Kenna breathed a sigh of relief and felt a little of the weight lift off her shoulders. Maybe June would know how to get in touch with Will. That would be easier than trying to find the entrance to the farm. She would feel strange just knocking on the door. "So, you think they'll be at the sales?"
"Of course, although I don't know if Betsy and William will be there. But I'm sure someone from the family will be," June said.
Will had gotten married. Kenna knew it was wishful thinking or stupidity on her part to think that after all these years he wouldn't be married. After all, he was a couple of years older than she, probably around thirty-two by now. She had heard that he had graduated from the University of Kentucky and played in the NFL for a couple of years, so it was definitely stupid to think him still unmarried. Childhood crush aside, she needed help and he was the one she was depending on to give it to her.
"If you want to go to the sales this afternoon, we'd be happy to take you. Wouldn't we, sugar?" June said, interrupting Kenna's thoughts.
"Of course we would. You just come along with us if you'd like," Julius responded.
Kenna looked at her phone calendar and saw that her appointment with the Keeneston District Attorney's office was scheduled for two days from now, so time was a concern. It was best to go track down Will now and beg him to put in a good word with her potential boss. Or see if he knew of any other jobs in town if she didn't get the D.A. job. "That would be great. Thanks, June, Julius."
After finishing lunch, Kenna went to freshen up before heading out to the sales. She stared at her hair in the mirror and attempted to fluff it, but then it just ended up looking tangled as opposed to that Hollywood, windswept “just-had-great-sex” look. She surveyed her clothes hanging in the closet and decided to compensate for not having the “just-had-great-sex” hair with her own Ralph Lauren skin-tight, green cable sweater. Mr. and Mrs. Perky put her in the Ralph Lauren mood. She slipped her small feet into her black Nine West, two-inch heel boots to boost her shortened height up to what she thought of as a normal height. With that, she was ready to go. Wiping sweaty hands on her jeans, she headed downstairs, trying to prepare herself for what would equate to begging and pleading for help finding a job, something she never, never, never did, especially from an old crush, she thought as she rolled her eyes, who would probably not even remember her name.
Kenna found the Kranskis on the wrap-around porch and walked with them down the stone path lined with daffodils. She slid into the back seat of their white Mercedes sedan.
She looked out the window as they headed toward the "big city" of Lexington. She guessed being from New York City, anything under a couple of million people seemed small, but she could understand if you're from the surrounding towns of fewer than twenty-five thousand people, that Lexington with its population of three hundred thousand would be a "big city." As she stared out the window, she felt some comfort come over her as she watched the rolling hills of the farmland dotted with corn, tobacco, soy beans, cows, horses, and beautiful manor houses pass by. So open and so green… she had never seen so much green.
Fifteen minutes later, they approached Keeneland and turned with a steady stream of traffic into the racetrack. Kenna observed the beautiful landscaping and how open it seemed while at the same time a huge plane was attempting a landing over the racetrack.
"The airport is right across the street," Julius explained. "That was probably one of the sheiks or a royal from somewhere across the pond coming in for the sales. They'll fly into the small airport and just park the plane for a day or two.”
She nodded, showing she had been listening to him. Kenna thought it was safe to bet the owner of that plane was going to inject some cash into the thoroughbred industry.
They drove through fields of green grass, all trimmed and lined with huge old trees, up to a clubhouse. A valet came out and took the keys from Julius and went to park the Mercedes. Julius and June started a constant stream of chatter between themselves and then deftly went through the clubhouse to the paddock area. Pictures of past Derby winners and stakes winners lined the stone walls from the times they had raced at Keeneland. The majesty of the pictures, the feel of the stone building, the sounds of the horses’ hooves, and the scents of cut grass, hay, oats, and leather, she could just feel the history of the place and Kenna began understand why horse racing has been such a popular sport for hundreds of years.
They stepped out of a stone walkway and into the paddock where horses were being led around with a number stuck to their hips. Hundreds of people milled about, looking at each horse or just talking to one another. Some people were wearing Armani suits