Page 57 of A Season in the Snow
‘No, not as bad, when it isn’t your fault.’
‘Redundancy?’
‘Redundancysituation, thank you, and I couldn’t cope with the transition. Have you been taking care of yourself?’
Alice thought of the junk food and the lack of daylight and the personal hygiene failings before coming to Switzerland. She laughed. ‘No.’
‘Hmm.’ Vanessa frowned at her, but didn’t push it any further for now. ‘Well, I hope being here for the winter will help, even if it can’t heal, okay?’
Alice nodded, keen to change the topic for now. ‘Tell me about your new job.’
‘Oh, it’sgreat,’ Vanessa enthused, stretching out her legs and wriggling her toes. Beside the sofa, where he lay near his new friend Vanessa, Bear looked up to check if he should come over and chew her feet. He decided against it and lay down again with a contented sigh. ‘I was worried I wouldn’t get such a good tour guide job again, and although this one means I’m away from home almost all the time, it’s a really fun tour, with the added bonus of having a wonderful old friend waiting for me on my weekends off.’
‘How have your guests been so far?’
‘Really lovely. You can’t imagine a happier group of people than those who have come on holiday to celebrate chocolate and cheese.’
‘Thatisthe dream combo. Do you remember our tour guide for the Bolivian salt flats?’ Alice surprised herself by bringing up this memory.
‘Of course.’ Vanessa chuckled. ‘He was always telling Jill she was “sweet like chocolate” and she gave him an educational about how chocolate wasn’t naturally sweet, and neither was she, and if he didn’t stop objectifying her she would give him a taste of just how bitter she could be.’
‘All while holding up a piece of paper with his head office phone number on.’
‘She was so great,’ Vanessa laughed.
‘She was.’ They sat in silence for a moment while Alice drank her coffee and thought about the good times with Jill and Vanessa in South America, and Vanessa seemed to be doing the same.
‘So you’ve met my winter neighbours,’ Vanessa commented.
‘I have; they’ve been very welcoming. They’ve been looking forward to seeing you, though, I think they were all a little disappointed to find me behind the door.’
‘I don’t think that’s true,’ Vanessa replied, and drained the last of her drink. ‘What do you think of Marco? He’s nice, right?’
‘He’s really nice. He’s the first one I met, actually, because he came over to see you. Did you know he and Noah used to have Bernese Mountain Dogs growing up?’
‘Oh yeah, I think I knew that.’
‘They’ve all been so kind, the brothers, David, and Lola’s really cool.’
Vanessa nodded. ‘She’s so cool, I really like her.’
‘They’ve had me over for dinner, and they took me to the hot springs earlier in the week.’
‘Ahh, you went to Lola’s friend’s hotel? I’m so glad. Did you like it?’
‘I loved it, it was . . . ’ she thought about Lola’s words, back when they were nose-deep in the warm water. ‘It was just what I needed. I think they’d like to hang out with you tonight, if you want to?’
Vanessa shook her head. ‘I’ll go over for a coffee later, or maybe we can all have brunch together. I see those guys every six months. Tonight I want to catch up with you, over wine, and talk about the last ten years. Everything we haven’t fitted into emails.’
That was nice. Alice propped her feet under her, mirroring Vanessa. ‘Thank you again for letting me stay in your house.’
‘Thankyou. You’re doing me a favour, like I said before. I hope you’re making yourself at home?’
‘I am, sort of. I’m getting there. I learned how to chop wood.’
‘Why?’ Vanessa laughed.
‘For the wood burner.’
