So the fact that Quinn keeps texting me details about this dinner she wants us to have when Jack hasn’t even mentioned it isn’t reassuring.I’m dreading even the idea of having to interact with his mother in an official capacity.It’s left me feeling veryfrayed.
That’s probably why Trish is making me so nuts today.
“What’s a four-letter word for femur or fibula?”
“Leg is three letters,” I say.“Could it be bone?”
Trish clucks.“No, that’s not right.”She sighs.“What about a three-letter word for ‘bit of horse food’?”
I hate crossword puzzles.
Jason’s whole family has always been obsessed with them, and I’m terrible at them, which is why I never did any.It used to make me nuts when Jason would ding me with all the ones he couldn’t get, like somehow the worst person in the family at guessing their dumb puzzles should know all the ones they don’t.
“Come on,” she says.“It’s a horse thing.I’m doomed without your help.”
“Maybe it’s oat,” I say.“But that’s not really a bit.It’s just a type.”
“Ooh,” she coos.“That’s it.Thanks.”
I really wish I hadn’t gotten it right.Now she’s sure to badger me with a dozen more.I fake an upset stomach just to escape.By the time I’ve sat in the bathroom scrolling reels long enough to support my lie, and I’ve finished the accounting work I’m still doing part time for my old company, it’s almost noon.I really need to talk to the girls about this whole Jack-dinner situation, but I knew they’d be riding early this morning to prep for the show I’m not going to.
I know we all loved to ride, and I know they still do, but is it really necessary for them to ride almost every day to prepare for a little local show?Old Vanessa would have ridden with them, delighted for the chance.But now, every time I ride, my heart pounds, and my hands tremble, and my palms get clammy.Every single time, it feels like I’m fighting off an enemy horde, and even when I settle in, usually on Foxy, it isn’t relaxing until the very end.
So I put it off and avoid it.
But by now, maybe they’ll be done, and I can suggest we all go to lunch or something.Only, when I emerge from my room, Trish is still in the kitchen, puttering.“What...”I look around.There are dozens of tiny things all over the counter.It looks like Trish has pulled the whole kitchen apart and is putting it back together.“What’s going on?”
“I saw a video yesterday on the tele,” Trish says.
She still insists on calling any streaming platform ‘the tele.’It’s kind of cute, but I swear, sometimes I wish she’d mention where she saw the show she’s talking about.“Okay.”Is it really so hard to say ‘Netflix’ or ‘Hulu’?
“They had this amazing method for organizing your kitchen that’s super efficient.”She spreads her arms.“I decided to do it for you today!”She beams.“It took way less time than I thought.I’m almost done.”
I blink, and then I look around.The open-faced cabinets near the sink used to have all the mugs and teacups on one side, and all the glasses, cups, and saucers on the other.Now there are only glasses on one side, and the other side has a bunch of random things, like dish soap and sponges.It’s ugly.
I reach for the closest cabinet, which used to be the spice area, and now it holds flour, sugar, and baking soda.“Why did you move the spices?”
She crosses the room, her eyes bright.“Look, I left all thebaking spices there, near the mixer where you make cookies and things, and then over here, by the oven, I moved all the cooking spices.”
“What does that mean, cooking spices?”I frown.
“Well, like cinnamon and nutmeg are used for baking a lot, along with soda, baking powder, and cream of tartar.”She walks around the corner to the stove and opens another cabinet.“But here are the things like cumin, chili powder, and black pepper.Things you use over the stove.”
I hate it.
I hate, hate,hatethat she’s organizing my kitchen like it’s hers without even asking me, and now I have to pretend to be pleased that she did it, or I’m a troll.“Uh, well, okay.”
“You don’t like it?”Her little face falls.
I backtrack quickly.“No, that’s not it at all.I’m just taking a moment to catch the vision.I’m sure once I understand why things are in the places they are instead of where I put them, I’ll love it.”
And she’s off again, rambling on about how the mugs should be near the coffee machine, and how the stuff that used to be in the pantry is now in the cabinets, so that the appliances we rarely use can be stored in the pantry, and the canned goods that would expire are now easily rotated.
I have to work harder and harder to hide my irritation.I’m very much of the school of thought that when something isn’t broken, you don’t need to fix it.But I live with a very well-intentioned mother-in-law, so I tamp down on my tongue, and I force a smile I hope isn’t pained, and I bide my time until I can make an excuse and go find my friends.
Unfortunately, by the time I can leave, it’s already one-fifteen.And when I reach the barn, they appear to be just getting back.
Natalie’s holding a little bag.
