Page 96 of Touch the Sky

Jacinthe makes a show out of groaning and rolling her eyes, but I can’t help smiling along with them. For two people who apparently went through a hell of a lot to end up together, they sure seem to be living the queer dream now.

“So, what about you two?” Brooke asks, snapping me out of my daze.

Jacinthe and I share a covert look of our own, but it’s filled with silent panic instead of blissful adoration.

“We’re, um, picking up my daughter,” I say on a whim. “She’s at an after-school thing in Saint-Jovite, but we ended up with some time to kill, and Jacinthe had been telling me about this legendary Tremblay cider, so we decided to stop by since it’s on the way.”

We really are going to pick up Shel after this. I latch onto the half-truth and hope it’s enough to sound convincing.

I catch Natalie squinting at Jacinthe, but she doesn’t say anything about it.

“I still need to meet your daughter properly,” Brooke says to me. “I only saw her way back at Balsam Inn’s grand opening.”

“Oh, for sure,” I answer. “I think I’ve heard you have a corgi? As long as you bring a pet along, Shel will adore you. She’s a huge animal lover.”

Brooke keeps the conversation going with some chatter about the senior corgi she adopted a few years ago and how wellshe gets along with the giant bloodhound Natalie’s family owns. She even shows me some photos on her phone to prove it.

I smile and coo over the photos, but I barely register what she’s saying. Most of my brain is busy whirring through a million ways this surprise meeting could have gone worse.

Jacinthe and I could have been sitting too close, or staring too hard, or even just leaning over the table towards each other at a suspiciously intimate angle.

We could have blown our cover before we’ve even decided what it is we’re covering up.

“What did you get up to today, Tess?”

I blink and straighten up at the sound of my name, vaguely aware that the conversation has now shifted to discussing all our days.

“Oh, I, uh, had a few farms to drive out to,” I answer. “Just some basic trims and shoeing. Nothing too exciting.”

Brooke and Natalie admit they both have no idea what being a farrier is like, and I end up answering a long string of questions about what my work while they listen with rapt attention.

“You must know every horse in the area by now,” Natalie says. “That’s so cool.”

“Probably most of them at this point,” I agree. “Actually, the owners of the second farm I was at today are looking to move. It’s kind of a sad story. They just can’t afford to run their own farm anymore. They don’t want to give up the horses, but there’s a real shortage of boarding stables around here. They might have to sell.”

“Oh no!” Brooke says, placing a hand on her chest. “That’s terrible. I can’t imagine having to give a pet up.”

Natalie waves her pint in Jacinthe’s direction. “You should take them in at La Grange Rouge.”

I chuckle. “I said the same thing about the last people I met looking for a boarding stable. I’ve met a few people looking forthat, actually. There really is a shortage. You could fill the barn in a matter of days.”

I direct the last sentence at Jacinthe. She gives me a doubtful purse of her lips.

“Yeah, like I have time to start another business.”

Natalie taps the side of her glass and squints into the distance.

“Would it really be that much more work?” she asks after pondering for a moment. “I mean, I know running La Grange Rouge isn’t easy, but wouldn’t you just be adding a few more horses into the routine you already have going?”

Jacinthe scoffs. “Why don’t you get up at five to do the morning feed sometime and tell me how much more work it is?”

Natalie holds her hands up in surrender. “Okay, you’re right. I don’t know much about it. You can charge good money for that, though, right? Boarding horses? Maybe it would balance out.”

Jacinthe shakes her head, her voice taking on a slight edge.

“We’re doing fine. I’ve got all I can handle, anyway. I couldn’t open a boarding stable on my own, not with the inn too.”

Natalie is back to tapping on her glass.