The Game of Denial (22 page)

"And I think if she wasn't your mother-in-law, Mom wouldn't act the way she is." Charmaine grinned. "Maybe she's not as straight as you think."

"Now what are you talking about?"

"I mean Mom doesn't want to do anything that might cause a problem between you and Brad or his family. Your happiness is more important than her own, but that doesn't mean she won't take her frustration out on the rest of us. After all, how do you think Brad would feel if he thought his mother had a thing for another woman."

"Probably not well, at least at first."

"I think his homophobic brother would explode. Never got a read on Brad's sister."

"Beth's pretty quiet," Fran acknowledged. "I'll see if I can get a feel for how Brad would take it."

"That should be fascinating pillow talk," Charmaine smirked. "The love lives of your in-laws."

Chapter Twenty-Two

LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON in early December, an after-hours phone call pulled Joan away from the advertising schedule she was studying. So far the campaigns for all the agency's clients had gone more smoothly than she anticipated.

"Carmichael Multi-Media," she answered.

"Mom?"

"Fran?"

They both laughed on each end of the line.

"I didn't expect you to answer."

"Do you think I'm above answering the phone? Just don't ask me to transfer your call. I haven't learned how to do that reliably yet. How are you, darling?"

"We're doing great. Trying to get the house ready for the holidays. Brad spent the day risking his life to put the lights on the house. We can't wait until it gets dark to see how they look. Have you started decorating yet?"

"No. I haven't had a chance to even do any shopping. It's not as much fun without all of you home to go with me."

"Why are you still at work?"

"Because Charmaine left early for an out-of-town trip with Giancarlo, and Meg volunteered to take a bunch of kids camping with the local Big Brothers, Big Sisters group. Seemed like a good time to get a little work done ahead of schedule instead of chasing our asses around later," Joan answered with a laugh.

"Charmaine's been dating that guy longer than her usual hunk of the month. Think she's serious about him?"

"Who knows? She might drag home a totally different man by Monday."

"Well, at least she's enjoying life. Listen, Mom, the reason I called was to invite you to our house for Christmas. I know you close the agency for the week and am sure Charmaine will be
occupado
with someone. Bring Meg and enjoy a couple of quiet days with us. Please."

"I'll think about it," Joan promised even though she knew she would eventually find a reason Fran would believe for rejecting the invitation.

"Hey, before I forget. Brad's mother is in the city for the weekend. Tully earned enough points to make the Winter Regionals, whatever that is. The first round is this evening, then all day tomorrow, and I think she said half a day Sunday. It's at the Garden."

"That sounds very exciting for them," Joan said, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"Well, I just wanted to touch base with you, Mom. Make sure you're doing okay. I miss you."

"I miss you too, baby. Love you," Joan added before she disconnected. Suddenly she felt desperately tired and decided to pack it in for the night. She stuffed the schedule sheets in her brief case and began shutting down her computer. She would stop on the way home and grab something for dinner.

JOAN AWAKENED LATER than she planned Saturday morning. She sat up and then remembered it was the weekend and she had the whole townhouse to herself. She could run around in her bra and panties if she wanted to or lounge around and consume junk food. But everything she thought of took her out of her comfortable routine.

She had a half a grapefruit and a bowl of whole grain cereal along with her usual giant mug of black coffee before dressing for her daily run. She didn't run as fast as she did when she was younger, but she still kept a steady and comfortable pace. Her hour spent running gave her time to think without being interrupted. She smiled when she thought about that. Evey washed dishes by hand because it gave her time alone to think. Maybe everyone found some mundane chore that allowed them that needed alone time. As she finished mentally organizing her day, her townhouse came into sight. Amazing how time passed so quickly when one simply thought.

She trotted up the front steps of the townhouse and removed her lightweight jacket. Despite the chilly air outside, she had managed to work up a slight sweat. She poured another cup of coffee to carry upstairs to her bedroom. She stripped off her clothes and wandered into the bathroom for a shower. She left her mug in the bathroom and walked back into her bedroom. She picked up her phone and called the local garage to have her car ready in an hour. She rarely drove herself anywhere, but today she decided she didn't need her driver. Besides, she paid a small fortune to the parking garage and she might as well take advantage of it.

