“It must be hard, being the daughter of the most powerful man on the first Saturday in May.”
Evie scoffs. “You know, I come to these parties and all I want to do is have a meaningful conversation but each time I approach someone, they stop talking.”
“Sounds like you and I are the same person.”
She laughs. “Butch Armstrong definitely has a bone to pick with you.”
“Yeah,” I sigh. “He’ll have an even bigger one next weekend.”
Evie plugs her ears. “No, stop. No horse talk.”
“Fair enough.”
The waiter approaches with another tray of drinks. He also hands me a note. I turn my back to Evie and flip open the paper.
Meet me at the pond.
One thing about these parties, they’re hosted at places people in the business, especially those living in Kentucky, have been to many times. I pocket the note and finish my glass. “I have to run,” I tell Evie. “It was nice meeting you. I imagine I’ll see you at the next gathering.”
“Good luck,” she says as she walks away. Part of me wonders if she’s talking about the race or if she somehow knows I’m about to sneak down a grassy knoll to meet the woman I’ve been forbidden from seeing. Not that anyone could actually forbid me from seeing her other than her father. It’s just an unwritten rule in our society here. I’m viewed as not being good enough.
It takes me a bit to leave the party. Every time I think I’m in the clear, someone stops and wants to talk about Maximus, which is honestly one of my favorite subjects. I do everything I can to sell investors, breeders and other people looking for a trainer on Baker Kelly and Lucky Seven Ranch. By the time I’m headed toward the pond, it’s pretty close to an hour from when Brielle sent the note to me. I’ll be lucky if she’s still there.
When I reach the pond, I stand on the edge and look around. The moonlight gives of a little bit of glow, but not much. If Brielle is out here, I have no idea where she is. I walk around the edge, careful to stay on dry land. I don’t want to ruin my shoes or accidentally fall in. When I reach the side, farthest from the house, there’s a bench, and sitting there is Bri.
“Hey,” I say as I approach.
She jerks her attention to me and grabs her chest. A look of relief passes across her face. “I didn’t think you were going to come.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” I sit down next to her but leave a small gap.
Her lips purse. “You were talking to Evie. She’s on the prowl for a husband.”
I chuckle. “Are you jealous?”
Brielle shrugs. “Maybe I am. Evie Stephenson is lucky. She can date anyone, and no one will say a damn thing.”
“She can’t date anyone, Brielle. There isn’t a guy in the business who will go near her, and the business is all she knows. She’s a lot like you in some ways.”
Brielle looks at me. She looks sad. I want to comfort her, but I have no idea who is lurking in the shadows. There is too much at stake right now, especially this close to the Derby. Her father already tried to push me under the bus when it came to Maximus, I don’t want to even think about what he’d do if he found out about his daughter and me.
I reach for her hand and she weaves her fingers into mine, but we keep a distance between us. She’s the forbidden fruit that I crave.
“At the end of next week, we should go away. Take a trip to the Bahamas or something.”
“Bri, unless I win on Saturday, you know I can’t afford a trip like that.” At least not a trip she would want to go on.
“I can.”
Ouch. I can’t look at her right now. She moves closer and caresses my cheek, tugging my chin toward her. “I didn’t mean it to sound so harsh. What I meant is, I have the funds to go, and we should, if you want.”
I shake my head slowly. “Brielle, you know I’m not going to be the guy who can do that for a long time. I’m just starting out. We’ve known from the beginning that we live in two different worlds.”
“Yeah, well, I’m bringing you into mine.”
“Is that so?” I laugh and she smiles.
Her face beams. “Yeah, I’m telling my father about us.”
My stomach clenches because I know what I’m about to say is going to hurt her. “Please don’t.” Her expression falls and I quickly bring my hands up to her cheeks so she can look into my eyes. “He will ruin me, and I can’t do that to Baker, the staff at Lucky Seven or Maximus. I need to prove myself at the Derby, show people like your father that I’m worthy of their attention. Please tell me you can understand that.”