“No problem. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone.” We make our way to the barn, where the sound of happy chatter greets us. The horses are quiet, looking quite content as they listen in.
“Alice?” A gorgeous blonde woman who seems vaguely familiar smiles brightly at me, and I smile back, confirming her assumption of who I am. “Wonderful to meet you! We’re thrilled to have you here and to get started withthese new programs.” Her British accent is strong, and that’s when recognition slams into me like a transport truck.
“Oh, wow, you’re Maeve Howard,” I breathe out, slightly star-struck, having never met a celebrity before. Maybe I should have done more research on my new employers, but I was just so happy to find a job, I didn’t bother in case I found something I didn’t like. I can’t be looking for reasons not to accept the opportunities that come my way. Not right now.
“Owen didn’t tell you?” She glowers at her husband, but the look almost immediately softens when he winks at her and then kisses their baby’s head. “Well, yes. I hope that’s not a problem for you. We live at the property next door, but I’ll be sure to let you know when I want to come by to see my girls. I’d hate to disrupt any of your work.” She looks over at the young woman to her right, who’s had a friendly smile on her face this entire time.
“N-no, it’s not a problem. Of course not.” I’ll just be working for the most beautiful people I’ve ever met, and one of them is a major celebrity. It’s fine.
“Brilliant. Well, this is Paige. She’s in charge while boss-man is out and about. She’s in training to take over once Arty moves into Rosemary’s position. Corey is another of our team members,” she says, patting a middle-aged man on the shoulder who nods at me, “and Sam is around here somewhere, too. Probably on the move since they can’t ever sit still.” She looks around, and not seeing Sam, turns back to me. “It’s a great team, and we think you’ll be a valuable addition here.” She nods, eyes bright and hopeful.
“I hope I am,” I say, bottling down the urge to add that I won’t be in Ojai forever. I’ll still work as hard as I can while I’m here, so it doesn’t matter. “It’s great to meet you,Paige and Corey.” We shake hands, and we all turn to the shuffling sound coming from the other side of the barn.
“I think Polly is back. Made another mess.” The tall, lanky individual brushes their hands on their worn jeans. “All cleaned up now, but I set another trap for that little jerk.” Walking over to where we are, a hand is stretched toward me. “Hey, I’m Sam. Nice to meet ya.”
My face must be doing something strange, because as I shake Sam’s hand and say my name, Maeve and Owen both laugh.
“Polly is an opossum. And don’t worry, it’s a live trap, so Polly won’t be hurt,” my new coworker reassures me.
I let out a relieved breath, and we all laugh. Paige, Corey, and Sam show me around the stables, and we meet up with Rosemary at the clinic a few yards away. I get to meet the friendlier horses—two of them are a little on the unruly side, thanks to a bad experience at their last stable, so the crew is working with them. It’s nice that they care so much about their animals here. I also come to find out that everyone has nicknames, which they normally go by around here. Paige’s nickname is Gear, Corey’s is Pop, and Sam’s is Mouse. They tell me I have to figure out the reason by myself. Apparently, when the time is right, I’ll get my own. Rosemary’s nickname is Rooster, and I’d bet it’s because she’s clearly in charge and not afraid to make some noise when needed. I like that it also sort of sounds like her name.
“All right, Alice, if you still want to work here, we’d love to make it official with some signatures.” Rosemary’s statement is no nonsense, while Maeve smiles hopefully at me, with her hands framing her face, fingers crossed. I immediately nod my agreement. “Great!” Rosemary passes over the tablet she’s been holding. “We need some standard information, your address, where to send payment, youknow, all the boring but important stuff.” As she waves her hand dismissively, my entire body stiffens.
My address. Shit.
“Um. Could I send you my address at a, uh, later date?” I keep my eyes on the form I’m filling out, not willing to see the potential judgment on her face.
“Oh. During our last call you said you’d found a place. Did something happen?” The genuine concern in Rosemary’s voice only makes me more embarrassed. I should have my shit together enough to be able to provide an address. Except I don’t.
