Hot Potato (Shelby and Blue) - Alyssa Brugman [26]
Shelby closed her eyes.
Mrs Edel walked to the doorway. 'Erin,' she said again.
Erin turned around slowly, a guilty grin on her face. She pointed to the mobile and mouthed, I'm on the phone.
'Erin, put the phone down.'
Erin closed her phone with a snap and tucked it in her pocket.
'OK, girls,' said Mrs Edel. 'What's going on here?'
18 Saved and Indebted
'I remember now,' Lindsey blurted. 'I entered that Gwen woman's details in the day after I came back from hospital. I was still pretty groggy. I must have put in Erin's mobile by mistake.'
Good save, thought Shelby.
Mrs Edel narrowed her eyes. 'I double-checked all your entries. I don't remember this.'
'I made so many mistakes, remember? You almost gave up on me.' Lindsey pulled a silly face.
Lindsey's mother turned her attention to Erin. 'What was that business on the phone all about?'
'A joke?' she offered meekly.
'Excuse me, Mrs Edel,' Hayley interrupted. 'I'm here to give you a cheque, and Mum was wondering if the annual barbecue was still this weekend. You haven't put it on the noticeboard.'
Mrs Edel glared at the girls as she flipped open her receipt book. 'I haven't got to the bottom of this yet, but I will!'
She took the cheque from Hayley and scribbled out a receipt. 'The annual barbecue. I haven't even thought about it! Too busy.'
Every year, just before it became too cold, Mrs Edel held a barbecue at the stables. There was also a Christmas party at the end of the year, but the barbecue was more like an annual general meeting for all the people who kept horses at the stables. It was an opportunity for the agisters to mingle, but also to put forward ideas and vote on future plans for the stables – what types of new equipment, upgrades or construction they would like to see.
'OK, let's look in the diary here,' Mrs Edel mumbled to herself as she flicked through the pages and ran her fingers down the rows of dates.
Hayley smiled slyly. Shelby couldn't tell if Hayley's mum had really asked about the barbecue, or whether Hayley had made it up to distract Mrs Edel and save the girls from getting in trouble.
'You're absolutely right. Goodness! We'd better get organised, girls!' She looked up at Lindsey, her crankiness forgotten. 'Go and put this on the noticeboard will you, my love? I'll do a broadcast email.'
Mrs Edel sat, scooted her chair under the desk, and placed her hands on the keyboard, dictating as she typed. 'Annual barbecue this Sunday in the jumping arena. All welcome. Bring a plate.'
Lindsey nodded.
'Oh, and no dogs,' she added.
All the girls left the office together. The afternoon sun shone fiercely and Shelby shaded her eyes with her hand. At the bottom of the stairs she thanked Hayley.
'No problem,' she said. 'So what's the story?'
'Umm,' Erin began.
'It's kind of an in-joke,' Lindsey interrupted.
'Yeah?' Hayley's eyes twinkled with anticipation.
'Yeah. Anyway, we've got to get to work now. See ya!' Lindsey dragged Erin away.
Shelby hung back for a moment. 'It would be really great if you didn't mention this to anyone just for now.'
'Why? What is it? You have to tell me now. I saved you guys, remember? You owe me!'
Shelby looked over to where Erin and Lindsey were waiting. They had to get to Clint before Lindsey's mother did. 'I can't now, but I will another day, OK? I promise. Especially don't tell your mum.'
Hayley nodded slowly, but Shelby could tell she was disappointed. Disappointed and annoyed.
The girls found Clint in the yard at the end of the row. Ajax was loosely tied to a strand of baling twine looped over the fence. The big horse had his ears back and his eyes half closed. Shelby noticed the way Clint behaved with him – always keeping a hand firmly on his shoulder or rump, talking to him in a low voice and watching closely for any change in expression. Clint didn't trust him either.
Clint was wearing his leather apron. He selected a knife from his tub of tools and, tucking Ajax's fetlock between his knees, whittled at the underside of his hoof.
It occurred to Shelby for the first