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Sandy wasn’t nearly as optimistic while driving back down the mountain as she had been, driving up. Danny’s Happy Trail Ranch was everything she’d hoped for and more—a peaceful environment, a good program with personalized attention, and people who really seemed to care. Unfortunately, it was expensive and would only cover an hour or two a week.
At least Kevin had had a good time. She had too. Tori was friendly and easy to talk to, and it had felt good to talk to someone who got it. The ranch might not be feasible as an everyday option, but maybe she and Kevin could go up and visit once in a while. Sandy’s friend time had been pretty scarce lately.
Lenny was grilling out on the back deck when they got back. After getting Kevin settled in the living room with his sketchbook and a pack of colored pencils, Sandy went out onto the deck to join him. The sight of him in his cargo shorts, navy-blue SPD T-shirt, and sandals, brandishing a grill spatula, was as comforting and depressing as it was familiar and predictable.
“Throw a few extra on for me and Kevin, will you?” she said, plopping down onto a deck chair and helping herself to a bottled water from the ice bucket.
Lenny lifted the towel covering the plate of beef patties. As usual, he was prepared. The Sunday ritual endured, rain or shine, snow or heat wave. “Want some hot dogs too?”
“Sure, why not?”
“Where’ve you been?” Lenny asked, looking at her over his aviator-style sunglasses.
Are those the same ones he’s been wearing since high school, or does he just keep buying the same ones over and over again? she wondered absently. She couldn’t go a week without losing or sitting on hers, which was why she always bought the cheap ones.
“Danny’s Happy Trail Ranch,” she told him, leaning back and closing her eyes.
“The horse therapy place up on the mountain?”
“That’s the one. I thought it might be a viable option for Kevin.”
“I’m guessing no such luck, huh?”
“Your powers of perception are keen today. You should be a cop or something.”
He snorted.
She exhaled heavily. “But to answer your question, no, no such luck. It’s a shame, too, because I think that place is perfect for him.”
“Why not? If it’s a matter of money ...”
“Thanks, but no thanks,” she said, cutting him off.
They’d had similar discussions several times, and the thought of being beholden to Lenny—or anyone else—didn’t sit well. Being in debt for years after her father had left taught her that much. It had taken a long time to pay back all the money Lenny’s family had loaned them, and when they finally had, she’d vowed never to be in that situation again. If she couldn’t afford to do something, she didn’t do it, period.
He frowned, just like he always did, but wisely refrained from commenting further. Smart man.
“It’s not just the money. They do sessions by the hour, and I need someone who can take Kevin for the whole morning, Monday through Friday.”
“What about the day-care centers you looked at?”
“They all have waiting lists. Even if something does open up, it would cost the lion’s share of my present net income to pay for it. I’d be better off quitting and staying home with him myself.”
“So, why don’t you?” he asked quietly.
“Because if I do that, then I’ll never get out of Sumneyville.”
“Still on about that, are you?” He shook his head. “Dreams are all fine and good, Sandy, but maybe it’s time to face reality.”
“Pretty hard not to face reality when it’s been rearing up and biting me on the ass since I was thirteen years old,” she snapped. “Stop trying to make me feel bad about wanting something better.”
“Maybe you’re just too blind to appreciate what you already have,” he shot back.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He was facing the grill, not her, so she couldn’t see his expression. But she did see the rise and fall of his back and shoulders as he took a deep breath.
“Nothing,” he said finally. “Burgers are done. You want to let Kevin know?”
Feeling wearier than ever, Sandy went back into the house. Kevin was busy drawing and didn’t acknowledge her when she asked him what he wanted on his burger. She decided to take the path of least resistance and made him a plate, setting it on the coffee table for him if and when he decided to eat.
No longer angry, she just felt ... tired. No one seemed to understand. Maybe Lenny was right. Maybe it was time to face reality and accept that, as much as she wanted to believe otherwise, this was all there was for her. All there would ever be. But damn it, it was hard to give up on something she’d wanted so badly for so long.
“I’m sorry,” Sandy said, rejoining Lenny on the porch. “I know you love Sumneyville and you can’t imagine living anywhere else.”
“Is it so bad really?”
A vision of her and Karen Kowalski vying over the last bag of cat food at the grocery store before a snowstorm came to mind. Surely, there was a better fate awaiting her than that.
“No,” she admitted. “But I don’t really have a lot to compare it to. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get to the city, discover I hate it, and want to move back.” Though she couldn’t imagine that happening. “The thing is, Len, I just want the chance to find out. Can’t you understand that?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Yet you try to make me feel guilty for wanting more.”
