When we wrapped up our lunch, he clapped his arm on my shoulder. “Thank you, River.”
I frowned. “For what?”
“For making me unclench a little.” He smiled. “I think I needed to talk it out with someone who understands.”
“Well, I’m here most days.” I grinned.
He chuckled and we went to get rid of our dishes before returning to work.
His words about being a foster parent struck something within me, though. I wasn’t there yet, I liked working too much, but I wouldn’t mind being a foster parent in the future. Maybe even adopting a kid or two down the line.
I identified as gay now, but I’d hooked up with women in the past. I’d even had one female client in my escorting days. If I wanted a biological kid and found someone with a womb who wanted to carry one for me or co-parent with me, I could go that route, too. It felt weird to think in those terms, because there were so many unwanted children out there who needed homes and loving parents, too.
* * * *
Ben and I video called each other pretty much every night, even if it was only for a few minutes. There had been no more sexy stuff happening, but I wasn’t upset. The memory of that one time carried my fantasies better than anything ever had before.
I felt sad that he got sucked into work, and he couldn’t even say that he’d make it over for the grand reopening. He said he’d try, but he didn’t want to promise. I knew his thing about lies and broken promises, so I wasn’t upset. Ben’s brain worked in ways that could be very strict to rules he’d set or felt the environment set for him.
The first time I’d jaywalked in his presence, he didn’t talk to me for a whole day. The next time we were in town together after school, I made sure to obey the pedestrian lights.
Even then, I’d understood that it made me happy to keep Ben’s equilibrium. I didn’t want him upset, I didn’t want his life rocked in any way I could help. That was the reason I’d left his house the final time that day and never gone back.
* * * *
The day of the reopening party arrived, and I hadn’t heard from Ben since the previous morning when he’d been absent-minded over some work thing.
Luckily, I hadn’t had time to dwell on it, because there were still so many preparations to finish.
We’d open the gate at midday, but we were all running around the place, doing this and that since eight in the morning. It was almost time to start, and I still needed to change.
Rey and Cook were in charge of the hors d’oeuvres, and there were a handful of different types they’d made. The catering company would bring all the drinks and the rest of the food, such as salads and things like that.
Rey was still too anxious to cross the yard, so while they were setting the tables at the indoor arena’s office, Cook was the one walking back and forth from the house, carrying stuff there. Lake had rented them a commercial walk-in fridge, and from the glimpse I’d seen, it was stacked with trays filled with goodies.
We had picnic tables near the arena walls so people had somewhere to sit and chat. There would be demonstrations in the outdoor arena—we had some of our volunteers going around, ready to chat to people and tell them about the different horses we had, and so on and so forth.
Theo had cordoned off some of the yard for safety reasons. People couldn’t go to the new stable’s foundation or the newest corrals they’d built, just to make sure the horses that might get upset around so many people would be fine.
The old stable was open, as was Sierra’s office, and of course there were plenty of horses in the paddocks behind the orchard and in the closest corrals.
Sierra, Dr. Cobb’s sister Rachel, and her son Abe had made these signs with the horses’ photos and information, and Abe was finishing tying the last one to one of the paddock fences in the distance. Dr. Cobb had said it would be good for him, because they were having trouble with Abe’s motivation on his dexterity and coordination exercises of his left hand. He was right-handed, so having him do all the exercises on his non-dominant hand seemed like a waste of time to a ten-year-old.
Dr. Cobb, or Uncle Toby as Abe called him, was worried, but not enough to be too direct with the kid. He said Abe didn’t react well to being told what to do or suddenly being confronted with something serious, so we were plotting away where we could.
Luckily, there were enough things here we could make Abe do in the name of volunteering. He loved the animals and had no qualms about doing random things. He hadn’t clued in on the whole secret rehabilitation thing we had going on for his hand. Yet.
“I’m done!” he called out and ran toward where I was watering one of the flower arrangements that were tastefully sprinkled around the yard.
“Awesome, good job!” I high-fived him.
“What else can I do?” he asked, looking around expectantly.
“Hmm…you know, I think you should go find your mom and ask if she wants you to change any of your clothes or wash up before the guests start to arrive, okay?”
He rolled his eyes, then shrugged. “Okay!”
I went to check on Sierra, then checked the time and realized we were close enough to opening that I had to go change.
