Page 101 of My UnTrue Love
“You can open your eyes now. He won.”
“He won?” Mamie’s eyes popped open, as the loudspeaker announced the final results.
Eastside-Westside, Do-Dah-Day, and Went-Down-South. Win, show, place.
“He won!” Mamie began jumping up and down. “Yee-haw!” She gave Clementine a hug, while still jumping. It was a little awkward. “Now, we’re on our way. Quick, who’s going to win the next race?”
“Thenextrace? Didn’t you win enough with this one?”
“Abucketfilled with gold.” Mamie repeated pointedly. “Of course, I don’t have enough! We need to keep going.” She pointed towards the next group of racers, who were already assembling for the light fantastic. “How about Ring’o Rosie? She seems like a winner.”
Clementine adjusted her glasses, looking over Rosie. “No, she’s distracted. Bet on the bay.” She nodded towards thereddish-brown horse, calmly gazing out at the track. “That one’s confident. Prepared. He’s got this.”
“Hey!” Mamie waved down the boy who’d taken her last wager. “We’re letting it all ride on Falling Bridge. My genius friend is a muse and she says he’s got this.”
Mamie’s enthusiastic praise drew the attention of some of the other gamblers. Bill was right about the group. They were superstitious. For whatever reason, Clementine’s prediction seemed to galvanize several of them to also bet on Falling Bridge.
And after he won, even more people rushed to surround Clem, eager for her next pick. Mamie was gleeful with all the money rolling in. Not sure what else to do, Clementine pointed towards a big ebony horse named Pocket-Full-of-Tin for the third race. This time everyone standing along the apron bet on her recommendation.
This wasn’t good.
She wanted to help Mamie. Being blackmailed must be awful. And Clem wasn’t really cheating. She hadn’t fixed the races with her magic, just guessed the winners. Somehow she suspected the racetrack wouldn’t agree with that hair-splitting, though.
“Mamie…”She began.
Mamie sent her an agonized look, knowing Clem was about to call a halt to the gambling. “Just one more race and I’ll have enough to pay that dickhead Trevelyan.Please.”
“Bill specifically asked me to keep a low profile.”
“Thisisa low profile!”
Clementine gestured to all the people around them. “Maybe compared to your dad’s famous life, but for me…”
Mamie cut her off. “You can’t just stop, when we’re so close.” Her face was pleading. “I’ll pay you back for helping me. I promise. I know it’s a lot to ask. Just pick the winner one last time. I’m begging you.”
Clementine sighed. Mamie was in real trouble. If Bill was there, he’d surely lend her a hand. He’d want Clem to help, too. He was such a generous man that it sometimes made Clem feel guilty. She’d wanted Bill, so she’d chased him until she caught him. Meanwhile, he was always thinking about others. In fact, he was mostly thinking abouther.
“This is the very last time, Mamie.” She stressed, looking towards the light fantastic. “I’m trying to convince Bill that I’ll be a marvelous wife, so I’d rather not argue the semantics of crowd size on our wedding day.” It only took her a second to read the horses. “Sit-By-My-Side will win.”
His saddle was emblazoned with his name and there were fancy ribbons in his mane. She could see the pride he took in being the top horse on the track. He wouldn’t let anyone challenge his supremacy.
Mamie placed the bet, which was a mindboggling amount of money by that point. Then she stood beside Clementine, her ragged fingernails clenched tight around Clem’s arm. Hanging on for dear life. “Oh Christ, let this work.”
From the start, the race was closer than the last few had been. Sit-By-My-Side let the other horses almost catch him before dashing out ahead, again. Show off. Mamie was pale and trembling by the final stretch. All around them, the othergamblers were holding their breath, their eyes glued to the enormous thoroughbreds.
It was silly of them to worry. The winner was so obvious.
“Sit-By-My-Side takes it!” The announcer crowed over the loudspeaker. “Followed by Cloudy-All-Day and My-True-Love-For-to-See!”
For some reason, the name of the third-place horse sent a pang through Clementine’s heart. She’d never given much thought to True Love. Her parents hadn’t needed it. She didn’t either. She’d told Hank the whole idea was overrated.
But she suddenly wondered what it would be like to have Bill for her True Love. To know he didn’t just want her because she’d enticed him or to help his career, but because their souls were bound together through destiny.
Mamie didn’t care about the horses’ names or Clementine’s one-sided infatuation with her husband. She was too busy celebrating. “We did it!” She shrieked and threw her arms up in victory. “We really did it!”
The rest of the apron was euphoric, as well. Just about everyone had bet on Sit-By-My-Side. People were chortling and slapping each other’s backs. Some were ordering rounds of drinks from the hovering waiters. A few now-wealthy souls tossed their betting slips up in the air, creating ticker-tape parades of exuberant excess while they danced around.
It was nice that Clem had made them all so excited. But now she was convinced things were edging into downrighthighprofile. It would probably be a very smart idea if she got out of there. She edged back a step.
