Page 32 of So This is Christmas

JENNIE

‘I wonder why we’re meeting here?’ Nick was standing with Jennie at the entrance to the Prater, the amusement park where the giant Ferris wheel stood.

‘It’s where Walter told us to come. Maybe he wants to look in the museum.’

‘Bit late in the day for that,’ said Nick.

‘True.’ And Walter had looked in the museum before with her and Greta. Really it was an exhibition rather than a museum. With eight cabins much like those on the Ferris wheel, the exhibition showcased the city’s history and stories about the amusement park.

She pulled her hat down over her dark, curly hair, covering her ears as a bite of cold tried to attack any piece of exposed skin. ‘Sophie is good company for him.’

‘She is.’ And Nick looked at her more carefully. ‘You seem to have warmed to her quite a bit.’

She smiled. ‘I’m being open-minded, like your mum would’ve been.’

Sophie was a good listener, too. Jennie had felt so much better after they’d talked.

Sophie hadn’t looked at her like she was a terrible person when she divulged the truth about Donovan; she’d been patient, let Jennie talk about her childhood, the things she and her brother had got up to, the happy times as well as the sad.

It really felt like Sophie might be becoming a good friend and it was nice.

She looked up at Nick and grinned. ‘Talking of Sophie, I’ve seen the way you look at her.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘You like her.’

He blew into his gloved hands to warm them up a bit more, but he didn’t deny it. ‘She’s different.’

‘Different how? She’s female, she has blonde hair and I know you go for blondes, so what’s different about her?’

He paused for a beat and his honesty took her by surprise. ‘She’s interesting, she’s confident without being too much, she’s friendly and polite, she has a lovely laugh… What, why are you laughing?’

‘I have never heard you go on about a woman this much, not even your ex-wife!’

‘Oh come on, that’s not true.’

‘It is! You’ve got it bad.’

She knew he really did have it bad when he kept on talking. ‘She also has this compassion, a way of listening to everyone else. The way she came here to tell Mum about Bea says a lot about her.’

‘I would tend to agree,’ said Jennie.

‘Then the way she volunteered to take Dad to his appointment, the way she talks with Dad even though they’ve not known each other long, and she’s pitching in with knitting the teddies. Dad didn’t ask her to, she offered.’

Jennie didn’t get much of a chance to respond to what Nick was saying because Walter and Sophie were approaching. She raised her arm in the air to wave and when they came over Jennie hugged each of them hello.

‘Are you going to tell us what we’re doing here, Dad?’ Nick asked after they’d all said a proper hello. Jennie wouldn’t have minded betting that Nick wanted to hug Sophie the way she had.

Unsure of himself, Walter’s arm remained hooked through Sophie’s. Jennie would’ve hated seeing that when Sophie was first on the scene but now that she trusted her it felt natural.

‘You’ll see,’ said Walter before walking away, leaving Jennie and Nick no choice but to follow after him to find out what was going on.

When they stopped at the queue to buy tickets for the enormous Ferris wheel, the Wiener Riesenrad, Jennie’s mouth fell open. ‘Greta could never get you on this thing!’ she claimed before looking at Sophie. ‘Don’t tell me you’ve talked him into it.’

‘He talked himself into it,’ said Sophie.

Nick was even more impressed with her now judging by the way he was looking at her.

As they waited in line, Sophie told them that they’d been to collect Walter’s glasses and on the way back they’d seen a beautiful painting of the big wheel in a shop window.

‘It made me think of Greta,’ said Walter, ‘and it’s my biggest regret that I didn’t go on this thing for her one more time.

’ Misty-eyed, he looked up at the wheel rotating slowly, high up in the air above this city Greta had adored.

‘I’ve never been good with heights. I went on this Ferris wheel once to win her heart, but I haven’t been able to manage it since. ’

Jennie hugged him. ‘Greta understood.’

‘I didn’t know Greta,’ said Sophie, ‘but I suspect Jennie’s right. Now don’t talk yourself out of it.’

With their tickets in hand Walter said, ‘I just hope Greta is somewhere up there watching over me to see this.’

Jennie didn’t miss Nick’s attention falling to Sophie as they made their way closer to the wheel.

Sophie seemed to be able to look at him just fine, but her?

She seemed wary all of a sudden, a bit aloof, which was kind of the way Jennie had been with her when she first showed up in Vienna. It didn’t make sense.

‘I saw another big wheel the other day,’ Sophie said to Nick, ‘I can’t remember where it was now.’

‘The other one was probably the wheel at the Rathausplatz,’ he told her.

‘That’s the town hall, right? The place next to a park with a tree of hearts.’

‘Correct.’ He beamed a smile in Sophie’s direction.

Jennie would let Nick answer Sophie’s questions while she took Walter’s arm.

‘What did you think of the tree at the Rathausplatz?’ Nick asked Sophie.

‘It was amazing. So tall.’

Jennie had seen this year’s thirty-four-metre, eighty-year-old spruce put in place before it was covered in lights and baubles. Sophie was right, it was amazing.

‘I’d assumed it was the town hall we were going to tonight,’ said Sophie. ‘When Walter explained where this place was though, I realised we weren’t, and we mapped out our route before jumping on the train.’

Nick leaned closer to Sophie and whispered, although not so softly that Jennie couldn’t hear, ‘No way would you have got him on the other wheel – this one tonight has a history for him and it’s permanent so far more sturdy.’

Sophie let out a laugh but she was quick to turn her attention to Walter who was starting to fuss with nerves. ‘Tell me about the history of the Wiener Riesenrad,’ Sophie suggested to him. ‘Bea talked about it a bit over the years, she told me how she and Greta had been on it as teenagers.’

