Swoon (9 page)

Man I wished he was around now. He would have never let me get my head into a mess like it was in.

In a lot of ways, Lissa reminded me of Shane. Maybe that was why we were such fast friends. ’Course, I would have never told her that. Telling a pregnant woman she reminded you of a dude? No, thank you.

Grabbing my overnight bag, I shuffled my way up to the house, kicking gravel as I went. Previously I’d stayed in the guest room or a hotel, but there was no guest room anymore since it had been turned into a nursery. Since I had to leave really early tomorrow morning, I was couching it for the night. Those two were gonna need to build an addition. Pretty sure Ethan hadn’t been thinking about a growing family when he bought this.

I kicked my boots off in the mudroom and tapped on the door before swinging it open. Their trucks were in the driveway, but the house seemed pretty quiet.

Oh. No, it wasn’t.

“Gross, you guys!” I hollered toward their closed (thankfully) bedroom door. “I’ll be outside when you’re finished.”

I heard Lissa’s bark of laughter, and as much as I didn’t want to hear other people doing the deed, I still smiled to myself. Then I grabbed a beer and walked out onto the back deck to wait them out.

A full bottle later, the sliding glass door opened behind me.

“Sorry, dude,” Ethan said, clearly not feeling sorry at all. “She was going on and on about being fat and unattractive. I couldn’t let it slide.”

I grinned at him as I walked inside and punched his shoulder.

“I don’t envy you.”

“You will. Wait till you see her. She’s fucking gorgeous.”

I walked into the living room and flopped on the couch. Ethan went out to pick up a pizza for us all, so I was left alone for just a few minutes before Lissa came out. He was right. She looked fantastic. She looked the same as always, except like she was carrying a watermelon. A big one.

I stood to give her a hug, leaning around the big belly. Then I gently poked it with my finger.

“What’s up, little dude? You ready to meet everyone?” I said to her stomach.

She smacked me in the head. “You did not just poke me like I’m the Pillsbury Dough Boy.”

I ducked away, laughing. “I was just saying hi.”

She rolled her eyes and flopped onto the couch. “This is misery.”

“That’s not a very nice and maternal thing to say,” I pointed out.

Her hands covered her stomach, rubbing in circles like it was Buddha. I literally had to bite my tongue from pointing that out.

“You know what I mean. Of course I’m happy about the baby. But this part sucks. I’m huge and fat and uncomfortable. And horny and excited and anxious and terrified. It’s very conflicted.”

“I can tell.” I nodded with wide eyes.

She let out a long sigh and closed her eyes, head falling to the back of the couch.

“You know,” I continued cautiously, “pregnant women are hot.”

Only one of her eyes opened as she raised an eyebrow at me.

“It’s true. Ask any guy.”

“Any guy would lie if a pregnant woman walked up and asked if he thought she was hot,” she pointed out.

“Well that’s probably true. So when you’re not pregnant anymore, ask one. I’m sure it’s something to do with biology and fertility and the fact that she has sex. I don’t know why, but it’s true. They’re hot.”

“It’s probably the boobs,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“You’re probably right.”

I contemplated that thought for a while until Lissa chimed back in.

“So, have you spoken to Steph?”

I looked at her for a minute, then shrugged off her question. “No.”

A curious look flashed across her face. “You should call her. Go see her.”

“Lissa, I texted her months ago. She never returned it. I’m done.”

She shook her head. “You guys aren’t done. You need to talk to her.”

I felt my forehead scrunch together in confusion. “What’s there to say? What aren’t you telling me?”

Her jaw tightened and her eyes bored into mine, hormonal and slightly maniacal. “I can’t say. But you just should.”

* * * *

A few days later, I was back in Kentucky, doing what I did best.

“Richard.” I stood from my chair to shake the hand of the distinguished-looking older man approaching me. “It’s good to see you.”

He nodded and introduced me to his wife and two stunning daughters, who seated themselves primly at the table. I hadn’t realized his family was coming to our business dinner, but it actually worked to my advantage. I could work over the women pretty well.

Richard was an important client for us. His broodmares were currently bred to our stallions and staying at our farm until after they foaled. My job was to get him to sign a big-ass contract to keep doing it.

