Keeping the Peace (40 page)

‘What?’ Pippa said, astounded.

‘That’s why you’ve got Jack bending over backwards trying to help you out of your own shitty life. And why you went begging to Aaron so you could draw pictures of his horses.’

‘Wh-what are you talking about?’

‘Well, you might have got your way with Aaron, but you’re not having Jack,’ she spat.

Pippa stared at her. Oh, God, she despaired. It’s one thing for Tash to notice, but if a virtual stranger like Melissa can see what’s going on, then I really am up shit creek. Was she that bad at hiding her feelings?

Her look of horror turned to a returning Jack, armed with his notebook.

Melissa straightened and gave Jack a wide smile.

Jack hesitated, his focus flashing from his girlfriend, patting her kempt blonde hair, to his secretary.

Pippa swallowed and looked down at her desk, her composure still shaky.

‘Right then,’ he said slowly. ‘Here you go.’ He passed the notebook to her and frowned at her flushed face. ‘Hang on. I think I forgot one.’ He took it back and scrawled another entry into it before flipping it shut. ‘There you go. I’m out of here. See you later, Pippa. Melissa, are you ready?’

‘Whenever you are, darling. Ta-ra, Pippa,’ Melissa said cheerily, hooking her arm inside Jack’s and fluttering her nails at Pippa.

With a blush still burning her face, she watched them go. She opened the book of entries and declarations and turned to the last page. At the bottom, Jack’s last entry read:
Whatever she said try not to take it personally. Her business has just taken a knock. Chin up, AV still loves you.

Pippa forced herself to blink as she closed the notebook and held it to her chest. It would be difficult to construe Melissa’s warnings as anything but personal. She
must
be that bad at hiding her feelings.

The town of Helensvale lay unperturbed as its inhabitants returned home from work. It seemed to Pippa, as she walked down the High Street, to embrace their presence. Far from the cold practicality of London streets, the town’s benches and striped canvas overhangs almost proffered a welcome, encouraging commuters to stop and chat.

She smiled, feeling the welcome extended to her then laughed at herself. Personifying Helensvale was another box ticked on her Insanity Checklist.

Her phone vibrated deep inside her handbag and she scrambled through its messy contents to find it. She peeled a tenacious chocolate wrapper from the handset.

‘Hey Tash,’ she greeted her friend. ‘Was going to call you later.’

‘All right, sweets? Guess who I got a call from last night?’

‘Dunno. Do I know them?’

‘I should say so. Better than most because they are quite famous. Come on, guess.’

‘I don’t know.’ Pippa pulled a doubtful face. ‘Ollie?’

‘Hmm, is Ollie that famous? Gold help this world if he is ever called a celebrity. Although I’d love to see him do a bush tucker trial on
Get Me Out Of Here
. No, it’s not Ollie.’

‘I dunno,’ she shrugged. She homed in on the nearest bench and plonked her bag down beside her.

‘
Finn
called me,’ Tash said.

Pippa chewed her bottom lip, thinking of his less than successful visit last night.

‘What did he have to say?’

‘Just rang to thank me again for stopping him making a fool of himself. Mind you, I think he’d already done that by the time I got my mitts on him, but I didn’t say that. He sounded down enough as it was.’

‘Yeah. He came round and visited me last night as well. It was all a bit strange.’

Tash burst into song, bellowing out the first few lines to Frank Sinatra’s
Strangers in the Night
. Pippa laughed.

‘Tash, I don’t know what’s more worrying: what you’re implying or that that you know the words to that song. Where are you, just out of interest?’

‘Just in Tesco picking up some food. Why?’

Pippa shook her head.

‘No reason,’ she chuckled.

Tash’s next comment was lost as an ice-cream van rattled past, playing its jingle.

‘Sorry,’ she raised her voice above the noise. ‘Hang on a sec while it passes.’

‘Why do ice-cream vans always play Greensleeves, of all tunes?’ Tash asked.

A mischievous smile lit Pippa’s face.

‘I don’t know. Maybe it was a modern tune back in Tudor times so they played it on their vans.’

‘Hmm, yeah. That’s probably it.’

Pippa snorted.

‘Ah, Tash. You sure you’re not blonde?’

‘What? Oh, you meanie!’

Pippa doubled over with giggles.

‘Huh,’ Tash grunted. ‘Anyway, back to what we were talking about – what were we talking about?’

