Blue Ribbon Summer (15 page)

“I guess.” Paige shrugged. “But she said she doesn't have enough money to pay more help.”

“Right,” Brooke said, giving Gideon a pat as he shoved his nose over the fence, looking for more treats. “So we need to figure out a way to help her get the money. Somehow.”

“I know!” Livi brightened. “I saw this movie on TV
once where a bunch of kids had a big yard sale to raise money to save their cheerleading squad or something. They all donated some of their stuff and got other people to donate too.”

“Ooh! I could donate some of my clothes I don't wear anymore,” Paige said.

“Um, guys?” Brooke spoke up. “I'm not sure we have time to set up a yard sale. Besides, hardly anyone lives around here—who's going to come buy your stuff?”

“Oh. I guess you're right,” Hannah said. “Okay, then how about a horse show? Robin does a great job with our end-of-camp show every year.”

“You're right!” Livi sounded excited again. “And a lot of the big horse shows are charity events—you know, trying to raise money for local hospitals or whatever.”

“And people come from miles around to go to those.” Paige straightened Foxy's mane. “I'm sure lots of people would come. We can even ride in it ourselves! It'll be fun!”

Brooke bit her lip. She hated to keep shooting down their ideas, but she was still keeping Haley's advice in mind. She didn't want them to waste time on impractical ideas.

“That does sound fun,” she said carefully. “But it also sounds like a ton of work. Besides, the thing is, Robin needs money to pay workers all year round. One event won't be enough.”

She was starting to wonder if the other girls really even understood the problem. Their families were all wealthy—they'd probably never had to worry about how to afford anything they wanted in their whole lives.

Hannah frowned, looking slightly annoyed. “Okay, then how about we try to find Robin more boarders?” she said. “That way she'll have more money all year round.”

This time Paige was the one to shoot down the idea. “But more boarders means more work, and she's already got too much to do,” she said. “Besides, if she fills up all her stalls there won't be room for us. Or for her training horses either.”

“Yeah. And she loves training.” Livi sighed, picking at a splinter on the fence. “I don't know, guys. Don't you think if there was an easy way to do this, Robin already would've thought of it?”

“Not necessarily,” Paige said. “My stepdad's always
saying most people don't know anything about running a successful business.”

Livi rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I'm just saying, if Robin wanted more boarders or whatever, she'd already be trying to get them, right?”

“Maybe not, if she's too busy running the farm to think about it,” Hannah said.

Brooke stroked Foxy's nose and listened to the others argue, feeling as if there was something they were missing. There had to be a way to do this. Maybe she needed to think more like her parents. Her stepfather prided himself on always being able to close a sale. And her mother liked to say that when a deal was going south, that was the time to get creative. . . .

“I've got it!” Brooke blurted out so suddenly that Foxy jumped and even Gideon turned to stare at her with his big sleepy eyes. “Development rights!”

“Huh?” Livi blinked at her.

“My mom's a real estate agent,” Brooke explained. “A couple of months ago, she had a client who lost his job and needed money. He had a huge property but didn't want
to sell it, so instead Mom worked out a deal where he just sold the development rights—it's kind of complicated, and to be honest, I didn't pay that much attention when she talked about it, but basically I think someone paid him not to ever subdivide his land. If he sells it, it has to go in one big piece, and it can't ever have lots more houses built on it or whatever.”

Paige's eyes lit up. “Robin could totally do that!” she cried, waving a hand around so vigorously that Foxy took a step away, eyeing her with suspicion. “She has a large property!”

“Exactly.” Brooke grinned at her.

Hannah was frowning. “Wait, but who would want to pay for something like that?”

“Well . . .” Brooke thought back, trying to recall the details of her mother's boring dinner-table talk. “I'm pretty sure it was a conservation group or something like that? Like, someone who wants to keep more large properties and open space and stuff in our town.”

“Okay.” Hannah still sounded unconvinced. “But how do we find a group like that before next weekend?”

Brooke's shoulders slumped. She hadn't thought that far ahead. “I don't know,” she said.

“Could you call your mom?” Paige suggested. “Maybe she could hook you up with the same group.”

“I don't think that would work,” Brooke said. “I'm pretty sure that group was local. Maybe we could ask around to see if there's a group like that here, though.”

“Ask who?” Hannah said. “We can't ask Robin or she'll know we're onto her.”

“What about the boarders?” Paige suggested.

“They'd probably tell Robin.” Livi shrugged. “And we don't really know anyone else, except maybe that weird old lady Brooke met.”

“Yeah.” Hannah snorted. “And she doesn't exactly look like the type who'd know lots of rich people with money to spend on other people's land. I mean, did you see that sweater she was wearing? It looked like it was probably knitted by, like, Betsy Ross or someone.”

Livi giggled. “Yeah.”

Brooke winced. Did the other girls even know how they sounded sometimes? Maybe this was pointless. How could a
bunch of wealthy girls even understand this kind of problem?

Then she gasped as she realized she'd just hit on the solution. “Your parents!” she blurted out. “That's who we should ask!”

“Our parents?” Paige echoed. Hannah and Livi just looked confused.

“Uh-huh. Your parents probably all have, like, investments and stuff, right?” Brooke said.