The man was an owner. He did this for prestige and clout and I’m assuming enjoyment. Sometimes it was hard to tell. Certainly his wife wanted her picture taken in the winner’s circle, preferably with a Triple Crown contender. The likelihood of that was… pretty slim. But shit, we all need dreams.

I smoothed my tie as I sat and took a sip from the glass of wine that was poured for me.

“Thank you for meeting with me,” Richard said. “Our horses are like family to us, and we’d like to think of those who take care of them as the same.”

I nodded. “Absolutely. We’re a family business ourselves, and we understand the importance of each animal. Your mares all have such unique personalities. They’re going to be wonderful mothers and produce fantastic athletes.” Maybe.

He smiled and looked around the table, eyes settling on the eldest of his dark-haired daughters. “I’m glad to hear that. Tina here is particularly concerned with them. She’s very attached to each one. They have a special bond.”

Tina looked up from beneath her lashes. Oh boy.

“It’s true,” she said, placing a hand over her chest, which was prominently displayed. “They mean the world to me.”

My eyebrows rose as one of her fingertips traced the neckline of her dress before she placed her hands back in her lap.

“Well”—I cleared my throat—“you know you’re always welcome to call and check in and can schedule a visit at any time. We’re always available.”

Tina’s lips curved into a smile and her father beamed. “That’s great. Just great,” he said, clapping his hands. “Let’s have a toast.” He raised his glass and we all joined in, Tina’s eyes never leaving me. “To fortune, future, and family.”

I repeated his words and took a lengthy sip of wine.

“Now, that’s enough business,” Richard said, opening his menu. “What’s good here?”

I spent the rest of the evening learning about his daughters’ extracurricular activities and stellar collegiate performances. The wine flowed and I regaled them with stories of industry success, hope, and money. By the time I paid the bill and we stood to shake hands, I had the promise of a contract in the morning, along with a hefty deposit.

I climbed into my truck and tipped the valet, pulling out my phone to scroll through messages. But I felt a presence beside my door before I could read anything.

“Thanks for a wonderful evening,” Tina said as I rolled down my window.

I smiled politely at her. “It was nice to meet you. I’m sure we’ll see each other down the road.”

She brazenly placed a hand on my forearm, which rested on the door. “I was hoping we could make plans to see each other a little sooner than that.”

I stared down at the phone in my hand, to the message I’d sent Steph months ago that she never returned. The message that, like a pussy, I still checked to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. Before I could think harder than I needed to, I swiped the screen and deleted it.

I looked back at Tina. “Sure, sweetheart. Why don’t you go ahead and put your number in my phone?”

Chapter 11

Nine Months Later

Steph

“G
reat, Johanna!” I called out, trying to inflect enthusiasm in my tone. “Keep going! Oh, uh, why are you stopping?”

Johanna lazily allowed her mare to stumble to a halt. My jaw dropped slightly when she dug into her jacket pocket and wiggled out her phone. She held it up in the air, along with one finger up to me, signing for me to wait.

“Hiya!” she said into her phone with a singsong voice.

As she kept speaking to whomever was on the other line, a boy from the sound of it, she slid out of her snowy white and terribly impractical team jacket and held it out, raising her eyebrows and giving it a little shake. I rolled my eyes inwardly but planted a smile on my face, walking up to take her coat. I looked at my watch pointedly, but she ignored me.

I blew out a sigh and went to sit on the mounting block, sipping from my travel mug as I took the time to relax.

Ten minutes later, my next lesson arrived. Rebecca led her black gelding, King, toward me and the mounting area.

“Hi, Rebecca. Did you forget something?”

A blank look crossed her face, and then her eyes lit in understanding. “My helmet! Oh, can you go get it for me?”

I blinked rapidly and hid a laugh. “Why don’t I hold King and you run back and get it? I need to keep an eye on Johanna.”

“Oh you can go,” Johanna called from across the ring, where she was dismounting, apparently finished with her phone call. “Rebecca and I’ll hang out while you go get it.”

“Yeah, no,” I stated. “Rebecca, go get your own helmet. I’m not your maid.”

I took the reins from her hands, and she stomped off with a pout.

Johanna approached. “So, can I get a makeup lesson for today?” she asked in her nasal tone.

I shook my head in confusion. “Why would you get a makeup lesson?”

