The a Circuit by Georgina Bloomberg Read Free Book Online Page B

suppose,” her father said.
    Tommi wasn’t sure how to feel about the news. This would be her older sister’s first trip back to New York since graduating from Yale in May and moving to DC to take a job on Capitol Hill. It would be nice to see her, of course.
    On the other hand, she hadn’t really been gone that long. Definitely not long enough for Tommi to get used to the way everyone in her parents’ social circle had started talking about how Callie would probably be the first female president someday. Tommi didn’t doubt that at all, of course—what Callie wanted, Callie went out and got. But it always made her feel a little uncomfortable when people would finish the thought by glancing at her , as if wondering how little sister could possibly measure up.
    Realizing her father was staring at her, waiting for a response, Tommi pasted on a smile. “That’s cool. When’s she coming? I’ve got a show next weekend, so I hope I get to see her.”
    “Another show?” Her father’s smile faded. “How about you give this one a pass? It’s not every day your sister comes home.”
    “I can’t skip the show.” Tommi felt her temper bubbling up, as it always did when her father refused to understand how important showing was to her. “Jamie’s counting on me, and everything’s already set.”
    Her father was frowning now. “Well, I expect you to be here for Callie’s welcome-home dinner on Friday night. Your stepmother and Mrs. Grigoryan have a nice meal planned.”
    Tommi opened her mouth to protest—she wasn’t afraid to say no to her father, even if half of Wall Street was—but then realized she didn’t have any classes scheduled until Saturday anyway. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll be here Friday for dinner. But I’m showing the rest of the weekend.”
    Tommi was still stewing over her father’s news when she arrived at the barn later that morning. She stopped by Toccata’s stall to feed him a peppermint, then spotted Kate grooming a horse in the cross-ties nearby. Chaucer was dozing near the horse’s front end, while one of the other farm dogs, a young Lab mix named Hugo, sniffed around hopefully for interesting things to eat.
    “Hey,” Kate greeted Tommi as Hugo bounded over to say hi. “How was your day off?”
    Like many top stables, Pelham Lane was closed to clients on Mondays. It was Jamie’s day off, and a day for the staff to relax a bit and take care of things they didn’t have time to do the rest of the week—fixing or painting fences, doing maintenance work on the trailers and other vehicles, catching up on barn laundry. The farrier had a standing appointment, and if any horses needed shots or teeth floating or any other routine work, Monday was the day the vet came out as well.
    Tommi knew that Jamie didn’t really mind if the more serious juniors wanted to come ride on Mondays, as long as they didn’t mind grooming and tacking up for themselves. And occasionally Tommi would take advantage of the quiet to come and school before a big show. But most of the time she tried to respect the rules and stay away.
    “Boring,” she told Kate, rubbing Hugo’s floppy ears. “Did some shopping in the morning, then drove up to a friend’s place in Greenwich for a swim. Need some help?”
    “Wouldn’t mind.” Kate tossed her a brush, and the two of them set to work on the horse’s already gleaming coat. “Ms. Hamilton is supposed to have a lesson at ten, and I’m running late getting Reno ready for her.”
    Tommi nodded. “So here’s some news,” she said as she flicked dust off the horse’s hindquarters. “My dad just told me Callie’s coming home this weekend.”
    Kate glanced at her over the horse’s back. “She tired of DC already?”
    “Doubtful,” Tommi said with a snort. “Probably just wants a fresh audience for her stories about how important her job is and how much everyone loves her.”
    Kate laughed. “You’re bad!”
    “I know.” Tommi sighed, switching