Page 108 of The Chalet Girl

‘Hey, I was thinking it would be nice to go out for dinner tomorrow night?’ Tristan said, still lying on the floor as he heard Emme lather herself up.

‘Really?’ she said, delighted.

Out. Like a couple. No secret sex trysts in the middle of the day. ‘Before my flight.’

Her heart sank. She really didn’t want him to go. She didn’t want to be in Kristalldorf without his distraction. And then her heart sank even further when she remembered.

‘I have to babysit tomorrow night. It’s Lexy and Bill’s wedding anniversary.’

‘Can’t they get another sitter?’ Tristan asked, getting up off the floor and poking his head around the bathroom door.

‘They already pay me for this kind of stuff.’

‘I’ll pay them double to find someone else.’

‘I don’t think that’ll go down very well, do you?’

All week Lexy Harrington had done everything she could to add chores to Emme’s burgeoning list.

‘Can you take Bella for a haircut before dinner?’

‘Harry wants someone to watch his taekwondo training this week– I’d like you to do it.’

‘Can you pop to Bloch to pick up some ballet shoes?’ Popping to Bloch was a three-hour round trip.

Emme hadn’t been asked to do these things until now. It was as if Lexy wastryingto keep Emme away from Tristan.

It was 12 December tomorrow, there was no way she could get out of looking after the children while the most tense couple in Kristalldorf went out to celebrate their wedding anniversary.

Tristan looked at her in the shower, to check she was serious about not going out.

‘But I’m going to miss you…’ he said, admiring Emme’s peachy ass.

‘Sorry, I just can’t. Lexy’s busting my balls. Why don’t we go for breakfast Saturday morning instead, before your flight?’

Tristan conceded, watching Emme as she continued to teasingly lather herself up. Seeing the way Tristan looked at her made her feel more radiant, more irresistible, than she’d ever felt in her life.

Chapter Sixty-One

It had been almost a week since the Kivvi Christingle and Cat hadn’t received a single word from Anastasia. No apology for causing a scene that resulted in a heap of smashed chocolate mousse and glass all over the party she was catering. No apology for publicly telling the world she had slept with Tristan Du Kok when they had talked about it in bed and Anastasia had said it was nothing. No apology for pretending she’d never met Cat, and blanking her from just one metre away. Not even a compliment on the exceptional menu she’d crafted.

Cat heard on the grapevine that Anastasia Steinherr Diamandis had fled town and checked herself into rehab, but no one seemed to know where she was or when she was coming back.

Cat was still thinking about her when she took the elevator up to Chalet Edelweiss, armed with a bag of groceries. She planned a comforting goulash dinner for whoever was around this evening– the tender paprika scents of cooking could lift the saddest of spirits– and she needed the balm of something this evening. Cat and Emme had exchanged texts but Cat had wanted to lie low all week, such was her disappointment and personal shame.

As Cat walked into the apartment a florist was justleaving, and Gerard was taking delivery of yet another bouquet. There had been a steady stream of floral arrangements in shades of blush, festive mulberry, soft lilac and even a few funereal white ones, which Lumi had raised an artfully threaded eyebrow about and smiled graciously on acceptance. The party hadn’t beenthatdevastating. All the offerings had arrived with handwritten thank-you notes for the Kivvis, and every surface in the chalet was now adorned.

‘And still they send them!’ Cat said, smiling sardonically.

‘Actually Catalina, these are for you,’ Gerard said, with a raised eyebrow of his own as he proffered the bouquet.

‘Oh,’ Cat said, silenced as she took the beautiful hand-tied posy of pink and white avalanche roses, Italian ranunculi and winter hellebores. Cat stopped herself from saying how beautiful they were out loud. ‘Thank you.’

She took the bouquet in its water base and headed through to the kitchen with her groceries. No one ever sent Cat flowers. She placed them on the marble worktop, placed the bags down next to them and took off her coat.

Deep breath.

Cat opened the envelope, read the card, and welled up.