Thursday continued
"Mmmmm."
Spellbound, he watched her intently as she slurped yet another Chow Mein noddle from knitted chopsticks into her puckered lips, clearly enjoying her food.
"What?" She noticed him staring at her. "Do I have something on my face?"
He shook his head No, smiled his boyish smile, the one she loved but seldom saw anymore.
"What then?" She demanded to know.
"Nothing." He pursed his lips, shrugged one shoulder.
"Ty?" She leaned toward him.
"Okay." He rubbed his scruffy chin with the back of his hand. He paused, shook his head, laughed at himself, changed his mind. "No, it just sounds so stupid. Forget it." As though he had already said something aloud.
"Come on."
He sighed heavily, then relented. "I like to watch you eat." He admitted, then partially recanted. "I mean. Not always. But like now, seeing you eating that cold Chow Mein. You seem happy."
"What do you expect? It's good." She leaned towards him, a bit more, smiled devilishly as she reached her chopsticks clicking into his Kung Pao Chicken container. "You better start eating yours or I might happily eat that too."
"Hey!" He pulled his food out of her reach, making her squeal.
"Ty Borden! You know what Grandpa says."
"Oh boy. What's that?" He asked.
She sat up straighter, rocked her head as Jack would, smoothed her nonexistent mustache, deepened her voice. "It's always good to share with friends."
"Forget it!" He pulled away even further, trying to protect his food. "It's mine." He said, trying to hold back a laugh, trying to be serious.
As a last resort, she sunk into full pout mode, her bottom lip pushed out at least an inch, an over the top frown set in, her eyes flashing upward at him.
He chuckled, he couldn't resist. "Okay. Okay. You win." He tipped his container closer to her to give her needy chopsticks full access.
Skillfully, she snagged a healthy chunk of chicken slathered in the sweet, salty, spicy sauce with her chopsticks, shoved it in her mouth. "Mmm. Oh so good." She said, exaggerating her words, closing her eyes as though she was in heaven.
A drop of dark Kung Pao sauce clung to her lip, dripped down her chin.
As if by magnetic pull, he leaned closer, his thumb brushed away the spicy brown remnants on her chin, then stroked her lip, his eyes searching hers. Time stopped. His breath was hers, his inhale was her exhale. Their lips were mere millimeters a part.
She looked away, pulled back, whispered. "Ty."
He pulled back too, he smiled, chuckled a little, as though nothing happened.
They both focused on their food, making small talk, avoiding what had just transpired, rocking back and forth in a steady rhythm.
"I got you something." He said offhandedly as he finished his dinner.
"You did?" Her eyes grew wide, the corners of her mouth up turned. "What is it?"
"You'll see." He stood from his chair, picking up their empty containers, stepped into the apartment, returning a few moments later. Ty handed her a thin, rectangular shaped package, wrapped in the comic section of the newspaper.
"Sorry about the wrapping. But that's all I could find." He explain.
"What is it?" She shook the gift.
"Why don't you open it and see." He gave no hint.
She looked at him briefly, smiled then tore into the wrapping, like a little kid. She studied the framed picture. It was the selfie that they took the day before, the two of them, grinning, posing with Spartan and Harley. Emotion washed over her, she whispered. "Thank you."
"Read the inscription on the back." He urged.
She nodded, turned over the picture, and read aloud.
"Amy. No matter where we go. No matter what we do. You'll always be there for me. And I'll always be there for you. Ty."
Her head still bowed, she lifted her eyes to him, her bottom lip trembled almost imperceptibly. "Oh Ty. Our promise."
"Amy. This last year has been tough for us."
She nodded.
"I want to start fresh, create new memories. Good ones. Promise." He explained.
"Me too. Thank you." She leaned forward, pulled him to her, hugged his neck. "I love it."
He hugged her back. "Good." He whispered, his lips nearly touching her ear, his nose filled with the lavender scent of her hair.