‘Finn.’

‘Oh, yes. So, what did he say that was so strange?’

‘Well –’ Her smile faded and she sighed. Unseeingly, she watched a greengrocer retrieve his sandwich boards advertising freshly harvested rhubarb, radish and sorrel. ‘Tash, is it that obvious what I feel about Jack?’

‘That depends, Pip. What
do
you feel?’

She sighed again. The million dollar question and she was too afraid to answer it to herself, let alone her best friend.

‘A lot more than I should.’

‘Okay. So it shows that you care for each other,’ Tash said diplomatically. ‘Why? What did Finn say?’

‘First, he apologised for his behaviour then he tried to kiss me. I don’t know, maybe I gave him the wrong idea. I was only trying to be supportive. Then when I didn’t kiss him back, he asked if it was because of Jack. And I thought maybe you’d said something to him, but then Melissa all but said ‘Hands off my man’ to me this morning at work.’

‘Ooh, that sounds juicy. Tell me more.’

Pippa raised her free hand in a helpless gesture.

‘I was trying to make conversation and I asked how her fashion business was going. The next thing I know she’s leaning over me saying I might have got my grubby hands on Aaron Janssen, but that Jack was hers.’

‘Wow,’ Tash breathed. ‘I can’t wait to meet this Melissa. Was Jack around?’

‘No, he was in his office. But then he came out and...’ Pippa frowned at the ground, rereading the Entries and Declarations notebook in her mind.

‘And? Come on, Pip. Your life is better than
EastEnders
. What happened next?’

‘He gave me the entries like he usually did, then I think I must have still looked quite – I don’t know, shaken? Shocked? – because he took the notebook back, said he’d forgotten something and wrote ‘
Chin up. A.V. still loves you
’ on it and passed it back to me.’

‘A.V.? What’s that? I get that on my telly when I want to watch a DVD.’

‘Aspen Valley, I should think.’

‘Wow. You serious?’

‘Yeah,’ Pippa sighed.

‘Bloody hell, Jack’s got it bad. You sure he didn’t write J.C., not A.V.?’

‘What do I do?’

‘Doesn’t sound like much you can do. Although steer clear of Melissa, that’s one piece of advice I can give you.’

‘The sooner the season is over the better, I think.’

‘When does that happen?’

‘About six weeks’ time. It’s the National soon as well. Are you going to be able to make it? I know Aintree’s quite far, but it’ll be massive. I had to book hotel accommodation for everyone today. Jack’s letting me have Friday afternoon and Saturday off so I can enjoy it all.’

‘How soon, sweets?’

‘Three weeks on Saturday.’

‘Count me in, although I won’t be able to make Friday night. It’d be pointless trying to get there in London traffic. How are you travelling?’

‘I don’t know. Car, I guess.’

‘What if I drive up and you get the train or go with Jack or something then both of us can go back in my car to your cottage afterwards to celebrate Peace Offering’s success? And you can get as tonked as you like since you won’t be driving.’

Pippa laughed.

‘I think he’s about a hundred-to-one at the moment, but that sounds like a plan. The staircase has been replaced, you’ll be glad to hear.’

‘Good stuff. I’ll get my bets on now. Is Finn riding?’

‘I hope so.’

‘Hmm. Me too,’ Tash murmured. ‘Anyway, sweets. I’m at the till now. I’ve got to pay for all this food. You can tell me off later for buying a whole cheesecake. I tell you what, I have no idea where the last one got to. It just seemed to disappear.’

‘Oh, dear. Are you midnight snacking again?’ Pippa giggled.

‘Right, here’s the burning question, Pip: if we weren’t meant to have midnight snacks, why is there a light in the fridge?’

Pippa snorted.

‘So you can see your way down to the wine cellar and drink yourself back to sleep?’

Tash roared in response.

‘Good call. If I become an alcoholic, I’ll blame Whirlpool. Anyway, gotta go. Speak to you later, Pip.’

‘Cheers, Tash.’ Pippa cut the call, still smiling and looked around as Helensvale dimmed in the dusk. Her gaze was caught by the lit window of a nearby bookmaker. It was showing antepost odds for the Grand National. Skylark was joint favourite at eight-to-one with Okay Oklahoma. Peace Offering’s chances were so slim that they weren’t even advertising his price.

