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‘Salut,Holly,’ Rachael said, her tray laden down with two bowls of mushroom risotto and half a bottle of red wine. A much more nutritional effort than mine.
‘Hiii, how are you?’ I said smiling and adjusting my hair, it had been a stretch to pull together the tiniest pair of pigtails, but I’d just about managed it.
‘Better for having the afternoon off and remembering what it’s all about. David’s just got here too if you want to sit outside with us?’
We paid for our trays and I followed her out into the sunshine where it was weirdly hot considering it was less than two degrees. The sun was beating down on the mountain and the DJ had just started. As soon as the clock struck 12 p.m., people began gearing up for après ski and the drinks orders switched from hot chocolates and coffees to alcohol. Glasses of apple and pear schnapps with chunks of fruit on cocktail sticks would appear alongside large beers on trays. Two ten-foot speakers were already pumping out ‘Mr Brightside’ and the party vibe was underway.
‘David! How have you made it up here so quickly? You were surrounded by a crowd of winos on the market when I saw you two hours ago!’
‘I like to make hay while the sun shines,’ he said, ‘but the most important thing is to enjoy the mountain.’
‘That’s why we’re all here,’ Rachael agreed, cracking open the red wine.
‘I’m glad I bumped into you. I wanted to thank you for saving me last week with that delicious bottle of Fiano,’ I said.
‘Did I?’ David replied, looking rightly baffled.
‘Accidentally. It ended up being the only wine I had for my first night at the chalet and luckily it was absolutely spot on.’
‘Ah I see! Well, good, I’m glad. I’ve only seen excellent produce coming out of that vineyard, so you can’t go wrong serving wine from there. I bet Luca couldn’t place it?’ David said with a smile. ‘Always nice to get one over on his well-travelled nose.’
I laughed. ‘Exactly. You helped me impress him and Genevieve on day one, so I’ll be coming back for a few emergency bottles in case I need them in the future.’
‘And if you don’t, you’ll just have to drink them yourself,’ Rachael said, tucking into her risotto.
‘Worst case scenario, of course.’ I laughed.
I eyed the two of them with their matching meals. A quiet camaraderie as they comfortably chomped away. David in khaki green and Rachael in metallic purple, the two of them looked great together.
‘Are you up here on your own?’ David asked.
‘God, no. I came up with Liv and Xavier, but I’ve left them to it. I’m way too slow still, so they’re getting a few fast runs in together.’
‘Everyone was a learner once. Xavier taught himself a couple of seasons ago in fact, so it doesn’t take long,’ Rachael said.
‘Really? I assumed he’d been snowboarding for years?’
‘No, he’s a city boy,’ Rachael replied. ‘He’d never been to the mountains before he came to work for Luca.’
‘We’ve never really got to the bottom of what he’s doing here. His restaurant in Paris is world-renowned,’ David added.
‘He told me he was building his network out here, working hard to impress Luca’s contacts?’ I said.
‘There must be more to it than that,’ Rachael said. ‘The best place to network with the French foodie elite is in Paris. No need for him to be hiding away here in Verbier.’
‘Luca has managed to convince him otherwise somehow…’ I replied.
‘He can be very persuasive when he wants to be,’ Rachael said. ‘Nothing gets between him and his food.’
‘He has a nose for wine and a mouth for food, that’s for sure,’ David said. ‘I’ll dig you out a few unplaceable bottles to keep him guessing when I get back.’
‘We won’t need too many; one or two will be plenty for back up. Have you seen his wine cellar? It’s bigger than my parents’ house,’ I said.
‘I haven’t, but Xavier has told me all about it. Luca’s wine cellar is the stuff of Verbier legend. He has some of the best wine in the resort squirrelled away down there, which is why I like the idea of you serving him up a few randoms. Throw him off.’
Rachael laughed. ‘Whatever floats your boat, my love,’ she said.
‘You two have got this place sewn up between you. With booze and cake, what more do people need? Have you been out here long?’