An hour and a half later she paid to park within walking distance of Madison Square Garden and hiked the two blocks to the ticket area. She was surprised at the large crowd that made its way into the main arena and paused for a moment to take in the brightly lit area. Fifteen obstacles were spaced around the floor, which was now covered with fresh soil. A small tractor pulled a rake around to even the dirt. For a moment she wondered how much was brought in and dumped only to be removed later for the next event. Before she found her seat among the throngs of apparently avid equestrian fans, she decided to follow a group of people who were walking down a long ramp toward an area set aside to serve as stables and preparation areas. The pungent scent of old hay and manure struck her as she observed dozens of fans taking pictures of the horses. A few had their picture taken with riders who were already dressed for the event. Joan had to admit that the horses were beautifully groomed, some with their tails and manes braided and held in place by white tape or ribbons to make their lines look cleaner.

Joan strolled along the wide corridors, admiring the animals, and suddenly stopped and turned away. Not far ahead she saw Evey leading a horse from its stall. Joan stepped into a space that led down a narrow hallway toward the rider's dressing area. Certain she wouldn't be seen, she peered around the corner and watched as Evey saddled the horse. She was dressed in riding pants that were tucked neatly into her tall boots. A bright red jacket covered the stark white shirt on her upper body. She looked wonderful, very appealing. She was talking and laughing with a young woman who was adjusting the bit in the horse's soft mouth. She stroked the animal's neck as Evey tightened the cinch encircling the horse's abdomen. This must be one of Evey's students who would be competing.

"Excuse me," a voice said as a young man brushed past Joan. She pressed her body against the wall and watched him trot to where Evey had finished saddling the horse. Tully. He paused to give the rider a leg up. Evey patted the girl's leg and the expression on her face was serious. When the girl and her horse finally walked away, Evey glanced at her wristwatch and motioned to Tully. He led his horse from its stall and began preparing it. Evey talked the whole time and made movements with her hands that seemed to be last-minute instructions concerning the jumps. Evey finally gave Tully a leg up. He stood in the stirrups and settled into his saddle. Finally, he leaned down to give his mother a kiss before turning the horse toward the assembly area.

In a flash, Evey picked up a program and started down the corridor toward the main arena seating. Joan had been so busy watching Evey that she didn't have time to duck away and Evey saw her. A brilliant smile crossed her face when she saw Joan, who was trying to become one with the wall behind her.

"Joan!" Evey said. "I didn't know you would be here." Evey grabbed Joan's arm and squeezed it lightly.

"Fran called and told me Tully was riding and I didn't have anything else to do this afternoon. Thought I'd see what it is you train horses to do."

"It's wonderful to see you again." Evey stepped out of the way to avoid a horse and rider. She grabbed Joan's hand. "We should get to our seats before the first event begins."

Joan nodded, "Where do we go? I have a ticket."

"I've got an extra ticket. You can join me in the trainer's section. I wish you had let me know you would be here," Evey said as they walked hurriedly toward the arena.

"It was a last minute decision," Joan said.

Evey handed two tickets to a ticket-taker and climbed the steps into the trainer's section. As they reached their seats and sat, Joan said, "You'll have to tell me what's going on because I am totally clueless."

Evey sat to Joan's right and opened her program. She leaned toward Joan, their upper arms brushing together. "First, all the riders and their horses will enter the arena for the opening ceremonies. The first real event will be junior jumping. None of my students are in that event, but I'm hoping we can prepare a rider for next year."

"The riding lessons are going well then?" Joan asked.

"Pretty well. Actually it was Tully's idea to work our way into the junior level. Right now we have nine or ten riders, but only two have their own horses to work with. Their parents are afraid to devote the money for something that could simply be a whim. Can't say I blame them though. Buying a good horse, paying for its training and stable and transportation fees is a pretty costly proposition. Ralph thinks we should get a few more horses for training and use in lesser events."

