Page 113 of The Chalet Girl

Cat stopped herself.

‘I suppose you don’t want to hear this, ma’am,’ she said.

‘I do Catalina. I think you would be wonderful. I can see it now.’ She threw her cream coat over her shoulders and fluffed up her silver-blonde hair. ‘It’s not easy in this town, but I’m sure between us we’d have the contacts to do some research.’

Cat looked confused.

‘Are you trying to get rid of me, ma’am?’ she joked.

Lumi laughed.

‘Goodness no, but I am not one to clip a young person’s wings.’

Cat smiled gratefully. She’d never considered it as a real possibility. She didn’t have the finance for starters. Where would she begin? But Lumi’s faith lifted her spirits. There was more to life than a dead relationship.

‘Have a lovely afternoon snowboarding Catalina. And ifI am back for dinner, I would love some of that Argentinian goulash, if there are any leftovers?’

‘There are, Mrs Kivvi.’

With that, Lumi waltzed out, and Cat decided to hit the mountains. She hadn’t been snowboarding all week, and she just knew that when she was flying, through powder and air, all the tension built in her shoulders would be left in the tracks behind her. Besides, she had a restaurant to think about. If Lumi could envisage it, then why couldn’t Cat?

Chapter Sixty-Five

‘Tristan, wait!’

Tristan stood under the rotors of the helicopter and Emme ran to him.

‘I’m so sorry!’ she said, as she reached his solid, sturdy body, and jumped into his embrace.

He picked her up and kissed her as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Lexy Harrington had decided this morning would be the perfect opportunity to go to seeIt’s A Wonderful Lifeat the Kristalldorf Picturehouse, with Bill and without the kids. ‘You can watch them and fix some pancakes, can’t you Emme?’ she had said, icily, as she left, clutching her husband’s hand. Bill looked like he didn’t want to do much more than read the paper, but he had been told.

Emme’s farewell brunch with Tristan had been scuppered. There would be no public dining experience for them, no first outing as a couple. No goodbye sex on the penthouse floor of Vitreum.

She had texted him frantically, asking if he could delay his chopper, but he had limited time to get to Zurich airport in time for his first-class seat to Cape Town. Even Tristan couldn’t bend the timetables of aviation for sex.

‘You made it!’ he said, squeezing her tight. ‘I’m going to miss you so much.’

‘Do you know when you’ll be back?’ Emme asked, as he put her down and held her face.

‘Sir,wir müssen wirklich los!’ said the helicopter pilot, flicking switches and making his final checks.

Tristan, holding a large black Prada holdall, looked remorsefully at Emme.

‘Next weekend, I hope. I’ll let you know.’

‘OK, go carefully,’ she said, feeling overcome with the reality that she was going to miss him so much.

‘I’ll give Yolanda your best,’ Tristan smiled. ‘She wants to meet you!’

‘Really?’ Emme said, beaming. ‘Well I’d love to meet her.’

She felt a million dollars as she kissed him goodbye.

‘I’ll be in touch from Cape Town,’ he said with one final, passionate kiss, before he walked away with a wave. He put on his aviator shades, turned back, and beamed.

Chapter Sixty-Six