Starting Over Page 6

  Panting, I signaled to the chairs.

  Chase chuckled. “Are you saying, ‘Let’s go to the lounge chairs?’”

  I nodded, breathing fast.

  He dipped into the water and swam toward the stairs. “Are you going back to Edisto next summer?”

  I dog-paddled to the steps. “Sarah and I keep talking about Edisto. We hope so.”

  “Me too.” Chase splashed back in the water and free-styled to the other end. He grabbed the side of the pool, shook the water out of his hair, and pulled himself onto the deck. We met at the lounge chairs and stretched out on our towels. Before long the sun baked us. Chase popped up and did a cannonball into the pool. I chose to enjoy the warmth of the sun on my eyelids.

  His soggy footsteps slapped the decking before he shook his wet hair over me. My eyes popped open.

  He laughed out loud, and then crinkled his face. “You’re getting sunburned. Did you put on sun lotion?”

  I squinted up at him. “I don’t think so.”

  “Okay, Red, roll over. Let me rub some on your back and shoulders. You can’t reach those places.”

  Dive bombers crashed in my stomach. As he rubbed lotion on my shoulders and back, my heart thumped so fast I had to inhale in small bursts. Suddenly, we heard snickering. I lifted my head toward the bushes. Morgan’s face showed between the branches. She cackled and made kissy noises.

  I bolted straight up. My muscles quivered, and my eyes shot poison darts at her. “What is your problem?”

  She walked out, still in her riding clothes. “I heard you two were at the pool and thought you might need a chaperone.”

  Chase swallowed, his beet red face contorted, but he controlled his voice to a mild screech. “You already bothered us in the woods. Can’t you find something better to do?”

  She raised her finger like she was going to lecture us, changed her mind, and stomped away.

  I clapped. “Good job, Chase. Good job!”

  We went for another swim, cooling our frustrations, and then dried off and headed back to the barn, hand in hand.

  I grinned. “We can go back later, if you want.”

  “Okay.” He stopped walking and faced me. “We need to make this day last. What’s next?”

  “Mr. Colton has an afternoon training session. He should be wide awake by now.”

  By late afternoon, Chase and I collapsed on the love seat and couch in the den. After we’d recharged for a few minutes, he pulled out a CD he had made with my favorite tunes. We listened and drew pictures at the kitchen table. When a bouncy song came on, we danced. Since Colton needed to go outside often, we moved to the porch and talked.

  After dinner, Chase’s dad lingered for an extra hour. Not knowing when we’d to see each other again, we grew quiet and sad.

  Colton whined, and pawed my leg.

  Playtime, huh?

  Chase and I wandered into the woods, hand in hand, tossing a ball for Colton and waited for his dad’s words.

  “Chase, time to go!”

  Chapter 12

  The day after Sarah returned from her week at Soccer Camp, she joined me to play computer games. A brief mention of her upcoming trip to Disney World with her friend April hurt, but I had made my decision about not going on the trip the day I adopted Colton.

  Colton continued to interrupt for his potty breaks. We rushed in and out the door for hours. Each time he did his business, he got a cookie, and we dashed inside for air conditioning. This time, as I closed the door, before I even took a step, he pawed me and glued his eyes to mine.

  I squinted at him and opened the door. He rushed to a tree, lifted his leg, waited for a teeny-tiny drip to fall, and raced back for a treat. His mouth slid over his teeth like a grin, and he blinked his warm brown eyes at me.

  Dipping my chin, I chuckled. “Oh. You’ve got to be kidding! You little stinker. I’ve caught on to you. You’ve figured how to get a treat whenever you want. Who’s training whom?”

  Sarah laughed so hard she sat on the carpet and slapped the floor. “Duh! He’s known all day. I kept waiting for you to figure it out.”

  As soon as we ran out of air, I pointed at Colton. He stared up at me.

  “Okay, Mister. There will be no more potty breaks until Sarah and I finish this game.”