They stood for the National Anthem and saw Tully. Evey pointed out her other two students who had also qualified. Joan looked at the horses. When they took their seats again, Joan said, "One of those horses looked suspiciously like my friend, Jackson."

Evey placed her hand on Joan's forearm. "It is! Gerard suggested we train him in dressage now that he's getting a little old for cross country. So far Jackson has been an amazingly fast learner. He's wonderful for the younger riders."

Joan soaked in the warmth of Evey's hand through her shirt sleeve and began to relax. All through the events, Joan fluctuated between happiness and sadness when Evey's hand left her or returned to point out something she thought Joan might need to know.

Jackson and his rider performed well and took a second place ribbon for their work. Tully's horse grazed the top rail of the last obstacle and after a moment of bouncing, it fell, dropping him into third place. Evey's last rider failed to earn enough points to place and the young boy looked despondent after his performance.

"Come back to the stable area with me," Evey said. "I'm sure Tully will be surprised that you came."

After the incident involving Meg at the wedding, Joan felt sure she was the last person Tully Chase wanted to see, but she followed Evey anyway, loathe to deprive herself of a few more minutes in Evey's company. When Evey saw Tully and the other riders, she went to the boy who hadn't placed. She hugged him tightly and assured him that he had done wonderfully in making it to the Winter Regionals. It was something to be proud of and gave him something to work toward for the following year. The boy protested and blamed his horse for the poor performance.

"Your horse only does what you ask him to, Samuel," Evey said sternly. "He needs to know you are confident and in charge when you lead him into an obstacle. He has to trust that you know what you're doing. Now unsaddle him and brush him down. He worked hard today. He's young and still learning, just like you. You'll both get better." Evey smiled at the boy. "I promise."

Then Evey turned to Tully and the girl who had ridden Jackson. She admired their ribbons and praised how well they had performed.

"We almost got a blue ribbon," the girl said. "Next year."

"You bet you will, Sara," Evey said. "For his first year competing in dressage, old Jackson was a real trouper." She hugged the girl, who was obviously proud of her performance. Then she turned to Tully and hugged him. "What happened on the final obstacle?" she asked as she patted his horse. "It looked like one of his rear legs dropped before he cleared it."

"I might've anticipated the end too soon and relaxed on the reins a little," Tully admitted. "A mental lapse on my part." He turned to the younger boy. "See Sam, your mind has to be in the game every second. I make mistakes too, buddy."

Evey turned to Joan and pulled her forward. "Look who I ran into," she said with a broad smile.

"I thought you all did wonderfully," Joan said. "Makes me jealous no one taught me to ride as well." Joan looked at Tully and saw a frown crease his forehead.

"Perhaps after you've taken care of your horses, you'll let me take you all out to dinner," Joan said.

"I already promised these guys that I'd find a McDonald's this evening, but thanks anyway," Tully said.

"Tully's right. The kids should eat and get a good night's rest before tomorrow's all-arounds," Evey said, disappointment clear on her face.

"Why don't you go, Mom? You've been working your butt off since we got here."

"I'll be fine," Evey said. "I can help clean out the stalls and then--"

"I insist," Tully interrupted. "Personally, I think you'd look ridiculous on the slide at McDonald's."

"I promised their parents I would look out for these two. They're my responsibility," Evey protested.

"I can be responsible for them. You might not always be around," Tully said, looking at Joan. "We can rent a movie or something. I threw two or three bags of popcorn in my duffle and there's a microwave in my room. We can eat popcorn and chill."

"I'll be back at the hotel early," Evey said. "We need to be on the road as soon as possible after the awards presentations tomorrow if we want to make it home before it gets too dark." Evey turned toward Joan. "I didn't bring many clothes."

"Please dress casually," Joan said. "Tell me where you're staying and I'll pick you up at seven, if that's all right."