
“Who was that?” she asked. Jason smiled and lifted her on to the tall thoroughbred’s back.
“It was Jessi. She asked if we could go over to Cotey’s and keep her company.”
“Really? Can I ride Magic over?” Jason laughed.
“Sure. Let’s go get him ready.”
Jess was in the arena with her lesson. All four were moving at a collected canter. The two girls were on a matched pair of horses, Romeo and Juliet. One boy was on Miami, and the other was riding Maiden. All of them looked good, but the girl on Juliet looked the best. Jason and Beth watched quietly as Jess followed each rider with her eyes.
“Cory, take back a little more on your reins!” she called. The girl on Juliet took back and Jess nodded. “Good. OK, move into an extended canter!” All four did it and Jess smiled. After several times around she called for them to come into the center of the ring.
“What’s wrong Jess?” Cory asked. Jess shook her head and patted Juliet’s shiny brown neck.
“Nothing. I was just going to have you guys work on flying changes. I want you to go one at a time, working in a figure eight.” They all nodded and Jess moved to stand by the wall. She watched as the students each went through several figure eights. “Good job guys. That’s enough for today!” The students pulled up and dismounted, leading their mounts from the ring. Cory stopped and smiled at Jess.
“Did I do alright today?” she asked. Jess patted her shoulder and smiled.
“You’re doing great Cory. Go get her settled and then grab a soda from the cooler for yourself. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” Cory nodded and continued on her way. Jason and Beth came into the ring.
“Hi Jessi!” Beth exclaimed. Jess smiled and gave her a tight hug, and then gave her gold curls a gentle tug.
“Hey Bethy, how’re you?”
“I’m ok. Are you going to ride today?” Jess smiled, glancing up at Jason quickly.
“I’m not sure yet. Fantasy stayed here last night, and I rode Star over this morning.”
“Really? Where are Dominick and Rachel?” Jess smiled.
“They’re still sleeping!” she exclaimed. Beth’s jaw dropped.
“Talk about lazy. Can I go wake them up?” Jess nodded and took her hand.
“Sure. I’ll go with you.” They jogged out of the arena, with Jason following at a walk. In the house they went into Dominick’s room and snuck up to his bed. He jumped when Jess tickled his foot.
“Jessi! Don’t do that!” he exclaimed. From the next room Rachel let out a scream and Jess jogged over.
“What’s wrong?” she demanded. Rachel and Beth smiled.
“Beth scared me half to death!” Rachel explained.
“Next time don’t scream like that Rachy. You scared me.” Rachel nodded and went to her closet.
“Did Mommy leave me clothes?” she asked. Jess nodded and took her hand.
“Yup. Yours are in your Mom and Dad’s bathroom, and Dom’s are in the other upstairs bathroom.” Rachel nodded and raced out of the room. Jess smiled and went back to Dominick. “Your clothes are in the bathroom next to the office. Go get dressed and then come down to eat breakfast.”
“OK. Beth you can play with my toys while I get ready,” he told her shyly. She grinned.
“Thanks Dom.” Jess smiled and went down the hall and then jogged downstairs. Jason was standing in the kitchen when Jess walked in. She walked past him and grabbed a couple boxes of cereal from the cupboard. She got out bowls, three glasses, and plastic spoons.
“Are you going to ignore me for the rest of your life?” he asked quietly. She didn’t look at him.
“I’m not ignoring you,” she told him. Jason looked at the floor for a minute, and then glanced back up.
“Yes you are. Maybe Austin Smith is better for you than I am, but I really hope not. Will you just talk to me? Look at me if talking is asking too much.” She finally looked at him, her gaze locking with his.
“Austin and I aren’t seeing each other,” she said. Jason didn’t say anything so she added, “I’m talking to you. And looking at you. Are you happy now?”
“No, because you’re still mad at me. No, because I miss you and you don’t miss me.” She closed her eyes briefly.
“Yes I do Jason, I miss you a lot,” she whispered.
“Then why didn’t you call me?” he demanded. She shook her head.
“Pride I think.”
“I was wrong and I should’ve said something. I don’t have any right to tell you what your type is. I don’t know.”
“Neither do I. He wasn’t my type… I was just angry at you,” she muttered. He put his arms around her waist. Jess sighed and let her fingers play with his hair.
“I hope I’ll do for now,” He told her. Jess smiled, pushing him away slightly.
“Maybe if someone as ‘great’ as Austin Smith comes around again I’ll have to check it out.”
“I really hope you’re being sarcastic.” She smiled, touching the side of his face.
“I am.” He gave her a gentle kiss, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Daddy are we…” Beth stopped short when she saw them kissing. With a smile she glanced at Dominick and Rachel. The twins smiled and all three of them tiptoed upstairs.
At around ten that night Jess and Jason went upstairs quietly. Rachel and Beth had fallen asleep in Rachel’s bed surrounded by Barbie’s and Breyer horses. Jess smiled and picked up the toys, covering the girls up carefully. Jason went to Dominick’s room and got the boy comfortable. They met in the hallway and smiled at each other.
“It must be hard to have kids,” Jess muttered.
“It is. I don’t know how Cotey and Sam do it with two. I have my hands full with just Beth.” They went downstairs to the living room and put in the movie ‘A Few Good Men’, sitting down together on the couch.
“It’s probably really tiring.” Jason nodded, pulling her closer.
“Yeah, it probably is,” he muttered, laying down and pulling a blanket over them.
When Cotey and Sam got home they found Jason and Jess asleep on the couch together.
“I’ll go check on the twins,” Cotey whispered. Sam nodded and went into the kitchen, grabbing a soda from the refrigerator.
“Were they ok?” he asked when she returned. She nodded, taking the can from him and taking a sip.
“Yup. Rachel and Beth are in Rachy’s room. Dom is in his room… still has a G.I. Joe in his hand.
“So I guess Jess called Jason.” Cotey smiled, going to the door that led to the living room.
“I guess so. Come on, I’m tired.” She took his hand and they went upstairs quietly, trying to find their way through the haze of darkness.
