They all said their various good byes and then Kate ran upstairs to pack.
For one moment she hesitated about whether or not to call Raff, or send him a text to let him know what had happened. But she thought better of it. They had parted in a reasonably friendly, if somewhat cool manner, and she didn’t want to stir up all sorts of emotions and feelings again.
But it turned out that she had been right. She had told him that their lives were complicated even though, at the time, she had no idea how much more complicated hers was about to become.
What a good thing she had said what she had. Otherwise their relationship would have got off to a very difficult start.
Although, when she had left him this morning, she had thought they might bump into one another again, as they were both expecting to be in Bluewater Bay for a week. Now that wouldn’t be happening.
Had he thought the same? She would never know. She wouldn’t see him again. At least not until he moved to Bluewater Bay in the summer. Then their paths might cross once more.
If their meeting had been Fate, wouldn’t that be precisely what would happen?
She couldn’t concern herself with Raff, or Fate or Destiny, or whatever people wanted to call it.
Her daughter needed her, and Beth was the only person who mattered to her right now.
Nineteen
Beth’s injury wasn’t as bad as Kate had been imagining throughout her journey from Bluewater Bay to Meribel.
Beth had told her it wasn’t, but Kate hadn’t really believed that until she had seen it for herself and had spoken to Avery’s friend who was the doctor that had not only come to Beth’s aid at the time of the accident, but had also treated her at the hospital.
It had taken Beth a day or two to become accustomed to her crutches and both Avery and Kate had had to tell her she shouldn’t be moving around so much in any case. She was supposed to be resting.
Going outside in the snow had been a no-no, which had driven Beth mad, so Avery had carried her in his arms once or twice.
His home was even more fabulous than Kate had expected.
It was a luxury ski chalet built with a combination of aged wood and local stone, and had two separate but connected gable roofs with overhanging eaves that were designed to deal with the weight of heavy, accumulated snow.
The massive floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the property had switchable smart glass that changed from transparent toopaque at the press of a button, or a spoken command. The expanse of glass maximised the breathtaking, panoramic, mountain views and bathed every room in natural light.
The chalet blended modern, high-end features and amenities with traditional Alpine architecture. There were stone fireplaces in several rooms, including some of the bedrooms, together with large wooden beams on the ceilings and wooden floors.
The bathrooms were a combination of marble and bespoke, and in some cases, intricately carved, woodwork. The kitchen would put many of those in an upmarket hotel or restaurant to shame. As would the utility room. There was a marble spa, a sauna, a hot tub, and a swimming pool.
It could easily have been a chalet-hotel catering to the rich and famous but instead it was a welcoming and cosy home.
Kate could now understand completely why Beth loved the place so much.
In fact, Kate was tempted to ask if she could move in herself.
Meribel was beautiful. It had a village quality despite the crowds who flocked there to ski and party. Avery’s home was close enough to enjoy all the amenities on offer, yet far enough away not to be irritated by noisy revellers in the early hours of the morning.
Kate had even been persuaded to put on a pair of skis and venture on to the green beginner’s slopes by her fourth day there. Avery’s hotel nearby had its own ski instructors which meant Kate had the benefit of one-to-one private tuition.
By the end of the day, she had mastered the basics and was even confident enough to try out her first run on a blue piste. She managed to ski from the top to the bottom without falling over once.
She was so pleased with herself that she sent several photos and a video to Granny Viv. She wanted to send them to her mum,but Rose wasn’t supposed to know Kate was in Meribel. She would send them to Rose and Frank once they were home.
Kate had asked Granny Viv if Ula and Greg were doing okay walking Rufus.
‘Don’t you worry about Rufus,’ Granny Viv had said. ‘He’s in good hands. I would even go as far as to say he’s having a whale of a time.’
Kate had been tempted to ask if Granny Viv, or Millie, had heard anything about Raff Gale, but she thought better of it. She had made a big thing about her gran not trying to get them together, if she asked about him now, she might be stirring up a hornet’s nest.
Beth’s leg was healing well. So well in fact that Kate knew she could return to Bluewater Bay and not worry about her daughter.
