“Umm, yeah. Not a great choice. Let me show you how to read the stats. This column shows his past races, and he hasn’t won a race since April. Looked promising, but something must have happened and he’s been dropping ever since. These are the speed numbers. None of the handicappers picked him even to show.”
“I don’t care. What type of bet do I do?”
“I would highly suggest a few bucks on show. You can do win, place, or show. Win is first, place is first or second, and show means he can come in first, second, or third. Odds are twenty to one, so it’s a long shot. The morning line favorite is going off at three to one.”
He spread open the page and showed her the numbers. “See, number one is the favorite because he won his last three races. This is the one to beat. Want to throw a few bucks on him so you get the feel of the win?”
A dark cloud settled over her. Winning was always so important to David. Be the best. Be graceful with the ones you defeat, but make sure you come out ahead. She was so sick and tired of trying to be that person, just like poor Disappointed Dreamer probably was trying to keep up with the stupid number one horse. Maybe his trainer wouldn’t let him run his own race. Maybe he wouldn’t be first all the time, but at least he’d keep his head high because he tried his best. Well, forget number one and his victories. She was done with betting on favorites.
Gen practically spit out the words. “Screw number one. I want the four horse. Give me money.”
Wolfe cocked his head and studied her. His lips tugged in a grin, but he just nodded and reached into his pocket to slide a twenty at her. “Here you go.” She scooped up the bill and kept her hand out. “What?”
“I want more.”
“More? Sweetheart, twenty bucks on a long shot is plenty—you’re just gonna lose it. I’ll give you more later.” He reached over for the lemonade and took a sip.
She shook her head hard. “I want to bet one hundred dollars on him to win.”
Wolfe choked. Gen waited patiently. “Are you nuts?”
“Are you a multimillionaire, Wolfe?” He lapsed into silence. “Just what I thought. I’ll give you your ten percent bookie fee, but right now I want a hundred. Oh, and an extra twenty for snacks.”
He reached back into his wallet, peeled off the bills, and handed them over to her. Damn, he was grumpy when he didn’t get his way. “Thanks. I’ll be back.”
“I need to show you how to place a bet!”
“I see a line up over there. You finish tracking your statistics, I’ll figure it out. See ya.”
She walked away, feeling an odd buzz in her veins. Like she had an instinct something big was going to happen. Gen waited her turn and eavesdropped on a bunch of different conversations, finally narrowing in on a group of three guys arguing over the race.
“The only reason you’re betting the four is because you got dumped, man. Don’t let her take your money, too.”
“Yeah, there’s plenty of hot women around you can sleep with this weekend. Just forget about her. Pick number one and get a win.”
The dumpee looked generally miserable. Shaggy blond hair, ruddy cheeks, stubble, and clothes a bit wrinkled told her he was indulging in the breakup blues. Poor guy. His friends flanked him on either side, beer in hand, trying to do the manly thing by insulting him enough so he was happy. Men were an odd gender she didn’t think she’d ever figure out. They were young, probably college age, and seemed more intent on looking around for hot women than horses.
The dumpee sighed. “Who cares if I win if I really lost?”
His friends groaned in horror at the emotion. “Ah shit, I can’t hear this all weekend. We’re here to have fun, dude. Make some money. Drink. Get lucky.”
Gen couldn’t help it. She tapped one of them on the shoulder. “Excuse me, but I think the four is gonna win.”
All three of them checked her out, and it seemed she passed the test. The dumpee’s companions gave her broad, welcoming grins. “Hey, that’s great. This is Ed, I’m Tom, and this here is Steve.”
“Hi, I’m Gen.” She focused on Ed. “I’m sorry about your girlfriend.”
The other two winced, but Ed nodded. “Thanks. It sucks. We’ve been together for two years but she fell in love with some actor in her class. He’s got bad teeth but she didn’t care. Said he was exciting and artistic.”
She clucked in sympathy. “If she didn’t appreciate you, it’s better this happened now. But I know that won’t make you feel better. You’re lucky to have awesome friends to try and help.”
Tom and Steve puffed up. “Why don’t you hang with us and watch the race? We’re going up to the rail. Did you come with your girlfriends?” They looked around hopefully.
“No, sorry. Can you help me though? What do I say to put a hundred bucks on number four to win?”
“Whoa, you really like four, huh?” Tom asked.
“Yeah. I’m tired of the cool horses winning all the time. I think he has a shot.”
Ed gave a small grin. “Me, too. I’m sticking with my bet.”
Steve shrugged. “Your money. I’m taking the one. Gen, when you get to the booth, say you want race one, a hundred dollars to win on the four horse. Got it?”
“Thanks. I got a feeling.”
The Black Eyed Peas song played in her brain as she got her ticket. Wolfe wasn’t at the picnic table so she decided to go to the rail with the guys. They were really nice to her, joking around and flirty in an innocent type of way. Had she ever felt that young? Lately, at only twenty-six years old, she felt as if she’d aged a hundred years. It was nice to relax in the hot sun and pretend she had no other cares in the world except winning on a horse.