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“You’re thinking about me?” I wipe my hand off on my jeans. “You should be worried about yourself, old-timer. I’m a month younger than you.”
“Yeah, but I’m younger at heart.”
“But I have a cup win. You’ll be more relaxed about retiring if you feel you left it all on the ice.” Sometimes I think I want this more for Logan than he wants it for himself.
“Are you going to bust my balls again about living my life? Work hard, play hard.”
“You want a cup, you need to play hard, play hard. Especially at our age.”
“Can Tweedledee and Tweedledum let the professional through?” Jolie’s voice snaps our heads toward her.
She has her hands on her hips. Those hips… she’s taken her coat off, and the polo shirt from CCs is on full display again, stretched to the max with a Starlight Vets logo beaming right at me from where a nipple would be. One button is undone, but it looks as though it could have fallen open under force of pressure. Damn, the girl can fill out a polo now.
Logan teases, “Okay,Dr.Hunter. We’ll just step aside like we didn’t teach you everything you know about horses.”
She rolls her eyes. “Yeah. I didn’t learn anything in eight years of college. But you know what? I’m not even being paid for this vetting.”
She leans against the wall of the arena, crossing her arms just under her breasts, and I swear they push up, cleavage growing along with the gesture.
“Go ahead then, boys. Just let me know if you see any signs of corneal ulcers, heart murmurs, sarcoids…”
She rests her head on the back wall and closes her eyes. “I’ll just be here when you’re done.”
“Show-off.” Logan sweeps a foot under hers and knocks her off balance.
She catches herself just shy of hitting the ground and lets off the same wild laugh she had when we were kids. Whenshewas a kid. Except now it’s coming out of a set of full lips. Jolie Hunter grew into her body, but she didn’t grow out of her sense of humor. The corner of my mouth lifts upward.
Joey takes a pair of gloves out of her pocket and slips them on, then pries open one of Fred’s eyes. “So what were you two talking about over here? You guys were all serious.”
Logan and I glance at each other. We know the minute either one of us mentions retirement, a family member won’t let the topic go for weeks after. Every professional athlete knows this woe. No sister, wife, mother, or father wants the one they love to be hurt for life. They always think about it money-wise. And Logan and I are set with our finances. True, I just lost a huge amount of my money but I still have enough left for anything I care about. People don’t understand the fear of retirement is what to do withyourself when your identity disappears. Money isn’t the problem.
“Nothing,” I say.
“Training,” Logan lies.
“Hmm. Seems to me you were discussing something you don’t want me hearing.” Satisfied with Fred’s right eye, she examines the left. “So, that has to be women.”
I scoff. “Not sure you’ll hear me talking about women anytime soon.”
Joey releases Fred’s eye and glances at me. “That bad?”
I nod. “That bad.”
She works her way down Fred’s body, checking his legs and hooves, his ligaments and every inch of his body. She’s serious. Professional. Thorough. I’ve never seen her in this light. All… capable. Her nimble fingers glide along Fred’s spine. She listens through her stethoscope, staring into the air in front of her, concerned with the inside of the horse’s belly.
And then I have the strangest feeling watching my childhood friend go about her work. A sense of home races through me from the most unlikely sight. Jolie lifts Fred’s tail to have a look at his behind. Like she just stares right at his ass as if it’s the most normal thing in the world. The women I’ve been around for the past ten years—namely my ex-wife—wouldn’t dream of staring at a horse’s asshole.
And I know I’ve been too far from home for far too long when my chest loosens up remembering there are down-to-earth women out there. People. My people. People who don’t think horse manure stinks.
Satisfied with his backside, Jolie lets his tail down. “Are you guys in for Sly’s tonight? To celebrate?”
“What are we celebrating?” I ask.
“Molly. Dash’s new manager at the stables. We’vebecome really friendly since she got here in May, and she just got the new position. I mean, any woman who gets past the beast and into the lair deserves a toast.”
“She’s cute, too.” Logan slaps my arm with the back of his hand.
Jolie’s eyes drop momentarily but meet mine again quickly, and in them is that same old mischievous shimmer they had when she was eighteen.
