I was concerned about Ginny, but a picture of the energetic sporty Ginny I used to know crossed my mind. I guffawed. ‘She’ll leave us all standing, I’ll bet,’ I told Lou. ‘Well, at least she won’t be alone. Four of us can’t ski. And I’m sure we’ll gee one another along. I’ll never forget the strength you girls gave me when I met you.’
Lou squeezed my arm. ‘We’re all a bit anxious, but until we try it, we’ll never know, will we? I can’t wait.’
‘Lou, you’re ace – that bold spirit hasn’t left you. I think it was such a great idea to do something totally different. Especially under the circumstances. She and Mike never skied together so she won’t have any associated memories. I would never have thought of it had I been there.’
Lou’s voice rose again. ‘Oh, the weekend at the hotel. You’d have loved it, the building, the grounds, the spa. A band even arrived and played for us. We were up dancing and making fools of ourselves. It was an amazing weekend.’ She stroked the side of my head. ‘Your hair looks great by the way. Suits you short. I like the gold hues running through it too.’
I ran my fingers through the top of my hair. ‘Caramels, darling. I used to love the colour of Jennifer Aniston’s hair. Verity, my hairdresser, suggested the shorter style. I told her to stay away from the pixie-wispy blonde otherwise you might think I’m trying to copy yours. Oh, here’s Angie,’ I said, interrupting myself. ‘Sorry, Lou. Let me get you a glass of wine, Ang.’
‘So good to see you, Kim,’ Ang said cheerfully and peered across the valley. ‘This scene never fails to impress me even though I’ve been coming here for years. It feels good to be back. Sunshine too. Don’t know how you got that in your suitcase, Kim!’
‘A beauty, isn’t it? It folds up nicely with a sheet of tissue,’ I said. ‘Let’s hope it continues for the week.’
The others had returned from their photoshoots and I handed Angie a full wineglass and raised mine with my voice. ‘Well, Flowers, here’s to a fabulous ski trip. Santé!’
‘Santé!’ We all chinked glasses as we gathered around the table, settling in our seats, breathing in the fresh mountain air, sipping sunshine and wine. ‘And, Ginny, I hope this week sets you up for a great year ahead,’ I added. I smiled to myself; I was in a dream. In a beautiful setting for a whole week with my beautiful friends. I was afraid that if I pinched myself, I might wake up. Finally, together again.
There was one dark cloud, however, that I needed to offload; I had to tell Ginny what I knew about Mike. The trouble was, I didn’t know if Ginny knew already. It would be a risk telling her because it might make me feel better, but I didn’t know if she would ever forgive me if I admitted to knowing. I just had to hope it wouldn’t cost me my friendship.
The girls from Camfield Bottom were still my closest buddies, although they were Ginny’s first.
After her parents offered to take our family in the term before we started senior school, Ginny, Lou, Cathy and I were all in top set in the village primary school, so I was fortunate that I fitted in. And staying at Ginny’s house was the best thing that had ever happened to my family. I mean, accommodating four of us, trusting us in their home – me, my younger sister Paula and two younger brothers, Ian and Mark. We were treated so well. And even when we were housed in a village council house, in the rougher end of Camfield Bottom, Ginny and her family, and the other girls, remained so friendly; we really gelled. They all had big hearts as well as their little foibles. That was why I loved them.
Ginny and Cathy were comparing photos and showing them to Lou.
‘Have you been to the chalet?’ Angie asked.
I quickly reached into my pocket and dangled the set of keys. ‘No, but I got the keys. Harold had left them with Stefano, the hotel owner.’
‘Oh, cool. You’ve not taken your things there yet then?’
‘No. Well, I thought we would go together and besides, I thought you might be hungry.’
Angie rubbed her stomach. ‘Mm. You could say that. Actually …’ She pulled out a packet from her pocket and asked, ‘Do you want some of these?’
‘What are they?’ I held out my palm.
‘Just my beans. Edamame beans,’ Angie said pouring out a small portion of crispy-looking yellow pods. ‘Just a snack. They’re crunchy, try.’
‘Oh, young soya pods, I like them fresh on my salads. They’re green.’
‘That’s it, but full of protein and healthy fats. Just handy to carry when you work out a lot.’
‘No doubt good for someone who doesn’t eat meat then. You and Cathy are pescatarians, aren’t you? I thought you might have changed your thinking now that animal rearing is strictly regulated and monitored.’
Angie frowned, turning up her nose. ‘Ew, no. Hormones, antibiotics. Probably worse. Anyway, I still couldn’t. It’s still like eating a pet to me. No, there’s lots of alternative nowadays. I’m a real sucker for the cheeses out here. Can’t beat a nutty Swiss Gruyere.’ Angie’s eyes lit up and she put her packet back in her pocket. ‘They do a lovely saffron risotto here actually, but try Gruyere grated over it instead of Parmesan.
‘We can eat here,’ I said tipping my wine to my lips. ‘Might as well enjoy the sunshine and the view, and try something different. That sounds nice. I do enjoy veggie dishes.’
‘I’ll get the menus,’ Angie said.
We didn’t know Angie until we were older. She was Ginny’s neighbour when Ginny and Mike bought their first house in Greenwich. Will and I were still in London too then. Then we all gradually moved to the village. Will and I were there for four years before we moved to Oz. I’ve missed them loads. But Oz called Will and had so much to offer. We were still young and looking for adventure. It was a wonderful place to work and bring up the girls, but Camfield Bottom would always be my home.
‘How are you feeling about skiing?’ Angie asked me as she handed the menus round the table.
‘Nervous, but it would be a shame not to as we’re here and we’ve worked ourselves so hard.’
‘You’ve all done brilliantly. Hopefully, you’ll all thank me when your legs ache.’
‘The girls are jealous their ol’ mum is off skiing.’
‘The boys are too.’ Angie laughed.
‘I was blown away when Ginny messaged me asking me to come out to ski. I’d always fancied the idea, but Will has always been more of a water-skier and I admit I’ve enjoyed that over the years, especially living in Perth and BT – before twins.’
‘Yes, I remember.’ Angie nodded. ‘How are the girls?’
‘Well, I’ve seen Mai, spent yesterday with her. She’s thriving in Milan. I’ve missed them like crazy since they left for uni and their jobs in Europe. I wished I’d extended the trip to Avril in London.’
Angie nodded. ‘Yes, that would have been nice.’
I was thirty-eight when they miraculously surprised us. All the medical knowledge between Will and I, the IVF treatments we had gone through, couldn’t make it happen; then hey presto, like magic they blessed us with their arrival. One on the thirtieth of April, hence Avril, and Mai, half an hour later on the first of May.
‘There’s definitely something poignant about the empty-nest syndrome,’ Angie went on. ‘I’m glad I had my little fitness business to focus on, even though it wasn’t turning much profit then.’
‘Yes, I need something. I’m hankering to be back in Europe near them and with you guys,’ I said. ‘I just don’t know that Will has