Free Edgewater by Courtney Sheinmel

It’s tough to be a horse and always be at the mercy of humans when you want your food. “Hey there. I got you, I got you,” I told him. I unlatched the stall door and carried the grain in, unhooked the old feed bucket, and replaced it with the fresh one. Kismet hardly waited for me to move my hand before he nosedived in. I dropped the old bucket, and it clanged onto the floor. Jeremy ran over to investigate and was clearly startled to see me.
    â€œSorry,” I mouthed sheepishly. I had the bucket back in hand, and I slipped out of Kismet’s stall and redid the latch.
    â€œListen, I have to go,” Jeremy said into the phone. “Yeah, you, too. See you later.”
    â€œHey,” I said, once he’d clicked off. “I was just trying to help. I didn’t mean to interrupt your call.”
    â€œNo worries.” He reached toward me with a hug hello. “Oh, no, I’m too sweaty,” I told him. “I ran all the way here.”
    â€œSorry.” He backed up awkwardly and propped an elbow up against the window of the stall across from Kismet’s. “I heard you’d be away all summer.”
    â€œI had some family stuff to get back for,” I said.
    â€œI hope everything’s all right.”
    I hesitated for the smallest moment. I was certain Jeremy didn’t notice. “Oh, yeah,” I said. “Of course. Everything’s great. My aunt just wanted some quality time.”
    â€œI get it,” Jeremy said. He tugged at the goatee on his chin. Facial hair was not really my thing, but there was something about Jeremy’s that I found fascinating, because it always looked like he’d just started to grow it. Did he trim it that way, or was that the most he could get? We did not have a close enough relationship for me to probe these things. “Where’s Orion?”
    â€œOn his way. His return is just a bit delayed because my friend Beth-Ann had a competition and she needed a good jumper.”
    As if Beth-Ann and I were friends. As if I’d make the mistake of lending her Orion again.
    Behind us another horse whinnied a lunch demand.
    â€œOrion will be back soon,” I said. I needed to say it out loud to make myself believe it. “So I need to talk to someone about his board. Is Naomi around?”
    â€œLater today,” he said. “But I can ask for you and call you back.”
    â€œThanks,” I said. Except I didn’t have a working phone. “Or I’ll call you.”
    â€œEither way.”
    â€œThanks,” I said again. “And, uh, maybe you can ask Naomi if she needs more help around here. You know, as long as I’m back.” And as long as I was destitute. Working at Oceanfront, I’d have money on hand to bring Orion home, without having to rely on Gigi and the missing trust fund, and be able to board him at a discount. But I certainly wasn’t going to tell Jeremy all that and blow my cover. “I can’t spend every single waking hour with my family, and I’d like to feel useful.”
    â€œShe mentioned we needed someone,” he said. “I’ll let her know you’re looking. And I’ll tell her how you helped out today with Kismet.”
    â€œOh, that was nothing,” I said. I twisted my hands together. They were even sweatier than the rest of me.
    â€œSo, uh, I heard the Copelands are hosting some blowout party tonight.”
    My heart skipped a beat at the mention of the Copeland name. “Yeah, I heard that.” I hoped my voice sounded cool, as if a Copeland party was completely unremarkable to me.
    â€œPeople around here have been trying to get invites, but it’s some political thing. Really exclusive. Apparently Gucci is doing the fireworks.”
    He meant Grucci. It was a fireworks company that did the pyrotechnics for the Olympics and presidential inaugurations. Hannah Mayberry, who went to Hillyer with Lennox and me, had