Page 31 of Slowly, All at Once

“I know. And now that my dad is selling the house, I don’t really have a reason to stay in Jackson. I don’t have a home or a job, and I’m really confused.”

“Do what you love.”

I turned to look at her again. “What do you mean?”

“You’re an equestrian, why don’t you teach?”

“Teach?”

“Sure. You have a beautiful horse. You have friends with stables and riding arenas. Why not?”

I paused. “I don’t jump anymore.”

“But you can teach jumps, can’t you?”

I sat up. A spark of hope rushed through me. “Teach riding?”

“You’re an Olympian. Why couldn’t you?”

“People think I’m just a party girl.”

“I think you would be surprised to find that people think more highly of you than you realize.”

“But I choked.”

She shook her head and smiled. “Oh, Camille, you can keep making excuses or you can do something. Teaching was merely a suggestion.”

“What do I do about Jacob?”

She reached up to turn off the lamp. “Nothing. I have a feeling Jacob is more worried about what you’re doing to him than the other way around.”

In the dark I said, “Thank you, Nora.”

“You’re welcome, Camille.”