Keeping the Peace (47 page)

P
ippa didn’t know if she’d ever been more nervous stepping into the office the following morning. Excitement, fear and dread whirlpooled around her stomach. Emmie was already sat at her new desk, which had been bought to accommodate her.

‘Hey, Pippa,’ she smiled. ‘Bad luck on Saturday. He came so close.’

‘Thanks,’ she replied. She dumped her handbag beside her desk and sat down. ‘It was one hell of a race.’ She drummed her fingers on the desk and glanced at Jack’s closed office door. ‘Is Jack in?’

‘No. He popped out about ten minutes ago. Said that if you came in, entries and decs are on his desk and to help yourself.’

Pippa’s heart began to thud at the prospect of seeing Jack again. She thanked Emmie and walked over to Jack’s door. Nothing was different on the other side. It looked exactly the same as it had last week, except
altered
by the weekend.

She closed her eyes as she reached the desk and took a deep breath. Leather, wood polish and the lingering tang of Jack’s cologne tingled in her nostrils. She picked up the notebook and flicked it open to the last entry. A small smile of anticipation flitted over her mouth as she remembered how Jack had left a private note in there for her before.

12th April – Entries

Haydock
1.20 – Bold Phoenix

“ 3.10 – Smoking Ace

Declarations

Wincanton 4.05 – Spurwing Island (blinkers)

Pippa’s smile drooped. The page was glaringly void of any loving messages. She snorted mirthlessly. What was she expecting – Jack to declare his undying love to her as well as Spurwing Island in the 4.05 at Wincanton?

With a deep breath, she drew back her shoulders. She was not going to let this get to her. She sauntered out of the office with her chin held high and sat down at her desk. She was going to be the epitome of aloofness. When Jack appeared, he’d better be prepared because she was going to show him just how indifferent a girl could be.

The door opened and Jack walked in.

Pippa dropped her pen then hit her head on the desk trying to retrieve it off the floor. Jack’s gaze flickered from Pippa to Emmie and back again. He nodded a greeting to her.

‘Morning, Pippa.’

She stared at him. Jack Carmichael, boss of Aspen Valley had walked into the office, sporting his usual outfit of jeans and flying jacket. Pippa’s face burned. She blinked. She couldn’t rid herself of the image of Jack Carmichael, sex god and lover, sporting somewhat less clothing than he had on now.

‘He-hello, Jack.’

The muscle in Jack’s jaw throbbed as they stared at each other. Jack blinked and looked away.

‘I’ll be in my office if either of you need me,’ he muttered.

Pippa’s heart hammered against her chest. Her clammy palm slipped over her computer mouse. She wondered if this was what it felt like before one fainted. She hazarded a quick look at Emmie to see if she’d noticed anything amiss, but the girl looked blissfully unaware of the sexual frisson that had almost singed the office furniture.

Emmie smiled at her.

‘Well?’ she prompted.

‘Well, what?’

‘Usually, as soon as Jack walks in, you jump up and make him a drink. Do you want me to go make it?’

Pippa thought fast. She wanted to see Jack, but she didn’t want to be faced with the awkwardness. She didn’t want Emmie to think anything odd yet asking her to make coffee would immediately raise questions.

She shook her head.

‘No, no. I’ll go do it. Just slipped my mind. Do you want a cup?’

‘I bought some peppermint tea if you wouldn’t mind making me some of that?’

‘Sure,’ Pippa smiled. She got to her feet then braced herself against the chair as her knees offered as much support as a papier-mâché bridge crane.

Aloofness, remember Pippa, she scolded herself. Aloof, aloof, aloof.

Who the hell came up with that stupid word, she thought to herself a couple of minutes later as she knocked on Jack’s door. When you said it often enough, it started to sound quite ridiculous.

‘Come in.’

Jack’s gruff invitation shuddered through her. Pushing open the door, she stepped into the office feeling like she was about to meet her maker.

‘Tea,’ she announced.

‘Thank you. Um, close the door behind you, will you?’

Pippa’s pulse stepped up to pneumatic dimensions as she did as she was bid.

‘How are you?’ Jack ventured.

‘Good, thanks,’ she nodded vigorously. ‘You?’

Jack licked his lips and watched her place his drink down on the desk. The liquid shimmied out of the cup.

‘Yes, fine.’

He frowned at his desk as a silence descended. Pippa wrung her hands behind her back and wiggled her toes.