As she pulled away, he held on, just a second more. Their foreheads touched, his green eyes met her blue ones briefly, before she looked away, and parted.
They had saved the crab ragoon, for last, as it was their favorite. As they savored each bite, he told her about his day, his meeting with Dr. Johnson. "Hey. Did you remember that I start at the clinic tomorrow night?"
"Of course. Excited?"
"Yeah. I guess. Are you still going help me move on Saturday?"
"Oh shoot." She squeezed her eyes shut, crinkled her nose, then slowly opened her eyes, worried that she'd disappoint him. She didn't want to go back on her word, but she had no choice. "Oh Ty. The Rocky Mountain Cup is on Saturday. Turns out, I have to work. I'm sorry."
"What time's the tournament?" He asked.
"All afternoon, but I have to be an Ambassador. Maybe you can come watch?" She offered a consolation.
"Can't. Got to work in the clinic in the afternoon." He scrunched his mouth, then said. "Well. It's okay. I don't have much to move. So I can do that myself or maybe Caleb can help."
"I'm so sorry." She bit her lip, feeling bad.
He made another suggestion. "Maybe you swing could by my new place after the tournament and help me arrange things."
"I can definitely do that. I will bring dinner." She brightened.
"It's settled then." He looked at his watch. "Well. We better go see Harley and Spartan if we want to get in a ride." Then he added sarcastically, mimicking Brian. "I would just hate for Brian McDermott to think I was pawning my responsibilities for Harley off on him."
She sighed. "Ty. Please try to be nice. I have to work with him. Plus, Brian just wants what's best for Harley and Spartan."
He shrugged.
"Come on. Let's go." She motioned for him to follow.
Harley and Spartan were already tacked when Brian entered the barn with his wheel barrow. He acknowledged them with a nod, nothing more.
"Hey Brian. We're taking these two out for a ride. We'll do night check on my four when we return." Amy informed him.
Ty stepped up. "Brian. I know we got off on the wrong foot earlier. Look. We'll be seeing a lot of each other soo..." He held out his hand to Brian.
Brian was unmoved by Ty's gesture, didn't shake his hand. "Its just all talk at this point. Proof is in the doing." Then he added with emphasis. "Ty."
"Couldn't agree with you more." Like Brian, he stressed his name. "Brian." He withdrew his hand, then glanced at Amy. "Ready to ride Amy?"
"Yep." Amy said. "See ya Brian."
They led their horses out of the barn, swung into their mount, took to the trail at a slow pace so they could talk.
Well away from earshot of the barn, Ty groused. "Well, Brian is a real jerk."
"Yeah. His social graces need work." Amy admitted.
"Social graces? Whatever." He smirked.
"Ty?" Her tone was gentle.
"Huh?"
"Thanks for reaching out to Brian. I know he is a bit much."
Ty tilted his head, raised his eyebrows.
"Okay, he's a bit of a jerk. But I do think he wants what's best for Harley and Spartan."
"Hope you are right."
As they rode, Ty listened closely as Amy described her day in detail, her coworkers, her schedule, her duties, and the upcoming tournament. But mostly she talked about her assistant, Ashland and her dad, Asher.
"And get this. Her dad wants a report of her work every night."
"Sounds like Ashland and her dad are going to be a handful."
"Yeah." She sighed. "But. I can't help but think that there is something else going on."
"What do you mean? It's plain and simple. Ashland is just a rich, spoiled brat."
"Maybe." Her brow was knitted in thought as she considered then dismissed Ty's assessment. "But. There's something else. I mean look. She got a new horse six months ago but she doesn't ride him. Then she dropped out of college. Now, her dad forces her to move into the club and get a job. But, still they seem to be very close. Something happened. I don't know. Deep down I think she's a good person that got knocked sideways."
"Why do you have to always see the best in people? First, Brian and now Ashland. Why can't you be judgemental like the rest of us?"
"Who says I'm not?"
"Ha. You don't have a judgmental bone in your body."
