After Sky was back in her stall, I took another shower—by the time seven o’clock rolled around I was going to be the cleanest rider in Wellington, Florida—and drove over to my favorite beach in Manalapan, just south of Palm Beach. I didn’t often go to the beach, even though in light traffic the drive took only a half hour. The ocean was there when I needed it.
I needed it today. Spread out a blanket and walked for about an hour. Came back and sat and stared at the water and then walked across the street to my favorite ice cream place on the planet, the Ice Cream Club, bought a pint of coffee and a pint of chocolate, then drove back to Atwood Farm.
By six o’clock Daniel and I were ready to walk the course. Tyler Cullen and his trainer were right behind us. He tried to ignore me. Wasn’t happening this time.
“Didn’t know that you and Steve Gorton were boys, Tyler,” I said, trying to sound casual.
“I like being around money,” Tyler said. “You should know that by now.”
“Your horse isn’t enough for you?” I said. “Now you’re trying to poach mine?”
Tyler shrugged. “Can’t have enough money,” he said. “And can’t have enough prize horses.”
He winked at me.
“Long as you can hold on to them, of course,” he said.
I smiled now.
“I better get movin’， Tyler,” I said. “If I stand here like this much longer, people might start to think I’m the bitch.”
As Daniel and I took off, Daniel leaned down and said, “Never heard that one before.”
“Been saving it for the right occasion,” I said.
Forty horses tonight. One of the richest purses of the year. Probably the biggest crowd of the season. Atwood Farm needed that first-prize money as much as I wanted to win it. But the stakes were way bigger: Ride my horse well enough to keep it.
Once we got away from Tyler, Daniel did all the talking. He had taken a series of pictures of the course on his phone, as if he were walking it inside his head before I even arrived.
Then we were pacing it off for real. He showed me the four different places where I could pick up speed. Then we were analyzing the jump-off course—Daniel kept saying when I made the jump-off, not if I made it—and showed me the spots where he said I would have no choice but to take chances if I wanted to win tonight.
“In it to win it,” I said.
“Yes, Maverick,” he said.
“You know what they say about second place?” I said. “Just means you’re the first loser.”
I looked around and saw the stands beginning to fill up. There was always a band and a singer on Saturday nights. I could hear the singer now, a woman, ease into her first song, a really bad version of Taylor Swift’s “You Need to Calm Down.”
Yeah, right, I thought.
I was going twentieth in the order tonight. Matthew was set to go right after me. Tess was going after him. Tyler was last.
Not at the kids’ table anymore.
We stood off to the side now as the other riders and trainers finished their walks. There were even spectators out there. WEF enhanced the fan experience by allowing them to walk the course if they wanted to. It’s why the International looked like a sea of people, men and women, grown-ups and kids. It meant the ring looked exactly like the sport.
“You ride the whole course tonight the way you finished on Thursday,” Daniel said.
“Yeah, but Gorton was right about one thing,” I said. “Just good enough won’t be enough tonight.”
I checked my phone. Six thirty. Just a little more waiting. I couldn’t tell the difference between good nerves and bad nerves right now. I was all nerves. I tried to lean back casually against the sidewall, fighting a wave of dizziness thinking about what was going to play out over the next couple of hours. What was on the line.
Get a grip.
If you’re like this now, are you going to be in control when you’re up on your horse?
Daniel headed down to the barn so that he could walk back here with Emilio and Coronado when it was time.
I took one more look around the course and then headed to retrieve my backpack from the schooling ring. I was passing beneath the stands when I heard a familiar voice calling my name.
When I looked up, I saw him hanging over the railing, getting ready to take a picture of me on his phone.
“Smile,” he said.
“Hey, Dad,” I said.
FORTY
I BOLTED UP the steps to where he was standing and hugged him. Right after I jumped into his arms and nearly knocked him over.