“Well, I didn’t receive the full lesson that my daddy pays for, obviously.”

“Johanna, your choosing to talk on the phone instead of practicing does not warrant a makeup lesson. There are many different ways to make better use of your time and mine.”

She let out a loud sigh of irritation. “Whatever,” she responded as she, too, stomped from the ring with a pout.

I looked over at King, who lowered his face to mine, blowing out through his nostrils. I tickled his upper lip, sending it dancing. “This future generation is terrifying.”

His head bobbed up and down in what I could only take as agreement. I yawned, bored, and took another sip from my mug.

The rest of the day continued in the same mind-numbing vein, like it did every day. Lesson after lesson of whiney, overprivileged teenage girls. There wasn’t a particularly talented one in the bunch, especially since none of them wanted to sweat or allow themselves to get out of breath.

“Ms. Holt?” Jessica timidly approached. She was probably my favorite of the girls, if somebody held a gun to my head and forced me to pick. “Are we still horse shopping this weekend?”

“Yes, Jess. I have a bunch of horses lined up to see on Saturday.”

“Oh, well… So my parents were wondering if we could switch to Sunday. Saturday’s schedule has just gotten too tight for them.” She peered up at me from beneath her lashes.

I wasn’t sure how I could continue to be surprised by the behavior that surrounded me regularly, but maybe it was good that their conduct could still shock me.

“Jess, it’s Friday. They just found this out now? I’m not sure I’ll be able to reschedule everyone.”

“My dad thought that, with our budget, everyone would be happy to switch?”

I glanced up at the sky. She was probably right. Though happy wasn’t the word I’d have used. “I’ll do my best and let you know.”

“Thank you!” She hopped forward and hugged me before spinning around and skipping back to the dorms.

I trudged back to my office to refill my coffee cup and make some calls, bolstering myself to soundly irritate a handful of people, including Ethan. I felt the worst for that call. He and Lissa were struggling with their new baby. Something was off with the kid. He was a nightmare to be around and got sick all the time. I hadn’t been to see them much ’cause Lissa kept him quarantined pretty tight. It was just as well. I was terrible company.

Hopefully I could at least make them a little money with a horse sale.

Just as I leaned back in my chair and pushed my phone away, calls completed, it started buzzing and dancing around. I stared at it as if willing the device to spontaneously combust and then decided to see who it was.

“Hello, Justin,” I said after swiping my finger across the screen.

“Stephanie, calling to see if we’re still on for tonight?”

I’d been seeing Justin for just a couple of months. I’d met him at one of the fundraising events for the school. I was bored and I thought maybe I’d try someone new. He was very professional, kind of stiff. He didn’t ask me much about myself, which was fine. We didn’t do much besides business dinners and charity balls. We had nothing to talk about, which was also fine. We had zero chemistry. I didn’t care. He called me Stephanie and I hardly noticed.

I’d had chemistry with Lawrence, and that all went to shit pretty quickly. I hadn’t heard from him aside from the text he sent the day of my father’s funeral. I’d asked Lissa not to say anything to him about my life events. I didn’t want a pity call or to force him into something he didn’t want. But I’d never deleted his text because I was secretly sentimental and still thought of him.

“Yeah, we’re on. Seven?”

“I’ll pick you up. We’ll be a little rushed by the time I get in from the city, so just run out when you see me pull up, okay? Oh, and Stephanie, would you straighten your hair for tonight? It’s a really important client.”

“Sure,” I said, bored already.

“Thanks darling.” And he hung up.

I felt my eyebrows pinch together. Darling? Gross.

I sat fiddling at my desk for a few minutes, but if I was going to straighten my mop of curls for the night, I knew I’d better get home. I lived on campus, just a short walk from the stables. It was horrible never getting to leave work, but it was free housing and there was a time that I had really needed it. I refused to take my father’s money. It was too weird. Fortunately, I made a pretty good salary and was paid extra for working weekends for horse shows as well as making commissions on sales. I was stockpiling money like crazy, hopefully accruing enough for me to get out of here, or if the rug was pulled out from under me again.

Two hours later, I was de-frizzed, polished, and shiny. When straightened, my dark hair fell below the middle of my back. I rarely did it because it took endless amounts of time, which tired my arms and made me cranky.