She shrugged, smiled faintly. "Well, I promised her dad I'd give her a chance." She shifted gears slightly. "Think I'll see what I can find out from Asher tonight."
"Don't be surprised if he doesn't let you in on the deep, dark family secrets."
"Yeah. You may be right about that. Maybe Nick knows something."
"Yeah. Ask him first."
They rode in silence, both lost in their own world. Amy spoke up. "Hey Ty. I want to tell you about that nightmare I had last night."
"Okay."
She described her dream in great detail, from Mrs. Bell's night gown, to her fascination with the ebony raven, the bird morphing into Ahmed, and his hissing, his words. And, Ty's anger morphing into coldness, leaving her alone and scared.
Ty sighed heavily. "Amy. I'm sorry. That sounds awful."
"It was. As strange as it was, it seemed so real." She shuttered. "And in a weird way, it felt like I was reliving that night when Ahmed came to dinner and when we broke off our engagement. Mostly I felt alone. And scared." She blinked rapidly, trying to hold her feelings back, trying to stick to the facts, trying not to place blame.
"I am sorry."
"It's okay. It was just a dream." She said, trying to pass it off as nothing, though clearly it was something.
Ty knew her too well. "No, Amy, it's not okay." His voice cracked. "Look. I was wrong. I should have listened that night. And, that nightmare shows that you are still worried about Ahmed. That you still believe that I might leave. Maybe even, that you still don't trust me."
Her voice was timid. "It's not that."
"What then? What do you think it means?" He pushed.
"I guess I am just scared. What might happen."
"I know. I worry too. But, I am glad you told me."
"Me too."
He sighed. "Um. Speaking of Ahmed, I met Dr. Flower today."
"Oh. How did that go?"
"She gave me two copies of your journal. They're in your apartment."
"Saw those. Thanks for picking them up."
"Sure. No problem." He paused then continued. "Um. She asked me a lot of questions."
"Like?"
"You know. About the tour, before, during and after. Ahmed. About you and your journal. Mostly, she wanted to make sure that I was committed to supporting you through the lawsuit. She said that it may get ugly." He swallowed.
"Ugly. Huh?" She said quietly.
"Look. Amy. We are going to get through this together. Okay?" He reached out his hand to her, she in turn immediately grabbed his.
"Okay." She mouthed, looking at him, searching his face for comfort. He squeezed her hand.
"Speaking of Summer. I am meeting with her Monday morning at 8."
"Do you want me to go with you?" He offered.
"Thanks. But, I'll be okay."
"Let me know if you change your mind."
"Don't your finals start Monday?"
"Yeah. But not till later in the day." He said, neglecting to tell her that his first final was Monday at 9.
Back at the barn, they untacked Harley and Spartan. Brian appeared out of nowhere, without words, took each saddle to the tack room. Amy and Ty shared a side glance. After settling all four horses for the night, Ty and Amy headed back to her apartment.
Two wrapped fortune cookies laid next to copies of Amy's journals.
"Hey. We forgot these." Ty handed her a crisp, sugary confection. "Open yours first."
She popped the cookie out of its clear plastic wrap, breaking it into pieces. She put some of the sugary crispness in her mouth, as she pulled the slip of white paper out it's folds, unfurled it.
She read the fortune to herself first, then aloud. "Hmm. Okay..All things are difficult before they are easy."
"True that." He had already extracted his fortune from his cookie. "Mine says, Failure is the chance to do better next time."
"Good one. Let's save these." She suggested, but seemed unsure where to put them.
"Do you have a bulletin board?"
She shook her head No. "Guess I'll add it to the list."
Ty got a glass out of the cabinet. "Here. Put them in here for now." He looked at his watch. "Ames. It's getting late."
She yawned as she nodded. "Let me wash up, then we can head to Mrs. Bell's."
He studied her. "Amy. You are exhausted. Tell you what. You get in bed early and I will go to Mrs. Bell's. I need to check on her any way. I'll bring you the herbs in the morning."