“Maybe, but it’s only because you think we’re not good enough for you.”
“That’s not—” She stopped when she saw the challenging twinkle in his eye. “You’re just looking for a fight today, aren’t you? Who rubbed your fur the wrong way anyway?”
“Nobody’s rubbing my fur these days. Maybe that’s the problem.” He waggled his eyebrows.
“Ew. Not going there.” She laughed, feeling some of the tension between them ease. She finished the bottle of water and fished out another. “You do bring up a good point though. There’s not a lot of fish in the Sumneyville singles pond these days. Matt’s crew is the first fresh blood we’ve seen in a long time.”
The change was instantaneous. “I told you to stay away from them, Sandy. They’re bad news.”
“So you’ve said, but I still don’t see it.”
“What exactly are you seeing?” he asked, his tone laced with accusation.
For one brief, horrible moment, she wondered if he’d somehow found out about her time at the no-tell motel and then dismissed the notion. If Lenny knew, he would have confronted her about it already.
“I see them coming into Franco’s and being perfectly charming and respectful. I see them having a hard time getting permits and licenses and ...” She narrowed her eyes at him. “You wouldn’t by any chance know anything about that, would you?”
He averted his gaze. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t you lie to me, Lenny Petraski.”
“What makes you think I’m lying?”
“Because the tips of your ears turn red when you lie, and right now, they’re practically glowing. What do you have against Matt Winston?”
She stared at him until he finally said, “There’s some bad blood between Chief Freed and Winston.”
The chief of police was not only Lenny’s boss, but also his uncle. “What bad blood?”
“Sandy ...”
“Lenny.”
Lenny exhaled heavily. “Fine. I don’t know all the details, but supposedly, Winston slept with Freed’s sister back in high school.”
Sandy blinked. “Seriously? That was what, fifteen years ago?”
“Yeah, but shortly afterward, Winston was shipped off to the Navy, and Freed’s sister took an extended vacation with some aunt out of state.”
Sandy connected the dots. “Wait. Are you telling me that Matt Winston knocked up the chief of police’s sister? Your aunt?”
“It’s weird to think of her that way since she’s closer to my age than my dad’s, but yeah. Of course, no one’s come right out and said that, but that’s the rumor. Supposedly, the Winstons didn’t think she was good enough for their golden boy and offered to pay a lot of money to make the problem go away.”
“That doesn’t sound like Matt or his family.”
Lenny shrugged. “I wasn’t there, was I? And neither were you. But I can tell you, the chief isn’t happy that Winston’s back in town, and it’s got something to do with Hayley Freed.”
“But—”
“Enough. I’ve already said more than I should. Let it go.”
Sandy bit back the half-dozen or so other questions that came to mind. Lenny would only dig his heels in deeper if she persisted.
“All right. I’m zipping my lips, effective immediately.”
Just because she wasn’t saying anything more didn’t mean she wasn’t still thinking about it. If Chief Freed believed Matt Winston had done wrong by his sister, then he and his cronies at the town hall could make it difficult for him and his project. Whether or not any of it was actually true was irrelevant. Once they settled on a version of history that fit their purposes, it became canon and was nearly impossible to change.
Sandy and Lenny cleared the picnic table and wrapped up the leftovers, and then Lenny went to visit his mom over at her place in the nearby fifty-five-and-over community that had gone up only a year or two earlier.
Kevin was still drawing, but he had eaten his hamburger. She curled up in the ratty, oversize armchair and pulled out her phone to do more research, surprised when she saw a text from Tori.
Tori: Loved meeting you and Kevin today. Call me?
Sandy sighed and swiped the text away. As much as she had enjoyed meeting Tori and Danny, she didn’t trust herself to call. She’d probably end up committing to something she wouldn’t be able to pull off, and she didn’t want to do that. If and when she was able to swing something, then she’d call.
She did the same when Tori texted again on Monday and then again on Wednesday, feeling worse each time. When Thursday and Friday went by without any more texts, Sandy thought that was the end of it.
“There’s a couple asking for you,” Carmella said, coming into the kitchen at Franco’s with a tray of dirty dishes Friday night.
“Who?”
“I don’t know. They look kind of familiar, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen them here before.”
“Where are they?”
“In the niche, table six. I can take it if you want.”
“No, I got it. Thanks.”
Curious, Sandy went into the dining room and headed toward the table in the far corner. She didn’t immediately recognize the woman wearing tortoiseshell glasses and a wide band in her shoulder-length hair, but the guy was familiar. “Brian? Tori?”
Tori offered a sheepish smile. “Yep.”
“I didn’t recognize you.”
