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“On stilts,” Dan said. “Don’t panic. They’re more ritzy than rustic. They’ve won several architectural and environmental awards. You’re going to love staying there. The tree houses are made of wood, so they blend into the forest and the local wildlife sometimes visit. They’re always popular with honeymooners. Where else can you sip champagne in the hot tub under a midnight sky? It should be perfect for you.”
Rosie shrank in her seat. She didn’t want to think of her parents as honeymooners.
Worried that her mother might be tempted to make some quip about being naked again, Rosie dived into the conversation. “How is Katie? I’ve barely heard from her the last couple of weeks.” After that phone call, all they’d exchanged were a few emails covering practical issues like her dress and flight arrangements. Unsettled by their previous conversation, Rosie had been nervous of calling her sister again and Katie hadn’t called her, either.
“You know your sister,” her father said. “She’s busy saving lives.”
“Let’s hope that’s all it is.” Maggie leaned her head on his shoulder. “If you ask me, there’s something going on. Every time I suggest lunch, she makes excuses. That’s not like her. Normally she snatches every opportunity to be fed. She’s avoiding me.”
Rosie felt a shimmer of unease. She’d had the same feeling about her sister, but had assumed it was because she’d upset her. She and Katie had their disagreements of course, as sisters did, but never anything serious and nothing long lasting. Their clashes were no more than sisterly sniping over small everyday things.
It’s your turn to clear the kitchen.
Did you borrow my shoes?
This time felt different. As if Katie was keeping her at a distance.
“She’s probably busy.” That’s what she’d been telling herself. She hoped she was right.
“It’s a shame you guys couldn’t fly out together, but those Christmas flights are always a nightmare. As well as the tourists, everyone wants to be home for the holidays.”
“Family is important at this time of year. I love you,” Maggie told Nick. “Have I told you today how much I love you?”
“Many times,” Nick said dryly, and Rosie closed her eyes.
She’d never seen her mother this demonstrative. Normally it was the odd look, or touch that proclaimed them as a couple. A quiet togetherness. Today her mother was behaving as if this was their last day on earth and she was determined to make the most of it. It had to be the alcohol, but even that was strange because she’d never known her mother to drink much, not even at Christmas.
She was never going to persuade her mother to fly again if this was what happened.
“How about some music?”
She could see Dan was trying not to laugh. “This is nowhere near as embarrassing as the first time you met my aunt Elizabeth,” he murmured in an undertone. “Remember that?”
The shared memory made her smile, but it was only when she glanced behind her again and saw that her mother was asleep on her father’s shoulder that she allowed herself to relax.
The scenery grew more spectacular as they approached Aspen. The sky was a pale, arctic blue, the winter sun bouncing a soft, shimmering light over the snow-laden peaks.
As someone who had spent most of her life in a small English village where a few flakes of snow created wild excitement for the children and a ridiculous degree of disruption for the adults, the mountains never failed to thrill her and having snow at Christmas appealed to the romantic side of her nature.
Feeling a little better, she stretched out her legs. “Do you ever get used to the view?”
Dan shook his head. “Never.”
“It’s beautiful.” Her mother woke, groggy and enchanted at the same time. “Nick, look!”
“I’m looking.”
“Now the flight is behind me, I’m excited. It’s wonderful to be here, isn’t it? We’ve never been away for Christmas. And we’ll be staying in a tree house, just the two of us. It really is a second honeymoon.” There was a pause, and then a sound of rustling as her mother shifted closer to Rosie’s father. “You’re still handsome, Nick. Have I told you that lately?”
Rosie wished her mother would go back to sleep. Unfortunately, the short nap seemed to have invigorated her and she maintained a running commentary.
“I’ve never seen mountains this high. And the snow is so smooth and perfect on that field over there it reminds me of my Christmas cake.”
Rosie felt a wave of nostalgia. She wouldn’t be eating her mother’s Christmas cake this year. And what about next year? She didn’t know. That was one of the details she and Dan still needed to work out together. That and so many others.
She stared out the window as Dan took the sharp turn that led up the wide tree-lined driveway leading to Snowfall Lodge. Snow lay in soft mounds, blurring the edges of the road.
“Rosie tells me you work in academic publishing, Maggie.” Dan slowed. “That must be interesting. Do you enjoy it?”
