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The Quintessential Q
Chapter Forty Nine
Tailgate Party Quartermaine Style
Johnny glances down at his watch and swears. If he's late for this Rita was going to kill him. And his mother would probably offer to bury the body. Finally. There is the parking space. He slides into it cutting off another late comer who blasts their horn and flips him off. Johnny returns the favor and adds an "Up yours." Johnny slams out of the car and races to the arena. Once inside he looks around until he finds his mother and JD and grimaces. Of course they'd ended up sitting with Mrs. Q and the old man. Cookie sees him and waves a hand. Johnny makes his way over to the free seat in the box. "What did I miss?"
"Your death by about ten minutes. Where were you?"
"I stopped by the restaurant and got caught up. Sorry."
"Johnny, the restaurant is downstairs from your apartment. You have to do better or you are never going to have a life."
"Ma!" Johnny protests and then relents enough to explain. "It was Frank's first day."
"And it's your sister's first show." Cookie is relentless. Finally Lila comes to Johnny's rescue.
"I believe your sister's class is about to be announced." Cookie and Johnny fall silent and lean forward.
Back in the stalls, Carly watches Rita enter the arena atop Mr. Roberts. Crossing her arms and taking a deep breath, now it was up to the kid. Carly glances over her shoulder to where Bobbie and Jerry are hugging on Lucas. Jerry takes Thunder's reins so that Bobbie can get excessively mushy. Lucas protests but not much. Carly walks over and examines the blue ribbon. "That's it, little bro. You just moved up from the novice class."
"You think?"
"Oh yeah. I'll put Thunder up. Why don't you go out front and watch Rita."
"What about you, honey?" Bobbie asks.
"I'll watch from the tunnel. I'll be there in a minute." Carly gives Lucas a hug. "Good job, Lucas." She gives him a kiss on the forehead. "But this doesn't mean that I'm not going to keep picking on ya, about wearing your helmet especially now that your head is getting so big."
"Aw Carly." Lucas makes a face.
"Go show Ms. Lila your ribbon. I think AJ is with her." Carly takes Thunder's reins from Jerry and Lucas' helmet and walks the pony back to the stall praising him all the way. Thunder is quickly situated and Carly exits the stall making sure it is secured behind her. She turns around to make her way back to the clear viewing area of the ring and runs into John Jacks. "Whoa sorry I didn't see you there." Carly moves to the right to go around the older man but he moves with her. Carly gives him a curious glance. "A little music and we could cha cha." Carly jokes. She moves to go around him again and is again blocked. "Look, I don't know what your deal is..."
"I'd like to talk to you Mrs. Quartermaine. Or should I call you Carly. Caroline perhaps." John smiles laying on the charm.
Carly's eyes narrow. She studies the man's spare frame and tidy appearance-- the charm, the accent. "I got nothing to say to you. Now if you'll excuse me I have a horse in the ring now."
"Mrs. Quartermaine, my name is..."
"I know who you are." Carly says sharply interrupting John Jacks. "Big Fucking Deal. If you don't get out of my way I can handle it one of two ways. I can scream my head off. Which many will say is so not me. Or I can take this..." Carly takes a hoof pick from her back pocket holding the pick like an experienced street fighter before continuing in a snarl. "... and pluck your eye out because it offends me." John takes two steps back. The madness is clearly in the woman's eye. He thought Jax had been exaggerating. "That's more your speed, isn't it?" Carly interrupts John's thoughts. "I know all about you. I know about you breaking men's hands to get their mining claims, blowing up your opposition. Laundering money for the mob." Carly's voice raises and she steps closer to John. "I know all about you. How your son being kidnapped was a freaking joke to your family. How you would have let him rot in prison if it would save your precious Jax. You are slime and I want you no where near my family."
"Carly." Jerry snaps. "Two steps back. Now."
Carly doesn't break her glare at John or put the hoof pick away but takes the two steps back. Her voice is low and growling as she continues. "I know you. But you don't know me. You've never met anyone like me. I'm not like your long suffering wife who turns a blind eye to your activities or a pretty little doll like Brenda Barrett. Mess with my family again and I'll destroy you." Carly stalks off brushing by Jerry as she does. Jerry grabs her arm and holds her still.
