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Back The Chalet Save as PDF
Chapters (75)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise for The Chalet
  3. Dedication
  4. PART ONE
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. PART TWO
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. PART THREE
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. Epilogue
  71. Acknowledgements
  72. Keep Reading …
  73. Prologue
  74. About the Author
  75. About the Publisher

I smiled tightly. ‘Of course,’ I said, ‘You go,’ but my stomach knotted. He doesn’t want to be with me, I thought to myself. He’d rather be skiing. I’m spoiling his holiday. I’m not the right type for him, I don’t have the right background. He’d rather be with a nice Sloaney girl who grew up with pony lessons and skiing holidays and wouldn’t be crying all over the slopes and dropping her skis everywhere like me.

He leant over and kissed my forehead. ‘You’re an angel. You should think about what you want to do tomorrow. I’d be happy to take you out again, if you’d like,’ he said, which I knew was a lie, ‘but if you’d rather not, that’s fine. Either way, I’ll see you back at the chalet in about an hour. And then perhaps we can …’

I stroked his cheek and said, ‘Perhaps – if you’re a very good boy,’ but really I was thinking, absolutely no way. Every part of me hurt and I was exhausted.

It felt like it was going to be a long way from the bar to the chalet so after Will went, I had another vin chaud to steel myself. And then another. Then because I was still in these God-awful ski boots and had to carry my own skis back, it took forever to walk to the chalet and I was in such a bad mood by the time I’d arrived, I treated myself to a gin and tonic before my shower to cheer myself up. By the time I was out of the shower, Will was back. He had a quick shower and then we came downstairs and started drinking again.

‘So Will didn’t turn out to be the excellent teacher he expected he’d be?’ Adam guffaws. I see Will’s face darken like it did this morning when Adam was goading him but, as far as I can see, what Adam’s saying is no big deal. I don’t know why Will gets so wound up by him. And to be fair, Adam has a point.

‘I don’t think I’m exactly a skiing natural, so Will was … as patient as could be expected,’ I say, pleased with myself for being so diplomatic. The truth is, Will wasn’t patient. Almost the whole day I could tell he didn’t want to be there. He couldn’t wait to dump me in the bar as soon as he could and race off to ski by himself, leaving me to walk back all by myself with my skis and everything. He shouldn’t have taken me on that slope on my first day. It was too long and too hard. And the more drinks I have, the more annoyed I’m getting.