  Settling in to concentrate on the game, Sarah groaned. “Now we can talk.” She started with Day One at soccer camp, mentioning all of the hours they practiced, and of course, every minute she had with Peyton. “After dinner, if we could fit a visit into our schedule, we’d meet in a—” Sarah giggled. “—a secluded spot. Especially the night they had a fireworks show.” She gazed at me, waiting for my reaction.

  “Are you waiting for me to ask for more or to be alarmed?”

  Sarah shrugged her shoulders, crinkling her nose. “He was always a gentleman. We talked and held hands, and I got a few kisses. Those made me bubbly inside. On the fourth, we had the most amazing the fireworks show. As they exploded way up high, Peyton wrapped his arm around my shoulder and held me tight.” Sarah closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath. Seconds passed before she reopened her eyes and cooed. “Gosh, I miss him, already. How was your visit with Chase?”

  “Awesome!” I wiggled my shoulders and smiled. I briefly told her how we spent the day together. My cheeks flushed as I added more details on how Chase had asked his parents for a free day without Logan.

  “Wow! That’s special.”

  “Yes, it was. Chase told me that Logan talks about Sydney every day. It sure would be nice if Logan got to have Syd as his service dog.”

  Sarah’s eyes lit. “When will they know?”

  “I’m not really sure. But the teams start training together a few weeks before the graduation ceremony. And that’s usually in November or December. Wouldn’t that be a cool Christmas present?”

  “Yes, that would be neat. But Trina, you’ve changed the subject. I told you about Peyton and me. What about you and Chase?”

  “Well—” I stood and paced. “I guess we did the same things you did. Except, I watched the fireworks with Mom and Dad in the street. Umm. I almost forgot to ask. Did you go swimming?”

  Sarah grinned. “Unfortunately, we had no time for swimming.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad. You could have shown off your skills.”

  “Nah, I was relieved. We worked out so hard I was exhausted. There you just did it again. Trina, don’t you want to tell me anything about you and Chase?”

  “I don’t know. It feels pretty weird talking about it. We’re both kind of shy, and we only had one day. Chase loved being with Colt.”

  Keeping her chin down, Sarah lifted only her eyeballs at me. “So you’re not telling me anything.”

  I blinked. “Okay. How about this? At the pool, I let him rub lotion on my back. At the same time, Morgan snickered at us from behind the bushes. Chase told her to go away, and she did. After she disappeared, I rubbed lotion on his back. The best part is, he’s calling every night.”

  “That’s better.” Sarah pressed her lips together. “I’m sorry you have to deal with her.”

  I shrugged. “I’ve been thinking. Sarah, what if we don’t react to Morgan? I tried being nice when she met us in the woods. She got flustered. My other friends at school last year mentioned the same problems with their brothers or sisters. They say that refusing to respond makes them change their behavior or go away. It’s kind of like how I train Colton.”

  “Oh. She’s so hard to ignore.” Sarah’s eyes widened. “Maybe you can do that, but I’m not sure I can.”

  “Maybe it’ll help if I try talking with her. Maybe she needs a friend. She’s so unhappy. Maybe something bad’s happening in her life. I read in one of my books about a girl who lived with relatives who treated her so badly, she acted ticked-off all the time. It was her way of keeping anyone from knowing h
er.”

  I stopped talking and let my thoughts sink in.

  Sarah held her head in her hands and moaned. “Not again, Trina. You can’t fix everyone. Do you remember when you felt sorry for that guy everyone believed had cooties? I almost stopped breathing when you asked him to dance last year.”

  I squinted “Really? He was standing all alone with no one speaking to him.”

  “Well.” Sarah shook her head. “All the kids in the cafeteria whispered back and forth and stared at you. It was embarrassing.”

  “Did you see his face when I asked him to dance? That was worth all the questions I got later.” My heart pounded. “You never said anything about it.”

  “I didn’t want to hurt your feelings. I know how you always rescue helpless animals and thought it was the same kind of thing. But this girl, Morgan, she’s hateful.”

  “But there’s a reason. I just need to find out why.” I stared at the ceiling. “That’s the answer. The next time she starts harassing me at the barn, I’ll turn the conversation back on her instead of getting mad.”

