‘Anyway,’ I say, trying to recover some dignity. ‘I’m not desperate to make babies. Cole’s news just brought it home to me that I’m back at the start again, miles from marriage and kids and a family home. I don’t even have a dog any more. Starting again from scratch is tougher than you think. But I’m fine. I’m only thirty-four and I just want to enjoy my life, wherever it takes me.’
‘I’ll drink to that,’ says Stellan, as we touch our glasses again, but as he raises his glass to his lips, we hear the ringtone coming from his snowsuit pocket.
‘Excuse me, just one second,’ he says, before taking the phone outside.
I look around at the glimmering ice bar and smile to myself. There’s no place I’d rather be on Christmas Eve than here. I can hear Stellan’s voice outside, and something else, a snowmobile pulling up.
When Stellan returns, one of the resort staff in a Frozen Falls snowsuit comes in lugging a box of tinkling glassware. It must be time for the bar to open.
‘Sorry about that, problem with the reception staff rotas. It’s sorted now, and I’ve asked them to spread the word not to disturb us today.’
I find I’m feeling inwardly rewarded that Stellan clearly thinks today isn’t over and he wants to enjoy it unimpeded by work.
‘Thanks for showing me around your resort. It’s beautiful,’ I say.
‘I’m glad you’re happy,’ he beams back. ‘The bar’s about to get really busy. Are you ready to move on? I have to check on the dogs, but then we can get some lunch?’
‘OK. Hey, I have a fridge full of food back at my cabin, thanks to Nari’s…’ I stop myself, just in time, before I mention Stephen.
Stellan seemed so wary of Nari’s interest in Niilo yesterday, I don’t want him thinking there’s some other guy on the scene, especially some flashy millionaire. But I suppose she does seem to like Stephen too, and theyaregoing to spend New Year together in London. I resolve to butt right out of Nari and Niilo’s date today. I just hope they have fun. Stellan doesn’t need to know anything else that might encourage him to worry about his friend.
‘So, um… do you want to come back to my cabin and I’ll make something for you?’
‘You’re going to cook?’ Stellan’s already laughing, which is a bit rich considering he hasn’t seen me cook anything in fifteen years. How does he know I haven’t moved on from my Pot Noodle and eggy bread days? I could be a Michelin-starred chef by now. Obviously I’m not, though I have added Spanish omelette and spag bol to my repertoire. Again, all things Stellan doesn’t need to know.
‘There’s cheese and some bread and salad stuff. Pretty sure I spotted a jar of olives too. I can hardly poison you with that, can I?’
Stellan laughs as he finds a silver bottle stopper behind the bar and seals the neck of the still half full champagne, before reaching behind the bar and producing another unopened bottle. ‘And we have champagne and candy. Sounds perfect to me. Let’s go.’
Before we climb into the sleigh we stop to pet the reindeer who have been waiting patiently and chomping the handfuls of lichen that Stellan had scattered by their feet earlier.
‘Approach them real slowly,’ Stellan says in a low voice.
Their antlers are huge, like I’ve only seen in kids’ Christmas films, and they move their heads with such swift jerks I don’t really fancy getting too close to them. But, with Stellan guiding me and making murmuring sounds to them under his breath, we ease closer and reach out to pat their broad haunches. They’re nervous and skittish so we only touch them briefly. One of them turns its mournful eyes towards me and I step back to avoid the lethal-looking blade that’s protruding straight out from the centre of its head like a unicorn horn.
Stellan smiles. ‘You’re right to stay back. Reindeer can be unpredictable and can give you a nasty scratch.’
‘Now you tell me.’ But I don’t feel unsafe, not with Stellan beside me.
‘Her eyes are a beautiful colour,’ I say.
‘Do you know they change colour? From this bluey-black in the middle of winter to a kind of golden-green in summer, very much like the colour of your eyes.’
‘Did you just compare me to a reindeer?’ I say, and we both crumple into laughter, helped along by the buzz of the champagne and sweets.
I always thought my irises were a sort of sludgy colour, but golden-green sounds nice to me. ‘Whatever. I’m taking it as a compliment,’ I say.
But suddenly, we’re not laughing. There’s something familiar happening between us, and we both fall silent as our eyes lock.
‘Sylvie,’ he says, and I recognise that deep tone that sends my mind reeling. ‘I want to kiss you. Is that all right?’
I tell him in a strangely high-pitched voice that, yes, I suppose it is all right.
He exhales sharply, looking at me through narrowed eyes, before coming closer still. His lips brush mine for the briefest second. The sensation of his mouth and the sound of his breathing send an instant thrill of recognition to every nerve in my body as they pass on the message.This guy? He’s back? But we loved this guy!
Chapter Sixteen
Hi again! I thought it was time I treated you to another festive blog post.
