Read Online Keeping the Peace by Hannah Hooton - Free Book Online Page B

five minutes earlier had been from an owner and she had put them through to Jack’s extension. Was that so wrong?
    ‘Yes?’ Pippa popped her head round the door.
    ‘We need to have a chat.’
    Oh, God, was he firing her already? She gulped before straightening her shoulders and walking in.
    Jack nodded to the visitor’s chair.
    ‘We need to chat about a few things. Your job here for starters, Peace Offering, and how we’re going to sort out the financial side of everything.’
    Pippa’s thundering heart eased. She still had a job.
    ‘Okay.’
    ‘I’ve got a couple of runners at Wincanton this afternoon so I’m going to be out until about five or six. Your working hours are until five so you don’t have to wait for me to get back.’
    ‘Okay.’
    ‘You’ll be expected to work Saturdays as well.’ Jack paused for reaction, but Pippa just nodded. She wasn’t particularly bothered about work encroaching on her weekends. Waitressing had taught her this. ‘Gemma was in the middle of organising Aspen Valley’s Open Day before she went AWOL, so that will be one big thing you’ll need to take over. We’ll be having the public, the media, present and potential owners all milling around looking at the horses Tuesday after next. You’ll need to organise some sort of catering. Given your background in waitressing, I’m sure you won’t have too much of a problem with that.’
    Pippa briefly flashbacked to the vegetarian lasagne man at Vivace’s and concluded that was an incident best kept to herself.
    Jack tapped his pen on his desk, frowning and Pippa could see him considering the forthcoming season, not as an exciting adventure like it was for her, but as serious business manoeuvres, battle plans almost.
    ‘The closer we get to Christmas, the busier we are going to become,’ he continued. ‘It’s the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day where Virtuoso is due to run, so there is going to be huge pressure in the run-up. The media are going to be looking for comments and quotes so keep your mouth shut.’
    Pippa pouted.
    ‘Hey, that’s a bit unfair.’
    ‘Keep your mouth shut,’ he repeated. ‘Whether you know something or you don’t, if the press get hold of it, it’ll get whipped into a frenzy and rumours spread like wildfire. It’s also the Christmas Hurdle and the name on everyone’s lips will be Black Russian.’
    ‘Black Russian? I entered him in a race this morning, didn’t I?’
    ‘No, you declared him in a race – or I hope you did, anyway. He’s running tomorrow in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle.’
    He closed his eyes for a moment and Pippa imagined him praying she had done the correct procedure.
    ‘When you get phone calls for me when I’m in the office, tell them you’ll see if I’m available first before putting them through. Some of their requests can be dealt with by you. Owners want to come see their horses. As long as it isn’t in the morning or evening when they’re being fed, they’re welcome to come round. A lot of other calls will be from jockeys’ agents wanting to know what we have running.’ He paused and wagged his pen towards her to amplify the importance of what he was saying. ‘First and foremost, we already have two stable jockeys. Rhys Bradford is number one, Finn O’Donaghue is number two. If we have horses running at three different venues or more than two horses in one race, we look for other jockeys. And, unless under the owner’s insistence, these two jockeys will always get first pick. Understood?’
    ‘I think I can handle it so far.’ Pippa struggled to keep her voice polite in response to his patronising tone.
    ‘Now...’ Jack exhaled and placed his hands wide on the edge of his desk. ‘About Peace Offering. What is this farcical you’ve got going about him running in the National?’
    Pippa lifted her chin.
    ‘I was going through Uncle Dave’s stuff and I came across something which suggested he wanted to enter him.’
    ‘Suggested?