  “Whoa. You’re asking for it!” Sarah turned off the computer, stood, and paced. She turned her head side to side and clucked her tongue. “It’s your life. So, what should we do now? It’s too hot to do anything outside.”

  Colton’s head had switched back and forth as Sarah and I took turns talking. He was like a spectator in the stands watching a tennis match. Sitting next to him, I cupped his little face and giggled. “You’re so funny. I bet you even understand what we’ve said. How would you like to go swimming?”

  His ears shifted forward, showing he recognized the word “swim.”

  I glanced at Sarah. “Go put on your suit and we can take Colton. Mrs. B told me I could bring him any time if he was potty trained. I’d say today he proved he’s trained. He loves splashing in his kiddie pool and it will help him be a water dog like Sydney.”

  We met on the path, and Colton walked like a pro. At the pool, we laid our towels on the lounges, and I carried my little guy to the pool steps.

  He bent his head and licked. I lifted him higher, “No water.”

  Sarah’s eyes quizzed me.

  “I’m teaching him to not sip this water. It will be easier when I take him to the beach next summer. Remember how sick Sydney got from drinking the ocean water? I don’t want Colton to go through that.”

  Colton jerked his head toward the bushes and fidgeted in my arms.

  Morgan paraded out in a royal blue bikini, looking gorgeous, her curly hair loose about her round face, making her large eyes stand out.

  He wiggled and waggled. “Hey, Morgan. Come over and meet Colton. He wants to meet you.”

  Sarah gave me The Look. Under her breath, she whispered, “What are you doing?”

  Morgan halted and lost her confident look. I guessed she didn’t have a clue on what to do or say.

  I whispered back. “I’m trying my new technique.”

  Morgan hadn’t moved.

  In a friendly voice, I called. “Morgan, come join us in the water. It’s hot out there.”

  She sat on the other side of the pool, kicking her feet in the water. “Where’s your little boyfriend?”

  “Sadly, he’s in Columbia. Too far away to visit.”

  After a minute of silence, she tried again. “I’m going to tell Mrs. B you have Colton in the pool. I can’t swim with his hair and pee in the water.”

  After inhaling and letting it out, I swallowed my irritation. “First off, Mrs. Brown knows. Colt’s already pottied, and he’s got really short hair that goes into the filter. I’m trying to be friendly, but I’m not going to beg you to join us.”

  She flashed daggers at me with a nasty look. “I’ll get in when I’m ready.”

  “Good. I’ve got to take Colton home for a nap. You can have the pool all to yourself.” I lifted Colton to my chest. “By the way, Knight looked good out in the ring this morning.”

  Morgan snapped at me. “So, it was your turn to spy on me?”

  “Ah ha! I didn’t know you were spying on me.” I let out a sarcastic snicker. “Well, there’s not much to watch when I’m riding.” I waited a couple of seconds to let that sink in her mean brain. “But just so you know, I’ve never spied on you. When I’m working, it’s hard not to see you in the ring. And you and Knight are looking good.”

  Whew! I had stayed positive.

  Sarah and I stepped out of the pool and rushed to our flip flops.

  “Yikes! The cement’s too hot for you, Mr. Colt.” I set him on the grass next to the pool and didn’t take my eyes off him while I dried.

  “Bye, Morgan.” Sarah picked up the cooler and threw her towel over her shoulder.

  I lifted Colton in my arms, and Sarah and I shared a satisfied grin. “Yeah, Morgan. See you later.”

  We heard a giant splash. I turned to Sarah. “That’s her way of not having to answer us. Isn’t she something?”

  Chapter 13

  After months of saving my earnings, I had enough money for my first pair of chaps. Over the weekend Dad drove me to The Tack Shop. I tried on a number of pairs and decided on the softest and best brown suede leather I could afford. I stashed the box under the bed and waited for my once-a-month lesson.

  Wednesday morning couldn’t come fast enough. I lay on the bed, waiting for the sun to flicker through the open blinds. And of course, this morning Colton slept later. I tossed and turned until I gave up and dressed in shorts and a tee. It would be my turn to wake Colt.

