Chapter 310 – Post Show and Supper part 2
When the starters arrived, Jack and James both looked at Father Mark.
"Let's say a quick prayer." Father Mark said.
Everyone bowed their heads.
"In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." Father Mark prayed. "First, I want to thank you for keeping our group safe while they jumped today. We are thankful for their success. Please keep everyone safe as they go from here later. Thank you for giving Jack the ability to take everyone out for a wonderful meal. Bless this food to our bodies and the hands that prepared it. Amen."
"Amen." Jack said.
"Amen." James echoed. "Thank you Father Mark."
Several others echoed the amen and then they started passing the starters so everyone could have some. Once everyone had food, Carson looked at Jack.
"You guys always pray like that in public?" Carson asked.
"Usually." Jack said. "Especially if Father Mark is along. We were raised in the Church and our faith is important."
"I agree that faith is important." Carson said. "I guess, I have not been as faithful as I should have been the last few years. Residency takes a lot out of a person and when you are off, you just want to sleep."
"So you did your residency in Syracuse?" Doug said.
"Yes." Carson said.
"So are you working at Albany Medical then?" Frank asked.
"I am actually doing a trauma fellowship." Carson said. "I already have my board certification as an orthopedic surgeon."
"So if you don't mind me asking." Nathan said. "How old are you? I know that undergrad, med school and residency take like twelve years."
"I will be thirty in October." Carson said. "I know that Jack is eighteen, but how old are the rest of you?"
"I am twenty-five." Nathan said.
"Cool." Amber said. "I just turned twenty-five in June."
"Nineteen." Doug said.
"Eighteen." Lee said.
"Thirty-five." Frank said.
"I will be thirty in September." Father Mark said. "So how long have you been married?"
"We celebrated our third wedding anniversary this past Wednesday." Carson said.
"Well happy belated anniversary." Jack said.
"Thank you." Carson said.
Amber, Elizabeth and the girls were talking about fashion and jumping, so the guys let them have their conversation.
"So you from Syracuse?" Frank asked.
"I was actually born overseas." Carson said. "My father was a career military man. He passed a few years ago. My mother has settled just outside of the Naval Air station in Jacksonville, Florida."
"What did your father do in the military?" Frank asked. "I was in the Army before I was injured and forced to retire."
"My father worked on the flight deck of a carrier." Carson said.
"Cool." Frank said.
The guys got to know each other and enjoyed visiting as they enjoyed their food. It was a nice slow meal that allowed people to visit. Chris and Rob were not worried about anyone who had a drink, because it was one drink over an hour and half. James was the only one who had two drinks, but knew that Margaret would be fine to drive or he could drive them home as well. While several people looked at dessert no one opted to have anything as what they had ordered had been filling. When they were done, Carson excused him and Amber.
"Please think about coming next weekend." Jack said. "If you can. We get that you might be working, but if you can it would be great. We are jumping in Albany. It is a huge show, at MVP arena."
"I will check." Carson said. "I might be the doc on site. Either way, I will let you know."
"Thank you." Jack said. "Stay in touch. And I mean it you are welcome to come ride at the ranch anytime. Either go online and schedule a ride or call Grandpa."
"I will." Carson said.
Carson went around and thanked James, Margaret, and Trish for inviting them. He then said his goodbyes to everyone else and thanked him for including them. Carson and Amber left and promised to be in touch.
After Carson left, Nathan and Doug looked at Jack.
"You okay?" Nathan asked. "I mean after the press thing."
"I am fine." Jack said.
"Have you read the statement?" Doug asked.
"What statement?" Frank asked.
Jack explained what happened. Frank pulled out his phone and pulled up the statement and read it.
"Wow." Frank said. "I can't believe what they said."
"I don't care." Jack said. "They don't speak for me and are just mad that I cut them off. Grandpa can deal with them."
"Okay." Frank said. "Why did he go to Florida anyway?"
"He needed to take care of some things in Ocala." Jack said. "He should be back in New York by tomorrow night."
Jack looked at Nathan and Doug.
"Do you guys want to jump in Schuylerville the weekend after Albany?" Jack said.
"I hadn't considered it." Doug said.
"If you want to go ahead." Jack said. "The girls can jump if they want as well."
"We will talk about it this week." Nathan said. "So I am not going with you to Canada?"
"I love you." Jack said. "But I don't want you along, it would be weird."
"I understand." Nathan said. "I could have gone if you wanted. But, if you want it this way, I will be there with Devin when you land in Teterboro."
"So next weekend." Jack said. "Grandpa John is suggesting that we go to Barnsider after the show. It is one of his favorite places and I told him that was fine. I don't know if we are going to have a set menu or order off the regular menu. He said Peter was going to see which was best. If we go with a set menu we will get like three choices for an entree, usually steak, pasta and fish. There will also be a few choices for sides and then it would include salad bar and chef's selection of desserts. If we go with a set menu, he will also order a bunch of starters for us."
"Whatever he wants." Doug said.
"That was the place we went to a few years ago after the fall finale." Lee said.
"Yes." Jack said. "That was where we went to celebrate my win the day after I won."
"That was good food." Lee said. "Glad we are going back."
