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“Yes, you?”
“Sure. It’s a beast, especially in this kind of wind. I broke my leg there two years ago.”
Sarah winced and tapped the table. “Touch wood, I’ve never broken anything.”
Brook shrugged. “Goes with the sport, eh?”
It did. And at some point, Sarah didn’t doubt she would break something, but she never thought that way when skiing. If she did, she wouldn’t take on the slopes and challenges. The bartender slid two tall glasses towards them. The dark chocolate reached three-quarters of the way and whipped cream made up the last quarter and extended another inch above the glass. A chocolate ball rested halfway into the top of the cream, and a straw stood upright in the cream’s embrace. Sarah gave him her room number and signed the bill.
“Thanks,” Brook said. She removed the straw, ate the chocolate, and sipped directly from the glass, leaving a thick white layer above her upper lip.
Sarah laughed and pointed to Brook’s mouth.
“I know. Can’t help it though.” She licked her lips and took another sip.
Sarah sipped her drink and enjoyed the lustful look in Brook’s eyes.
Brook took another sip. “These are great.”
“They are.” Sarah took a long deep breath and relaxed her shoulders. The sense of anticipation peaked in the pulse that throbbed between her legs. “So, do you come here every year?” she asked.
1.
January - Eleven months later.
THE TINKLING SOUND OFthe metal spoon on an almost empty champagne glass brought a hush to the small gathering. Sarah smiled as she scanned the jolly faces of her closest friends and family and valued colleagues. Her smile broadened as she settled her gaze on Mark and then on each of their twins. Reece’s fifteen-year-old shoulders were now just short of his father’s and like Mark, he dressed in a dark blue suit. He gave her a double thumbs-up and grinned. Abi, his twin and a head shorter than her brother, wore her favourite combat trousers and a hoodie with a motif that read,Save the Planet to Save Humanity. Abi took a sip from her glass and her gaze wandered around the room. Abi wasn’t a fan of speeches, or parties for that matter. She wasn’t a fan of anything involving formality or business gatherings. The kids’ dress codes mirrored their aspirations. Reece wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and run his own IT company, whereas Abi was destined to work with nature in some way, though not as a vet since she couldn’t stand the sight of blood. Sarah inhaled deeply, and the warm feeling of pride expanded in her chest. In that moment, conquering the world seemed a very real possibility.
She turned her attention to Haley, her longest-serving researcher in the constituency of Calder Valley. She’d been much more than that since she’d taken on Sarah’s personal admin and had been a trusted confidant for over a decade. Haley stood with one hand on her heavily pregnant belly, presumably where baby Leon was kicking ten bells out of her insides. She looked radiant and exhausted, in the way only a heavily pregnant woman could, and with just a couple of weeks until her due date, there was a chance of her giving birth before the evening was out.
Sarah tapped the glass again and waited until a hush fell around the room. “I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for coming tonight. This is a very special occasion that leaves me with a feeling of both joy and sadness. Haley, come here.” Sarah held out her hand, and Haley waddled three paces to her side. “I’m losing my closest supporter today.” She glanced at Mark and smiled. He was definitely her closest advocate, and he knew it, but Haley had been her best friend, and while she was sure they would stay in contact, she doubted they would get to see each other much over the coming months.
“I’m not going too far,” Haley said, looking down at her stomach.
She only lived up the road in the close-knit community of Todmorden, the centre of Sarah’s local constituency.
Sarah took Haley’s hand. “I’m losing one of my closest friends, who leaves us today to start her life as a new mum. This is such an exciting time for you and John, and I’m sure I speak for us all when I say we hope you will continue to see us as a part of your extended family, as you will remain a part of ours. On behalf of all your colleagues, some of whom couldn’t be here today, I’d like to present you with a small gift as a token of our appreciation for all that you’ve done for us over the past eleven years.”
Mark approached, pushing a pram with a blue bow tied around it. “It’s been a while since I pushed a pram,” he said, and laughter spilled around the room.
“There’s still time for a third,” someone shouted.
Mark shook his head and laughed.
Sarah smiled at him before turning her attention back to Haley. “So, if you will, please raise your glass. To Haley, John, and baby Leon. May your lives together be happy, healthy, and long.”
A cheer resonated around the room. Haley covering her mouth with her hand as she stared at the pram. Tears spilled onto her cheeks, and she wiped them away. “Oh hell, I’m such a wreck.”
“Wait ’til after Leon’s born,” someone shouted. “He’ll have you in tears, all right.”
Haley waved off the comment, laughing and crying simultaneously. She touched the silver handle of the pram. “It’s an iCandy. It’s beautiful. Oh, God.” More tears rolled down her cheeks. She pulled out a tissue and blew her nose.
Sarah put her arm around Haley’s shoulders.
“Thank you all, so much,” Haley said.
“Good luck, Haley,” Mark said, and another cheer came with the clinking of glasses.
Sarah squeezed Haley to her. “You deserve it.” Her voice was low, broken with emotion. She would miss Haley terribly. “You’ll have to get a refund for the other one you bought. I hope you don’t mind.”