Hannah shrugged. “Sure, I guess. Why?”

“Why not see if they want to invest in some real estate?” Brooke grinned. “Specifically,
this
real estate. Maybe one of them will want to buy Robin's development rights!”

“Or
all
of them.” Hannah's dark eyes were thoughtful as she rubbed Gideon's nose. “We could get them to chip in, like one of the investment groups my dad does contracts for.”

Paige gasped. “Genius!” she cried. “That way we'd all be, like, part owners of Pocomoke Stables!”

“Cool,” Livi said. “Do you think Robin would give us a discount on camp?”

Hannah shot her an annoyed look. “
So
not the point, Livi.”

“No, this could really work, guys.” Paige looked excited.
“We should get the olders to talk to their families too.”

“Good idea.” Brooke smiled at her. “The more the merrier, right?”

“Right.” Paige grinned back. “Let's all try to get in touch with our parents as soon as we can, okay?”

Hannah pulled out her phone. “I'm sure mine have already left for their usual Saturday night dinner party right now. But I'll text them to call me first thing tomorrow.”

“Well, it's unanimous.” Paige collapsed at the dinner table on Sunday evening, glancing at Robin and Preston to make sure they weren't close enough to hear her. “My parents finally got back to me.”

The bite of bread Brooke had just taken suddenly tasted like dirt in her mouth. “No go, huh?” she said.

Paige just shook her head and reached for the water pitcher.

“I can't believe it.” Livi slumped in her chair. “This totally should have worked!”

Brooke winced as Preston let out a bark of laughter from the other end of the table. She didn't know what he and
Robin were talking about, but Preston had been in a good mood all afternoon. That couldn't be a good sign, especially now that the girls' plan had officially failed. Hannah, Livi, and Paige had contacted their parents about investing in Pocomoke Stables. So had most of the older campers. But none of the parents were willing to consider the idea.

Brooke was still thinking about it as the girls went to check on their horses after dinner. As they entered the barn, Livi reached over and gave Brooke's arm a squeeze.

“Don't look so sad, Brooke,” she said. “It was worth a shot, right?”

“I guess.” Brooke glanced around the tidy room at the contented horses snoozing or eating hay in their stalls. It was hard to believe all this would soon be gone.

“No, she's right, Brooke,” Paige agreed. “It's amazing how hard you're trying to save this place.”

“Yeah.” Livi giggled. “No wonder you convinced your parents to take you to the pony penning to get Foxy! You totally know how to get stuff done.”

Hannah nodded. “Like the way you and your friends got your Pony Post website up and running,” she said,
wandering over to pat a horse that was hanging its head out over the stall door. “Not everyone could do something like that. Especially someone our age.”

“Yay, Brooke!” Livi cheered, pumping her fist. “She makes things happen!”

Brooke just stared at the three of them, astounded. Did they really see her that way, as someone who got stuff done? She knew plenty of people like that—her parents, her Pony Post friends—but she'd never thought of herself as one of them.

Paige threw an arm around Brooke's shoulders. “Anyway, whatever happens with Robin and the stable, I'm glad you came to Camp Pocomoke this year,” she said.

“Me too,” Hannah put in. “If not for you, I still wouldn't have tried bareback riding.”

Livi smiled at Brooke. “If a miracle happens and Robin decides not to sell after all, I hope you come back next year.”

“Definitely!” Paige and Hannah chorused.

Brooke was touched. She didn't have much in common with these girls other than horses. Did they really like her? Maybe that wasn't so strange—after all, she realized she
liked all of them. Yes, they were a lot different from her. But so what? Her Pony Post friends were different from her too. That was just part of what made their friendship work so well.

“I don't know about next year,” Brooke said, thinking about how much camp cost. What were the chances her stepfather would sell another expensive car at just the right time?

“What do you mean?” Paige sounded disappointed.

Looking at the other girls' faces, Brooke decided it didn't matter. Pocomoke Stables probably wasn't even going to be around next summer, so why not play along? One corner of her mouth twitched up in a half smile.

“I mean, there are only four bunks,” she said. “If your friend Lauren comes back, I don't want to end up sleeping on the floor.”

Livi laughed. “No way!” she said. “We'll just kick Hannah out to the olders' cabin to make room.”

“Hey!” Hannah sounded outraged. “Forget it, I'm not listening to Jenna talk about herself for two weeks straight.” She smiled at Brooke. “We'll just make Robin put in an air mattress or something.”

“Ooh, dibs on the air mattress!” Livi exclaimed. “That's got to be more comfortable than those bunks.”

Brooke laughed. “Maybe we can draw straws for the air mattress.”

“See?” Paige hugged her again. “Brooke really does know how to make things work!”

“Yeah. And you know what? I'm not giving up yet.” Brooke looked around at the beautiful barn and the sleek, contented horses. “We still have five more days, right? That should be enough time to think up a new plan.”

By the time the younger campers gathered in the barn for their Tuesday afternoon riding lesson, they were frantic. “Anything?” Paige demanded as soon as they were all together. “Come on, guys. We have to think of something!”

Brooke just shook her head. They'd spent the past day and a half brainstorming every chance they got. But so far, nobody had come up with a workable plan to save the stable.