"Calm down. If Rita or your husband sees you like this..." He leaves the thought unfinished. Carly takes a deep breath and then another. She finally puts the hoof pick back in her back pocket and plasters on a fake smile that would fool most. Carly pats Jerry's arm and then nods. "Good girl. Make your mum proud." Jerry plants a kiss on Carly's forehead then picks her back pocket of the hoof pick to be on the safe side. Jerry waits until Carly is out of listening range before turning back to his father.
"She's insane. Certifiably insane." John takes out a handkerchief and wipes his brow.
"Actually she was declared sane and released. And that was by a professional. Carly has all the paperwork to prove it." Jerry leans up against one of the stalls. "Of course that professional is now doing 7-15 in a federal pen on charges Carly brought to light. It was a mistake for you to come here. And it was a bigger mistake to corner Carly. I would have thought that Jax would have warned you."
"Your brother did warn me. I thought he was exaggerating." John refolds the handkerchief with shaking hands and puts it back in his pocket.
"Jax doesn't know the half of it. He only thinks he does." Jerry says flatly. "Everyone has buttons that if pushed will provoke a reaction. Family is Carly's. Stay away from her, Dad."
John tries to explain himself. "Lila said that ... that woman had influence with you. That she might be able to repair the damage.... I just thought if I could talk to her..."
"Lay on a little Jacks charm and all would be fine. Thing is Dad, Carly is a Spencer first and their BS detectors are developed in utero. You never stood a shot." Going though the footlocker on the outside of Thunder's stall he grabs Lucas' fanny pack with his meds and testing kit in it as well as a game boy for when the adults conversations got boring. The reason he had come back in time to see Carly and his father going toe to toe. "Carly's right. You've never met anyone like her before. Keep your distance, Dad." Jerry turns around and walks away.
Carly stands by the railing to the show ring watching as the mounts go by. Rita is doing well, keeping her composure and looking like a gentile lady from another century. Her clues to Mr. Roberts are imperceptible. Something they'd worked on a lot up at the property. Rita and Mr. Roberts were working as one unit. Carly nods and grins. Rita was going to get bumped up a class too. There was no doubt. She was kicking ass in this group.
Emily had slid over on the bench to make room for Lucas to show Lila his blue ribbon and to watch Rita perform. Turning from Lucas' excited explanation, she turns to realize just who she is plastered against-- Johnny. "Hey."
"Hello yourself." Johnny replies not taking his eyes off Rita.
"She looks great."
Johnny says softly only for Emily. "Not quite like the little terror who broke up a drug search at the coffee warehouse."
Emily laughs. "Nope, nothing like that at all." Em looks around the ring at all the spectators and sees a pair of familiar faces across the ring and attempting to not draw attention to themselves. "Do you think that Jason and Sonny think so too?"
Johnny follows Emily's gaze. "I didn't know they were going to be here."
"They like Rita. And she is your little sister. Of course they would be here." Emily looks over to the tunnel and sees Carly. She stiffens in reaction.
"What?" Johnny feels Emily's tension instantly.
"Something is wrong with Carly." Emily leans over to her grandmother and makes her excuses then slides past Johnny and Cookie. She makes her way around to the tunnel and leans up against the railing next to Carly. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. She is going to win you know."
"Yep. That seems to be the consensus." They both watch as the riders pull up their horses in the middle of the ring for the final judges walk though. The judge walks back to the table to write in the results and gathers the ribbons. Walking down the line again, she calls out three riders and dismisses the rest. To thunderous applause, the ribbons are handed out with a blue going to Rita. Rita leans over to hear what the Judge is telling her and shakes the judge's hand accepting the ribbon. The judge steps back and the three exit the arena. Rita pulls up as she nears Carly and Emily and dismounts.
"Did you see?!" Rita explodes in excitement. She starts hugging and kissing on Mr. Robert's neck. "He was an angel."
"What did the judge say?" Carly asks.
"I have to go into another group in the afternoon session. I got called back." Rita does a little happy dance right there.
"Come on kid lets get Mr. Roberts put up and then I think there are some people who want to congratulate you." Emily strings an arm through Rita's and Carly takes her horses reins leading him back to his stall.
