Page 26 of So This is Christmas

SOPHIE

Sophie found herself getting nervous when she reached the Wynters’ apartment. She wasn’t family, she wasn’t close to Walter. Was she trying to muscle in? Had she got so desperate for family that she was trying to slot herself into someone else’s?

The thought had her thinking that Jennie might be right to be wary of her. Perhaps she would be too if their situations were reversed.

Her feelings of doubt soon dissipated when she was greeted by a smiling Walter, ready to go when she reached his front door after he buzzed her in.

He locked the door behind him and popped his key into one of the many pockets of his dark brown padded jacket.

He didn’t want to take her arm as they went down the stairs – the banister was apparently safer.

But out at street level, after he pulled his hat down a bit further over his ears, he didn’t hesitate to hook his arm into hers.

‘Would you look at that sky,’ he said as they emerged into one of the sunniest days in Vienna since she’d arrived. ‘Are you sure you don’t mind doing this, Sophie? I hate being a bother.’

‘You’re no bother. Plus it means I get a chance to explore even more of Vienna.’

He looked doubtful. ‘I don’t think an optician’s is high on a tourist’s wish list.’

‘I bet we’ll see plenty of interest on the way. Now, are you going to give directions or should I get my map out?’

‘Well, it is good for the brain’s hippocampus to read a map but I think it’s also good to use one’s memory, so I’ll do that. To the end of the street.’

She smiled. ‘Off we go.’

At work they’d encouraged residents to join them on day trips or go for a walk around the gardens which weren’t big, but even a mere ten or fifteen minutes of fresh air surrounded by nature was helpful.

Bea had loved going on an outing or sitting by the open window in the warmer weather, and Sophie was glad she could do this and help Walter get outside.

She might not know him all that well but she still hated to think of him cooped up in his apartment the older he got.

She wondered whether he’d see it Jennie and Nick’s way eventually and accept that having a home help might well be a good thing for him.

As Sophie had suspected, they passed plenty of things that took her interest from the local architecture – a mix of modern and baroque styles, some even Gothic – to two lesser-known Christmas markets that hadn’t been listed on the main tourist trail Sophie had got hold of from a website.

The walk took them twice as long as it should have but they’d left so early it wasn’t a problem, and she was pretty sure Walter hadn’t taken one wrong turn, unless he’d seamlessly covered up his mistakes.

By the time they left the optician’s the day had already begun to draw in, the temperature felt like it was falling, and the lights around the city were starting to show their magic.

‘It drives the kids crazy that I don’t have a spare pair of glasses,’ he told Sophie as they retraced their steps back towards Wieden and his apartment.

‘Good job you requested a spare pair today, then.’ She’d remembered to remind him right before he went into the appointment.

‘Five days until the new glasses are ready,’ he said. ‘I only hope this Sellotape lasts until then.’

‘I’m sure it will. The lens looks pretty firmly in place to me.’

Walter passed on Jennie’s contact details so that Sophie could message her and let her know the outcome of the appointment and that it was roughly a five-day turnaround.

When they reached the steps to Walter’s building, Sophie let him know that she’d see him safely up to his apartment and then she would head off.

‘Where are you going?’ he asked.

‘Walter, dinner isn’t for ages. I’m sure you don’t want me getting in your way.’

They went up the steps and he lifted his key to slot into the lock on the main door. ‘Whatever are you on about? We have comfort teddies to work on. If you still want to.’

‘Are you sure you want to do it today? You don’t need a rest?’

‘I’m quite sure.’

She beamed a smile and followed him inside. ‘In that case, I’d love to stay. It’s so cold, I’m not sure I’m up for more wandering about.’

‘Hot chocolates when we get upstairs. We’ll work on the teddies and then dinner.’ But he stopped and turned midway up the first flight. ‘Am I taking advantage?’

‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ She gestured for him to keep walking. ‘I’d let you know if you were.’

She was looking forward to dinner and not at all sorry she had some company today.

She wasn’t sure about being in Jennie’s company more than she had to be but she couldn’t deny she was looking forward to seeing Nick later.

Nick, who was handsome but acted in a way that suggested he didn’t know it.

