Keeping the Peace (39 page)

‘No problem. It gives me an excuse to leave this sad excuse for a party too. Incidentally, who’s his sister? By the way he was going on, I thought she must have died or something.’

‘
Sister
? God, he must be drunk. Finn’s an only child if I recall correctly.’

‘Hmm, maybe I mis-overheard. He hasn’t launched his woes on me yet, but he’s been working the room, that’s for sure.’

‘Christ. If the papers get hold of this, they’ll take him to pieces.’ Pippa chewed her fingernails, but stopped when a flavour of marigold paint matted her dry palate.

‘No worries, sweets. I’ve donned my blue lycra jumpsuit and red Speedos and am flying in to the rescue. I’ll take him home.’

Pippa closed her eyes.

‘What would I do without you, Tash? Thank you. And don’t be too tough on him. Yesterday will have hit him really hard and the media haven’t exactly been kind either.’

‘Don’t worry – shit, I’d better go. He’s moving in on Dame Rosa Lyle, the animal rights activist. I’ll speak to you later.
Ciao
.’

Pippa held her phone in a feeble grip and looked blindly at the cut call, concern over Finn compounded by gratitude to Tash. Pursing her lips and taking a deep breath, she told herself not to worry. Tash would take care of things. Tash was rock solid.

For the remainder of her weekend, Pippa divided her time between the spare room’s second coat and checking her phone for updates from Tash. She’d tried to call earlier in the day, but had only got her friend’s voicemail. She tried to reassure herself that no news was good news. Tash had the gift of the gab and she would surely have been able to smooth over any ripples that Finn might have created last night.

Later that evening, Pippa answered a loud knock on the front door. A sheepish-looking Finn stood on her doorstep.

‘Word is you don’t turn away waifs and strays such as myself. Can I come in?’

Shaven and tidy, the only evidence of his drunken debacle was the bruised bags beneath his eyes and hunched posture. Feeling reassured that perhaps it had all been a storm in a teacup, Pippa stepped aside.

‘Come on in. Do you want a coffee?’

‘No, you’re all right. Thanks all the same,’ he said, following her into the lounge. ‘Tash has been spoon-feeding me caffeine since the wee hours.’

Pippa sat down on the sofa and after switching off the television, patted the seat beside her.

‘Spoon-feeding? She’s been gentle with you then?’

‘Aye,’ Finn grinned, taking his seat. ‘Not that I’ve done anything to deserve her kindness. Or yours.’

‘Who said anything about me being kind?’ she teased.

‘Well, you didn’t slam the door in my face so that’s a start. I’m sorry about last night, making a holy show of myself. I’m sorry Tash had to look after me like she did.’

Pippa’s heart softened at the genuine apology in his eyes.

‘Forget it. It was understandable considering everything.’

Finn looked at his lap and fiddled with the hem of his shirt.

‘It’s been a desperate couple of days, to be sure.’

‘Hey, these things happen. It wasn’t your fault, Finn.’

‘But it was.’ Finn looked up at her. ‘I know it, Jack knows it, the papers know it. I’ve let everyone down.’

‘Jack was upset. I don’t know what he said to you, but I’m sure he didn’t mean it. Not really,’ she said, torn between her loyalties.

‘I wouldn’t be surprised if he jocked me off now.’

‘Jack wouldn’t do that,’ she said sternly. ‘He might get a bit hot under the collar, but he’s still fair. I know the Gold Cup means a lot to everyone, but come on, we all make mistakes. Jack knows that. It’s not the end of the world.’

‘I was wishin’ it was last night,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘I’ve made a right pig’s arse of everything.’

Pippa reached over and squeezed his hand.

‘You’re a good person, Finn. The press are a fickle bunch. Just watch, they’ll have forgotten about this whole thing within a week.’

Finn shook his head sadly.

‘It’s kind of you to say, but I’m not a good person.’ He sighed. ‘I – I haven’t been entirely honest with you either.’

Pippa paused.

‘Are we referring to Cara Connolly in this respect?’ she asked in a gentle voice.

His green eyes widened.

‘You know already?’

She shrugged and gave him a pathetic smile.

‘I pretty much figured it out. It’s okay, you know.’

‘But it’s not okay,’ he insisted. ‘You won’t say anything, will you?’

Pippa hesitated, disturbed by the fear on Finn’s face. She definitely wasn’t going to tell him his secret had already been broken by
Heat
magazine.

‘It’s none of my business. Don’t worry.’

