Page 62 of A Season in the Snow
Chapter 28
Today, Alice had watched the sun drift all the way across the sky. It had been a long time since she’d spent the whole day outside, the last time being summer in London, oppressively hot and crammed with people jostling for space on every pavement and in every pub garden. It couldn’t have been further removed from the snow-covered Swiss Alps.
Her cheeks were blushed pink with mild sunburn. Her lips had chapped in the cold. Her head thumped from smacking down onto the slopes at speed a few too many times. Her muscles ached with exhaustion. Her hair was a mess. Her tummy growled. She’d experienced every emotion, from embarrassment, annoyance and frustration to pride, but as she and Lola finally arrived back at the chalets late in the afternoon, she was awash with tired relaxation.
‘Are you looking forward to seeing that big Bear?’ Lola asked.
‘Oh yeah.’ Alice laughed. ‘I might fall asleep using his furry tummy as a pillow.’
‘Hey, no sleeping yet, you forget about après-ski.’
‘I don’t think I have the energy to go back out.’
‘Oh God, we’re not going out. The best thing about a day on the slopes is sitting back and looking at the mountain you just conquered with a big mug of mulled wine.’
That did sound tempting. More than tempting.
‘You go on in,’ said Lola. ‘We’re going to make the most of that massive balcony of Vanessa’s. We’ve got a couple of bottles of Glühwein at ours so I’ll go and grab them and come back. You say hi to your doggie and then get all the blankets you can find and take them outside. And no showering – bad hair and stinking socks are all part of the experience.’
Alice hadn’t even opened the door when a freckled snout was trying to crowbar its way through. ‘Hello,’ she said, laughing. When she managed to get the door open and slip inside, Bear turned into a pogo stick, boinging up on his back legs to kiss her face, twirling in circles, running around the living room, his tail wagging, and Alice sank to the ground to get covered in licks and gnaws. How amazing to have someone so pleased to see you after only one day apart. ‘I love you, you funny dog,’ she said.
‘He loves you, a lot,’ said Noah, coming in from the balcony with his laptop under his arm, rolling his shoulders back. ‘That’s one happy puppy.’
Alice stood. ‘Thank you for looking after him today. Was he much trouble?’
‘Are you kidding? I should be thanking you! I got all my writing done, with this view, and in the company of a real dude.’
He sounded so like Marco when he pronounced Americanisms, and Alice smiled. ‘Talking of the view, your wife is on her way back over here for the evening.’
‘Let me guess, she’s bringing the Glühwein?’
‘Spot on! Will you stay and have some? I can make dinner – it’s the least I can do to thank you both.’
At that moment the door opened and in burst Lola holding two bottles of wine, and bobbing behind her were David and Marco. ‘No way are you cooking dinner,’ said Lola. ‘I’ve brought reinforcements.’
‘Hey!’ Marco greeted her with a huge grin and plonked the chips and dips he was carrying down on the side, to wrap her in a big tall hug. He too was clad in salopettes and a base layer that highlighted his toned stomach. His cheeks were slightly sun-pinked also, and he had the faint outline of ski goggles framing his eyes.
Alice could get used to being welcomed home by such happy beings.
David also kissed Alice quickly on the cheek before heading straight to the kitchen to put down the heavy load of cheeses, meats and pastries he was carrying. ‘Skiing is hungry work. We basically brought over our fridge, is that okay?’
‘Sure,’ said Alice, and popped the oven on. Her contribution would be to cook up the whole stack of pizzas she’d bought. Lola was already pouring the mulled wine into a pan, Marco was rolling about with Bear, and Noah had popped back to their house to put his laptop away and grab a few extra blankets.
Alice loaded her arms with the blankets from Vanessa’s living room, and stepped back out into the cold to arrange them across the chairs. She closed the balcony door behind her to keep the heat in, and as the sun dipped behind the mountains, she turned and looked at the warm scene inside the house.Be present, Lola had suggested. So Alice took a moment and let it seep into her soul.
The sky had darkened to a soft navy, the mountains phantoms in the foreground. The five of them lounged on the balcony, warm wine their elixir, calories truly replenished. Bear lay on the wood, his fur ruffling, happy in the cold breeze, snoring gently.
Marco and Alice shared the bench, leaning into each other in companionable silence, sipping from their glasses. Two thick blankets were pulled over both of them, and as they started to slip, Marco pulled them up over Alice’s shoulders and said, ‘Hey guys? Did you realise it’s December in just over a week?’
Noah squeezed Lola, who sat on his lap snuggled into the same chair. ‘Schöni Fäschttäg!’
‘This means “Merry Christmas”,’ Marco explained.
Alice tried tying her tongue around the words but it took a few attempts and Bear moo-stretched to tell them they were all being too loud. ‘What are you all doing over Christmas? Will you be working it?’
‘The lovebirds have Christmas off this year,’ Marco said as Lola wobbled on Noah’s lap, reaching for more wine.
‘It’s true,’ she said. ‘We’re heading back to Noah’s folks in Lucerne for Christmas – we get four long days to drink and eat and be merry.’