Walter had dropped plenty of hints about his son too.

On their walk he’d told her how Nick was single, how it would be lovely to see him meet someone and settle down.

Walter really had taken over from where Bea and Greta left off.

‘May I ask why you never take the lift, Walter?’ she asked when they reached the third floor.

‘I got stuck in it once. Never again. And it’s good for me to do the stairs.’

‘Can’t argue with that.’

‘I forgot to check whether you eat Wiener schnitzel,’ he said once they were inside the apartment.

She pulled a face. ‘I suppose I should ask what it is before I say yes.’

He was still laughing as he reached the kitchen, ready to organise mugs of hot chocolate.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Nick arrived for dinner first. He came through to the kitchen with Walter who was updating him on the optician’s appointment.

He smiled a hello over at Sophie who was busy coating pork in eggs, flour and breadcrumbs.

According to Walter, Wiener schnitzel was traditionally made with veal but he and Greta preferred to make it this way.

‘He’s got you working hard, I see.’ Nick already looked relaxed – he’d swapped the suit she’d seen him in both times they’d met for a cashmere jumper with dark rinse jeans.

‘I’ve got a job for you too,’ said Walter, leading his son out of the kitchen before Sophie could respond. Nick made a face Sophie’s way as if to suggest he might be wondering what he was in for.

When Walter came back to join her he informed her that Nick was getting a fire going in the lounge. He looked over her shoulder at the schnitzels she’d made. ‘Those look wonderful.’

‘Thank you.’

The phone rang and Walter excused himself. Nick came back in as Sophie was at the sink washing the sticky residue of eggs, flour and breadcrumbs off her hands.

‘Thanks again for taking him to the appointment today,’ he said. ‘Jennie appreciated it as well.’

She didn’t acknowledge the reference to Jennie. ‘Not a problem. Your dad is good company.’ She was looking for a tea towel to dry her hands on and Nick located it on the rail to the side of a cabinet and passed it to her.

‘Thanks for getting him to order a spare pair of glasses with the new prescription too. He’s a stickler for not wasting money but he really does need a backup pair.’

‘He does. I don’t think Sellotape is all that reliable.’

Nick grinned. ‘He actually did a good job for a temporary fix.’

Walter came through. ‘That was Jennie on the phone – she’s held up at the hotel and says not to wait for her in case she can’t get here for a while.’ He shook his head. ‘You both work too hard.’

‘So did you at my age, Dad.’ A roll of his eyes in Sophie’s direction suggested Walter might have launched this criticism before.

‘You should take a leaf out of Sophie’s book,’ Walter suggested. ‘She’s taking a few weeks in another country, a complete break. When did you last do that, son?’

By the expression on Nick’s face Sophie could only deduce that this conversation was now taking a familiar route.

She felt a bit uncomfortable that they thought she was taking time off when she’d been fired, but that information wasn’t something she wanted to share.

It was hardly an accomplishment to be proud of.

As Nick sliced the lemons to squeeze over the schnitzel and Sophie prepared a side salad, Walter told Nick, ‘Sophie brought me a comfort teddy and we’ve started to make more.’

Nick put down the knife and looked across at Sophie. ‘I can’t believe he’s roped you into that… Talk about slave labour.’

‘It’s fine, I enjoy making them. I’m not fast by any means, but we may be able to add a few more teddies to the collection.’

Nick hadn’t looked away. ‘It’s really nice of you to help.’

She felt all fingers and thumbs because of the way he was watching her – not the way Jennie might scrutinise her actions but rather as if he were trying to know her more than he already did.

‘Do you have salad servers?’ Her high pitch almost gave away her nerves.

He took a moment to get to the task but then found them in the utensils drawer and put them into the salad bowl. His arm brushed against hers as he did it and she hoped he didn’t see how nervous she was with him close by.

‘Why don’t we go and enjoy the fire for a bit?’ Walter suggested. ‘We won’t leave it too long to start cooking but we can wait a while in case Jennie can make it.’

Sophie picked up her glass of water and after a You first , no you first with Nick as they both tried to pass through the kitchen door at the same time, she headed for the lounge.