“Yes,” I answer honestly. “There was an issue with my roommate, and I no longer have one, so I need to find something else close by.” Saying it out loud has my blood running so hot, sweat starts to build on the tip of my nose. Yep. My nose. That’s where I sweat first.
It’s not easy to find somewhere to rent in Ojai that doesn’t cost a small fortune, but I want to stay close to Gran. “I’ve started looking in Fillmore. I know rentals in Ojai are a dime a dozen.” Especially on my practically non-existent budget. I leave that part out and keep a smile on my face, but it’s so forced, my cheeks ache.
“That’s quite far away, isn’t it?” Maeve’s question is innocent enough, but as I bite the inside of my cheek, it’s becoming harder to pretend like I have any of this figured out.
“And you’ll be visiting your grandmother’s assisted-living facility often as well, won’t you? I mean, Rosemary mentioned it to me—” She breaks off when I take in a sharp, albeit shaky breath. “I’m sorry, Alice. I don’t mean to pry.” Her gentle hand lands on my forearm, and I’m the closest I’ve been to breaking down since the call that turned my life inside out a few short weeks ago.
The shuffle of feet behind us is my saving grace, and Irecover as best as I can. Owen appears next to his wife with a now-sleeping baby in his arms. They exchange a look, though Owen seems as confused as I am by whatever is transpiring.
“If you don’t mind a male roommate, there is an extra room at the farmhouse. It’s quite literally on the property, so you can walk over here. I’m sure you saw it on your way in. Our head of operations lives there, and while he is arguably a bit quiet and rather boring, he’s absolutely wonderful.” She squeezes my arm before bringing it back to her side.
“Maevey, what are you—” Owen is shushed by his wife.
“Ask for forgiveness, not for permission, right? He’ll be fine. He’s hardly even home anyway.” She does a silent clap, looking excitedly over at me, then Owen. “You’ll talk to him, darling? Please?” This woman is obviously a mastermind, and it’s one thousand percent clear that Owen will absolutely do whatever she asks. I, however, am not sure how to feel about this new development. Sure, living so close to work that I can walk here every day would be amazing. Yeah, not worrying about whether or not my old-as-dirt Jeep will break down at any given moment would be lovely. But can I accept this? I should be able to handle something as simple as finding a place to live on my own. Without any help. The way I’ve done just about everything else in my life.
Right?
Never look a gift horse in the mouth.That’s what my mom used to say, but she’s not exactly the kind of person I strive to emulate. In fact, she’s the last person I want to turn out like, but she said that it was actually an old teacher who always said that to her, so… maybe it has some merit.
Rosemary stays quiet during our interaction, butthere’s a small, approving smile on her face. If two people don’t see a problem with this, maybe I shouldn’t either.
“It doesn’t have to be permanent. I’ll keep looking for a place close by, I promise. And of course, I’ll pay rent for however long I’m there.” My insides are vibrating with the possibility that I might actually have a place to live. It means I can go visit Gran instead of spending all my time looking at ads for places I can’t afford.
“You can sort that out later with your new roomie.” Maeve remains calm as I frantically finish up the forms. “O can speak with him tonight, and you can move in tomorrow. I figure your first few days will be a bit shorter than normal anyway, so you can get settled in, right, Rosie?” Owen shifts uncomfortably, as do I. Not sure whether I should be comforted or concerned by the fact that he’s as wary as I am about this situation.
Rosemary, however, gives nothing away. In fact, she looks pleased as punch. “Absolutely. I think you’re going to really like it here, Alice. We’ll get started with getting you acquainted with Scout, who’s already gone through all the physical health assessments.” She smiles warmly at me, and I nod. How can I not? This is literally the best-case scenario. I met Scout today and pretty much fell in love with the sweet mare, so of course Iwantto stay here.
“Thank you, Maeve. And Owen, if it doesn’t work out, it’s okay. I’ll figure it out.” Somehow…
