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‘Exactement,’ Xavier replied.
‘Apart from Liv,’ I said.
‘Apart from Liv the lone wolf,’ he smiled.
‘A lone wolf boarding in the moonlight, a-wooooooo,’ Liv howled and one or two of the other skiers looked over.
‘At least we all made it up here together,’ I said, ‘and this coffee and cake is a treat. Thank you, Xavier.’
‘There’s more where that came from,’ Xavier said. ‘I like to be prepared for these things.’
‘I’m glad all that weirdness with Luca has been sorted out,’ Liv said. ‘Mates before dates and all that.’
‘Totally. Hopefully, the three of us will stay mates once the season ends?’
‘Of course we will – you can come and visit me in Italy anytime,’ Xavier said.
‘And me in Bali,’ Liv added.
‘What?! Is that where you’ll both be?’ My stomach went funny at this news. I’d only just settled into life in Verbier, and the cards were already being reshuffled and thrown back in the air. London didn’t feel anywhere near as exciting.
‘I hope so. I’ve applied to run a cookery school in Tuscany and if I get the job, I’ll be opening a second Lavedrine X in San Gimignano in the autumn,’ Xavier said.
‘With Luca as your business partner?’ I asked, remembering the argument they’d had on my birthday.
Xavier snorted. ‘Certainly not. He signed the paperwork over last week as agreed. Genevieve had a persuasive word with him and gave him an ultimatum – it was either a happy Xavier or a very unhappy Fern. I completed my side of the deal; it was Luca’s turn to complete his.’
‘Me and Bella are travelling across Indonesia and I’ve booked onto a yoga teacher training course in Bali,’ Liv said. ‘I want to get my qualification and start taking it seriously.’
‘I’m supposed to go back to the bistro and take all my new recipes with me,’ I said. ‘Margot said that if I’ve learnt even a tenth of the skill of the great Xavier Lavedrine, she’ll make me head chef.’
‘Amazing mate, congrats!’ Liv said.
‘You are way better than a tenth,’ Xavier said. ‘Some of your experimentations have been really impressive. And your range is phenomenal. Your mac ‘n’ cheese is the most delicious I’ve ever tasted.’
I felt a warm glow at his praise. Maybe I wasn’t a complete buffoon in the kitchen after all. The three of us sat side by side, looking down the piste to Verbier below. There was a collective hush as the torches were lit and the fire lighters started to make their way down the piste. The moon was bright, but these golden beacons made a huge difference to the visibility. Just enough light to see my hands in front of me and watch out for huge moguls on the way down.
The short sharp ting of a cowbell sounded and all the ten-minute keenos started shuffling.
‘That’s my cue,’ Liv said, ‘hate to leave you both, but have to go. Wooooooo.’
She gave me a high five and put her night goggles on. A quick wave to Xavier and off she went, to enjoy her Leap Year moon hoon.
‘Are you sure I’m not ruining your fun?’ I asked, concerned.
‘Not at all. You are prolonging it, in fact,’ Xavier said. ‘And actually, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.’
‘Is there?’ I hoped it wasn’t the accidental spooning at Maxim’s.
‘I don’t want you to think I’m a callous bastard, so I have to tell you the truth.’
‘About what?’ I felt nervous for some reason. What would he need to explain to me?
‘About Christina,’ he said.
‘Christina, your wife?’
‘Yes. Christina my wife. Well. That’s the thing I wanted to explain. She is technically my wife, but only on paper. We were students together at Cordon Bleu and very good friends. When the new Brexit rules came in, she could no longer live full-time in Paris and was having to give up her life to go back to London. When Chantal called off our engagement, I was a total mess. The restaurant was the only thing I had left and I needed a steady hand to run it. The deal I’d done with Luca meant I’d be working here, so I needed someone in Paris I could trust and Christina needed a way to be able to stay in France. At the time, it felt like the perfect solution. When Chantal ran off, I decided that was it for me – I would never get married. Not for love, anyway.’
