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‘Of course not,’ he replied, tapping his cigarette into an ashtray. ‘I said I’d make it up to you, didn’t I?’
Xavier came back in with a tray of roast lamb, truffled macaroni cheese and buttered peas: all the foods I missed from home. He looked at me and smiled, taking in my overwhelm. ‘Happy Birthday’ he mouthed over Luca’s head.
‘Thank you, Xavier. Luca, this isamazing,’ I said, beaming.
‘Oui, oui,’ he said, doing prayer hands at Xavier to dismiss him. He nodded at me one last time and left us to it. I hadn’t eaten alone with Luca in the dining room since that night with Henri and it felt like forbidden behaviour. I was half-expecting Genevieve to burst in and drag me downstairs.
‘Are you sure it’s OK for me to be eating in here?’ I asked, nervously.
‘It is my chalet as much as Genevieve’s, so we can do whatever we like,’ Luca said, ‘although we should probably be discreet when Genevieve is here. She can get a little sensitive as you know.’
I sliced off a piece of lamb steak, still steaming hot, juicily roasted on the outside and perfectly pink in the middle. Xavier must have marinaded the meat in redcurrant jam and the balance of flavours when I put it in my mouth was just divine. The boy had a gift. Followed by a forkful of truffled mac ‘n’ cheese, I was in food heaven.
‘It is good, no?’ Luca said, holding up the Fiano. ‘My turn to pour tonight. Would madam like to try the wine?’
I took the glass and sloshed it around a bit, took an exaggerated sniff and gave him a slow, considered nod, followed by a big gulp and a thumbs up.
‘Merci!An excellent choice. What is the vintage?’ I asked in faux interest.
Luca looked stumped as he side-eyed the bottle. ‘I believe it is 1997,’ he said.
‘Ah yes, a very good year. The year I started school,’ I said, with a smile.
Xavier discreetly appeared and cleared our plates. I looked up at him and tried to catch his eye. I didn’t want Xavier serving me; it felt wrong. He wouldn’t look at me, so I started collecting the plates to help him.
‘I can bring the plates down, Xavier?’ I said, in a final bid to get his attention. He looked up sharply and shook his head silently.
‘No need to do anything,’ Luca said, patting me down, ‘Xavier has got it.’ Why did it feel like I was in the middle of a chest-beating contest?
Once Xavier had gone, Luca stood up and put an Etta James record on, adding a smoky siren vibe to the evening. He held his hand out and pulled me up to dance. The mixture of white wine, the massive amount of food I’d eaten and being up the mountain all day was making me feel sleepy. I rested my head on Luca’s shoulder and closed my eyes, his hands resting on my bum. By the time the song had finished, Luca was gently shaking me awake. Xavier must have slipped back in and out unnoticed as there were two gingerbread crème brûlées on the table waiting for us, one with a gold spiral candle. Luca whipped out his Zippo lighter, adding a whiff of fuel to the air, and melted half the tiny candle as he lit it.
‘Make a wish,’ Luca said, holding it out to me, singing ‘Happy Birthday’ again in his deep French accent. This time I joined in. Despite the odds, ithad been a happy birthday. When George called off the wedding, I thought at least the next few birthdays would be a misery, living in the past and remembering this time last year, and this time two years ago. But no. Today was a new beginning. A fresh new year that George had never been in. And Luca had been so lovely and thoughtful – what a fabulous birthday surprise. I’d never felt so special, so considered, so thought about. Luca was an enigma; every time I thought he was one thing, he proved to be another. This birthday year was for me and only me – and it was time to start indulging myself. I blew out the candle and made my final wish of the day:to run my very own restaurant and find a man who feels safe in a storm.My very first indulgence – two wishes.
Twenty-Seven
14th February
The sun had already set behind the clouds and the air was cold as we queued for the lift. There was no Charlie to escort us home this time, just me and Luca getting the bubble down the mountain on our own. Since my birthday surprise, I’d seen Luca in a totally new light. Up until then, I’d been convinced he was superior and spoilt, but I couldn’t get over the level of thought and effort that had gone into organising that meal. Every last detail had been considered and thought through and all my favourite foods and wines included – even down to the gingerbread crème brûlée. It made me feel funny inside just thinking about it. That this strange little dalliance with the boss might actually turn into something real. And that wasn’t the only post-birthday miracle to happen as my skiing was finally starting to improve as well. The yellow bubble clunked its way around to us, and we poked our skis in the outside holes and jumped in. We sat back on the seat and put our feet up, waiting for the doors to shut and the lift to catapult us into the night. Just as the doors twitched to swing inwards, a ski boot wedged itself in and David’s face appeared.
‘Hey guys, I thought it was you,’ he said, climbing in with his snowboard and sitting next to Luca. ‘Hope I’m not interrupting?’ The doors slammed shut and we started to descend.
‘We’ll never know now, will we?’ Luca said, pulling out his phone in a huff and looking out the window.
David sat directly opposite and gave me a big smile.
‘Good day skiing?’ he asked, stomping the snow off his boots.
‘Yes. Perfect T-shirt weather, and I’ve finally progressed from embarrassingly-slow, wide turns to embarrassingly-slow, slightly narrower turns,’ I said, laughing.
The cable car boinged through the mid-station, shuddering as it dropped us down a level towards Verbier. Luca had his feet on the seat next to me and occasionally tutted or smiled as he scrolled through his phone.
‘I need to swing by Rachael’s on the way back and pick up a cheesecake for Xavier. Are you going that way too?’ I asked David as the bubble started to slow down and approach the exit. The three of us clattered out, grabbing boards, skis and poles, trying not to fall over as we made our way across the conveyer belt.
‘Can do. Doesn’t hurt to walk my better half home after a long day,’ David smiled.
‘I need to get some cigarettes from the kiosk,’ Luca said, heading in the opposite direction, ‘so I’ll see you later.’ No kiss or PDA in front of David. Just a quiet look of longing and disappointment.
‘OK, byeee,’ I called after him. I’d have to pick him up a little treat from Rachael’s on the way back, if there was anything left. David and I walked to thepâtisseriethrough the slush, which the sun had melted but would turn back to ice overnight.