Tori self-consciously patted her hair. “That’s kind of the idea.”
Sandy was confused until she remembered that Tori had been thrust into the limelight not all that long ago.
“Are you here for dinner?”
“Yes, but mostly to see you. Do you have a minute?”
Sandy hesitated, even as a pang of guilt washed over her for ignoring Tori’s texts. She really didn’t want to have this discussion, especially not there.
“It won’t take long, I promise,” Tori said quietly, and Sandy felt even worse.
“Sure. I’m due for a break in a few minutes.”
“Great. We’ve never been here before. What do you recommend?”
“Franco’s chicken piccata is to die for, but his fettuccine Alfredo and eggplant parmigiana are legendary.”
Sandy took their orders back. She grabbed a basket of fresh, crusty bread and Franco’s special olive oil and roasted garlic dipping sauce and took it to the table with their drinks. She had only two other tables. One had just received their food, and the other was finished and just lingering over coffee and dessert, so it was as good a time as any.
“I’m sorry I haven’t responded,” she said as she grabbed a chair from an adjacent table and sat down. “It was rude of me, I know, especially after you were so kind. The ranch is a great place, but I just don’t think we can swing it right now.”
“That’s kind of what we wanted to talk to you about,” Tori said, exchanging a look with Brian, who nodded encouragingly.
“Oh?”
“What would you think about letting Kevin come up to the ranch for a few hours each morning?”
Sandy blinked. “I think that would be great,” she said slowly, mentally tallying the hourly rate Tori had mentioned, “but I could never afford something like that.”
Rather than be disappointed, Tori smiled. “Well, you could with the employee discount.”
“I’m sorry, what employee discount?”
“There’s a lot of work involved in keeping horses, and Kevin really seemed to respond well. We thought that maybe you’d consider letting him give it a try. A big part of hippotherapy is caring for the animals and forming a connection with them.”
“Are you offering Kevin a job or therapy sessions?” Sandy asked, certain she’d misunderstood.
“Both really. Nothing he can’t handle—helping to groom the horses, give them fresh water and hay, stuff like that. He’d be with Danny, both of them supervised at all times, and they could hang out together when the morning chores are done. If he does well, we can move up to riding eventually.”
Sandy felt tears prickling at the backs of her eyes at the sheer kindness she saw in Tori’s eyes. She was pretty sure this wasn’t a deal Tori offered to everyone. If it was, she’d be out of business before she even got started. “Why would you do that for us?”
“It’s not entirely selfless,” Tori rushed to explain. “You’d be helping us out too. Socialization isn’t easy for Danny. He’s had a rough time of it, and Brian and I are extremely protective of him. He could use a friend, someone to hang out with who doesn’t mind that he looks different.” Tori’s voice cracked, and Brian immediately covered her hand with his. It was a sweet and tender gesture.
“Danny really liked spending time with Kevin,” Brian added, “and the two of them seemed to get along well together.”
“They did,” Sandy agreed.
“So,” Tori continued, the words coming faster now, “we were thinking that maybe we could do a trial period or something and see how it goes. You could bring Kevin up in the morning before you go to work and then pick him up later. What do you think?”
“I think it sounds too good to be true,” Sandy said honestly.
Brian smiled. “Will you consider it?”
Sandy nodded.
“Good. Take a couple of days and think it over. Whatever you decide, we hope you’ll bring Kevin back even if it’s just for a visit. Danny hasn’t stopped asking when he’s coming back.”
“I will, and ... thanks.”
Sandy didn’t have to take a couple of days. She’d already made up her mind by the time Tori and Brian finished their meal. She brought out two slices of Italian cream cake and placed them on the table along with a carafe of fresh, hot coffee. When Tori began to protest, Sandy waved her hand.
“Compliments of the house,” she said, smiling.
“Thank you, Sandy,” Brian told her.
“My pleasure. And about your idea ... let’s give it a try.”
Tori’s face lit up. “Really?”
“Really.”
“Is Monday morning too early to start?”
Sandy laughed. “Monday morning is perfect.”
“Great! See you then. Danny is going to be so excited!”
Though she was practically bursting with excitement when she got home that night, she didn’t mention anything to Kevin on the off chance that it didn’t pan out. She didn’t want to get his hopes up. Given the way fate had been throwing a monkey wrench into her plans lately, it seemed not only possible but also probable that something would screw it up, and they’d both had enough disappointment to last them a while.
Luckily, a quick text on Sunday night confirmed that everything was still on, and Monday morning, Sandy felt confident enough to share the good news with Kevin. Maybe, just maybe, the universe was finally giving her a break.