"What about morning chores at Heartland? And class?" She inquired.
"Caleb starts tomorrow. And I don't have class tomorrow. I just have to study and work at the UC clinic."
"Really?" She asked, sounding relieved.
"Yes. Really." Ty added. "Are you offering coffee if I come in the morning?"
"Yes! What time?" Amy was excited.
"I don't know. 6:30?"
"Good. No perfect." She hugged him, then whispered in his ear. "Thank you."
"Hey I better get going. Mrs. Bell goes to bed early."
"Yeah. She does." With one of copy of her journal under his arm, he wished her good night, then left.
She watched him walked down the hall. He turned, waved before descend the stairs. She closed the door, locking it.
"Oh shoot." She pulled out her cell phone and quickly dialed his number. The phone rang several times, before he answered.
"Hello?"
"Mr. Berry. It's Amy Fleming. Sorry to be calling so late."
"Asher. Please. So tell me. Truthfully. How did she do?"
"Ashland did fine. She is learning, we both are, after all it's our first day. I suspect tomorrow she'll do even better. We both will."
"Hmm. Can you give me more details?"
"Not much to tell. We worked with her horses first. She showed me her jumping skills with each horse. No surprise, she is very talented."
"She is that."
"Then. We worked with two other horses that are in rehab. In the afternoon, we had a jump class with six teenagers. All in all, Ashland did fine. She takes fairly well to instruction."
"Anything she needs to improve?"
"Tomorrow I suspect she'll be on time and wear her uniform. But, for her first day, again she did fine."
"Anything else?"
"I do expect that she will assume the responsibility for her horses. Feed, water, groom and exercise."
"That's ridiculous. Isn't there a barn hand?" He was not happy.
"Yes. Brian McDermott, the barn manager, will keep the stall and tack clean. But she will do those other things for her own horses. It will strength her bond with her horses, improve her sense of self reliance, accountability and responsibility."
"Seems a little unnecessary."
"These are my rules."
He paused. "I guess we have no choice."
She didn't respond.
"Okay. Anything else?"
"Just one more thing. The Rocky Mountain Cup is this weekend. Both Ashland and I are working the event as Ambassadors."
"No can do. She is attending the event with me."
"Asher. Are you saying she is resigning her position then?"
He breathed heavily into her ear. "Fine. Amy, you run a tight ship."
"I suspect that you want no less."
"True." He sighed again. "I will tell her about the Cup."
"Ashland already knows. Just wanted you to know as well."
"Right."
"Asher. Thank you. With consistency and responsibility, I have a good feeling that Ashland can and will succeed at this position. I really have no doubt."
"Thank you Amy."
She hung up the phone, pulled out her journal and made the day's entry.
Amy Fleming's Journal
Calgary Polo Club
Day Two.
Started my job as riding and jump coach for Calgary Polo Club this morning. I was awaken by a horrible dream the revolved around a raven, Ahmed and Ty...
After a quick shower, she fed her fur babies, put them in their bed, then got in her own. Nestled under the covers, propped up on pillows, she dialed Ty's number. He was already at Mrs. Bell's so she talked on speaker to both for a few minutes, until eyelids grew heavy.
Hello Dear Readers.
Hope you enjoy this new chapter. Think many of you prefer the Amy and Ty interactions. So hope this satisfies that. As per usual, tell me what you think.
Small World is next...maybe next weekend??
Take care, be safe, stay healthy. Covid continues to menace us...so be careful, be kind.
SBR
Ps. So many folks are reaching out to me with reviews and PMs...some in English and some in French! So wanted to do a shoutout...lifein3d, Tkbird, Jim, Pat, WWD, Joy48, ladybug, ilovefanfiction08, Barbara, TexasFoveverFan, BrittanyLS and so so many more. You are so very much appreciated. I do not have anyone pre-read my work, so your comments are incredibly helpful!! Thanks.