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“Keep it between us, of course.”
“I was only kidding. You know I wouldn’t repeat something like that to the wrong people.”
“But if it’s true, I may end up going to Singapore a lot more.”
“I thought Ashton was handling the Singapore division.” We stop in front of Dash’s stall.
“He is. But there will be a lot more to do over there, and there’s a lot of schmoozing we’ll need to do.”
“Didn’t your parents just buy a resort in Singapore?” Ronnie pets Dash’s black mane.
“Well, it’s off the coast. An entire island that they’re developing into a resort. That’s where Kaison proposed to Ariana.”
Ronnie lifts his brows. “Wow. Impressive move on his part.”
“I know. It’ll be hard to outdo that.”
“Speaking of…” Ronnie’s not smiling anymore. “I heard you’re planning to take Jenni out on a date.”
“Yeah, so what?” I cross my arms and keep strong. I can’t let Ronnie know how nervous I am about him hearing about this.
“I don’t really like the idea. You’re my best friend. You know I love you. But that doesn’t mean I want you hitting on my sister either. Not after the way you betrayed me.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Amanda.” Ronnie has his arms crossed now too, matching my stance. “You knew I was into her, and you swooped in and took her anyway.”
“If you’re so into Amanda, she’s all yours.” I have no interest in ever getting her back.
“The point is, if you can’t be loyal to me, what makes me think you won’t treat my sister the same?”
“It’s just a date. Relax. I have no intention of hurting Jenni. She asked me to go on a date with her as friends to get your parents off her back. Your mom’s threatened to match her up with a guy in India she’s never met.”
“So it’s a fake date?” He gets quiet for a moment. “I don’t think I like that any better. What if her feelings get involved, and then you just ghost her?”
“She’s the one begging me to take her out. She barely tolerates me. The last thing that’s going to happen is something romantic between Jenni and me.”
He scowls at me. “Somehow, that doesn’t make me feel better.”
“Well, I can’t make both of you happy,” I say in frustration.
“I don’t see why she can’t try dating someone in India,” Ronnie says.
“Are you serious? That’s a horrible idea. Are you saying that because she’ll end up with a guy your parents have handpicked?”
“It’s not a bad idea.”
Jake, my stable manager, has Dash all saddled up for me. He used to be a racehorse a few years back, but he’s retired now. We had to spend quite a bit of effort to get him trained to become a trail horse, since racehorses are so unruly for the average person to ride. His official racing name was “Dash from the Box.” The names we register our horses as can’t be used by anyone else, so many of the registered names are long and strange and end up with barn names we use at home. Usually, it’s something totally different, but with Dash, we just shortened it.
Valentine’s registered name is “Love comes Quickly” and Thunder’s is “Ahead of the Storm.”
“Do you want to ride too?” I ask Ronnie. He’s wearing jeans and a t-shirt and boots.
“Sure.”
Without having to be asked, Jake grabs a saddle and proceeds to put it on Dragon, Ronnie’s favorite horse.
“Are you ready for the race tomorrow?” Ronnie asks.