Legions (Georgia Smoke #7)

Sixteen

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“I’ll text pictures of hats!”

Capri

Watching Carmen ride Zephyr, the only jockey Shephard Stables used, was painful. The longing to be the one on the back of Thatcher’s thoroughbred was deep, and I knew it was pointless to beg. I’d tried. Thatcher couldn’t handle the idea. He’d struggled enough allowing me to ride Bloodline in the Breeders Cup. My safety was important to him because he couldn’t live without me. Those words were the only reason I stood back, watching this and saying nothing.

Although I knew I could get a better time on Zephyr than he was clocking. Sighing, I stepped back from the fence and waved goodbye to Miller before heading toward the stables. I still needed to take Pharaoh out before I left for the day. A shiny silver Mercedes came pulling up into the parking lot. I shaded my eyes to see who it was. I didn’t recognize that car, but it looked new. If there was another new jockey here to ride Zephyr, I might scream.

When my mother stepped out of the driver’s seat, I stopped walking altogether and stared. That was my mom, but she didn’t look like the woman I had known all my life. Her hair had been cut into a pixie style with choppy layers and a tousled top with an edgy vibe, complete with highlights. The black cat eye-shaped sunglasses she wore looked designer, as did the snug black pants and cropped white top that she had on. Was my mom showing off her stomach? I blinked and considered rubbing my eyes. That was my mother… right?

She lifted a hand and waved at me. The sun hit her nails and made a few glisten. Okay, wait, what was on her nails? She did not have those little rhinestone thingy’s on her nails. Oh my god. My feet began moving again as I walked toward the woman who had given birth to me, raised me, and looked like someone I didn’t know.

“Capri,” she called out my name in greeting, smiling as she did so. She was wearing lipstick. Red lipstick. I was in the twilight zone.

“Mom,” I said, unable to mask my shock.

She laughed, taking her glasses and putting them on top of her head. She looked years younger, with smoother skin, long lashes, and makeup. The small studs in her ears caught the light, and my eyes moved to them. Were those real diamonds? Then she spun around for me.

“What do you think?” she asked with a touch of excitement in her voice.

“I think,” I looked down at her nails and saw they not only did, in fact, have rhinestones but were pointy. “I think you… look great.” It wasn’t a lie. She was literally beaming.

“It’s not too much?” she asked, a moment of hesitation in her voice.

I shook my head. “No, Mom. It’s not.”

She let out a small laugh, and then her gaze softened as she held mine. “I can’t remember the last time I felt pretty. Attractive. A man whistled at me at the service station, and another opened the door for me and called me beautiful.”

My father had neglected her—or maybe they had neglected each other. At some point, they had fallen out of love and lost the reason they were together in the first place. But my mom had stayed faithful, and he had not. She deserved this.

“You are beautiful, Mom. Stunning.”

She grabbed my hands and squeezed them. “Oh, Capri. I know this has all been hard on you. I am so sorry for that.”

“You were the one who suffered most,” I pointed out. “You don’t have to apologize to me.”

She tilted her head to the side, her smile more sincere than I had ever seen. The way her eyes sparkled when she was truly happy was… well, breathtaking. How had I not realized this before? Seen it.

“All things work together for good,” she replied. I knew that was part of a scripture, but she didn’t finish it or turn it into a sermon. “I came to tell you goodbye. I’ve got all the things I wanted to keep packed up and headed south already. There is a storage building with the things I thought you might want to look through when you’re ready. Keep what you want and discard the rest. Thatcher has the key to it. He had it all moved there for me.”

Of course, he did. He had thought of everything. It had been a month since my father had signed the divorce papers, giving my mom all their assets. He had mailed me a letter every week, and I had yet to read them or respond. But I kept them for the time I was ready. That day may never come, but I thought it might in time. I wasn’t sure. Thatcher had asked me if I wanted him to stop sending them, and I said no. I knew I would never see another one if I told Thatcher I didn’t want them.

“The condo I bought in Naples is just fabulous. Please say you will come visit soon,” she told me.

I nodded. I’d seen a video tour of it. Thatcher had sent it to my phone. He’d helped Mom with the sale of the house and the purchase of her condo. Managing to get far more for the house than either of us expected.

“I will,” I replied.

She leaned forward and kissed my cheek. “This past month, I feel like I have gotten my life and my daughter back. I want us to have a real relationship. The kind adult daughters have with their moms.”

I nodded. “Me too.”

Her bright smile lit up her face again. “Well, I guess I better be on my way.” She glanced back at the car. “How do you like the new wheels?” she asked.

“Sure, beats the minivan,” I replied, making her laugh.

“Doesn’t it, though.”

She squeezed my hand one more time and then slid her sunglasses back onto her nose. “I’ll see you soon, yes?”

“Absolutely,” I told her.

“If not before then, Kentucky for sure,” she said.

“Kentucky?” I asked, confused.

“For the Derby,” she replied as if I should have understood.

“Oh, yeah.” I acted as if I knew she had been going, but I hadn’t. Thatcher hadn’t mentioned it to me.

“I’ll text pictures of hats!” she said with a wave. Then, with a sway to her hips, she strutted back to her car as if she had always walked with such confidence.

I stood there watching her leave. Waving back one more time before she turned the car and drove away.

Hands slid around my middle, and the scent of spice and cigarettes joined the hard body pressing up behind me. “Your mom heading to Florida, I take it,” Thatcher asked.

“Yeah,” I replied, then tilted my head back to look up at him. “She said she’d see me in Kentucky.”

The corner of his lips quirked. “Figured it was time your mom was more involved in your life.”

I wanted to say it would be even better if I was riding in the Derby, but he’d done so much for my mom that I didn’t have it in me to press him.

“Thank you for all that,” I said.

“All what, little doll?”

I waved a hand out toward where my mother had driven away. “Her, that, she looks fantastic, she’s so happy she’s bubbly. You made all that happen.”

His eyes dropped to my mouth. “Hmmm,” he replied. “Why don’t we go back to the house, and you can show me how thankful you are.”

I grinned, wanting nothing more than to do just that.