Finn dragged his fingers through his hair.

‘Why are you so understanding? After all that I’ve done?’

‘You’d have to do a whole lot worse to make me hate you,’ she reassured him.

Finn squeezed her hand back and leant over. He cupped her face in his other hand, his fingers chilled against her warm cheek.

‘The world needs more people like you,
a thaisce
,’ he murmured.

Pippa dropped her gaze, but couldn’t stop the flattered smile curving her lips.

‘It’d be a bit chaotic, I’d say.’

She looked up again to see his gaze flitting over her mouth.

‘You’ve a beautiful smile, you know?’

The springs in the sofa groaned as he leaned forward. His hand slid from her cheek to the back of her head, his fingers threading through her hair. With gentle pressure, he coaxed her closer until his lips pressed over hers.

Pippa closed her eyes, enjoying his warm breath tickling her upper lip. They flickered open though as reality overwhelmed her. She turned her face to the side, making Finn sit up.

‘We can’t do this,’ she mumbled, her cheeks burning.

Finn frowned at her.

‘It’s Jack, isn’t it?’ he said. ‘Tash hinted at something between you two.’

‘What? No!’ Pippa bit her lip, still moist from Finn’s kiss. ‘I don’t know.’ Panic surged through her at the thought of anyone but Tash knowing about her feelings towards Jack. ‘There’s Cara to think about as well!’

Finn’s frown deepened.

‘Yes!’ Pippa said. ‘We can’t do this when you’re dating someone else.’

Finn’s hand loosened in her hair and he withdrew it, disappointment clouding his eyes.

Confused, she tried to understand what was going through his mind. He looked almost resigned. As flattered as she was by Finn’s attention, she didn’t want to believe that he was a cheat. Perhaps this look of resignation, of sadness, meant he wasn’t really?

‘You’re right. I’m sorry. I just forgot myself for a moment,’ he said.

‘Me too,’ she replied in a small voice, guilt that perhaps her pity over Finn’s troubles had been misinterpreted. She’d taken advantage of the young Irishman in a weak moment.

‘I’d better go. I’m sorry to have interrupted your evening.’ He stood up when Pippa nodded.

She followed him to the front door, her chest constricting in anguish when he bade her a sad farewell.

‘I’ll see you tomorrow at work,’ she said.

‘I’ll be there. Goodnight.’

She closed the door and leant against it with a heavy sigh. Was this how it was going to be from now on? Would she never be able to feel anything for another man while Jack was still fresh in her mind? Had she messed up her friendship with Finn?

She looked around her sullenly. The sooner the cottage was finished, the sooner it would be sold and she could escape to London and forget Jack Carmichael. She knew loads of owners hardly ever spoke to Jack, content to let him get on with training their horses. She could be one of them. If not, she could always move Peace Offering to another stable.

P
ippa was met with silence when she stepped into the office for the new week. Opening Jack’s door and seeing his empty chair confirmed he was probably already out on the Gallops. She flicked through the Entries and Declarations notebook on his desk, but left it where it was when she read question marks beside Jack’s scrawl. She busied herself back at her own desk, sorting through the weekend’s emails and answering the persistently ringing telephone.

Jack walked in half an hour later, closely followed by Melissa. On the receiving end of a diatribe of abuse from Lady Pennington, Pippa was barely able to acknowledge their arrival.

‘I completely understand where you’re coming from, Lady Pennington,’ she said patiently when the owner paused for breath. ‘But when Aspen Valley advertises its services in the paper, there is only so much information we can include – yes, I’m sure Mr Carmichael appreciates what good owners you are. I’ll let him know you’d like your name
as well
as Silver Dollar’s to be included next time we announce our winners...’ She rolled her eyes as Lady Pennington hammered home her point before letting Pippa go.

‘Tea? Coffee?’ she offered when she was finally allowed to hang up.

‘Coffee. No milk or sugar for me, thank you,’ Melissa said with a benign smile.

Pippa hurried away from the phone before it could ring again.

‘Here you go,’ she said, handing over the steaming mugs a couple of minutes later.

Jack took a slurp and sighed exultantly. Melissa sniffed the air as the scent of chamomile wafted across her.

‘What are you drinking, Jack?’

‘Chamomile tea. Pippa’s idea. It’s very nice.’

The bubble of pride swelling inside Pippa at this praise was popped by the daggers Melissa’s eyes threw her. Nevertheless, the blonde woman didn’t comment. Instead she took a tentative sip and looked pained.

