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“Why move to Ocala?”
“It was a stopping point on our way north.”
“North? Where were you before? Where are you headed to next?” He asked both questions before taking a drink of his amber-colored whiskey.
“We have been in Miami for the past year. As for where to next, I have no idea. We rarely ever know.”
He looked confused. “I’m gonna need the story behind that.”
I sighed, thinking of my mother. “Mom likes to move. She never can stay settled long. She doesn’t have a plan—never has. We just move.”
“Is that why she named you Gypsi?” he asked me.
I nodded, pleased he’d picked up on that. “Her two favorite things in the world should have the same name—at least, she said that was her reasoning when she was seventeen.”
He frowned. “She had you at seventeen?”
“Yep,” I replied, taking a sip.
“Explains why she looks so young.”
I laughed.
“You two look cozy,” Trev said, stepping up beside me with the redhead clinging to his arm.
I smiled at the girl, then took another drink, turning my attention to the track again.
“We’ll be discussing our wedding plans by derby time,” Saxon drawled.
I bit my bottom lip, not wanting to laugh, then looked up at him. He was pleased with my response. His dimples told me so. I had to stop that. Rein it in.
Trev didn’t respond.
“Hello, Sax,” the redhead greeted him.
“Eliza,” he replied. “Felix looked great out there today.”
She giggled. “Is that one of our horses?”
Saxon looked down at me and raised his eyebrow slightly, then back at her. “Yeah, he is.”
“I don’t keep up with that stuff. You know that. I’m just here for all the fun stuff.”
Saxon nodded, then leaned down to me. “They’ll start from there. Rig is the third one in.”
“I think I am asking this correctly … what are his odds?” I was trying to remember the race talk I’d heard from Garrett the past two days in conversation with others we had met.
“If you’re betting, yeah,” he replied. “You want some Horse Race Betting 101 now?”
I thought about that, then shrugged. “I’m not much of a gambler,” I explained. “After I work for my money, I’m not keen on losing it.”
Saxon smirked. “What if it’s not your money?”
I tilted my head and studied him for a moment. “Are you offering to give me money to bet?”
He nodded his head slowly while watching me. That was tempting, but it would give him the wrong idea.
“If she wants to bet, I’ll place her bet.” Trev’s voice was hard. Something I’d not heard before.
I turned to look at him, and he was glaring at Saxon. What was that about?
“Hey, I’m just teaching her the ropes. You’ve got your hands full,” Saxon replied.
Trev’s jaw flexed, and then his gaze dropped down to mine. “You want to bet?” he asked in a harsh tone that made me flinch.
I shook my head. Even if it wasn’t my money, I had a hard time seeing people toss money away. I’d worked too hard for it from the time I was old enough to get a job.
His nostrils flared, and then I watched as he visibly relaxed somewhat.
“Hell, Trev, you growl at her, and she’s not gonna want to do anything.” Saxon sounded like he was scolding him.
“I didn’t growl.” Trev’s voice still held a sharp bite to it.
“I want a drink,” Eliza said. “Can I have the Mint Julip Gold Cup?”
“Isn’t that thirty-five hundred dollars?” Saxon asked, sounding annoyed.
Eliza lifted her shoulder. “They have sapphires on them this year. I know they are sold out and there was only fifty made but I also know Trev is a Hughes.”
“Let me see what I can do,” Trev replied.
Saxon looked at me. “Does that mint julep taste okay in the regular cup?” He was smirking.
I nodded, but didn’t look back at Trev or Eliza.
“Sorry about him. Trev isn’t normally so tense,” Saxon whispered.
I managed to smile as I looked up at him. “No worries.”
His gaze dropped to my drink. “If you want a Gold Cup though, he can get you one. Hughes have power here that most don’t. Garrett probably bought most of the damn things anyway.”
I didn’t know much about cocktails or mint juleps, but I thought it was rather nice. I didn’t know what a Gold Cup meant, but I did know there was no way I would drink something that cost that much.
“This one is delicious.”
He flicked his eyes back over my shoulder, then back to me. “It’s a very expensive collector’s item that Woodford Reserve sells every year.”
My eyes widened. “I prefer this free one.”
He chuckled.
The next race was announced, and Saxon leaned into me with excitement dancing in his expression. “Almost time.”
I asked him more questions about Rig and Moses Mile. He answered them with enthusiasm, and it was clear he loved horses and racing. I enjoyed listening to the passion in his voice about it all.