‘You got my message yesterday?’

Pippa nodded.

‘Yes. Peace Offering’s okay, is he?’

‘A little stiff, but okay.’

Another deafening silence ensued.

‘Well, I’d better get back,’ Pippa said, motioning behind her.

‘Yes, of course.’

Deflated, Pippa turned to leave.

‘Pippa?’

‘Yes?’ She spun round to face him.

‘We need to talk –’

Fear constricted her chest.

‘– about Peace Offering.’

She exhaled, not sure whether to be relieved that he was avoiding the most pressing subject on her mind or not.

‘Okay,’ she said.

‘I think after Saturday’s run, now would be a good time for him to be turned out. I think we should take him out of training and wait for next season.’

Pippa nodded.

‘Okay,’ she agreed. She managed a smile. ‘Go out on a high note... almost.’

‘Yes. The season’s nearly over anyway.’

With those words, Pippa’s heart sank to a new level. The season ending would also mark the ending of her country life adventure. The office telephone trilled from beyond the door as once more they lapsed into silence.

‘I’d better get that.’

Jack nodded, his expression grim.

Pippa tore herself away and hurried out of the office. Emmie had already answered the phone. She sat down again at her desk and tried to quell the emotions battering her body like a storm breaker.

How could things possibly progress with Jack? She dragged her fingers through her hair. Her hopes that his awkwardness might abate died an agonising death. Yet how could she blame him when she wasn’t the image of grace and dexterity?

With a sigh, she opened up a new window on her screen and set about inputting that week’s entries.

At lunchtime, Pippa escaped to the kitchenette to make her and Emmie hot drinks.

‘What are you oohing and aahing about over there?’ she said as she placed Emmie’s cup down on her desk.

Emmie looked up from her computer and sheepishly turned the screen so Pippa could see.

‘House hunting,’ she replied. ‘There’re some lovely places up for sale, but so out of our price range. I think we’re going to end up renting.’

Pippa leaned against the desk, contemplatively sipping her coffee.

‘Hazyvale is going to be put up on the market pretty soon,’ she said.

Emmie’s hopeful look faded.

‘That’d probably be out of our price range too.’

Pippa shrugged.

‘If we do a private sale, it will at least knock off the agents’ fees.’

‘Hazyvale would be perfect. And Billy loved it when he went round to help with the garden,’ mused Emmie. ‘How much are you selling it for?’

‘I don’t know yet. I’ve got someone coming tomorrow lunchtime to value it.’

Pippa received a surge of nervous excitement every time she thought of what price the agents might consider it to be worth.

‘Good luck with that. I know you’ve worked really hard on the house so I hope you get good valuations, but... on the other hand, if the price is anything like this house here,’ she sighed, pointing at the screen, ‘then Billy and I will never be able to get a mortgage big enough.’

Pippa nodded. She also hoped the agents would give her good news. What if they pitched up and told her that her idea of renovating a cottage wasn’t the same as theirs and she might just as well have saved herself the trouble and sold it as it was?

She shuddered. It didn’t bear thinking about.

‘If you sell then where are you going to live?’ Emmie asked.

Pippa dropped her gaze and straightened up to return to her own desk.

‘I’ll probably go back to London,’ she said, offhand.

Emmie looked horrified.

‘London? What about everything here at Aspen Valley?’

Pippa fiddled with her pen and shrugged.

‘This was never a long-term job. I was always going to leave at the end of the season.’

‘But what about Jack?’

Pippa looked up sharply.

‘What about Jack?’

‘How’s he going to cope without you? I mean, I’m still really slow with all this paperwork. And there’s just so
much
of it. I’ll do his head in.’

‘You’ll be fine. Everything’s starting to quieten down now.’ She paused, to ensure her regrets about Jack were well and truly camouflaged. ‘Jack will cope just fine without me.’

The clock on the reception wall struck five o’clock the following afternoon and Pippa watched Emmie pack up for the day. The girl paused when she saw Pippa not moving from her desk.

‘Are you staying late?’

Pippa nodded.

‘Yeah,’ she said, pulling a face. ‘That agent that came round at lunch took ages looking round. I didn’t think they would ask so many questions just because the cottage is old.’

Emmie grinned.

‘You must have answered them right. Even though I’m sorry we won’t be able to afford it, I’m glad your hard work has paid off.’