Pippa sighed and got to her feet. She also had shopping to do and cheesecake didn’t sound such a bad idea, come to think of it.

F
eeling restless, Pippa closed her book and gazed around her. Her hotel room was small but cleverly furnished, making it feel much more spacious. Opposite the bed where she lay, a large oils of Liverpool’s most famous steeplechase hung on the wall. The splashes of colour from the jockeys’ silks clashed together as the forty-odd horses hurtled over a fence. Pippa stared at one horse crumpling on landing, his hind quarters displayed at an unnatural angle whilst his head disappeared into the turf. His jockey lay curled beside him, his knees drawn up and arms held protectively over his head, waiting for the other thirty-nine horses to land upon them.

Pippa gulped. The outstretched hooves of the horses in mid-flight looked certain to end it all for the stricken pair. The balled-up jockey became Finn in her eyes and Peace Offering, the horse. What if they met the same fate tomorrow? What if one of them was killed? Would she hold herself responsible?

‘Of course you would,’ she said with a sigh and tore her eyes guiltily away from the painting. She hoisted herself off the bed and slipped on her shoes. She was due to meet Jack in a quarter of an hour for pre-dinner drinks and if she left herself in her own company for much longer Peace Offering would end up scratched from the Grand National.

Maybe having Finn in the next room was a good thing, she thought, picking up her handbag and making for the door. She didn’t know how she was going to cope with her nerves at the same time as have dinner with Jack and Melissa. Finn was off the carbs and the booze, frantically trying to get down to the featherweight the handicapper had allocated him and Peace Offering, so his minibar was bound to be full.

She let herself out into the warmly-lit hallway, tempted to tip-toe amidst its tranquillity. Her mobile buzzed as she reached Finn’s door and she dipped into her bag before knocking. There was a text message from Tash.

So sorry, Pip. Can’t make tomorrow. Stupid fucking CEO has got us pitching for big deal so noses are at grindstone all weekend. Working right now even. Very best of luck tomorrow. I know you can do it. Wish I was there to share the experience. T xxx

Pippa groaned and leaned against the doorframe. Of all times for Tash’s boss to cancel their weekend, it had to be this one. The one when she most needed her friend’s support. She took a deep breath before replying to the message. Acting whiney like she felt wasn’t going to help anyone and Tash didn’t exactly sound thrilled either.

As her thumbs skittered over her phone’s keypad she became aware of movement on the other side of the door. At least Finn was in. She smiled as his Irish accent became more distinguishable through the partition. Judging by the one-sided conversation he was having, she guessed he must be on the phone.

No worries, Tash. Sorry you can’t make it. Am about to raid Finn’s minibar before dinner

She paused mid-sentence as the tone of Finn’s voice became clearer. She frowned at the door, but looked away again, trying not to listen in on his conversation. He was moving about the room, sounding even more restless than she and now, with his voice almost perfectly audible, he must be right by the door as well.

‘Calm yourself, Cara. Screaming like a banshee at me is not doing any good,’ he said. ‘Haven’t we done all that was asked of us? There was only so much I could do in the Gold Cup. I kept my end of the bargain.’

Pippa’s eyes widened and despite herself, she leaned closer to the door to hear better, her half-composed text message lying forgotten in her hand.

‘What
about
tomorrow? I couldn’t do it, no.’

Pippa’s chest contracted, squeezing all the air out of her lungs as the seriousness of what she was overhearing dawned on her.

‘Look, if they couldn’t fix the Gold Cup then they’ve no chance fixing the National. This race is a lottery to begin with. I couldn’t do that to Pippa anyway.’

At the mention of her name, her phone slid out of her hand. She grimaced as it bounced off the door. The ensuing pause from Finn sent a flash flood of panic gushing through her. She hastily bent down to retrieve the phone and do a runner.

‘Shit,’ she mouthed as her unzipped handbag upended half its contents onto the carpet. Footsteps on the other side of the door had her scrambling for random lipsticks and petrol receipts. The door opened as she sprang away back to her room. She gasped as his fingers fastened around her wrist.

Finn’s eyes flashed.

‘How long have you been standing there?’

Recognising the fear in his eyes made Pippa even more flustered.

‘Not long at all, I promise. I –’

‘How much did you hear?’

Pippa gaped as his grip tightened on her wrist.

‘How much did you
hear
?’ he snarled.

Tears filled her eyes as her fear was replaced with sadness.