Chapter Seven
I tried not to take the fact that Mum was still not back as a bad sign. The snow had only just started. We’d probably only get a dusting and then it would disappear. Mum’d driven through the night yesterday. She wouldn’t hold off from doing it to get back to the hotel. Especially not now she knew about the staffing issues and the hotel reviewer.
Once the bar closed and the other staff left for home, I locked up and crawled into bed, blissfully too tired to think about blue eyes and beautiful smiles.
I woke the following morning when a text message came through:
Mum: So sorry, we’re snowed in! Hospital took longer than we thought & by the time we got back to Grandad’s to collect his stuff, the snow started. It’s deep. :(
Will keep you posted. As soon as we can leave, we will.
I let my phone drop and stayed in bed, absorbing the hush that muffled the hotel and how, even though it was still dark, there was a weird glow around the edges of the curtains. The snow must have fallen all through the night here too. I didn’t want to know how much there was; the depth of snow was directly linked to the depth of kaka I was in.
But eventually my morbid curiosity got the better of me, so I got up, dragging my duvet with me like a shroud, and peeked out the curtains.
It was still snowing. The sky was a soft purple-grey and it faded out into the bluish white that covered everything else. Spindly lines of tree trunks and the odd branch broke up the blanket, but nothing was free from at least six inches of snow. It was beautiful and I almost couldn’t find it within myself to hate it…almost.
I sighed and sent Mum a quick acknowledging text, saying I’d speak to her after breakfast. There were a bunch of notifications telling me I’d been tagged in a photo and a video, and three other text messages, all from Lisa.
Lisa: Who is that you are dancing with? I demand details.
You look amazing together.
Lisa: P.S. It’s so lovely to see you happy again.
You deserve it. Text me as soon as you can.
Lisa: You can bring him to our engagement party!
Great. Someone I knew had captured Nick and I dancing last night and decided to share it with the internet. I could have gone into the app and found out who the culprit was – and part of me was itching to see the video if I was honest – but instead I lifted the duvet up and covered my head with it.
We might not even have had Christmas yet, but I was ready to make some New Year’s resolutions. First, don’t go on any more dates just because you think you should get out there. It is a Bad Idea. Second, don’t spend time with the brother of a failed date, which ends up feeling more date-like than the actual date did.
Granted, that second one was a bit specific but that should only make it easier to keep.
I did a quick search on the hotel reviewer again, to see if they’d updated their blog with another sneak peek:
‘To Die For
‘Well, dear readers, to answer yesterday’s question…the interior certainly does live up to the exterior. As though the high ceilings, delicately moulded plasterwork and parquet flooring were not enough, each room has been festooned with Christmas lights, fresh garlands and a Christmas tree with a colour theme to match its chosen location. Real open fires crackle in the background and the food is delicious. A varied menu cooked with flair and something to tempt even the fussiest of palates.
‘Check back later today for a report on the Dickensian Festival, the village of Loganbury’s annual Christmas Fayre…’
That was not too bad at least. In fact, I half wanted to visit the hotel myself. It was strange to see a place I was so familiar with, through someone else’s eyes.
Once I was showered and dressed, I went downstairs to let Neeta in, and found that my luck was not scheduled to hold. I wished I’d stayed in my duvet cocoon.
Henry was on the doorstep, rather than Neeta.
‘Finally. It’s bloody freezing out here.’ He brushed past me into the lobby.
I paused in the doorway, the cold air rushing inside and stinging my cheeks. I felt another early resolution coming on. Henry might feel superior to me; he might disapprove of my situation and life decisions – he might not even be far off how other people (Peter) might have felt –butit was none of his business. I hadn’t done anything tohimand I wasn’t going to let him get away with treating me the way he had last night.
Being a music tutor might not make me able to support myself independently but that didn’t mean it didn’t have worth. I’d taught Callum to play and that had blossomed into his own love and dedication to music. Which in turn had led him to join a band and they’d entertained people and made them happy last night. And would continue to do so, I hoped. That was definitely worthsomething.
So, I was going to channel my inner ice princess and rise above his snide comments.
‘Good morning to you too.’ I shut the door and followed him as he stomped into the kitchen, leaving a trail of wet footprints behind him. ‘Why are you here?’