"So it is going to be a long week." Jack said. "Be aware that the press is going to be out in full force now with everything going on. We will just need to be careful."
"I agree." Nathan said.
As they were sitting there, Jack's phone rang. He normally wouldn't have answered it at the table, but it was his grandfather's ringtone.
"Hey Grandpa." Jack said.
("You guys still at the Blue Mingo?" John asked.)
"Yes." Jack said. "We were just wrapping things up. I had invited Carson and his wife, Amber to come join us and they just left a little bit ago."
("Okay." John said. "Devin just called and said the press outside the farm is growing because of the statement that your parents put out.")
Jack made a growling noise.
("Marcus is sending a few officers to clear them or at least push them back." John said. "Please head home and be safe. I hate to say it, but you are going to have to change your honeymoon plans. Apparently Emily saw your notes and ran her mouth to your mother and the press. The security teams in Toronto say it is crazy and they don't feel it is safe.")
Jack growled again.
("I am sorry." John said. "There are a couple of options that Devin had suggested. He had suggested the plantation in Georgia. There is a decent size guest house that they rent out. You would have it all to yourself. It is secluded enough that Devin feels it would be safe, but you would be limited on leaving the plantation.")
"That is over by Chattahoochee and Lake Seminole." Jack said.
("Yes." John said. "The other option is one of my business associates that I met with down here has offered his cabin in Colorado near Fort Carson. Devin is a bit concerned about that one. Or you can research other options and let me know. Devin is just asking that you change the plans. He was going to call you later.")
"Yes, Sir." Jack said. "I will talk to Elizabeth and call you later. I had a question, but it can wait."
("What was your question?" John asked.)
"Three separate quarantine spots." Jack said.
("The two you bought." John said. "Or had Connor buy. A broodmare that I bought the embryo that she is carrying. They preferred I take the broodmare until the foal is weaned. I also have the option to buy her if we like her. And I bought three weanlings that are being shipped up from Maryland. They are between six and seven months and freshly weaned, so they were sold.")
"Okay." Jack said. "Information on the server?"
("Devin and Connor have the information." John said.)
"Understood." Jack said.
Jack hung up the phone and his end of the table was staring at him.
"What happened?" Father Mark asked.
Jack took a deep breath, then looked right at Father Mark.
"If your sister wasn't already in a world of legal trouble." Jack said. "I would make her life a living hell."
Father Mark sighed.
"Now what did she do?" He asked.
"She found my travel plans for the honeymoon that I had carefully planned." Jack said. "She has leaked those plans to the press. Now Grandpa John and Devin said I need to change my plans as they can't guarantee our safety in Canada as there are people already gathering and the press are all over Toronto. There is also growing press at the ranch again."
"So what are you going to do?" Lee asked.
"I don't know." Jack said. "Grandpa John suggested the plantation on the Florida/Georgia border, but I don't know. That was not what I had wanted or I would have planned that in the first place. There is not much to do there."
"So what do you want?" Frank asked.
"Somewhere where Elizabeth and I can be alone." Jack said. "Where we can go to eat if we want. Maybe some day trips or something. The biggest thing is going to be finding something available this time of the year on short notice. At least in Toronto and Montreal, I could use Grandpa John's name to get stuff. That is not going to work everywhere. But mostly I am looking for a place that can accommodate us and security."
"Would you consider a lake resort?" Frank said. "It might not be the biggest town, but it will offer what you are looking for all within an hour or so of the resort."
"Sure." Jack said. "What are you thinking?"
"One of the guys I was in the Army with is from Minnesota." Frank said. "After he left the Army, he took over running his family's lake resort in Northern Minnesota. I can give him a call and see if he has anything available. The town is much smaller than Saratoga, but it is nice."
"Let's head home and do some research." Jack said. "I would feel better if I had plans tonight so Devin and Grandpa John can get a team there."
"Sounds like a plan." Frank said.
"I was hoping that Elizabeth and I could ride back with Father Mark so we could talk. Jack said. "As I need to explain this all to her."
"That will be fine." Father Mark said.
Jack got up and paid the bill. The group then left. They drove in a caravan toward the ranch. Jack quickly explained to Elizabeth what happened. She was a bit upset about not going back to Canada. Though she seemed excited about going to Minnesota because she could wear the tiny bikini that Katie had gotten her before they left for Saratoga.
"Sorry about the trip to Toronto and Montreal." Jack said. "I promise that we will go back another time."
"Okay." Elizabeth said. "The important things are we get some alone time and that we are safe."
"You are right." Jack said. "I am just upset that what I had so carefully planned has to be scrapped right now."
"I know that you are upset." Father Mark said. "But we will all help you find something. Everything will work out. Have you considered the condo in Florida or even the house in Ocala?"
"Grandpa John is worried about the press down there." Jack said. "There is a huge FEI show in the Ocala area the week we would be down there and some of the horses are being housed at our facilities as it is less than half a mile from the event. With the condo, the question becomes where will security stay. Yes, it is a two bedroom condo, but seriously I don't want a team in the same shared space as us, especially since the condo is not all that big and we would be stuck there most of the time.."
"Okay." Father Mark said. "Valid concerns."