1. Maggie #2
“I know that, Mags, I do. But I can’t afford to buy more horses than I already have.
You’ve been out of college for a couple of months and did amazing on your intercollegiate team, but you can’t keep working for me the rest of your life.
I want more for you, and I am trying to take the steps to help you move up in your career.
” My dad looked exhausted. There was no need to argue, but I was scared to leave him alone, and I especially didn’t want to work for Jack.
I was a two-goal player with plenty of connections.
“Dad, I am grateful for everything you do for me, truly. I completely understand that you can’t buy me a whole string of polo horses—I would never expect that.
You need to keep your string for yourself to play for your patrons.
I’m going to make my way. I’m not going to stop grooming for you just to do the same thing for someone else. ”
My goal of becoming a renowned player required expensive startup costs.
To be a professional polo player, you needed at least seven well-trained horses—and unless you were spending years training them yourself, that could mean spending up to fifty thousand dollars on a singular polo pony.
I knew my dad didn’t have the financial resources to support that, but I was capable of creating my own path.
I was already networking and coordinating with players in our home state of Pennsylvania, all the way down to Wellington, Florida, a lucrative polo location in the winter months. Female polo was huge there.
If I could secure sponsors there for the winter, I would be set.
“I already talked to Lenz. He said Jack would appreciate his own groom instead of having to coordinate with his dad’s.”
“You’re setting up jobs for me? Do you want me to leave that badly?”
Dad’s face softened. “Maggie…you know I don’t want you to leave. You can still live here with me. You just have to get out of this hole. The longer you stay with me, the more likely your life will turn out like mine.”
Shit. I wasn’t sure if he was pulling the victim card or if this is how he really felt.
If it was the latter, he had a solid reason to think as such.
Sure, he was a professional player with wealthy patrons who paid him well, but he was also an alcoholic whose wife left him for infidelity to raise his daughter on his own.
It was hard not to feel secondhand remorse for the repercussions of his decisions, and that made me want to stay as his groom for a little while longer.
Plus, he was nearing his fifties. He likely wouldn’t be playing the level of polo he was now in ten years.
“Dad,” I pulled him in for a hug. “You deserve to be happy. There’s nothing in this world stopping you from chasing that goal.”
“I know.” He sighed. “But seeing Jack playing out there today…it made me want to get you out there and have as many opportunities as he has. The Hennickes can give you that.”
And that was it. Nothing more came of the conversation. We stood at the kitchen island, eating our bacon and some raw carrots I pulled out of the refrigerator, a beer in my dad’s hand, and water in my own.
“I’ll take the job,” I finally answered. “Maybe I do have some potential that the Hennickes could help with.”
***
I went out to feed the horses that night with an uneasy stomach.
The fact that I was leaving working for my dad to work for my hookup buddy felt low.
Plus, working for someone the same age as me with a much higher ranking and status bruised my pride a little bit.
We both played intercollegiate polo in college, but he seemed to move up a lot faster than I did. Wealth was funny that way.
The horses whinnied as I emerged from the feed room, balancing four scoops in my arms. Empanada, our beautiful Argentine appendix—a cross between a Quarter Horse and a Thoroughbred—pawed at the floor and shook her head up and down.
I gave her a soft pat on the neck after dumping her grain into her bucket, and she snorted.
She was my favorite—the fastest on the field and the sweetest in the barn.
We’d only had her for about a year, but she was undoubtedly the horse you could do anything with.
“Hey, girl. You like your dinner?” I asked, still rubbing her neck.
I ducked under the chain that kept her in her stall and wrapped my arms around her.
Per usual, she was much more interested in her food than in me.
Her clipped brown fur had the slightest red tint, and her shaved mane was jet black.
Pressing my cheek against her warm coat felt like home.
Horses would always be my first love. From when I was a little girl until now, I had always been drawn back to them.
I grew up riding with both my parents. My dad taught me how to be fast and fierce on the polo field, and my mom taught me how to jump and love on them.
She taught me they could be wild and mistrusting, but they were caring creatures that nurtured the soul.
There was something so calming and serene about spending time in the quiet with my horses.
Like I was in a dimension of eternal bliss. I felt perfectly at peace.
That was, until my phone rang. I didn’t bother looking at the caller ID before answering.
“So I heard you’re working for me now.” It was a deep, cocky voice that I could only match to one person. I scoffed at the gloating in his tone.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m busy right now.”
“Oh, come on, Maggie. You sure you didn’t have ulterior motives for taking your dad up on his offer?”
God, this man could name a country after himself and feel no shame.
“Please,” I scoffed. “That particular detail was a deterrent.”
“Mkay. Whatever you say.” I stayed silent for a moment, questioning if this was the stupidest decision of my entire life. “So, what, are you starting tomorrow?”
“I think we need to establish some rules if I am going to work for you, Jack.”
I wasn’t going to use this job as a way to sleep with him. No way. I had standards, and sleeping with my boss was not on my bucket list.
“Rules…” Jack dragged out the word. “Okay, shoot.”
“First of all, no funny business while we’re working. This is going to be strictly professional.” I kept my tone stern, but he just laughed on the other end of the line.
“Wow, Maggie. That’s a good one. Did you forget what we did in my truck today?” My face turned red. Before today, we never bantered like this. This was not the same Jack from a few years ago.
“Okay, no. I didn’t forget.” He snickered softly through the speaker. “But that’s not happening again if I am going to work for you.”
This could be a pretty solid plan for now.
I wouldn’t let this turn into a permanent thing by any means.
Jack was not the type of person to do anything long-term.
I would work for him for a little while, take advantage of any opportunities he or his father offered to play their horses in tournaments, and try to score a wealthy patron to sponsor me for the winter polo season in Wellington.
“So, you want to wait until after the workday to do our thing?”
“No, Jack. I’m not working for you if those are your intentions.”
“Why?” His tone told me too much.
“I need to know if you can actually be professional before I decide to work for you. Consider it a trial run. One week.”
“Oh, please, Maggie. You think I can’t be professional? I’ll have you know, I have a reputation to uphold for myself.” His tone was slightly defensive, but I wouldn’t let him out of this. I would not take a job being his sidepiece.
“Whatever. One week. Then we’ll see if we can work together.”
“Fine. Deal,” he answered, the smirk in his voice still there.
“Deal.”