‘No decaf?’

‘Um, no. Sorry,’ Pippa said. Her tongue itched to say it. She bit it, but no, she couldn’t resist. ‘Would you like some chamomile tea instead?’

To give Melissa her due, the iciness in her eyes didn’t carry to her voice.

‘Thank you, Pippa,’ she said graciously.

The telephone rang again and Pippa hesitated.

‘Busy this morning?’ Jack asked.

‘Busier than the Samaritans hotline was when Take That broke up.’

‘I’ll go make the tea then. You grab that.’

Aware of Melissa’s watchful gaze as she discussed veterinary procedures with Mr Warnock, Pippa doodled in the margin of her notepad to dispel her discomfort. Melissa leaned over the desk and gave a small laugh at her mindless sketchings, covering her mouth with her matching blood-red nails. Pippa frowned at her desk in annoyance.

‘That was Warnock,’ she said, her telephone conversation finished, when Jack reappeared with Melissa’s tea. ‘He’s given me a list of the horses who need their ’flu jabs and has asked you to go over them and take out the ones which are due to run soon. And he’s advised we get a physiotherapist and nutritionist to come see Dust Storm since he keeps tying up.’

‘Okay,’ he nodded. ‘Anything else?’

Pippa referred to her jotted notes, holding back a sigh at the length of her ‘to do’ list.

‘You’ve got an appointment with Mr Cox this afternoon to discuss keeping Lugarno in training. Channel 4 wants to do a feature on you for the Grand National. A couple of other magazines and newspapers want comment on how Cheltenham was for you...’

‘Dammit. They’re never bloody satisfied.’

‘Why not just issue a press release?’ she suggested.

Jack perked up.

‘That’s a good idea. Can you do that?’

She nodded and added it to her list.

‘Are there any entries to be done?’ she asked, glancing at the clock on the wall.

‘Yes, I’ll get those to you in a minute. You’ll probably have to rush to get them in on time, I’m afraid.’

Pippa failed to camouflage her grimace of exhaustion.

‘You okay?’

‘Yeah. Don’t worry about me.’

Jack frowned.

‘You look tired.’

‘It’s my own fault,’ she said, with an airy wave of her hand. ‘I spent most of the weekend trying to paint the cottage. And now spring is really here, I can’t put off sorting out the garden anymore.’

Jack gave her a sympathetic smile.

‘Not green-fingered then?’

‘Only when I’m painting landscapes or aliens.’

‘Maybe we can sort something out then. Some of the lads here can spare an afternoon and help straighten things out for you. Billy’s keen on gardening and he owes you, I’d say.’

‘That would be lovely!’ Pippa said, brightening at the thought of not having to tackle Hazyvale’s jungle all by herself. Her grin faltered as she noticed Melissa glaring at Jack. Now was probably a good time to change the subject. ‘Have you heard from Emmie?’

Jack’s expression became serious again.

‘She can’t work in the yard anymore. Doctor’s orders. But apparently she doesn’t want to stop working – finances and all that.’ He paused. ‘I was thinking maybe if things are really hectic here in the office, she could come work in here. You’d have to show her how to do things, but I’m sure she’ll pick it up quickly – she knows about horses after all. It would take some of the pressure off you.’ Jack hesitated as he became aware of the laser-burning look he was receiving from Melissa. ‘It would help you both out.’

Pippa ignored their disapproving audience and beamed at Jack.

‘Good idea! Emmie’d be great to have around.’

‘I’m not giving her this role for you two to sit around chatting all day.’

Pippa grinned at him, recognising the subtle touch of humour in his eyes.

‘Let me get those entries done,’ he went on. ‘Then I’m off to see Melissa’s father.’

He disappeared into his office, leaving Pippa sitting in awkward silence with Melissa. She wracked her brain, trying to think of a neutral subject with which to make conversation.

‘So, Melissa, Jack told me you were hoping to join fashion forces with Aaron Janssen. How’s that going?’

Melissa leaned over the reception unit and raised a menacing finger.

Pippa sat back in surprise.

‘I know what you’re trying to do,’ Melissa hissed. ‘Stirring things up with Jack and now Aaron.’

‘What?’

Melissa sneered at her.

‘Is that the look you give Jack when you fuck everything up for him? This wide-eyed oh-so-innocent look? Well, it might work on some, but it won’t work on me.’ A smile parted her lips. ‘You’re jealous, aren’t you?’