‘Thanks, Emmie. Me too. I’d have much preferred you and Billy to live there. See you tomorrow.’ She smiled and waved goodbye to Emmie.

With the door closed behind her, Pippa leant back in her chair and sighed. Only the purr of her computer’s fan punctuated the eerie quiet which descended over the office. Relief that the estate agent today had valued Hazyvale at a pleasing amount was tinged with regret that she would be leaving it soon. She hadn’t realised she’d grown so attached to the cottage.

She glanced towards Jack’s office, closed while its usual occupier was off racing at Wincanton. She hadn’t meant to become so attached to him either.

Pippa chewed her lip. It wasn’t a matter of leaving the area that was going to keep them apart. It seemed the crack in their relationship, which she’d first noticed on Sunday morning, had widened into a canyon. An unbridgeable one.

Shaking her head, she stood up. She retrieved the Entries and Declarations notebook from Emmie’s desk to take through to Jack’s office, ready for the following morning. Emmie had input that day’s lists to practice.

Flicking idly through the pages as she walked, she paused before putting it on Jack’s desk. She frowned at that day’s entries. Realisation crept over and her fingers trembled.

The banging of the reception door made her swing round. Jack appeared in the doorway. He stopped when he saw Pippa in his office.

‘Pippa, what are you doing here?’

She looked at him, balling her fists to curb her shaking. She lifted the notebook for him to see.

‘I was just putting this back on your desk for tomorrow.’ She swallowed and took a ragged breath. ‘Emmie did them today. She didn’t mention that Finn isn’t riding any of the horses though. You’ve got Mick Farrelly as first string.’

Jack sighed and carried on into the office. He shrugged off his jacket and hung it on the back of his chair. Pippa watched him, her anger simmering and waited for his excuse.

‘Finn and Aspen Valley have called it quits,’ he said at last.

Pippa gasped.

‘You
fired
him?’

‘No –’

‘Jack! How could you?’ she cried. ‘He was being blackmailed! By your girlfriend!’

‘Pippa –’

The frustrations of her pent up emotions exploded in indignation.

‘When did you decide to fire him? Did you decide right then in the hotel room and just waited for a time most convenient to you –’

‘PIPPA!’ Jack exclaimed. ‘Will you listen for a moment?’

Like an escalating bush fire that needed only a spark to start it, Pippa glared at him.

‘Why should I?’ she said. ‘Why, when it suits you, should I stand here and listen? After being completely ignored since Sunday? You just
left
me! How do you think that makes me feel, huh, Jack? Cheap and used, that’s what! And now, having to stand here and tell you this, it makes me look desperate and pathetic! Cheap, used, desperate and pathetic. They’re not exactly qualities to be proud of.’

‘I don’t think you’re cheap –’

‘No, but what you can’t stop thinking of is that I’m your secretary, can you?’ she challenged him.

She tried to control her breathing as she waited for his reply. Her chest heaved at the strain.

Jack stared at her, his jaw set, his eyes indigo.

‘Would that be so inaccurate?’ he replied, his tone menacing. Pippa felt like she’d been stabbed. ‘What happened over the weekend –’

‘It was a mistake, Jack!’ she shouted. ‘You’re right, what we did was a mistake!’

The muscle in Jack’s jaw leapt. He swallowed.

‘I was going to say,’ he continued in a quiet voice, ‘what happened over the weekend – what happened on
Friday
night has nothing to do with Finn not riding for Aspen Valley anymore.’

Pippa took a step backwards.

Jack glared at her.

‘But now that you mention it, perhaps you’re right. What happened on
Saturday
night probably was a mistake.’

Pippa’ lower lip quivered and she bit it hard. What had she done?

‘What?’ she whispered.

‘Finn’s leaving because the damn fool thinks he’s in love with you. You see what I mean about relationships in the workplace? This is what happens. It never works!’

‘Finn’s in love with me?’ Pippa shook her head. ‘But he and I aren’t having a relationship. We were just friends!’ Anger flooded her stomach again as tears pricked her eyes. ‘And a damn fool? Is that the only type of person you think could love me? And relationships
can
work in the workplace! Look at Emmie and Billy! All it takes is for both parties to want to make it work! I might not have wanted to make things work with Finn, but –’ Her voice quavered and she gulped down a wave of tears. ‘But I
did
want to make it work with you.’