Chapter 19
Nineteen
Beth’s injury wasn’t as bad as Kate had been imagining throughout her journey from Bluewater Bay to Meribel.
Beth had told her it wasn’t, but Kate hadn’t really believed that until she had seen it for herself and had spoken to Avery’s friend who was the doctor that had not only come to Beth’s aid at the time of the accident, but had also treated her at the hospital.
It had taken Beth a day or two to become accustomed to her crutches and both Avery and Kate had had to tell her she shouldn’t be moving around so much in any case. She was supposed to be resting.
Going outside in the snow had been a no-no, which had driven Beth mad, so Avery had carried her in his arms once or twice.
His home was even more fabulous than Kate had expected.
It was a luxury ski chalet built with a combination of aged wood and local stone, and had two separate but connected gable roofs with overhanging eaves that were designed to deal with the weight of heavy, accumulated snow.
The massive floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the property had switchable smart glass that changed from transparent to opaque at the press of a button, or a spoken command. The expanse of glass maximised the breathtaking, panoramic, mountain views and bathed every room in natural light.
The chalet blended modern, high-end features and amenities with traditional Alpine architecture. There were stone fireplaces in several rooms, including some of the bedrooms, together with large wooden beams on the ceilings and wooden floors.
The bathrooms were a combination of marble and bespoke, and in some cases, intricately carved, woodwork. The kitchen would put many of those in an upmarket hotel or restaurant to shame. As would the utility room. There was a marble spa, a sauna, a hot tub, and a swimming pool.
It could easily have been a chalet-hotel catering to the rich and famous but instead it was a welcoming and cosy home.
Kate could now understand completely why Beth loved the place so much.
In fact, Kate was tempted to ask if she could move in herself.
Meribel was beautiful. It had a village quality despite the crowds who flocked there to ski and party. Avery’s home was close enough to enjoy all the amenities on offer, yet far enough away not to be irritated by noisy revellers in the early hours of the morning.
Kate had even been persuaded to put on a pair of skis and venture on to the green beginner’s slopes by her fourth day there. Avery’s hotel nearby had its own ski instructors which meant Kate had the benefit of one-to-one private tuition.
By the end of the day, she had mastered the basics and was even confident enough to try out her first run on a blue piste. She managed to ski from the top to the bottom without falling over once.
She was so pleased with herself that she sent several photos and a video to Granny Viv. She wanted to send them to her mum, but Rose wasn’t supposed to know Kate was in Meribel. She would send them to Rose and Frank once they were home.
Kate had asked Granny Viv if Ula and Greg were doing okay walking Rufus.
‘Don’t you worry about Rufus,’ Granny Viv had said. ‘He’s in good hands. I would even go as far as to say he’s having a whale of a time.’
Kate had been tempted to ask if Granny Viv, or Millie, had heard anything about Raff Gale, but she thought better of it. She had made a big thing about her gran not trying to get them together, if she asked about him now, she might be stirring up a hornet’s nest.
Beth’s leg was healing well. So well in fact that Kate knew she could return to Bluewater Bay and not worry about her daughter.
She wanted to stay, but she also wanted Beth and Avery to have their privacy. His home was huge compared to Kate’s but even so, there were times when she had walked in on them kissing.
She had felt like a gooseberry when it had happened in her home. Now, having so recently experienced what it was like to be passionate about another person, she felt even more in the way.
Beth might not be able to be very athletic with her leg in plaster, but that wouldn’t have dampened her enthusiasm. Kate had been unable to keep her hands off Raff. She could only imagine how hard it must be for Beth and Avery to keep their hands off one another.
And it wasn’t merely lust or desire in Beth and Avery’s case. Unlike Kate and Raff, Beth and Avery were madly in love.
‘I’ve loved being here with you, darling,’ Kate said on the Friday morning, ‘but I think that, unless you really want me to stay, it’s time I returned to Bluewater Bay.’
‘I’ve loved you being here, Mum,’ Beth replied.
‘So has Avery. And although I want you to stay, I don’t need you to.
So yes, I agree. Avery will arrange your travel, so don’t worry about that, and it’s up to you when you go.
I know you’ll be back at school on Monday, so would need to be back by Sunday at the latest. But that’s cutting things fine.
You’ve got to go and collect Rufus from Granny Viv’s and then drive home to Chelmsford, so if you want to leave tomorrow, or even today, that’s perfectly fine.
On one condition,’ she added as Avery came and joined them in the spacious kitchen.
‘You promise you’ll come back for a weekend or two, or more, once Nanna and Frank are back from their cruise. ’
‘Absolutely,’ said Avery. ‘And leave the travel stuff to me.’
‘That’s wonderful. Thank you both. Then … if it’s really all right with you, I think I should return today, if travel can be arranged.’
‘Consider it done,’ said Avery, pulling his phone from his pocket and making the necessary calls.