‘I’ve said it once but I’ll say it again: I bloody love this place,’ Johnny said, walking over to the drinks tray and pouring them both a huge dirty martini, stabbing four olives on a single cocktail stick.

‘Cheers!’ They clinked glasses and she took an especially large gulp of her drink as he made a beeline for the record collection again.

‘So that was interesting, what Carlotta said earlier, didn’t you think?’

‘What did she say?’ he asked, glancing at her blankly.

‘That Beau’s stayed behind in Saas-Fee to do some free-riding.’

‘Uh. Is it?’

‘Johnny, he’s usually Kit’s shadow.’

‘Yeah. Doesn’t mean he’s not still. He’s just catching some powder.’

‘But you heard how he was getting all the cheers out there, all the love . . .’ Her eyes narrowed as she thought further, falling into scrutiny. ‘D’you remember Beau got wasted when Kit pulled off that mega trick?’

‘The Switch Backside 1260,’ Johnny murmured.

‘Yeah. That.’ She took another deep drink from her glass. ‘Why would Beau react like that?’

‘Because he’s a bum? He likes getting wasted.’

‘Or because he knows his brother is about to do on snow what he did in the water? He’s going to be a star again. It doesn’t matter that Beau might be better. Tipper McKenzie won’t even give him a chance. Ari just sees him as a freeloader. It will always be about Kit. It always has been and it always will be.’

‘And so you think Beau staying back, riding with the homies, is an act of defiance?’

‘Don’t you?’ she asked him back. ‘He’s being accepted by them in a way that Kit isn’t. It’s the one thing he’s got over him. Perhaps, for the first time in his life, Beau is finally pushing back? He’s taking something for himself?’

Johnny sighed, looking weary.

‘What?’ she asked.

‘You got all this from Beau staying in Saas-Fee a few extra days?’

She blinked. ‘Yes! Kit has dominated Beau all his life. He has to be the star. Everything has to be about him – where they live, where they ride, what they eat, whether they go out . . . I really do think Beau’s finally getting to a point of having had enough.’

‘Yeah. Maybe.’

‘I reckon he might actually talk—’

Johnny straightened up abruptly. ‘Clo, I’m knackered. We’ve been travelling all day. I worked like a dog on those slopes and the weeks beforehand.’ He sighed. ‘We’ve got this place to ourselves for a tiny window of time! Can’t we just switch off from work and relax? For a few hours? Please?’

She felt bad. Every word was true. No one had worked harder or longer hours than him. ‘Sorry,’ she winced. ‘Sorry. I’m finding it hard to switch off.’