  He started whining before he saw me. Knowing my footsteps or my scent, he turned in circles as I approached, and then stretched his front paws over the top of the gate.

  “Good morning, little guy! Are you ready for another day?” He squealed and his nails scrambled across the floor. “Time to go outside.” I picked him up, nuzzled my nose into his fur, and inhaled his sweet puppy scent. I squeezed him tight. We each needed our snuggle after being separated all night.

  Finished with his morning needs and breakfast, Colt followed me up to my bedroom. I pulled the baby blue box from under my bed and stared at the navy blue lettering. THE TACK SHOP. My heart flip-flopped. I unfolded the tissue paper and gazed at my new chaps.

  Colt jammed his nose in the box, sniffed, and raised his eyes to me.

  “Yep. This is my prize for working so hard. I get another lesson today, and you can come to the barn.”

  Colton marched next to my legs, playing a game of tagging the back of my flip flops. Each rubber shoe had teeth marks, and it was time to teach him to walk without playing. In the kitchen, I opened the doggie cookie jar and broke the treats into tiny pieces. He smelled them and watched my hand go into my pocket. I grabbed my clicker. Now he had to figure out what the trick was for the day. I walked to the glass doors. He lost interest in my shoes, and stared at my pocket. I teased him, jiggling the heel of my shoe. He looked down, forgot about the treat, and lunged at the foam. The second he stopped and looked at me, I clicked and gave him a treat.

  “Yes!” I jiggled my foot again, and he lunged at the heel of my shoe. I didn’t say anything. He bit. When he looked up, I clicked. “Yes!” And fed him.

  We repeated this process. After a couple minutes, he stopped attacking my shoe. I jiggled the back of my flip flop, he looked at the shoe, and then stared at me, anticipating the click and a treat.

  “Yes! Good boy! I patted his head, and we moved outside.

  He raced to the trees and found a ball hidden under a gardenia bush full of pearly white buds popping open. But he got distracted by the fragrance, sniffed at a few blooms, and then remembered the ball. We played catch and tug-a-rope until he finally ran out of gas. I carried him inside for a quick rest.

  Dad sat at the kitchen table, reading the paper and drinking coffee. He lowered the paper under his chin. “So, what time is your lesson?”
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  “Mr. Simon will be ready for me at nine. I’ll go early and do some chores, and then get Chancy ready. And, I’m wearing my chaps today.”

  Dad set his cup down. “I wish I had time to watch. I have a conference call at the same time.”

  I stood and patted Dad’s shoulder. “That’s okay. I’m not riding enough to improve, but I enjoy trying.”

  Colton walked all the way to the barn and into the stall. He watched me set new toys on the straw. I added a metal mixer-beater, a stiff potato brush, and a hard plastic jingle bell for his mouth’s sensory exploration. One day he’d need to pull on things that weren’t soft. But first he did his routine of exploring.

  Closing the half door, I looked over. “Be right back.” He glanced up quickly and returned to his search for new smells.

  After all the horses stood happily in their stalls with fresh hay and water, I had enough time to brush Chancy and pick the dirt from her hooves. Excited to wear my chaps for the first time, I trotted into the tack room and slid them over my shorts. I saddled Chancy and double checked the girth before I led her out to the rectangular riding ring to warm up. My legs stayed cooler without my tight riding pants.

  Mr. Simon parked his shiny red truck and headed over to meet me. “Howdy, young lady. Are you ready?”

  I continued swaying on Chancy’s back. “Yep I’m excited. I’ve been riding when I can. It hasn’t been much, but I’ll do my best.”

  “Come over here and let me check her girth.” He tightened it one more notch. “That’s better. “Go around the ring a couple more times.” He retrieved his silver thermos from his truck and poured himself a cup. After a couple of sips, he set the steaming brew on the fence post.

  I walked Chancy, allowing her to stretch her muscles and letting me feel her rhythm.

  Mr. Simon stood in the middle of the ring. “Push your heels down. That’s it. Now keep them there. Do you feel it?”

  “Yes, my muscles are screaming, ‘No more!’” I chuckled. “My legs feel like Jell-O.”