The Secret Recipe for Moving On Karen Bischer (read my book .txt) 📖

I shake my head, still laughing. I guess it’s only two dollars, but deep down, I’m touched he’d go with my horse.

“Don’t laugh, honey,” the betting lady says. “You can make him buy you something pretty if he wins!”

She thinks we’re together. In that way. This should make me embarrassed, but I’m having too good a day to let any inferences, right or wrong, get me down.

“Hmm,” I say, squinting at Luke, whose face is slightly red. “I think I’d like a new spatula! A bejeweled one!”

Luke grins. “Done,” he says, as the lady in the booth hands him a slip of paper with his bet printed on it. “You’re definitely worth a bejeweled spatula. Maybe a gold-plated pancake turner to go with it.”

We head back to our group cracking up and Luke doesn’t say anything about his pick. When Weather Or Not is loaded into the starting gate, he nudges me with his elbow and it’s hard to suppress a grin.

“Agresti’s feeling good about this race, I can tell,” Luke says, and I bite my lip to keep from laughing.

When the race starts, the horses are all clustered together and it’s hard to see who’s where, except Red Shirted, who’s leading them all by a few yards. But then, about halfway through, one horse starts challenging Red Shirted, and when the speed-talking announcer says it’s Weather Or Not, I suck in my breath. By the time they hit the homestretch, I can feel the vibration under my feet from the horses’ hooves as they thunder toward the finish line. It’s Red Shirted and Weather Or Not totally neck and neck with the rest of the pack falling farther behind with each stride.

The crowd is going nuts, and you hear all the people who bet on Red Shirted yelling, “Come on, four!” I’m literally clutching both sides of my head as the two horses draw near the finish line, their heads bobbing rhythmically and so, so close together.

And that’s when Red Shirted makes one last sprint and pushes past Weather Or Not, and crosses the finish line first. I exhale and it feels as if I’m deflating on the inside, which is so weird considering I’m not the one who had money on the horse.

“Wow, Weather Or Not came out of nowhere!” Isaiah says.

That’s when I finally look at Luke. His face is registering disappointment, but then his eyes meet mine and something strange happens—we almost immediately both start laughing. Hysterically.

“What’s so funny?” A.J. wants to know as we both double over.

“Oh, Agresti’s just not going to get a bejeweled spatula is all,” Luke gasps, which makes me laugh so hard I start crying.

Isaiah looks confused, but then A.J. announces he’s hungry and suddenly we’re moving as a group to the concession stands, Luke and I working through our residual giggles as we go.

“Ellie, is that you?” a woman’s voice calls.

We turn around as a group, where a tall dark-haired woman in a Glenwood Park polo shirt is standing behind us smiling.

I feel my eyes light up. “Mariana!” I turn to the guys. “She used to bartend at my dad’s old restaurant. She taught me all about football.”

“I wish she’d teach me about football,” A.J. says dreamily.

She runs over and gives me a hug. “I thought it might be you. How are your parents? Are they here today?”

“They’re good but they’re home. I’m here for a class project.” I glance at her shirt. “And you’re working here now?”

“I graduated two years ago and I’ve been doing some work with the horses here since then. And you’re here for a class project? Have high school classes really changed that much since I left?” She laughs.

I explain to her about the family activity and point to Isaiah. “He’s the reason we’re here today.”

Mariana gives Isaiah a big grin. “Are you interested in horses?”

“Interested? He’s like a horse genius,” A.J. says. “I’d trust him to bet my life savings for me. All fifty-three dollars of it!”

Isaiah looks at his feet, though I can see he’s pleased by the praise. “I do a lot of reading. I want to be a trainer someday.”

Mariana seems to be thinking something over. “Do you work with horses at all now?”

“No,” Isaiah says, shaking his head. “I’m only sixteen, plus my mom isn’t a big fan of horse racing, so I’m probably going to have to wait till I go to college.”

Mariana nods. “You know, I do some work over at the equine therapy center and they could use some help with feeding and grooming the horses. I know it’s not racehorses, but you can get some basic experience. They’re all very patient and sweet. I could even give you my card to give to your mom, if she wants to talk to me.”

“Oh my god, that would be amazing,” Isaiah says, and his huge smile makes my heart grow ten sizes. Luke catches my eye and grins.

Mariana fishes out a card from the backpack she’s carrying, then shakes Isaiah’s hand and grins. “I’ll see what I can do. We could use a smart kid like you around there.”

Isaiah just beams at her. I think, along with being super psyched to work with horses, he may be just a bit in love as well.

“I have to get down to the stable.” Mariana squeezes my arm. “It was so great to see you again, Ellie. Tell your parents I say hi.”

“Will do,” I say. “And go Steelers!”

A guy in New York Jets sweatpants turns around and scowls then, and Mariana laughs as she walks away.

A.J. punches the air victoriously. “Take that, Bryce and Anthony, Isaiah gets to work with a total babe and horses.

“She seems really nice,” Isaiah says, hearts practically taking the place of pupils in his eyes.

“So, Family Day turned out to be everything we dreamed it would be and more,” I say drily.

“Mrs. Sanchez is going to be so psyched,” Luke says. I notice his nose is a little pink from having been in