‘Good distraction technique,’ Jennie whispered to Nick. She had to hand it to Sophie – she was good with people and great with Walter. To even get him to come here at all was a feat in itself.

‘For over a century, this giant Ferris wheel has been a part of Vienna’s landscape,’ Walter told Sophie.

He might not be one for heights but he loved to talk about the city his late wife loved so very much and he’d come to love too.

All of it made him feel closer to his Greta.

‘It was built in the late 1800s, saved from demolition around 1916, if my memory serves me right. I read about it but also Greta talked about its history often, especially when she saw it again for the first time in years. I think it burned down once in the forties but was soon back in operation to illuminate the skies.’ He looked up, his mood different, less apprehensive, more appreciative now he was talking about it rather than just thinking about getting aboard.

‘Let me tell you about the famous stunt involving a horse.’

‘A horse?’ Sophie was all ears as he recounted what he knew about a horse that had stood on the roof of one of the cars as the wheel rotated.

‘That sounds… amazing, terrifying,’ Sophie replied. ‘How tall is it?’

‘Over 200 feet, I believe,’ he said. The queue had been slowly edging up as they talked and now it was time for them to get into one of the wagons. The wagons each held up to fifteen people and would turn for around a quarter of an hour per ride.

Once inside, Walter beamed a smile at all three of them. ‘I’m here, I’m on it. I don’t believe it.’

Nick put an arm around his dad’s shoulders. ‘You’re excited, and so you should be. I’m proud of you.’

They sat together in a row of four, Sophie next to Nick.

When Nick pointed in the direction of the Danube so Sophie would know when to expect it, Jennie whispered to Walter, ‘I think he likes her,’ with a nod in his son’s direction.

Walter looked even happier at the prospect of someone new for Nick. Jennie was pretty sure he hadn’t mentioned anyone let alone brought anyone special home since his divorce.

Once people were on board along with the Wynters, the wheel slowly began to move and it wasn’t long before they were in the air, Vienna spread out below them, its monuments and buildings, its beauty and fascination.

And Jennie didn’t think she’d seen Walter’s face light up quite so much since Greta had passed.

She swallowed down a lump in her throat. This man meant so much to her, more so than her own mother who had taken almost sixteen years to find her, sixteen years to either repeat her accusations or apologise about the awful things she’d once said.

Walter interrupted her thoughts. ‘It’s surprisingly peaceful up here.’

‘It’s beautiful,’ Jennie answered.

When it was time to disembark, the decision was made to head towards a nearby vendor for hot chocolates. Jennie was about to congratulate Sophie for getting Walter not only here but on the big wheel when she saw a familiar face through the crowds.

‘Is that Elliot?’ Nick nudged her.

‘Yes, it is.’

‘Did you tell him you were coming?’

She shook her head and put a smile in place as her boyfriend drew closer. She wanted so badly to be wrapped in his arms, but he knew so little about her, she didn’t deserve it.

‘I didn’t expect to see you.’ His breath came out in wisps of cold as his eyes darted to the people she was with. ‘Hello again,’ he said to Walter and shook his hand before doing the same with Nick.

Jennie introduced Sophie before Nick pointed to the hot chocolate stall and he, Walter and Sophie left Jennie alone with Elliot.

‘It’s good to see you.’ When the others were out of sight Elliot kissed her properly, full on the lips.

It was warm, it felt right, and she just felt terrible.

She’d told him her mother was dead. She hadn’t told him anything about the circumstances of her leaving home and now Sophie knew, she felt even worse about keeping the truth from him.

She let herself be wrapped in a hug she didn’t want to end. ‘It’s really good to see you too.’

‘It’s a busy time of year at the hotel.’ He looked down at her, one hand hooking her hair behind her ear as the wind took a strand across her face.

‘I’m sorry I’ve not been more available.’ She had been busy on purpose, citing work as the reason, and all because of her cowardice.

He didn’t get the chance to say much more because a young girl with a brightly coloured bobble hat came barrelling over and grabbed Elliot’s arm with gloved hands in wool that matched her hat.

He scooped the little girl up into his arms. ‘Jennie, I’d like you to meet Remi. My niece.’

‘Your niece?’ The little girl put her arms around Elliot’s neck like she wasn’t going to go anywhere without knowing who this lady was.

‘My brother is visiting from Scotland.’

‘I didn’t realise he was coming.’

‘It was a total surprise. He’s only here for two more days, but I’d love for you to meet him.’

‘That would be nice,’ she said. But how could she meet his brother? She’d kept so much from Elliot and they had to work through it before things got any more serious. ‘I’d better go, I should find the others.’

‘Would tomorrow lunchtime work for you?’ At her glazed look he added, ‘To meet Alasdair.’

She smiled. ‘Sure.’

Elliot focused on Remi, ‘Now, did you run away from your dad again?’

Remi nodded, one hand on either side of Elliot’s face.

‘You can’t do that, you know. Not with these crowds.’ Sure enough his phone rang and he pulled it out with one hand. ‘Yes, I’ve got her. Okay, give us ten minutes, we’ll come to you.’ And with a smile he hung up. ‘You could come and say a quick hello to Alasdair now?’

‘I’d love to, but we’re getting hot chocolates and walking home. We got Walter on the wheel.’

His forehead lifted in surprise. ‘You did? That’s amazing.’

‘Surprising, too. I’d better go. Lovely to meet you, Remi.’

‘I’ll call you.’ Elliot hoisted the little girl up onto his shoulders to her squeals of delight.

Jennie smiled, waved and then disappeared into the throng.

Already she knew that come tomorrow she would be making up an excuse or inventing a disaster at work.

She really wanted to meet his family, but the deeper she got in this the worse it was going to be when she told Elliot everything and he decided he no longer wanted to be with her.

It was better that none of them knew her if that was going to happen.