Johnny throws wide the doors of his van and sets up the goodies for the tailgate party. AJ and Edward had brought Lila over. Edward had added the contents of their picnic basket to the spread that Johnny was preparing. John and Jane Jacks were sitting in the space where the sliding door was open conversing with Lila. Johnny sets up a portable propane heater to keep everything comfortable and Cook makes sure that Lila is out of any breezes. Johnny looks up from lighting the heater-- AJ and Jerry are in conversation and both of them look serious, too serious to be discussing blue ribbons. JD pulls up a folding chair more suitable for summer days out at the lake and then grabbing Cookie by the hips pulls her down onto his lap. She blushes but doesn't get up. The senior set ensconced by the heater and rehashing the morning events. Jerry and AJ break up their conversations to find their wives. Jerry stops before getting to Bobbie when he runs into Jax. Jax is feeling pretty jovial. "Well done by all. Lucas took his group. Carly picked out a damn fine horse. And little Rita..." Jax shakes his head. "She's a natural."
"Not quite well done by all." Jerry says grimly. "You never do learn do you? First bringing Robin to Carly's house and now this."
"What do you mean?" Jax asks his grin falling away.
"I walked up on Dad and Carly." Jerry low keys it knowing that John will fill Jax in later."
"Oh bloody hell." Jax looks over to where his father is siting. He looks okay, a little pale perhaps but okay. "I forgot all about Carly. All I was thinking about was Lucas, Bobbie and mending some fences. Don't you think I'm kicking myself?" Jax kicks at the dirt and then swears. "He was asking me about her." Jax looks over at Jerry. "Look, I warned him off. I swear I did."
"Since when has Dad been warned off of anything? You know exactly what happened..."
Jax groans. "He cornered her, tried sweet talking her. How bad was it?"
Jerry pulls the hoof pick out of his back pocket. "Bad. She was about half a step from offering to take an eye out with this. I've got her calmed down for now. And I told AJ. You brought them here; it can be your responsibility to get them back onto the plane in one piece." Jerry gets ready to walk away and then remembers something AJ said. "Ned's off the table."
"What?"
"Whatever plans Carly had for Ned are cancelled, off the table. It was some kind of agreement Carly made with Emily."
"Oh hell." Jax pales. "I'll keep an eye on things. Do you really think she'd..."
"I'm not part of J&J anymore remember?" Jerry sees Bobbie coming up to them and ends the conversation abruptly. "So how is Lucas doing?"
"Cloud nine. He's already talking about moving up a class." Bobbie says cheerfully. She can feel the tension in the air but doesn't know what could be causing it. Jerry and Jax had been getting on better lately if only in business. "I was thinking maybe we could get the cooler out of the SUV and give it to Johnny since he seems to have put himself in charge of the refreshments."
"I'll go grab it." Jerry gives Bobbie's hand a squeeze and then departs.
Outside Mr. Roberts' stall. AJ winds a hand around his wife's waist. "Finally a little time alone with my wife." He says dramatically. "You took off so fast this morning."
"Did you see Lucas and Rita?!" Carly exclaims. "Weren't they great!"
"Oh yeah. I was sitting right by Grandfather. He was crowing to anyone who'd listen that he'd bought Mr. Roberts for you." AJ teases.
"That old Goat!" Carly's jaw drops. "I can't believe him."
"You wanna go find some hay to roll in?"
Carly turns in AJ's arms and wraps her arms around his neck. "Hay itches. How about a wall?"
"Splinters." AJ retorts even as captures Carly's mouth and swallows her laugh. AJ leans back and brushes Carly's hair back twining it behind her ear. Then rests his hands on her hips firmly. This was going to spoil the mood. He knew it going in. "I talked to Jerry."
"That tattle tale!" Carly tries to pull away but AJ isn't having it. "I was doing it for him! Jerry lets John walk all over him. He'd slit Jerry's throat in an instant if Jax needed a heart transplant."
AJ frames Carly's face with both his hands. "John Jacks is Jerry's father. Jerry is married to your mother. He is your grandfather, just as Edward is your grandfather now too. You can have him arrested for trespass. You can threaten to skin him alive when he annoys you. But until he actually tries to slit Jerry's throat you cannot poke his eye out with a sharp stick."
"It was a hoof pick." Carly mutters.
"Whatever. I don't like John Jacks either and I don't trust him as far as I can throw him-- but you have to take your cues from Jerry, Honey. We're a team remember?"
"I don't want him around Michael; I don't want him in our house, and I don't want to be alone with him." Carly demands.
"Sounds perfectly reasonable to me." AJ kisses Carly again. "Now weren't there some horsey people you were going to introduce me to?"