‘Thank you. Right.’ Mina almost felt Amelie girding her loins as the other woman glanced into the trolley which was already piled high with several boxes of eggs, a couple of large bags of sugar, icing sugar, and flour, as well as several packs of butter. ‘Have you decided what ingredients you need for your recipes?’
Realising that the subject was closed, Mina took her cue. ‘I need some sort of cherry purée, but it’s probably best if I make it from whole cherries, which are clearly not yet in season.’
‘No problem. You can either buy frozen, or there are some good-quality coulis.’ They spent a little while debating the pros and cons before opting to buy extra frozen cherries, as Amelie used them in herKirschenbrottorte.
They wrapped up the shopping trip with hot chocolate and pastries on the livelyBahnhofstrasse, where Mina learned a little bit about the busy town. Brig had grown and expanded thanks to its unique location at the head of the famous Simplon Pass, which cut through the mountains all the way to Italy.
By the time they returned to the chalet, the car was piled high with fresh sheets and towels that they’d picked up from the laundry and a week’s supply of shopping.
‘Hello ladies,’ said Luke who greeted them at the foot of the stairs. He looked as if he were just going out. ‘Successful trip?’
‘Very,’ said Mina, already thinking about her cherry-flavoured meringues.
Amelie hopped out of the car, opened up the boot, and took out the first bundle of towels.
Mina rushed to join her and Luke put down his skis and poles. ‘Let me give you a hand.’
‘Oh, it’s fine. Don’t you worry,’ said Amelie. ‘Where are you going this afternoon?’
Luke ignored her and was already moving around to the back of the car and lifting out the heaviest crate of shopping before saying. ‘I’m taking it easy today, just taking the track to Münster. So I’ve got plenty time.’
‘Alright for some,’ said Johannes, stamping his way over, knocking snow from his hiking boots. Without another word, he lifted one of the boxes of shopping from the car and carried it inside.
From his timely appearance, Mia suspected that he’d been lying in wait and often helped Amelie with the shopping. She watched him navigate the path with the heavy box, shouldering his way through the front door ahead of Luke, before she picked up the plastic-wrapped stack of sheets from the back seat of the car. The slippery package was difficult to grasp and she was grateful when Luke met her at the top of the stairs and took it from her arms. Johannes pushed past, head down, ready to get the next load.
With Luke and Johannes helping, it didn’t take too long to unload the car, although Mina built up a sheen of sweat with all three trips up the stairs into the chalet.
Johannes muttered, ‘Das Alles?’ which she guessed meant, is that everything?
Amelie nodded but then reached out and grabbed his forearm. ‘Thank you so much, Johannes. I don’t know what I’d do with you.’ Mina was struck by the quick glint of gratification in his eye.
‘Right, well if you don’t need any further help, I’m away,’ said Luke. ‘Mina, are you still up for snowboarding tomorrow?’
‘Yes, if that’s still OK?’
‘Sure. About ten o’clock. I’ve got a Skype call first thing, but then I’m all yours.’ His eyes sparkled in sudden flirtation.
‘Make sure you are,’ Mina replied, thinking that two could play that game. Flirting was like breathing to someone like Luke, he couldn’t help himself.
He grinned at her and disappeared out of the door with a casual wave. ‘See you later.’
Amelie watched him go. ‘I think he likes you.’
‘Of course he does,’ said Mina with a quick jokey smile.
‘You don’t like him?’ Amelie frowned.
‘I do but he’s… well, he’s not someone you’d take seriously. But he is a lot of fun, and I enjoy his company.’
‘There’s a bit more to him than you realise.’ Amelie shot her a sharp sidelong glance.
‘Hmm,’ said Mina. She knew Luke’s type, she knew it inside out. He might as well have been her twin. They could have a lot of fun together, but it was never going to go any further than that. Before Simon, she’d had plenty of fun, and look at how those relationships had turned out. Jon owed her money, Jake stood her up more times than not, and Phil had abandoned her halfway up a Welsh mountain. Fun was not part of her future plans.
Once she and Amelie had put the shopping away, loaded up the linen cupboard with the bouncy, fresh-smelling towels and the crisp cotton sheets, and had a quick baguette with slices of Emmental and cured ham, Mina rolled up her sleeves and got out her notebook. She’d worked out the ratios of ingredients, but how much cherry purée she’d need to add to get enough flavour without wrecking the texture of the meringue was going to be down to trial and error. First of all she cooked up a pan of the frozen cherries to reduce them down, adding a little sugar, but not too much, as she wanted to retain the tartness of the fruit, which would balance against the sweetness of the meringue.
Amelie was fascinated by the process, and while she was making that evening’s dinner, a pork and bean stew, would occasionally ask a question.
‘Do you want some kirsch in there?’
